Lia / Seoul, South Korea
Lia was not in the mood to party but followed her friends into the club anyway. The last thing she wanted was to go back to the hotel bed to be once again assaulted by bad dreams and even worse memories. They could all use some distraction from the chaos of the last few days, and a city like Seoul certainly provided plenty of opportunities to let one's hair down.
'I wish we were here on holiday', Nico sighed wistfully.
'You are off the clock today. We aren't doing anything until we've spoken to Master Su. Just pretend you are on holiday and have some fun. I certainly intend to', Julien remarked and removed his tie.
Jass grinned and said, 'If any of those rumours I heard about your student days at Oxford are true, we might cause an international scandal.'
'That was ages ago!' Julien protested.
As usual, Nico took the remark seriously. 'We cannot endanger the mission through inappropriate behaviour. Remember why we are here.'
'We are here for the mission, Nico. He is just an ornament', Lia teased and patted Julien's shoulder.
Her Warlock brother raised an eyebrow. 'Excuse me?'
Jass boxed his shoulder affectionately. 'You know we can deal with a few Elementals on our own. The High Warlock just sent you because he thought it would be disrespectful to send lowly folks like us without our Crown Prince.'
'He sent me because you twits don't have an ounce of diplomacy between you,' Julien declared.
'How long do you think this will take, you diplomat?' Lia asked.
'A few more days. Why? It's fun here. It might be good for you not to go to bed at ten pm, darling', Julien replied.
'I am sure the girls around here would like to try a new flavour', Jass declared, winking at a giggling group of girls. He would have stood out in any nightclub with his height of 6'4 and muscular physique, but he loomed above the crowd here. People kept glancing at him with fascination but no hostility.
'Perhaps the boys would, too', Julien said and moved his head discreetly towards a young man who lounged on a dais a few yards away, ignoring a crowd of giggling girls and a few boys who were all trying to catch his attention. He had the face of a fair, cold angel, with almond eyes and full, pouty lips. His hair was artistically tousled and coloured in different shades of blue. One of his asymmetric silver earrings hung from his earlobes down to the shoulders of his white, slightly ruffled shirt that clung to his lean but well-proportioned body and was tucked into turned-up blue jeans with an ornate belt.
'I thought you did not like flamboyant men', Jass commented.
'I'd make an exception for this one', Julien said and nudged Lia, 'Isn't he hot?'
'He is very pretty. Like a doll', she said and planted herself on a bar stool next to Jass. No matter how cute the guys were in this place, flirting was the last thing on her mind.
'Considering all those admirers around him, he is probably some K-Pop Idol', Nico said.
'I am starting to get worried that you know so much about K-Pop,' Jass said, then nudged Julien. 'Can you order drinks?'
'What? I don't speak Korean. Try your best in English.'
'He thinks I'm sus and is more likely to respond to your hoity-toity ways. If your bloody ancestors managed to get served tea in the jungles of India, you can get a gin tonic out of a Korean bartender.'
Julien tore his gaze away from the beautiful young man and raised an eyebrow at him but did as he was asked.
They all turned to watch as the beautiful young man started dancing, wholly absorbed in the rhythm.
'Pretty boy has some great moves', Jass commented somewhat grudgingly.
'He must be a professional dancer', Nico said, sipping on his toxic-looking green cocktail. As usual, he was trying something local and unknown to him.
'Yes, but bro, those girls are coo-coo. At least two of them are kneeling and screeching.'
Lia was staring at the young man for other reasons. The more she looked at him, the more obvious it became.
'He is one of us', she told her companions.
'What do you mean?' Julien asked, unable to draw his eyes away.
'They are not kneeling because he is such a good dancer. He is a witch. Maybe an Enchanter. Look, he sparkles', Lia told her friends telepathically.
Julien frowned and focussed on his Warlock senses. 'He is a mage. I cannot tell what kind. Something I have not seen before. What is it you see, Lia?'
'Magic. I have never seen anything of the kind. Like traces of white and silver electricity.'
Nico squinted as if that would help him identify the magic energies.
