Call Of The Dark

King Viktor was not convinced that the mortal Emma could escape so easily. He was sure that she was in the palace. The ritual was about to start and according to Lazarus, if they didn't find Emma, they would take Gladys to the temple. Though he didn't mind sacrificing his daughter, he wanted it to be Emma. The girl was Lazarus's mate and once he claimed her, she was going to be even more powerful.

The moon was going to be at its peak in less than half an hour. He had purposely not gone to the temple only so that he could quietly find Emma in one last effort.

When he saw that the palace was quiet, he started to comb it on his own. He traced everywhere to look for Emma. He suspected that she was at Yul's place, but when he traced there, she wasn't found. He came back to the palace and started thinking where she could have gone. Only a few minutes were left for the moon to come at the peak.

He was definite that she was getting support from a royal otherwise how would she hide so well. And the only name that popped in his head was that of Magnus. So he traced to Magnus's apartment.

---

The Shaman said, "We have to start with the ritual as soon as possible, m'lady!"

"But there is no one!" she cried, cursing her luck, cursing Lazarus and cursing everything else. Enraged, she shouted, If no one is available, I am going to possess every female body of the Kingdom of Wilyra and kill them until not a single female is left!"

The Shaman gulped. He had never seen the goddess in so much rage. In order to pacify her, he said, "I am sure that Prince Lazarus also knows about your condition. Let me start with the ritual. He should be here with a fresh human body soon."

Maeve clicked her teeth at him. Through her gritted teeth, she spat, "Okay start. But remember, if there isn't a body for me to possess, I will kill you before leaving!"

The Shaman began shaking. He had come here to help her and she was threatening him instead? He prayed to the Gods that Lazarus came soon with a healthy female. He lit the fire in front of the stone slab over which Maeve was. "Please lie down. The ritual will start now. The process is going to be painful and you have to bear with me. You will have this urge to get up and puke but--"

"Oh, just start with it, you dimwit!" she snapped. "This is not the first time I am undergoing it!"

The Shaman gasped at the way she was humiliating him. He really had no other choice other than to start. He was pretty surprised that none of the royals had come. He joined his hands and took them up. He closed his eyes and brought his hands to his chest. He started reciting incantations loudly. All the while he was reciting incantations, he added something in the fire. The fire in the pit would hiss and grow further. Soon black smoke started emitting from it, curling and taking a viper-like shape. The smoke traveled to Maeve and coiled around her body as if hugging her.

The Shaman was too busy with the ritual but he heard a soft shuffle of footsteps. He peeked with one open eye and saw that Prince Anton had come. He closed his eyes again and continued with his incantations.

Anton watched the whole ritual taking place from a distance as his assasins hid in the shadows. He was getting jittery that Lazarus hadn't brought any female as yet. Gladys was not found and he was getting very angry with her. Where was she? Over the last three days, she had decided to hide. Nothing made sense. He heard heavy footsteps behind him. It was Yul. He came along with a few guards who were standing outside the circle.

"Where is Lazarus?" Anton hissed at him. "He is supposed to be here and watch the ritual. Why is he missing?"

Yul, being a vampire, couldn't lie, so he said, "The last I met him, he said he would be here soon."

Suddenly, the temple echoed with the bloodcurdling shrieks of Maeve. The smoke that coiled around her tightened its grip. It was like a huge anaconda trying to squeeze the life out of her. "Leaveeee meeee!" Maeve screamed.

The Shaman lifted his head up to see Maeve. He got up from his place and picked up a pitcher that was filled with black liquid. He tilted the pitcher and started spilling the liquid all around the stone slab. He circled it as he spilled it while reciting incantations loudly. When he went back to his place, he lifted his head to the moon and said loudly, "Help her with a smooth transition!" His mouth filled with blood and he spat it on the side.

Maeve's screams started fading as the smoke around her coiled tighter. Her whole body spasmed and convulsed. Her eyes rolled back in her head.

The Shaman looked at Anton and said, "Anytime now. The soul will come out and it will seek a fresh body. We need the body in a few minutes. If this doesn't happen, Goddess Maeve has threatened that she will enter the bodies of all the young females of Wilyra and kill them."

His words sent shivers down Anton's spine. Suppressing his anger, he turned to Yul. "Where the fuck is Lazarus? Go get him!"

Yul gave him a tight nod. He went out as Anton watched him leave. He turned his attention to Maeve getting antsy by the minute. How could Lazarus be so careless? Sound of heavy boots and metal clanking on the floor drew his attention back to the temple's entrance and his eyes became wide with shock when he saw that the person Lazarus was getting wasn't Gladys.