Dark's POV:

We had to travel the last three

Miles to our destination on foot so as to minimize our magical footprint and avoid any prying eyes.

When we arrived at the field, it was not what I expected at all. There were no humans in the area, so I suspected a diversion ward had already been laid over the area. was so large that Signe and I had to view it from the air to get the full picture, I in my shadow form and she with her magic. The dark magic circle, a whopping quarter mile in diameter, was burned into the grass deeper and more harshly than was the norm. The earth itself was torn in some places, as if the markings were seared into the ground by a great flaming sword rather than a caduceus or a steady hand. This ritual, whatever its purpose, was one of the most powerful I had ever seen.

Even more troubling was the rancid after-taste that stained the air alongside the stench of old blood. The residual magic hanging over the site was so hazy that I seriously doubted that there was any one perpetrator. There were at least five distinct magical signatures that I could sense, maybe more.

"Perhaps the House is behind this," I thought to Signe as we poured over the crime scene, "there is definitely more than one species of paranormal that I can sense... and not one of them is Fell."

"Yeah, it's a possibility," she agreed, floating to my side, "but why? I've never seen this type of activity from the house before."

I snorted.

"What type of activity? We don't even know what this rite was meant for," I pointed out. She simply nodded absently, puzzling over the scarred ground below. I did the same, though I wasn't sure how much it would help. I had never seen this brand of magical scrawl before. And the titanic scale of this particular event was absolutely unheard of.

What in the blazes was going on?

Dark! Dark, don't...!

I whipped my head towards the source of Mikhail's psychic cry to see that he had disappeared, along with Amy.

"MIKHAIL! AMY!" shouted Signe in alarm. We both shot toward the ground, bridging the gap in a matter of seconds. I snarled, reforming with my axe and armor already summoned. I could feel at least fifteen signatures in the area, maybe more. This wasn't good.

"What is the meaning of this?! Show yourselves!!" I roared, scanning the empty field intently. I tensed as a chorus of laughter echoed from multiple unseen sources.

"Dark-"

I turned at Signe's scream, shocked to see that she, too, had vanished. I growled menacingly, flaring my aura to its full potential. To my infinite satisfaction, the laughter stopped abruptly. I waited and watched closely for the slightest movement.

"...Impressive, Blood King. You certainly live up to your reputation."

The voice was soft and seductive and undeniably feminine. My eyes narrowed at the playful, mocking tone.

"And does my adoring fan have a name?" I quipped. There was another lascivious chuckle before a pocket of air not fifteen feet ahead of me shimmered and fell away like a delicate gossamer veil, revealing a short, slender form.

She was little more than four feet tall, with black skin and platinum hair. Her outfit was provocative and narcissistic, blatantly insinuating some sort of lofty social status. The diminutive female smirked.

"The Morrigan of the western Unseelie tribes, Abbadon Orusula. Such a pleasure to finally make your aquaintance, King; I've heard so much about you," the Dark Elf purred.

"I'm afraid I can't say the same," I said dryly, "but something tells me that menial introductions aren't the reason you came here today."

She gave me a taunting grin that made me feel uneasy.

"No, I'm afraid not," she chuckled. She lifted a hand before her face and snapped. Twelve invisibility wards deactivated around me, each one revealing another Elf behind it. My expression darkened at the sight of the three Elves nearest the Morrigan. Signe, Mikhail and Amy were on their knees before the creature's small forms, looking peeved about the knives at their throats. After a tense moment, I slowly lowered my weapon to the ground, scowling at the triumphant Morrigan all the while.

"What. Do you want," I growled. Unfortunately, I never recieved an answer.

The last thing I saw before I lost conciousness was her smile.