“When did you talk to Cassany?”
The same time you did, remember?
Thessa took a deep breath. “I have something else to tell you. My mother and Asleth are here.”
In the city?
“In this inn, staying right across the hall. They also came to the same food booth Gaelyn took me to. It was awkward. Asleth almost figured out who I was.”
How? You look completely different.
“They kept saying how I looked familiar to them.”
Maybe they are just passing through and will be gone tomorrow. They have no reason to believe you are here, do they?
“We can hope. I don’t plan to reveal who I am to them.”
I thought as much. Why would you?
“It would just cause more harm than good. Look at what has happened already!” She glanced out the window. “I know she blames herself for you turning me into a blood feeder and then my foolish stunt leading to me being who I am now, which is also your fault!”
You think I wanted to serve my killer as a feline? I didn’t plan this.
“Something is going on with me, Sarren, and I need to know what. I have released something into the world I need to find and remove. I need your help. How do I track these things and kill them?”
Tracking them is easy. You are the Black Mage, and you can sense the dead and undead. Killing them is also easy. You just will them dead but…
“But what?”
They are kind of like your children. When you are close to them, you will not want to destroy them. You will need to be strong, stronger than you have ever been before, or you will not be able to bring yourself to do it. It will be like stabbing your own soul to kill them.
“If they are blood feeders, I will be able to. I remember what it’s like. I would have rather been dead than do the things I was forced to do just to survive. I hated every minute of it.”
I hope so because I am telling you right now. It will be the most soul wrenching thing you can do.
“No, I have already done the most soul wrenching thing I could do.”
I don’t think you have. I do believe you think you have, but you have not, not yet.
Thessa changed the subject, “So, what is the first thing I need to do to track these things?”
There is nothing to it. You just concentrate and think about them and you will see them. You might want to lie down and meditate first to clear your head of everything so you can see them clearly.
Thessa prepared for bed and then laid flat on her back. She cleared her mind and thought about any blood feeders she may have created. “Wait, what happened to the blood feeders you created?”
If they are still out there, you will not be able to detect them. They were mine, not yours. When vampires invade a town without someone to lead them looking for blood, they usually don’t last long as you probably already know.
Thessa retrained her thoughts on the task at hand, She let her mind wander and suddenly she could see them. “Oh no! I see them and something is wrong, Sarren. I see about ten of them. I know I didn’t resurrect that many people. What the two hells? What does this mean?”
It means Sir Danton is a Sanquinator. We need to find him as soon as we can or there will be a lot more soon.
“A Sanquinator? Is that some kind of super vampire? I have never heard of it before.”
That’s because I never made one. When you were a vampire, you had no reason to run into one of them. But I know of them from the Black Mage before me.
Thessa bolted upright, “Cassany tricked me! I knew she would! She sent me to raise Danton, She said it was to help my allies. She wanted me to create this abomination.”
I hate to say it, but I told you she would have her way with you one way or another.
Thessa fumed, “Come morning, we will make a plan to intercept and stop this.”
What about Gaelyn?
Thessa sighed, “I don’t have time for Gaelyn. He will just have to understand.”
Chapter 14: The Broken Lands
When Ephaltus returned to the Earth Chamber, Marlee was talking to one of the dryads about redecorating. He heard a snippet of the conversation as he was putting up his cloak. “What is all this about?” He asked as he moved to where Marlee and the dryad talked.
“This place needs a woman’s touch.” Marlee said. “You don’t expect me to live here like this, do you?”
“Like what?”
“With the place like this. Like a man decorated it.”
Ephaltus looked around. “It’s always looked like this, even when I was an apprentice.”
“Exactly!”
“Well, you don’t live in it as much as you sleep in it. When you are Tourney Master, you will spend ninety-five years asleep.”
“And those ninety-five years will be in a comfortable place I decorated. If the time I am awake is the only time I am conscious of it, then I want those waking years to be comfortable.
“All right, it’s your Earth Chamber after this tournament.” He decided to use this opportunity to talk to her about his journey. “Marlee, are you comfortable enough to hold things down here and with the mages while I run an errand?”
Marlee instantly brimmed with excitement and then acted subdued, “You would trust me with everything?”
“If you can remember to recalibrate the Ocularius Magnus, then yes.”
“Oh, I can! What kind of errand and how long will you be gone?”
“I am afraid it is a lengthy one. I may be gone a few weeks. I have to travel. I won’t be gone long enough to be missed. I realize I have duties here.” He glanced at the dryad who was frowning. She changed her expression when he looked at her. “But I also realize that I have
