The old witch stepped out of the room but I could still hear her heartbeat beating outside. She was waiting for me. My skin was glistening in sweat from my strange dream and I was shirtless seeing as I had not bothered with a shirt after my bath. I put on some dark pants and a white shirt. I contemplated putting on a jacket but I changed my mind and ran my hands through my hair instead.

My hair was getting long. Unlike my brothers Lucien and Dalkyr, after a while I preferred to keep my hair short, buzzed even. It was just another of those things that I could not be bothered with. I had to remind myself to get a haircut soon. With ginger red hair that I had inherited from my father and light green, almost aquamarine eyes that I had inherited from my mother, I was no stranger to coveted looks from both women and men at court but it never meant anything to me. Dalkyr had almost the same features and used it well to his advantage. He was what one would call the player of the family.

Lucien used to be the cold one. Well he was still cold to an extent but that woman, Camilla had changed him, thawed most of the ice in his heart. Dalkyr was the player and it had gotten us into big trouble with very important deities and important species over the past centuries. I was supposedly the playful one, the jokester. Ironic isn't it. That I could make others have a good time but I couldn't make myself have a good time.

I walked to the dresser in the room and picked up the covered glass of blood. A servant had brought it in before I had fallen asleep earlier. Removing the cover and placing it on the silver tray the glass had been on, I brought the glass to my lips drinking down the blood in four large gulps. I felt the blood rush over my tongue, tickling my fangs and giving me flashes of a time when I used to get the blood directly from the source. I quickly dissipated said thoughts and wrinkled my nose as I swallowed the rest of the blood.

It had been a personal choice to stop using blood slaves. I didn't see the need for the contact anymore. Replacing the glass on the dresser, I put on my shoes and left the room. I gave a curt nod at the witch for her to lead the way. I had been right. She was waiting at the door for me. She shifted with a start and moved along the lit corridors.

"Not all the coven heads could be invited here on such short notice My Lord. Duncan tried his best to bring as many as he could. We weren't expecting your arrival." The witch said in a crackly voice. I barely lifted an eyebrow. So they said. Many times. I wondered why her heart rate sped up though. She was shrouded in magic but there were some signs that couldn't be ignored. Like how her wrinkled fingers were agitated like Duncan's had been, except hers were a little more subdued.

We passed a few more corridors and staircases only to end up in front of magnificent double doors. It was not as impressive as the door leading to the hall back in my mansion, but it was large, beautiful and made of magic. Lines, and spells had been carved into the acacia wood in a centralized pattern and the two fire torches that stood on the wall on either side of the doors seemed to dance in welcome.

Two witches stood on either side of the door beneath the torches in black ceremonial robes and a hat. They bowed to me when I came close to the door and went to push open the door.

The old witch walked ahead of me as we entered the itches' meeting hall. It was a big room with round walls and a small podium smack in the center of the room. The podium had a witches' circle ingrained on the stone along with other carvings. All around the room right from the door, were large chairs places, on most of which, a witch or warlock sat on. It was a circular arrangement given that the room was circular and the chairs were placed across the wall. It was another form of witches' circle. Itches and tradition.

Witches gained power from the strength of the coven. The stronger the circle was, the stronger the powers. My mother and aunt had taught me this. A larger chair stood on the opposite side of the door at the very end where the two sides of the circle of witches met and on it sat Duncan as the head of the coven. Behind him, a very large, orange fire burned in a chimney a few meters behind Duncan. The big ceremonial fire.

Most of the chairs in the room were filled but I could count at least seven empty chairs. The chairs of the people who had not been able to come. Including Duncan, the people in the room now were about eleven. The various council members that made up the witch council of the Southern Regions of Lakaiyah. Family representatives of the various prominent witch families. I sighed at the absences. I needed for all the council members to be here.

"Lord Kyryaan. Welcome." Duncan pronounced in a loud voice and stood up along with all the other witches and warlocks present. I stepped in with regal indifference. Duncan was wearing a ceremonial robe like the rest but his had extra engraving on it as was befitting of the coven head.

Subconsciously, my eyes darted to the empty chair beside the one he now occupied. I cocked m head to the side lost in thought. That had been Duncan's chair when Lyra had been the head. You see, witches and their covens did not function like other hierarchies.

