Two days had passed since Celestya died in my dungeons because she breached the agreements of her original contract spell by wanting to offer her loyalty to me.
She was buried at the crack of dawn outside palace walls. I felt sorry for her, summoned only to be used and discarded.
Kaida informed me that because of Celestya's existence, there was a high chance that the other creatures were alive, and in hiding. I would change that, I would make sure that they have the freedom they once had. Once I won the war of course.
Nathaniel got the information he needed from Robert. Who was now scheduled to die this weekend. Finally.
Herbert had acquired an army of slaves and they will be transported to the capital. He had also mentioned that the duke had enlisted witches as his protection detail. Ironic. I wonder what my brother would say if he knew that his most trusted advisor dabbled with his most hated enemies.
Nathaniel had been exchanging letters with his vassals and they were set to arrive soon, but he still had gotten no word from the other noble houses. Ace, Amenadiel, Nathaniel and I were in the council chamber discussing battle plans and my idea of going to see an old friend that could be of help to us.
"Are you sure she'll help us?" Ace asked once more, this was the third time since the meeting began "Cerys Ashwood is a friend, and a witch, she will help us. I sent a letter by raven to that effect and she expects me soon. Stop worrying please"
Nathaniel removed a letter from the pocket of his gray tunic "My informant tells me that Herbert's slaves will be arriving from the Eastern border, making their way to the capital in three days time"
His words captured the attention of everyone "Did your informant tell you how many they are in number?" Ace asked, voice stern.
"Yes. They are roughly twelve thousand in number, perhaps more" Hope bubbled in the pit of my stomach, those numbers would greatly bolster our forces, giving us a fighting chance against the capital.
The doors to the room were opened, and the sound of clanking armor followed "What about the witch protection detail?" Drazhan asked, Damon followed closely behind him.
They both took their seats at the table, awaiting Nathaniel's answer.
"There should be at least two dozen witches in the party" he answered.
Silence stretched out for a while, no doubt everyone was processing this new information. "Acrisius, Nathaniel and Kaida will march to meet them. You will leave early in order to wait and intercept them" They all nodded in agreement.
"Thank you all. If there's nothing else, I am that you excuse me"
As they all exited the room, I asked Amenadiel to stay behind. "You've been quiet for days now, what's wrong?"
He gave me a calculative look, debating whether or not to tell me, but I gave him a look of my own. It left room for no argument.
"Alice is pregnant" he finally said.
The air was sucked from my lungs, I felt my heart beat faster, my mouth dropped slightly open. How hadn't I known, and how long? So many questions flooded my mind.
"She asked me not to tell you so you don't worry" he added.
"How far gone is she?" I managed to ask after what felt like eternity. He took a deep breath, then answered. "Three weeks"
Guilt rushed through me, I had stressed her when she should've been resting, allowing her tend to me when she was the one that needed to be attended to. I should've known, but I was too engrossed in my campaign to notice the littlest thing.
"A baby is a huge responsibility, if you would want to retire your position and be with her, no harm would be done." I offered.
I knew how much Alice meant to him, I saw it everyday for six months while we were on the run. Now a child? In the middle of this war? I would protect mother and child both, no matter the cost.
"My place is by your side, I was jusf worried about the circumstances surrounding the situation is all"
"I will no longer have her in my service, not in her condition" my gaze held no room for argument and that eased him up a bit, he smiled softly "She won't like that, but you have my thanks, your majesty"
He pulled his chair back and practically bolted out of the room.
~
"There have been no sightings!" Drazhan bellowed, Damon and Nathaniel followed behind him. I hadn't realized how long I had spent here in thought.
Nathaniel's words still ran through my mind about Herbert and the abandoned house in the dark forest and if his words held truth, nothing good was happening there.
I shifted my gaze to the large window by the right of me, the sun was slowly setting. "No soldiers, no sentries, no horses" Damon sat to my right, Drazhan to my left, and Nathaniel sat at the end.
"With the way you sound, one would think that to be a bad thing" Nathaniel said.
"It's suspicious. Damon and I rode out for miles and met not a single soldier, perhaps I'm being paranoid"
"You all have seen to it that the city is well defended. Guards stand at every high point and thanks to the rounds you instructed the guards to make, we wouldn't miss a thing. Relax. There is a matter I wish to discuss with you"
The three men gave me their attention as I spoke ..
"What do you know of the dark forest?" Tension took over the room quickly, as Drazhan and Damon exchanged glances, "I know you don't go there without good reason" Damon said.
"Or at all for that matter" Drazhan countered. I gestured to Nathaniel, and he repeated to them all he had said to me.
Drazhan straightened in his seat, "And we are to believe him? Even if what he says is true, going into the dark foresf would be a suicide mission"
Damon spoke next, "Perhaps, but it's not going is not a risk I believe we can afford at this time, we need to know"
They all turned to me, it was left for me to decide, but what they didn't know was that i had already decided.
