‘No luck there.’ Sooyoung’s voice got everyone’s attention immediately. She closed the door to the Dark Room and continued as she walked towards them.

‘They can’t be found.’

‘Uh, what do you mean they can’t be found?’ Jessica was just as confused as the rest of them.

‘I mean they literally can’t be found, or at least that’s what The Council says. They refused to share more, said it was confidential.’

‘That probably means one of the Draquiles have the power to block tracking. The Council’s sworn to secrecy, they wouldn’t be able to tell you if that were the case. Did you ask how they keep in contact with the Draquiles?’ Seohyun was the only one who didn’t seem all that surprised. She knew the Draquiles aren’t to be underestimated.

‘Closest they get to any form of contact is through air mail, and it’s not even direct.’

‘You’re kidding. Owls? They’re still using owls? Talk about old school. Why don’t they just use a Crystal Ball?’ Jessica asked, incredulous.

‘Crystal Balls are only given to High Priests and Priestesses, Darin probably had one before she was killed but no one’s taken her place so none of them can access it. The Council said that before they vanished, the second-in-command promised they’d still be reachable but only by messenger owls. They didn’t think it would work but one day the Draquiles responded to one of the requests to check-in. They tried to tail the owls after that but soon found out that somehow the owls never seem to find their way as long as they’re being followed.’

‘Wow… They really are impressive.’ Sunny noted with slow nods in admiration.

‘Yeah, it’s amazing how well they’re functioning even without a leader. Did The Council mention anything else?’ Tiffany reached for a hair tie to bun her hair up.

‘They said they’d send a few more distress signals to the Draquiles and let us know if they respond. They're hoping multiple calls will show how urgent the matter is. I told them about the demons coming together and the suspected uprising too. They said to maintain cover, make sure the demons and their possible leader don’t find out there are witches in town or they’ll take us out, and I don’t mean to dinner. We have to be careful. Whoever’s orchestrating this parade is a lot smarter than the demons, and likely to have a motive for stealing all that blood. As of this moment, we’re on high alert. In the meantime, The Council’s going to check with their sources and the other covens on whether anyone else is facing the same problem. Jess, Tiff, since you guys are the ones with offensive and defensive powers, you guys are on patrol duty every night. That’s when the demons seem to show up most. Seo and Sun, you guys continue solving the poem. I’m tasked with researching on blood rituals. The Council suspects the culprit wants to use the blood to either raise the dead or summon powerful ancient demons by offering them blood, or something even worse.’ Sooyoung ran her fingers through her hair in dread of what's to come. ‘Pay attention to things around school too. From the news report, we’re sure they’re targeting college students but we just don’t know why. Thankfully we’re splitting up and starting classes soon so we’ll have better coverage of the campus, but till then, make sure you all keep an eye out for any suspicious activities. We’ve seen that the demons have been daring enough to come out in the day. I doubt they’d hit somewhere as public and exposed as the school but still, better safe than sorry. This is the first serious threat we're facing as a coven, let's stop it before things get ugly, all right?’

'Got it, Soo.' The witches got up and went to do their respective tasks.

'Jess and I will patrol the mountain then get dinner before making a round at the fields then coming back,' Tiffany grabbed her new rose gold iPhone and her wallet before walking out, arm linked with Jessica's.

'Be careful guys!' Sooyoung shouted after them.

'Here, Soo.' Seohyun handed a black tattered book to Sooyoung. 'This book talks about a few blood rituals.'

'Sounds like a good place to start, thanks Seo.' Sooyoung accepted the book gratefully and leaned against the