Later within the night, Audrey set another flower down, right beside her deceased friend’s memorial. She peered at the night sky, wondering if Irene had watched her encounter with Sir Vigos.
“Imagine all the freedom we could’ve had here. Your husband seemed to have woken up from his greedy state, although it is far too late now. . . But he seems to be a great father now.” She smiled fondly as Caleb rubbed against her arms.
“Should I enter the palace?” Audrey contemplated deeply. Entering the palace would mark her entrance into court politics. She knew that once she involved herself, there would be no going back. Audrey did not want to break the peace and privacy of her personal life, nor did she want to inconvenience her family. “I do want to meet Habibti though. . .”
Then, she shifted her focus on Caleb, who was currently in the form of a cat. Her contemplative thoughts increased. “It’s so weird that familiars only exist for the nobles in the Zionitte empire. Is there some type of event hidden from the history books I’ve read? How is it possible that you are mine.” It was one of the many thoughts Kohtaro had asked Audrey during their walks together. She had never considered this aspect and was also curious to know what made the Zionittes special. Audrey smiled affectionately and patted his soft fur.
There were many thoughts coursing through Audrey, and she already knew that her life would look very different in the near future. It was simply impossible to lead a peaceful life forever.
****
A small flame erupted into a fierce explosion, burning through the dark night. Centered at the heart of the village, the villagers screamed in agony as they desperately cried for help. If the town didn’t receive help soon, it would be engulfed in flames. However, it seemed as if the palace refused to offer help.
At the same time deep in the mountains, Caleb heard the faint yells of the people and immediately nagged Audrey to wake up.
Audrey smelled the smell of burning wood and the ashy sky had begun to cover the forest too. Caleb, Audrey, and Zakai jumped into immediate action as they realized that the town was on fire. The screams of the townspeople could even be heard in their home, and the entire house was in a frenzy to gather resources.
As the three arrived in the town, Audrey felt an ominous presence.
“Where are the emperor’s men?” She wondered in the back of her mind as she assessed the situation before her.
Throughout the night, she gathered a group of men and extinguished the flames with Caleb’s water supply and even put out the embers in the sky. Thankfully, the night wasn’t windy and the fire did not spread far. The family tended the wounds of survivors and offered various resources to the villagers too.
The fire hadn’t seriously injured many of the dwellers or caused a state of disaster. Therefore, the situation was handled quickly. However, various cries of hatred rose up suddenly as the people began to recover.1
“It was the emperor!” The town began to wail.
“I saw the red dragon before the flames erupted!”
“The emperor is evil! He’s abandoned us!”
“I knew a foreign emperor would eventually turn his backs on us!”
Audrey was surprised by their outrageous remarks, yet she couldn’t reassure the people or calm the rumors down. The messengers who ran to the palace seeking help had never returned. Shouldn’t the palace have noticed that their own people were struggling? How did Emperor Kohtaro not see the flames?
After strenuous hours of saving the small houses, Audrey flew straight to Emperor Kohtaro in her disheveled appearance. Her skin was stained and wet from delivering water, while her eyes were bloodshot from exhaustion.
Emperor Kohtaro was surprised to see Audrey on his balcony. He had expected her presence, but didn’t think she would arrive in the middle of the night. He frowned upon closer inspection, realizing that there was something wrong. He was surprised by the sinking feeling in his heart as his confusion turned into dread. Was he worried over someone for the first time in his life?
“Your majesty.”
Her alarming eyes cut through Kohtaro’s thoughts and he immediately rushed forward to greet Audrey.
Before he could ask if she was injured, Audrey already jumped off of her familiar’s back. “I’m fine, but how come you did not hear the cries of your people outside of the castle walls?”
She was nearly out of breath and exhausted. She wanted to scorn Kohtaro, but her eyes widened in shock at his response.
“What cries?” He narrowed his eyes.
Then, Audrey realized that the entire palace was eerily quiet, and that the sounds of the wails couldn’t be heard.
***
An invisible veil had covered the palace, creating the illusion of a calm, serene night. The ashy fire could not be seen by the guards of the castle, and the palace continued to sleep through the chaos in the village. After thorough research, it was confirmed that black magic was used to initiate a fire, and that the bodies of the messengers were found in a nearby forest.
“I believe that this act was done to defame your highness.” Sir Vigos declared with knit eyebrows. He stood next to the emperor in his private quarters, too engrossed in his thoughts to greet Audrey. They were to meet with a private audience soon, yet Audrey was currently informing them of the events that had ensued after the incident.
She still couldn’t process that black magic existed in this realm, yet she was too exhausted to show any signs of shock. Audrey also wasn’t too surprised since familiars did exist in this world.
The room was quiet for a long time, and the three adults were deep in thought until Sir Vigos finally spoke collectively.
“Black magic was used to initiate the fire, and someone planted random passerbyers to slander your highness. The culprit is most likely not a Hellenn, for it is plainly illogical to burn down half the capital just to tarnish your majesty’s reputation. They would rule a land of ashes if they were to succeed. This person clearly does not know much about our country either, for they picked this specific night that wasn’t windy. Any noble who has lived here long enough would know that fire does not spread easily at this time of year. The “emperor’s men” who attacked the markets did not resemble your private army either so the culprit is not within the court. However, the muscular men at the market were the stereotypical Hellenn soldiers Zionittes would describe them as. The only person I know who practices black magic and may hold a grudge against your majesty is Debbie, the new queen of the Zionitte empire.”
Audrey sucked in a breath after Sir Vigos’ analysis. “It makes sense. Debbie probably sent men to start all those rumors that claimed your highness was in love with her and make the people believe that Kohtaro is still loyal to the Zionittes. After all, the townspeople think that your love for Debbie was so vast that you refused to take an empress. How can such an absurd rumor reach this country?”
While Vigos was deep in thought, the emperor remained silent and expressionless. It was impossible to know what he was thinking.
Audrey pushed harder. “But what does Debbie want to gain from all this?”
Emperor Kohtaro, who had remained silent as the two went back and forth, finally stood up. “These are all speculations, and there are many black magic users in Hellen too. I am also an enemy to many Hellenns because I only possess half of the Hellenn blood. A crazy man will burn the entire world just to sit on a throne, and we know that this is true. However, it is possible for lowly Hellenns to plot with Debbie. I don’t know Debbie’s motive and perhaps I would know if my memories were intact, but I am sure she is the culprit. Along with my brother too.”
“She is the reason for your memory loss. I am sure of it.” Sir Vigos’ eyes flashed with hate.
“Then what is your next move, emperor Kohtaro?” Audrey asked carefully, noting how emotions may have clouded Sir Vigos’ logic.
“We will go to war.”