I opened my eyes. I had fallen into a small garden. And there, next to alpine roses, and blue gentians my black torch stood straight, its end planted in black soil.

I heard heart beats. Their pulses quickened and soon reached the door which led out to the courtyard. I dematerialized and waited for their arrival. One had black hair and looked young. Perhaps in his mid twenties. The other one wore black robes and had the airs of a man of the book.

I listened to their discussion and found that they planned to leave with the populace. I couldn’t allow this. Stop them. Do not let them leave. I ordered my mana. However, nothing came of it. Perhaps without the influence of Sara’s power I couldn’t order people around.

But then, what could I do. If I killed these two, how would I control the populace. Without a local lord they would run away or give the title to someone else, who would have the same reaction to the torch. I had to control at least one of these two. Preferably the lord.

That’s when I remembered the note left by the previous patriarch. As a privilege for being the victorious party of the previous magical era, I could create a being out of my flame. I concentrated my intention on the flame. “Become a being that can control minds and bodies with the power of the vampiric fire. You are my will, I am the intention. You are haze, and I am mist.”

A translucent flame grew atop the purple fire. It raged, consumed the torch, and burned the soil beneath it. The heat, so strong it charred the flowers, flung dirt and dust into the air. When the fire regressed, the cloud of dirt remained in the air, suspended, and strung together by purple mana. “Dandellion, kill the priest, and take control of the lord.” The haze spread and as the priest took in large breaths to calm his raging fright. Dandellion spread into his lungs. I then saw newly produced mana be expunged from the priest’s nose. And as it felt like this mana belonged to me, I could feel it also spread in the priest’s blood and infect each part of his body. Soon the priest had died. Burned by the eternal flame. Dandellion, returned to his hazy form and wafted over to the lord who was now frozen in front of the exit.

I condensed and took the shape of a human. I walked up to the lord and asked, “What is your name?”

“Dandellion,” it said without hesitation. It spoke with the same voice as the body’s previous owner.

“And what was the name of the one you took control of?”

“Alexander of Lausanne.”

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This would take too long if I were to have to ask for every single piece of information. But the previously magicless Alexander now exhaled mana. And it seemed to be my mana. And so, I made a link in between my body and the one controlled by my shadow. I could see and control the mind of Alexander. Dandellion had given up control and rested far within the man’s mind. No, not in his mind but in the pebbles which produced mana.

The man’s name was Alexander of Lausanne, a count in the service of x. He had one surviving son. His wife had recently passed away while giving birth to a daughter who did not make it either. He had yet to remarry as he still needed time to process his wife’s passing and his current political situation was good.

I cut the link between myself and Alexander’s body. Instantly Dandellion retook control. No, Alexander had to speak to my son, find a new priest, and do Alexander’s daily tasks. Could this be done by Dandellion? Perhaps, but I couldn’t take that risk right now.

I returned to my body, transformed into mist, and then retook control of Alexander’s body. My body was now mist so I had nothing to be afraid of. And so, I walked out and headed for the church.

#

“Father you’re back.” Luca jumped into the arms of his father, into my arms. The beat of his heart, the smell of his blood was so close it made my eyes turn red. I set him down and walked away. “Father has something to do with his vassals.” I said, my back turned to the child. “Go see the maids. Tell them to make you something to eat.” I looked back. Luca’s eyes were slightly disappointed; however, he nodded and went about his day without a word.

I let out a breath, my heart cooled, and my eyes stopped seeing the world with a red tint. Before I left to meet the book keeper I walked up to the chancel and stared up to the apse where a large cross stood straight, nailed to the wall. Blood ran down Jesus’s crown.

#

“I need the records of all the births in the past year.”

The old bookkeeper stopped fiddling with scrolls and looked up to me from his desk. “My lord. Didn’t the church ban the investigation on that matter.”

“This is an order.” I had no time to lose.

“I’m sorry, but I cannot go against an order from his eminence. Not a single mortal can.” His old eyes, trembled, and his hands shook slightly more than usual.

I let out a breath. If I could mend the wounds of humans, I should also be capable of making them sleep. The bookkeeper’s head dropped and slammed down on his wooden desk. I moved him aside, pulled his chair away, and opened a trap door under his feet. I used the keys on his belt to open the safe, and there I found the book containing all the births which occurred after the fire ring set the sky aflame. The address of each newborn child was noted down. And next to each of their names the letters NS were written. From what I could gather in the lord’s memories this means that their mana was non-specific, no doubt compared to those born near a primogenitor’s birthplace.

But now, what to do with this information? How would I convince these people to do as I wish. I broke my connection with Alexander, letting Dandellion retake control. Back in control of the mist I condensed back into a human and walked to the bookkeeper’s office. There he still slept, and Dandellion hadn’t moved a single muscle.