The New Kid

Third perspective.

The Onyx Palace was eerily quiet and stifling. The lord sat slumped in his jet-black onyx throne. The lord pondered and pondered about what to do with the ever-evasive Chase Cringle. He wanted Chase's soul. He needed Chase's soul. But it seemed even his younger brother, Orrus, couldn't even capture Chase. Then the lord thought about hiring an outside source, perhaps someone that wasn't a vampire. What about a necromancer? The lord considered the idea. The idea seemed flawless. With what little energy the lord had he reached inside his black suit pocket and pulled out an old cell phone in near mint condition with virtually zero marks or scuffs--it was black, the same black as his suit and throne. The lord swiped open his cell phone and dialed his agent's number.

The agent answered. "Hello?"

The lord responded in a generous tone. "Hey. It's Jaeger. I need you to find me a mage. A good one. One with no morals. Can you do that?"

"I know of one. He frequents the city I live in. He's a weird kid, though. Eccentric. Highly eccentric. About twenty-one years old. He's young, but he's one of the best there is."

The lord hesitated for a moment, then decided. "Meet with this mage, then give him an invitation to the Onyx Palace. Tell him I sent for him. Tell him I will pay whatever he wants."

"As you wish, Count Jaeger."

"Thank you, Marcus. My most dearest friend. Thank you."

"Don't mention it."

Jaeger hung up the phone, turned the screen off, then slid the phone back into his suit pocket.

Then Jaeger waited. And waited. And he waited some more. Days passed. Jaeger didn't care, he couldn't leave his precious Onyx Palace anyway. He never slept, and he never ate. He only drank fresh blood, and he talked with whoever he could. He hated being confined to the Onyx Palace. He hated being Count Jaeger. He really just wanted to be Jaeger. But it was impossible for him not to be the lord of the palace, for the palace always had to have a lord. And the palace was as cruel and menacing as they come, for it would never allow Jaeger to step foot outside its walls unless there was a replacement. But the replacement had to be someone of extraordinary power and of royal vampiric blood. The only candidate Jaeger knew? Chase Cringle.

Out of nowhere came a loud knock. Then another knock. Then another. The knocking continued until Jaeger sent Aaron to open the door to the great chamber that led outside, into the wilds of Tartarus. Aaron angrily opened the door--he hated loud noises.

Standing outside was a tall young man with shoulder-length curly silver hair and deep amethyst-colored eyes. He was slightly gaunt and thin but also broad shouldered. He wore simple clothes, the clothes a rebellious teenager might wear: a Black Sabbath t-shirt, ripped black leather pants, and scuffed black leather cowboy boots trimmed with white. On the kid's face was a pair of round black eyeglasses. The kid held a devious smile, a smile that could make the devil blush.

Aaron, for once, wasn't his savage self, and he immediately stepped aside to allow the necromancer to walk in. The necromancer bowed before entering the palace. Aaron simply stood where he was in admiration as the youth walked by with a light step through the palace and up the stairs to the hall that led to the throne room. The youth seemed to know exactly where to go without being told where to go.

The necromancer bowed before the lord of the palace. The lord, surprised, stood in response with what little energy he had, then he waved his hand as if telling the necromancer to come join him. The necromancer walked forward happily.

"What is your name?" Count Jaeger asked.

The necromancer hesitated for a moment, but then he responded, "I am Narcissus Bianchi. You're Count Jaeger, Lord of the Onyx Palace, Emperor of the Vampyr Empire. I'm pleased to make your acquaintance. I met with your agent who instructed me to use the Isalami Blood Gate outside Palm Springs to get here. That was a radical experience."

The count laughed gently. "Really? The first time I used that same blood gate I nearly threw up all over myself. Haha."

The necromancer didn't laugh. "For what do I owe the pleasure of coming here?"

Count Jaeger gulped, then sat back down. "I need a particular vampire. I need Chase Cringle. I want him brought here, chained and bound, so he cannot escape. I will pay you whatever you want. Hell, I'll give you half my empire if you can bring him to me. I would give you my only daughter, Veronica. I would give you my sole Promethean orb. I would give you wealth beyond your wildest imagination. Just remember: I do not want Chase dead. If you kill him, you get nothing."

Narcissus nodded lightly in agreement. "Okay. I can bring Chase in. No problem. Just give me a few days, at max, a week. I need some time to prepare. But let's talk about payment. What I want is something coveted by many."

"What on Earth could that be?" The count asked.

Narcissus could only smile and twirl his curly pretty hair in response. Then he said aloud, "I want the Book of the Dead. That is what I want. Can you provide?"

Count Jager pondered for a moment with a hand on his chin, then replied, "There is someone that I know who may be in possession of this book. I will get it for you. You will have this book as soon as you bring me Chase Cringle. Only then will you have the Book of the Dead."

"It's a deal." Narcissus marched forward to shake hounds with the count, and the count accepted Narcissus's handshake. Narcissus noticed a strange red glow in the count's eyes and wondered curiously. "Your eyes, Lord Jaeger. They glow red. If I bring Chase to you, may I also have that which makes your eyes glow red? As well as your daughter to wed? And half your empire? And a humongous pile of gold?"

Count Jaeger seemed stunned by Narcissus's request and was reluctant to accept, but, after some thought, he conceded. "You may have it all. It's a deal."

Both men grinned in unison. Though the young necromancer held lofty ambitions, he was determined to climb to the top and become the best necromancer that ever lived. He wouldn't allow himself to fail. Narcissus had vowed to himself to become the last, greatest necromancer on Earth.

"I must be off. I have a great deal of work to do. You will have your Chase, no doubt about that. I will be back in less than a week." Narcissus began to walk away, then he stopped. "Excuse me, Count Jaeger. Which Blood Gate would get me closest to Ohio?"

The lord answered artlessly, "Take the Gardini Blood Gate. The one in the middle. It will take you to a remote area in eastern Kentucky."

Narcissus shuffled his feet, then replied, "Alrighty then. I'll make my way there right now."

Narcissus exited the palace and marched to the Gardini Blood Gate.

The Onyx Palace was in disarray while the new kid was around. The Onyx Palace didn't like the new kid, not one bit, and it was glad the new kid was gone, for now. The Onyx Palace was able to rest in peace until the new kid returned.

Count Jaeger considered the countless possibilities of his future life outside the palace walls, as a free vampire. The count slowly drifted off into a deep sleep as he dreamt of a new life, a life worth living.

Narcissus wasn't very fond of Tartarus, neither was he fond of the Nether outside the palace walls. Tartarus was a dark place, and it resided in the darkest depths of the Nether. Narcissus found navigating Tartarus a real challenge; he couldn't see more than 50 feet ahead of him. Narcissus was adept in navigation, though. and he found the blood gate in the middle of a mile wide depression that was void of all life. It took an hour's travel by foot to reach the three blood gates that stood side by side. Each blood gate stood about 30 feet tall and 10 feet wide. The blood gate on the left was made entirely of copper, the blood gate in the middle was made entirely of gold, and the blood gate on the right was made entirely of silver. Each blood gate shared one aspect: Each blood gate contained a portal that appeared as a wavy sheet of blood that was impossible to see through.

As Narcissus neared the middle blood gate he heard faint ghastly whispers emanating from the blood gate telling him things he did not wish to hear, things that made him shiver with uneasiness. But Narcissus was unafraid, he didn't turn back.

"Strange places call for strange noises," Narcissus said to himself.

Expressionless, Narcissus dipped his hand through the blood gate, unable to see the other side. He took a large gulp, then passed through the blood gate with a single step.

The whisperings died instantly.