A family's chair in the coven council room could not be occupied by another. The chair Duncan sat on now had been the chair belonging to Lyra's generation. They were the strongest witches in these parts. Now that she was dead without an heir, the closest family member would have had to take over the generational chair. If there was none, the council would have to elect the next most powerful family to lead them. It was all about power. The issue now was, Lyra had a nephew.

Coincidentally, her sister had been married to Duncan and when she gave birth to their son, it was said that she died in labor. A year after that, the strange news of Lyra's death came and since the child had been too young to take over the coven, Duncan as his ward had stepped in, in his place. The boy, Duncan's son had to be of age by now, twenty-two years if I was not wrong and he should have been the one leading the coven and no longer Duncan. By now, Duncan should have returned to his chair.

Which begged the question, where was the boy? And why was Duncan still heading the coven?

"I hope you had a good rest My Lord." Duncan continued in a sickenly sweet voice while I stared him down.

No chair had been set up for me. I had to commend the man's bravery. I almost laughed. He really expected me to stand on the podium as if I were a criminal to be tried by their witch council. This man really didn't know who I was. Or at least he was too foolish to acknowledge it. But he will earn his place. He will. I smirked, the corners of one side of my mouth barely tilting up.

"They were adequate." I replied in a bored tone and went to stand in the center of the room but I didn't climb on the podium. I was Lord. I could take his chair if I wanted to but I was not interested at the moment.

"You may sit." I ordered in a commanding tone and few of the witches and warlocks first of all turned to look at Duncan, as if asking for permission but I only got angry at that gesture. They would dare defy me to please this...man. Duncan on his own look flustered, angry even that I was commanding his people and that seemed to lift my spirits. After a moment of hesitation, he sat down and they followed suit. His lips were still in a thin line.

"We were unable to call the rest of the council members on such short notice My Lord. We had not expected your sudden visit." Duncan spoke once he was seated and I raised a brow again.

"I know. But these are my territories are they not? I don't see the problem in popping in for a visit. Unless you have something to hide." I challenged, going straight to the point. I knew the man; the coven was hiding something but I just didn't know what it was. I intended to find out. Duncan's face reddened at my insinuation and he sputtered for a bit before speaking

"My Lord. We have nothing to hide. Our concern is simply one of your wellbeing. We would have preferred to provide better accommodations." He defended. He sounded too defensive and what was that tilt in his voice? Interesting.

"My accommodations are fine." I said simply. A few witches were murmuring to themselves on the side of the room and I shot them a look. They hushed immediately. I had sensitive hearing being a vampire. They knew better than to whisper beside a vampire. Unless, they were using magical wards to block me from hearing what they were saying. But why would they do that if they weren't hiding anything.

I then folded my arms behind my back and paced slowly around the room.

"My men and I came here because we had heard troubling reports coming from here. A couple of witches dying is not the type of thing should ignore but you are right. There are a couple of things I need to discuss with the council and I can only do so when not only half of the council is present. We shall reschedule this meeting to be held in a month's time. That is ample time for you and some of my men to do the investigations surrounding these strange occurrences and report to me then. I also expect all council members to be present in that meeting." I explained, conveying my thoughts but at the same time, coming up with a plan to find out what was happening. I did not trust Duncan and I had to be wary of him.

"But My Lord. You are leaving vampires on witch land. The witches are perfectly capable of carrying out the investigations on their own." One witch, an old one that I recognized from Lyra's time spoke, sounding very angry.

"Yes. But they have failed to provide the answers to the question of the deaths after all this while that I left you to your own devices. As of now it is a very serious affair and the vampires I leave here shall be involved." I replied swiftly, my lips pursing.

"That is desecration of our sacred land. The vampires..." The woman started hotly but I interrupted her.

"The vampires would stay and I would advise for the witches to cooperate. Unless, you are challenging my word?" left the question open, raising my brow, waiting for her to reply again, my challenge hanging in the air like a double edged sword. She bristled easily and let it go even if she was still disgruntled.

"As you wish My Lord." She said. I chanced a glance at Duncan and he was fuming. Then I remembered I had one more thing to say.

"Duncan, isn't your son of age now?" I asked and the man paled, his heart rate increasing.

"He is, my Lord." He replied after a bit. I smirked coldly.

"I expect to see him as well when I come then." I replied, turned on my heel and left the room. The second I left the room, a series of whispers and murmurs erupted behind me.

This should be interesting.