Call Of The Dark

If Anton didn't know where Gladys was, then Lazarus must have kept this a big secret. The guard who she had met when going to meet Gladys, must have been silenced by him.

Anton let out a grunt. "I haven't seen her from the past three days. Did she meet you?"

Maeve shook her head and let out a very low, "No." Her heart raced wildly. She had to keep silent on it.

He shook his head. "That girl is very careless. Today is the soul casting ritual and I haven't been able to contact her at all!"

"Let's not think about what we don't have," she said, trying to make him leave the topic. "Let us focus on what to do in this state. I need options. Just find someone who is strong enough to take me." Suddenly, she came with an idea. "I wish Olya was here. I could have possessed her."

"Not a bad idea!" he said. "But even that girl has run away! Why is it that every girl we think of has run away and both of them are attached to Lazarus?"

Maeve's brows furrowed. "Yes, that is quite a coincidence. Do you think that it is Lazarus who is behind all this?" A speck of doubt crossed her mind.

"No," Anton replied. "That man is too full of himself. All he cares about is the throne of Wilyra. He doesn't care about the women around him, except you."

Her shoulders slumped. "You are right..." She removed that doubt from her mind and then pressed Anton again. "Just find another strong woman for me in case of an emergency."

"Okay," Anton said. "I can't wait for you to enter Emma's body. I will marry you the next day. I have all my plans ready."

She gave him a nervous smile and stifled an urge to roll her eyes.

Anton got up and went to gather more of his men. He would lead them himself to find Emma. On his way, he met Lazarus. He stopped him and asked, "Did you find Emma? She is missing and the soul casting ritual is tonight! Why haven't you increased your efforts to find her?"

Lazarus raised an eyebrow. He crossed his arms across his chest as he studied Anton. "It's strange to hear from you that you are so concerned about me. Why do you want me to find Emma when you know that I will be using Maeve inside of Emma to rule Wilyra? You never showed your support to me earlier? What changed in a few days?"

Anton was taken on a back foot. "It's just that-- y-- you look so worried, so I was... wondering."

Lazarus chuckled and sauntered away from there without comments. Anton watched him leave as cold sweat broke on his face. He shouldn't have asked. How could he slip? He sucked in air sharply and then went back to his quarters. Now he had to carry out his search even more discreetly. Lazarus was too intelligent and he would keep an eye on him.

As soon as he reached his quarters, he gathered his men and ordered them to search every nook and corner of the palace. "Search the nests of the birds if you have to, but don't come empty-handed!"

The men dispersed and the search went on for a long time. It was almost afternoon. The search party consisted mainly of vampires and only a few humans. All of the vampires couldn't go outside the palace grounds and so the humans were sent out under the sun.

Anton was along with his band of vampires and wherever he went, he couldn't find Emma. It was as if the girl had disappeared into thin air. Frustrated, he was going to the main hall to meet his father to tell him about Emma, and saw that King Viktor was sitting with Lazarus. Anton clenched his jaws. He couldn't speak to his father freely about Emma. He went to sit on a couch opposite to both of them. His father was particularly peeved.

The king looked at his two sons. "The soul casting ritual is in the evening and Emma is still missing!" he barked at them. "We have waited for so many years for her and she has managed to hoodwink us. Where is she?"

Lazarus let out a sigh. "I have searched everywhere, father," he said with his lips downturned. He didn't say anything after that because if he told a lie that he wasn't able to find her, his throat would burn. So he let the sentence dangle.

"Then you haven't searched well!" Viktor snapped. He turned his face to Anton. "I know that you aren't interested in all this but why don't you lead the search teams?"

"He has already been searching for Emma," Lazarus remarked.

"You have?" Viktor was surprised.

"Yes father," Anton had to agree. He avoided looking at Lazarus because he was caught and he couldn't deny it.

"And?"

"I couldn't find her..." Anton pursed his lips after that and looked away.

"What is going on?" Viktor shouted. "How is it possible that a human has slipped from the stronghold of vampires!"

"But the soul casting ritual is tonight," Anton reminded. "And Maeve would need a second body. Her current body looks like it would wither away before the moon rises."

Viktor slammed his hand on the armrest of the sofa he was sitting on with anger. "What do we do?"

"Why don't we get another body for her just in case we are not able to find Emma?" Anton suggested.

Viktor's brows furrowed. "Who do you think would be stronger than Emma? Emma is Lazarus's mate. Don't you know that his mate would be the strongest human in Wilyra?"

"I know father, but this is an emergency," Anton pressed.

"I am surprised about your concern, Anton," Lazarus said, his lips turning up. "I happened to meet Maeve a short while ago and she asked me to do the same thing. Did you go and meet her?"

Anton froze. He didn't want to say that he had met Maeve. That would ruin his plans. "I didn't go to meet her," he said glibly and the moment he said, his throat burned like hell. It didn't go unnoticed by Lazarus.

"You look like you have stepped into fire," Lazarus remarked.

Viktor narrowed his eyes. "Why are you speaking lies?" he roared.

"I am not!" Anton replied with difficulty in a hoarse voice. His throat burned again. Sweat broke on his face. He picked up water from the table and gulped it down.

It was easy to sense that he was lying. Viktor clenched his jaw but he didn't pester Anton any further. "Find her as soon as possible. I have sent more people to find her. Do not leave any quarters of officers or the servants."

"Yes father!" Anton said with a lot more difficulty.

Viktor turned his attention to his eldest. "Go find a woman who is as strong as Emma. You will figure it out."

"Where is Gladys?" Anton interjected. "I haven't seen her for three days." If Maeve possessed Gladys, then also it would be fine. He won't marry Gladys, but the brother and sister could rule the kingdom together. On multiple occasions he had seen that greed in her eyes.

Lazarus shrugged and again kept quiet.