CHAPTER 69 A Black Mage

The Marchioness

Although I suspected the Vampire King had already summoned the vampires within the country, I needed to be careful. I should have flown straight to Tokyo from the Philippines, but I lent my private plane to someone else.

I decided to make a call to confirm the actions of the Vampire King's while my driver drove into the heart of Beijing.

"Marchioness... or should I call you Duchess?" An amused male voice answered.

"So, you have been elevated to Eldest, Albert," I said in French so my driver wouldn't understand what I was saying.

"Ah, you are speaking in French. Where are you?" The former Duke asked.

"Beijing. I need to know if the Vampire King will be summoning his progeny anytime soon," I asked.

"He summoned the army a while ago. They are now at the Long territory to sequester Ling," he answered.

"Make sure the Vampire King meets with Drew at the pink meadow of Moonlight Forest and give my regards to Ling," I instructed and hung up. I leaned back in my chair and enjoyed the ride.

I instructed the driver to drop me off in front of an apartment complex at the heart of Beijing. As soon as Drew's diver drove off, a black van stopped in front of me. The door of the van opened, revealing a well-dressed Michael inside. He seemed to be in good spirits, even taking my hand to assist me inside.

"Take care of her luggage," Michael ordered the driver and his assistant in Mandarin. I climbed aboard the van and took a seat behind Michael.

"I heard a young girl just landed this morning and has already made her way past Mutianyu. Apparently, you have hired a new assassin," Michael said.

"I have," I answered. "What happened to Priestess Mielin, Michael? That wasn't part of the plan."

He turned around in his seat as the van drove off to our next destination. Despite the darkness of the night, I noticed his eyes had gone dark, flickering with anger. A partition suddenly rose up to separate us from the driver and his assistant.

He quickly grabbed my neck, squeezing it. I stared at him, daring him to kill me as his grasp tightened around my throat.

"Do not insult me, Marchioness. Or should I call you Duchess?" he asked, sneering at me. Of course, he knew. "Priestess Meilin's death was regrettably unexpected. Evidently, Strega had stolen an orb from my kin, The Great Shadow of Ula. My kind need power to thrive. Since I have been cautious in using my powers, I have not withered away. Just like him, I also need the powers of others, although not urgently. I have noticed something extremely troubling though.

The gem I have in my possession does not sense the power of the Enchantress. What do you know of this?"

"I know nothing of what you speak of. Let go of me, you filth!" I removed my neck from his grasp. Long have I regretted making a deal with this black mage, yet it was the only way for me to ensure Fire's safety.

He gave me Fire, but before he did, his voice echoed in the darkest recesses of my mind, making me agree to an oath. I would raise Fire and use her to gain whatever goal I ambitioned, after which he would suck her essence, making him powerful, even more powerful than this Great Shadow of Ula he mentioned.

Michael and Mason were descendants of Ula, a family of wolves who rallied against the alliance between the golden-eyed wolf and the silver-eyed werebears. I have no idea how his ancestors became a part of Fire's pack, but one thing is for sure, they are great manipulators.

Black magic shortens a mage's or priestess' lifespan unless a life force from another powerful being is taken. Michael has been wise to use his powers sparingly all these years or the wolves would have detected the rot that sets in once black magic takes control of his body.

I tried to do research, however not much was known about the black mages and priestesses of the wolf world. I had asked the High Elder, but even he refused to tell me anything.

"Do not indulge in folk lore, Marchioness," the High Elder said. "It is not the vampire way."

"Remeber our agreement, bloodsucker," Michael said, grabbing my hand and showing me the small black symbol on my wrist while showing the same symbol on his. After a few moments, the symbol became invisible, not be seen by the naked eye, but it was there. "Does Fire know? I heard she placed her hand on your face."

"No. She has not been trained to see as far as our past lives," I answered. He laughed.

"Good. Kill the Vampire King as soon as possible. I can no longer wait. I fear my kin is looking for me. He wants my power as well," Michael said.

The van dropped me off at Xingying village, a small village near Mutianyu. I knocked on a large brown door of a small cottage-like house situated in a dark alley.

A young girl opened the door. She had long dark hair and had a startling resemblance to Stefan.

"Hello, my dear. I hope you are well rested. Come tomorrow, we hike to Moonlight Forest."

________________

The Eldest, formerly the Duke

To my relief, the Vampire King opted to stay at his estate at the Russian border. It gave me leeway to welcome a distinguished guest.

When I opened the door to her suite, she and Duke Stefan were laughing while sharing a drink.

"Ling, it has been so long since we last saw each other," I said in English, bowing to the Long Matriarch.

"I should slap you, Albert. Stefan has told me you were the one who concocted this plan," she said, giving me a dirty look.

"And did he tell you he readily agreed to the plan when I had first suggested it to the Vampire King?" I threw back.

Ling's eyes moved to stare at the Duke. He choked on the blood he was drinking, caught unawares.

"Your grandson chained me to a wheelchair. I felt humiliated," the Duke reasoned.

"You felt humiliated because you're so big and he's small. Stefan, you gatecrashed his event and your girl, Albert, Isabella, made a scandal. I may not talk to my grandson, but I do have the internet," the old woman said, quick as ever.

"You knew about Isabella? Then why didn't you tell him?" I asked, surprised.

"I have my ways, Albert. I may be old, but I'm not stupid," she scoffed. "I did not tell him because it was all part of the Moon Goddess' plan. You vampires still think she's an absentee mother. Anyway, the Blood King isn't our only problem. There is a darkness that lurks. So far, the two wolves of the Enchantress has merged giving her the light to purge this darkness. He is here. I can feel it."

"A black mage? But mages are rare. How has he hidden himself?" I asked, sitting down next to her. I missed Ling. She was a renowned Priestess during her youth.

Ling would often venture to Moonlight Forest on her own. It was neutral ground for both vampires and wolves, established during the time of Ying Yue.

The Marquess was the first to form a friendship with Ling, then of course his wife and myself. We would meet in secret and enjoy each other's company.

Unfortunately, she stopped speaking to us when her daughter died.

"He only uses a small portion of the darkness, not fully immersing himself. However, once he takes a life, he will begin to rot, like all the black mages before him," Ling answered, then flapped her hands to change the topic. "It has been over thirteen years. I want to know the truth. Who killed my daughter?"

The Marquess sighed. "I was given the task by Damon, but I refused. I suspect it was Damon himself. When her murder happened, the whispers pointed to me since I used the same ammunition to kill the Enchantress' parents. I confronted Damon and he ordered me to keep quiet."

"I had always thought that was you," I said. "Then who killed Luna Jade Long-Drago?"

"It was the Viscount," our former Baron, now turned Marquess, said. "I was in Thailand when Damon showed up and ordered the Viscount to do his bidding. After the Enchantress burned his club, he has a vendetta against her to fulfill. I have come to tell you, he is on his way to speak to the Vampire King."

Ling looked at the three of us. "I want more ham and cheese with my wine. Thanks to you three idiots, I might be dying tomorrow." I patted her on his arm.

"You always underestimated us, Ling. We have a plan. I promise you not a hair on your head will be touched," I assured her.

"I've never underestimated you, Albert. I know you. You and this big fellow here lack imagination. The Marchioness, I mean the Duchess," she smirked at the Duke, "she has imagination. I'll even put money on it."

"Do you know where she is?" The Duke asked, waiting expectantly for her answer.

"Why are you asking me? She's your wife!"