Page 73 of The Dark War

“Thank you, that is so helpful.” A vampire child and pup ran by, screaming in laughter. My worry about two different species housing so closely together was fleeting. Maybe we all would be able to get along even with our differences.

“Your Majesty.” Three women approached, bowing lowly. “We would love your input on what we have extracted from a dragon. We aren’t sure what to make of it or what to do with it.” My head tilted in confusion until one woman held out a black satchel. One dark red orb lay in the fabric that surrounded them. “We pulled this from The Black Dragon. It is remnants of black magic that had encompassed his soul.”

All my history books, spells, and magic enchantments had burned in the fire. Trying to understand this orb in front of me was going to be difficult. My hand reached underneath the fabric to keep my bare skin from touching. Looking over it, the three witches leaned in, watching me study it.

“Sorry,” one of them said. “We are just eager to have you here to help.” She smiled. “I’m Gemma. These are my sisters, Gloria and Genesis.” They all bowed again. “We can tell you exactly how we did it, if you like.”

Their eagerness made me laugh. I should have known these were the three sisters that resided here. I put the two orbs back in the bag. “Meet me at the royal cabin. We will study it together. Maybe find a way to understand this magic.” Nodding enthusiastically, they ran to their destination.

“You’ve got some fans,” Raine said. “They are good witches. Wish their sister was here, but she has her duty at the elven tribes.” We all had to do what we could to protect each other.

Raine led me to Marcus, who was holding a large bag. His eyes were dim. No life was left inside him as he stoically stood with Jasper. My mate was frowning, his concern radiating. “What’s wrong?” I asked through the link. Jasper only shook his head, giving a small smile.

“We will talk later.”

“Or I can dig in your head,” I joked. Jasper’s small smile had him pull me closer, kissing my forehead. Marcus’s facial expressions didn’t change. He handed the bag over to Jasper and walked away.

That wasn’t the Marcus I was used to seeing at all. This war had torn us all to pieces, but the defeated soul he had now had me guessing what it might be. The knowing look Jasper just gave me confirmed my suspicions.

“Oh gods,” I muttered, Jasper pulling me into his chest. “This is so awful. This has to stop.” I sniffed. Jasper rubbed a hand up and down my back, kissing my forehead. Raine, who was talking to another wolf, turned to give her attention back to us.

“This is memory powder,” Jasper muttered. Raine growled, folding her arms.

“That shit has caused trouble,” she snapped. “Please be careful with it, it can erase your memory, and only a bond or those witches expelling it out of your body can cure it. It isn’t to be messed with.” Feeling defeated, I grabbed the bag. It was time to get to work.

We worked all day. The three sisters now lay scattered on the floor of my bedroom. The table Jasper erected was now filled with endless notes, papers, and small spell books from the sisters, and I was in no way any closer to knowing what these orbs were.

The powder was still sitting in its bag, untouched. I had an overwhelming feeling that these orbs were so much more important. They had remained untouched, too fearful of whatever magic it held to penetrate me, but we were running out of time.

Looking behind me, making sure all those in the room were asleep, I took my finger and touched the ball like it was iron hot, but it wasn’t. It was insanely cold. Feeling it again, I left it for longer, and it was so cold that it burned.

Sticking my finger into my mouth, the healing properties of my wolf healed it instantly. Taking the water on the table, I dripped several drops of water, all for them to freeze in an instant and shatter around the orb to dust. As the dust settled, they melted.

The hell is this?

My eyes blinked at the pools of water around the orb. The tint of blue coloring the water had changed into made me groan. I had more questions than answers.

Pulling the memory dust closer, I opened the satchel, grabbed a spoon, and dropped the dust on the orb. The dust went up into flames as a red fire until it burned away, turning into a final blue flame until it vanished.

“It’s crazy, isn’t it?” a low feminine voice came from the corner of the room. My hair hit me in the face as I whipped around. It was Hecate, the goddess who had granted me my upgrade in power. “It’s even more powerful than I imagined.” She frowned, walking to the table. Her fingers brushed the parchments of notes.

“You won’t find anything in your history books, notes, or magic spells with this one, darling. This is something completely new, different, lethal, and since it involves demons, I’m taking it upon myself to step in.”

The gods didn’t step in, never. It was against the laws of the Celestial Kingdom. So why she was helping now had me stepping away from her. If Zeus knew what she was doing, he could destroy us all.

“You worry too much. He won’t do anything,” she muttered. “He’s got his head too far up Hera’s ass right now.” I gasped, hearing her talk about the High God like he was incompetent.

“Oh, he is incompetent,” she snipped.

Great, she is reading my mind.

“You said demons are at work here?” I asked, changing the topic. Racing back through my memories, Virion flashed in my mind.

“Yes, three to be exact, and they have inhabited your ex-Parliament member who had disguised himself as a vampire. He’s a sorcerer, a powerful one that has been practicing necromancing. Virion has allowed three rogue demons to inhabit his body to gain power in both the Bergarian and Earth realms. With his deep education in black magic and necromancy, he summoned three powerful demons. They will be unstoppable if we don’t destroy them soon.”

My mouth hung open, feeling the darkness invade the room. “Virion’s power grows by the day, and none of you will be able to stop him,” Hecate leaned forward as my back hit the wall. Her mouth set into a grim line, and she stepped away from me. “That is why I am here, because if Bergarian doesn’t destroy him, the gods are next, and it will be too late.”

“Why can’t the gods intervene then?” I argued. “Why can’t you all come down here and do something?” I hissed. Hecate chuckled, rubbing her hands down her face.

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