'Has any of you actually ever met a Korean witch?' he asked.
'Sa-Ra's parents are Korean', Lia pointed out.
'Yes, but Sa-Ra is a minor nature witch and was taught the same way as we. They have some partially different methods and techniques here. Korea was under Chinese rule for a very long time. Chinese emperors used to be surrounded by Warlocks and major witches. They are said to have been exceptionally cruel, and they practically ruled the country for centuries using the different dynasties as puppets. They hunted less powerful witches to drain their powers and fought each other. The few that were left were killed by the communists. There is a story that the last one gathered his witches in one place to come up with a takeover plan, but they were bombed out of existence. Thousands of soldiers died doing it, but they managed to kill them eventually. I doubt there is a single active witch left in China. The remaining ones left Hong Kong when it was returned to the People's Republic. Like Xiao Ling Sang', Nico explained.
'Some of us did pay attention to Harrington's lectures', Lia told him with an indulgent smile.
'I didn't', Jass admitted and nudged Julien again. 'Dude, you'll be drooling next.'
'How about you go over and introduce yourself, Jules? He must recognize you for what you are if you let him. It's a good conversation starter', Lia suggested.
'I advise against it. It may be taken as an offence', Nico chimed in.
'How am I supposed to concentrate if you all insist on talking in my head at once?' Julien complained.
'Well, guys, I am going to try my luck with that lady over there. Don't interrupt me if it is not an emergency', Jass said aloud and got up.
'Be careful', Nico said absent-mindedly, then turned to Julien, 'We'll meet Master Su tomorrow. He must know K-Pop.'
Julien's scowl deepened. 'I need to know what he is. He might present a problem. Where did he go now? He was just there.'
'He just went that way', Lia said, gesturing to the left.
'Don't follow him. You said yourself we mustn't do anything before we speak to Master Su', Nico reminded him.
Julien reluctantly sat down again, and Lia said, 'Does that go for me as well? Because I am pretty sure the bathroom is that way, and I really need to go.'
Lia did not go back to the loud dancing area again but looked for a way to catch some air. The place was very crowded. She spotted a fire exit with a partly open door and pushed it open. The air in Seoul was not the cleanest, and the exit led to a rather shifty and dirty alley, but it was a relief compared to the oppressive atmosphere inside. A soft sound from her right made her turn around. She was not the sort to easily frighten. There was no need for that when one was a witch of her powers. Still, being in a foreign country, a foreign continent even, made her uncharacteristically jumpy. The young man Julien had admired stood there, perfectly still, regarding her with an unreadable expression on his flawless face. She felt frozen for a moment, finding it hard to focus. A barely visible energy seemed to crackle through the air. She raised her hand to touch it, and it disappeared as if broken into a thousand silvery pieces.
'I am so sorry. I did not mean to disturb you. Just wanted some fresh air', Lia said in English.
His full lips parted slightly, but he said nothing, still looking at her with those earnest eyes. Old eyes. He could not have been older than his mid-twenties, but those eyes belonged to someone who had seen more than his fair share. It occurred to her that he may have taken her for one of his fans who had shamelessly followed him there to catch a moment alone with him, and she felt the heat of embarrassment rising to her cheeks.
'I didn't know you were here. I apologize. I'll leave you now.'
His lips twitched for a moment in something that was almost a smile, and he shook his head, taking a step towards her. He was taller than she had expected, his body slender but fit and strong. She stepped back, and he did so as well as if apologizing for having come too close.
'Can you understand me?' she asked nervously.
The faint shadow of a smile was there again, and he nodded. He was standing closer to the door now, and she wasn't sure how to proceed. After a few very awkward heartbeats, he just inclined his head, turned around and left.
When she returned to her friends, Julien was pale as death and even Nico seemed somewhat shaken.
'What happened?' inquired, dreading more bad news.
'The Queen is dead', Nico informed her.
'The Queen? I thought she would survive us all.'
'I suddenly don't feel like... party', Julien said.
She nodded. 'Let's go back to the hotel.'