The door to the council chambers creaked open, Acrisius and Kaida strode in hand in hand. My heart ached with happiness at the sight.
A man wearing a brown apron pushed some items he had covered with black clothing on his wheeler. He lowered his head in greeting.
"It is ready I presume?" The man nodded, satisfied.
"I did my best with the time I was given" he said.
Damon removed the black material, revealing an array of wepons. Two swords, a bow made of dark oak with golden intricacies, a short sword and a broad sword. "Thank you Elijah, the hand will see to your payments"
Acrisius pulled out a pouch of coins and handed it to Elijah. His eyes gleamed with gratitude as he exited the room.
"I had these weapons commissioned a few days ago, thanks to the new threat that looms before us. No longer do we fight against men, but against magic as well, and i enchanted these weapons so you may able to protect yourselves"
I motioned for Drazhan to come forward. I handed him the dragon shaped pommel sword "Your name means dragon in the old tongue, I thought something fitting" he weighed the weapon before unsheathing it, the metal was clean, fresh and sharp. Elijah had done an amazing job putting the weapons back to their former glory.
A gasp erupted from everyone as flames engulfed the blade, adding more light to the room. He swung the sword, admiring how the flames clung to the metal.
I gave Damon a sword of a simple black design. He unsheathed it. The disappointment disappeared from his eyes as the room's temperature decreased, the flames from the torches flickered and the cold sent a chill down my spine. I moved closer to Drazhan, needing the heat from his blade.
Damon's blade glowed a deep blue, enchanted with the coldest ice. Once he sheathed it, the room's temperature returned to normal.
Nathaniel picked up a short sword from the stack and unsheathed it. Faint light swirled around the blade and he stared at it in awe. "Slam the blade to the ground and it creates a shield around you and your target" I informed him.
Acrisius was last, he picked the bow and arrows, observing them intently "I spelled this one myself," Kaida mentioned. "If you fire an arrow with this bow, you will never miss a target"
He smiled and gave her a light kiss on the cheek as a show of his gratitude.
Everyone took their seats at the table, Amenadiel excused himself earlier, he was spending his time with Alice, so I instructed that the last weapon be delivered to his chambers.
The new weapons added to their resolve, and they seemed eager to complete their tasks. "The hand and his party will ride out tomorrow to meet up with the slave army, and win them to our cause. Enemy witches are to be taken out or captured if they surrender" they all nodded in understanding as I dragged my gaze to Drazhan and Damon.
"Take a dozen men and ride out tomorrow as well, you're only going to gather information, and at any sign of overwhelming danger, you are to leave immediately. You might encounter Herbert's hooded guards" my body shuddered at the thought, my mind going back to fhe night of our escape, those men were not human, I knew it.
"The weapons you hold now will protect you, so you need not fear. Get some rest, all of you, an eventful day awaits you tomorrow"
The scraping of wood on stone filled the space as we all stood up and exited the chambers.
Sleep whisked me away immediately as I entered my room and lay in bed.
~
The sky was blood red with no moon in sight, the sounds of ravens cawing filled the skies as they flew by. The trees were darker than any oak I'd seen and they stood devoid of any leaves.
The snarls of beasts unknown filled my ears, eagerly waiting for their prey. The air was unnaturally chilly, making goosebumps rise on my skin, and at the edge of the monstrous domain, stood a two story mansion made of dark wood.
I could move no closer, as my body would not allow me to do so. The energy that wafted off the home was otherworldly. I did not have time to process before my mind was assaulted with flashes of places where the light did not shine. Creatures snarled from the depths of the darkness, and when I saw them, my mouth went dry.
They had teeth sharper than steel, skin so gray they looked dead, their eyes were the color of blood and their ears were pointed sharp. A shriek escaped one's decayed mouth and my hands instinctively covered my ears, trying and failing to block out the infernal sound.
It shrieked again, and my knees hit the ground, it was too much. More flashes came but I couldn't concentrate on them because of the screams that now escaped my throat.
Creatures that looked like dogs came into view, their claws were deathly sharp and their size could be compared to that of a full grown horse. Their ferocity was terrifying.
My head throbbed and blood poured ever so slightly from my nose.
The last flash came and I saw a tall man with a lean build wearing black garbs, his dirty blonde hair shifting softly with the wind. His very being pulsed with so much power, deadlier than I remembered. He had gotten stronger. Herbert Valendel.
"They're all going to die princess" he said, then a dark laugh escaped his lips.
I jerked from bed, drenched in sweat and disoriented. The banging of my door brought me back to the present, flames drew closer to my bed. It had burned the curtains and the desk by my window.
The door flew open and Amenadiel's voice followed. "Your majesty!" He yelled, worried for my safety.
"SuctusIncendia" I chanted, the flames flickered, until they finally died out.
"What's going on?" He demanded, but I could not form the words ....
"They're going to die"