24 - Tale of Bloodivy (Part 1)

The Peltvinian warlock sighed as his eyes drifted from the bunch of waxy red leaves, to a pile of black ash kept in a tray—all that remained of the attacker that had struck the mansion two days ago. His workroom was illuminated only by the soft light emanating from candles, giving a golden glow to the charts hanging over the black stone walls and glass jars of varying shapes stacked into shelves, but it looked far neater than how he had left it.

His mind, on the other hand was complete chaos. There were so many thoughts swirling about at the same time that he struggled to tell one from the others. His emotions were raw—regret reigned over the other. Not once, but twice he had been absent when his suject had needed his protection. He had made a promise to himself. I will not betray her like I did the others, he had told himself. But unwillingly he had.

After hearing the vicious tales on his return, his mind was