A Sorceress From the Future

Chapter Fourteen

“Elders of Chi…our forefathers built this Kingdom from nothing, nothing because humans had just that, nothing. The magical creatures, motivated by greed, destroyed peace as humanity knew it…We were slaughtered, our properties burnt to the ground…we were stripped bare, left to survive in an unknown environment. The survivors could have died…They could have been killed by beasts or hunger or even lack of water but they did not because they were in the right hands, the hands of a true leader…a leader who put his people above all else…Are we sure that we have such a leader?”

Chatter erupted as members of the council shifted uncomfortably in their seats, their faces masked with worry. Once again Dawson had called a secret meeting to discuss the kingdom’s wellbeing. He had chosen his seat strategically. He towered slightly above the rest, the throne was not his yet but he just could not help himself.

“Settle down fellow elders. Dawson, what are you trying to say? So far King Matthias has led us spectacularly. The people adore him and the Kingdom is safe…I see no reason to question his leadership…”

Agreeing murmurs filled the room as elders bobbed their heads and turned their piercing gazes to Dawson. Unfazed, he stood up and walked towards the window which was slightly ajar. He used his forefinger to push it all the way open. When the first wave of cool breeze hit him, he breathed it in hungrily, a small smile playing on his lips.

“You are right Stephen. There is no reason, at least not one reason. Elders of the council, I have reasons to believe that King Matthias is no longer fit to rule over Chi. Failure to take action will lead to dire consequences.”

The elders remained silent, none of them liked where this conversation was headed. The only reason as to why they had agreed to this meeting in the first place was because they were hell bent on finding grounds for treason against the king. It had all been a trap. The moment Dawson said anything remotely treacherous or began plotting against the king, the council would sentence him to death, a shameful death.

“Tell us, what are these reasons?”

Stephen was growing weary of Dawson’s antics. He was aware of his greed but never had he showed that side of him so nakedly. It was perturbing to think of the lengths he would go through just so he could sit on the throne. If that ever happened…Stephen shuddered at the thought.

“The girl. There was a feast for her instead of an execution. Was that the right judgement to pass?”

Elders turned to one another and spoke in low voices. Sabrina was the only one unmoved. She stifled a yawn and threw her husband a murderous glare. Stephen swallowed. Instead of a delectable dinner under the moonlight, they were seated here, in the absence of their king no less. He couldn’t believe he had broken their tradition for this power crazed fool. He watched as his wife licked her lower lip. Sabrina rarely addressed the council but when push came to shove…

“The girl saved his life, we are indebted to her…If it were up to me, there would be a feast held in her honor every day for the next fortnight. Without her we would be mourning our loss!! King Matthias’ decision to spare her life and to appreciate her act of kindness with a gesture of his own seems fair to me…”

Stephen watched with pride as the men bobbed their heads in agreement. One even patted her on the back. He would make sure to talk to that one, no one touches his wife.

“Since when do witches perform acts of kindness? What if she healed the king as a way of lowering our guard?”

Stephen sighed; Dawson was grabbing at straws now. It was simply pathetic.

“Leave the girl be. She will be sent well on her way in the morning and we will never set our eyes on her again. Besides, didn’t Luke give her his word? Our kind keeps their word, the girl is right to be alive and frankly you just robbed us of our feast. We should be making merry and dancing to musical tunes but instead we are here debating on a matter that is simply not worth our time. I vote we leave.”

Sabrina’s lips slowly tucked upwards as her earlier irritation dissipated. She had forgotten how remarkable her husband was. Still, she could not believe that they had actually heeded Dawson and chosen to be here instead of under the stars, like they had been doing since their youth. The elders were still mumbling amidst themselves. Sabrina groaned. Everyone here except her husband, the king and Luke were cowardly. They could never speak their minds freely. They preferred telling their theories to one another than the council as a whole.

“Well then, why did she help the mages when they infiltrated our kingdom tonight?”

“What?”

Stephen and Sabrina exchanged looks. Was this one of Dawson’s lies?

“You are not aware? Hasn’t your leader informed you that sorcerers roamed the palace hallways tonight while our people celebrated in the feast chambers? Didn’t he tell you that the prince was taken?”

Dawson could not help the smirk on his face as he watched the elders douse themselves in panic. Panic meant that they were afraid and fear, fear clouded people’s judgement.

“Calm down everyone…Dawson, are you certain of your words?”

“Oh yes. One of the servants saw the remnants of a mist crawling on the skirtings of one of the hallways. Then my son asked me if I had seen his friend and together, we set out to look for him but alas, he was nowhere to be found and neither was the girl…”

Stephen watched Dawson as he began walking back to the rounded table, a small smile was playing on his lips. He was enjoying himself. Stephen sighed. If this was true, if indeed Chi had been infiltrated and the king had not informed them then it would reflect badly on the king. It was his duty to keep the people safe and people took care of themselves when they were aware that there was danger lurking in the shadows.

“Is the vessel intact?”

Stephen watched his wife. Her face was flushed and her eyes had widened a fraction. Her mane of unruly auburn hair had been invaded with tendrils of ashy hair. Sabrina was not easily rattled. If she had been, they would not have gotten married in the first place. Stephen couldn’t help the chuckle in his throat. Sabrina averted her gaze on him and as if she knew his train of thought, a chuckle escaped her throat as well.

“Yes, according to one of the servants, the vessel is intact…”

“Then it does not make any sense…Why risk coming here if they do not make an attempt of taking the vessel?”

“That is precisely my question Sabrina…Why come here and take the prince and is it a coincidence that the girl is missing too?”

“Are you implying that she was not taken? That she went with them willingly?”

“Well Stephen, she does possess the powers of healing meaning that she is in fact a witch…I think they came to take her home, some sort of rescue mission…”

“That does not make sense…We had pardoned her life, she was no longer in any danger and why take the prince anyway?”

Dawson grinded his teeth, how he hated these two. The moment he was made king, he would extract them from the council.

“I do not know Sabrina, they are malignant creatures who seek to destroy us…Perhaps they want to use him as a bargain for the vessel…perhaps they did not want any witnesses, perhaps they did it because they thought it would be hilarious! It does not matter why they took him, what matters is what are we going to do about it. Council I am afraid that this means war…”

The elders began talking amidst themselves in loud, quailed voices. They were not ready for a war.

“Are you insane? Do you recall the Sema war?”

The elders bobbed their head in support of Stephen’s question.

“Then, we did not have a vessel or the numbers for that matter…our army had been small and weak but now? Now our daughters and sons have been training since their childhood. They can wield swords draped with the vessel and kill the enemy…It is them who want to harm us, are we really going to let that happen again? Our duty is to take care of our people…This is the only way how-”

The door swung open slowly interrupting Dawson’s speech. The elders angled their heads to view the intruder. King Matthias sauntered into the room, his face impassive. Stephen hang his head in shame. King Matthias opened his mouth to speak but no word came out. The council watched in horror as the king collapsed on the ground and began jerking in pain. Sabrina dashed towards him. Before she could reach him, King Matthias’ body went eerily still. Sabrina’s quivering hand reached for the king’s pulse, she whimpered.

“He is dead…”