Chapter 59: Chapter 59

Chapter 58:

Lancelin’s P.O.V

“Mauve?” Miaka asked surprised as we all rushed out of the dungeons. “But she’s dead.”

“Yes and she’s left behind a disciple.” I spoke through gritted teeth as betrayal made my blood boil. “Martin.”

“How’s that possible? Martin is without any magean powers.” Acelin said as he rushed to keep up with my strides. “He’s no better than a human.”

“Have you heard of dark mages?” I asked them both, pausing for just an instant so I could look at their faces and instantly, Miaka’s eyes widened. “You have, haven’t you? Tell me everything you know.”

Miaka might only be sixteen in human years but she had the mind of a genius. She was also very curious and was always looking for clues and details of every race, every species that existed on Earth and learning about them constantly. She had the most knowledge amongst all of us when it came to our races. So, if anyone knew about the dark mages, it had to be her.

“Dark mages,” Miaka told us. “Are the ones who have turned away from the natural forces and started to depend on the darker forms of acquiring magic. Think about it this way. We get all our nutrients from vegetables and fruits but they give us less energy than fats. But even though fats give us energy, they aren’t good for our body. So the nutrients here are the natural forces of the earth that a mage normally draws powers from and the fats are blood sacrifices. Dark mages usually butcher animals or in extreme cases, humans, to get their energy. Over time though, they become serial killers and the number of their kills keep increasing to satisfy their lust for power.”

“I get it.” I frowned as I remembered the recent reports of missing people that have been filed. But since its New York City, a lot of people have just been written off as having fled to other regions or some other lame excuses so no one knew they were murdered.

“Before Mauve died, she told us that this wasn’t over and that we had a traitor in our midst.” Acelin pointed out. “We had naturally assumed that the traitor was Asmara.”

“But it was always my father and Mauve had been the one helping him. Asmara was just another pawn. Mauve was the one who threw Asmara into Shadowland in the first place.” I told them confidently. “The time and age, they all match. Mauve has been Chrone for over six centuries now.”

“And the presence I felt in the dungeon, it had to be Martin then.” Miaka added. “I thought it wasn’t coming from the Castle but the truth is, Dark Mages are very hard to detect because they’re extremely powerful while riding the high of their kill. Martin must have killed recently.”

“It’s such a shame.” Acelin shook his head. “He was a good man. Why would he turn to the dark side?”

“Because of Tanya.” I told him. “They’ve been in love ever since they were children but Martin’s status inside the coven always came between them. They still had hope, even after Martin was thrown out of the coven, until recently, when Tanya’s parents decided to fix her engagement to another Mage. It must have been the last straw for him.”

“So what do we do now?” Miaka asked us. “We need to find both Martin and your father before they try to escape.”

“Acelin, go get Erick and ask his help to search for my father. He might be able to track them using their scent.” I ordered Acelin before turning to Miaka. “Miaka, go find my mother and make sure she’s safe. I’ll stay with Sanaya and protect her. She’s still weak and her transition isn’t finished yet. I need to stay by her side.”

“It’s alright brother, we’re on it.” Acelin said and the three of us split in different directions once we came out of the dungeons.

I was nearing the corridor that led to the private quarters when Tanya stopped me. “Your Highness!”

“Tanya?” I turned to face the dark haired woman who was once one of my most trusted people, but now, after Mauve’s betrayal, the trust I had in her was wavering. “What are you doing here?”

Without saying anything, she dropped down to the floor in a low curtsy, touching her forehead to the ground.

“What are you doing?” I asked her frowning.

“I’ve come to apologize on behalf of my entire coven, Your Highness,” She said, her voice trembling. “I know we do not deserve your forgiveness after what our Chrone has done and I will not make excuses for her treason. But I will promise to uphold the values our ancestors set for us and make you proud.”

So she was chosen as the new Chrone? “If your people have trusted you to become the new Chrone, not as Mauve’s granddaughter but as a powerful Mage then I will not oppose the decision. You deserve my gratitude and my respect for helping me save Sanaya from Shadowland. But trust is another issue.” I told her. “You may not have done anything to break that trust, but your coven has broken innumerable rules and even tried to kill me. It will take time.”

Tanya didn’t move from the ground, her head hung in shame and I felt sorry for her. Even though I could no longer trust her completely, I couldn’t blame her either. She hadn’t been involved in the betrayal; Sophia had confirmed that after reading her initial reaction to Sanaya’s disappearance. Sophia was a Succubus that had the latent ability to read emotions and she had been friends with Tanya for a long time. I trusted her judgment of Tanya’s emotions and my heart.

“Rise Tanya, Chrone of the Amenite Coven.” I told her in a firm voice and saw her tremble with the power I emitted.

“Your Highness.” Tanya stood up from her position on the ground but didn’t raise her head.

“Have you spoken to Martin?” I asked her instead, distracting her from the topic of her coven’s former betrayal.

“Martin?” Tanya looked up at me in open surprise. “He’s here?”

“You haven’t seen him?” I asked suspiciously. “I thought you met him this morning? Are you avoiding him because of your engagement?”

“I would’ve broken the engagement if Martin had actually showed up but he never did.” Tanya spoke with a sad smile on her face. “I haven’t seen him in two weeks. He isn’t answering my calls or texts…it’s like he has given up on us. So I thought maybe I should move on too. I didn’t know he was such a coward.”

“Tanya…I have some bad news for you. Martin has turned to the dark side, become a Dark Mage and he just might have been responsible for Asmara’s death.”

“Impossible!” Tanya’s eyes widened in horror. “Martin is a good man…he…he wouldn’t…”

“He was the perfect disciple for Mauve since he had no powers to begin with.” I told her my theory. “I have no idea who the first sacrifice was but Asmara was the second. He’s very strong right now and I need your help to find him. But for now, I want you to protect Sanaya. She’s weak yet and won’t be able to defend herself. Will you protect her?”

“With my life, Your Highness.” Tanya said at once, although her face told me she was heartbroken to learn about Martin. “She’s my best friend and the future Queen. I won’t fail you like my grandmother did.”

“Good.” I turned and started walking back towards my room where I had left Sanaya. “Let’s go. We’re running out of time.”