Enchantments

Chapter Nine

Callon stormed into his chambers in need of a warm soak after standing for hours listening to the villager's reports.

Dead men walking. It wasn't possible. Callon feared what that might mean for his kingdom.

There had been so much blood that stained that village. His subjects seemed completely distraught. His men still circled the village, protecting them in case the creatures came back.

His room was centered with a king-sized bed, drawn with light gold sheets and white silks. Beyond his bed sat a living room. The suit was usually used for reading over reports with Iston. He preferred the company of his own quarters that to that of a drawing room or study. The wooden walls were painted white, while beautifully decorated arched windows lined the walls. The room had a pair of large doors that led onto a balcony that looked out over the courtyard.

He strode towards his bed chambers where a tub of boiling water already lay waiting. Callon shook his head in annoyance as he peeled off his clothes.

Zarina and Thaddeus had invited themselves along to investigate, they were not from here, and would be wise to stay out of his affairs.

He climbed into the steamy water, letting it burn where his skin was still cold from the winter air.

He would have to keep a close eye on them, especially Zarina. She seemed like the type to enjoy going against orders.

He leaned his head back against the edge of the large tiled bath tub, closing his light-golden eye. Images of Zarina in her leathers flashed across his mind.

She was a warrior, and a strong one. Beautiful and powerful, maybe even higher up in the ladder than the lady Nessa.

He shook his head trying to remove the images of Zarina. How her hands rested so naturally against the pommels of her blades. How her hair out of her face exposed her beautiful natural features.

He let out a sigh of frustration.

It was a time like this he would call on Iston and they would head out drown down Ambrosia, maybe fight some mercenaries that were bugging the towns people, and end the night with a paid girl.

But tonight, was the Chase. A rather ludicrous take on the game Hide n Seek.

The objectives were simple. Each Maiden would be allowed two minutes to hide anywhere in the palace. Once the minutes came to an end, the King would search through the palace and locate each Maiden. He would then escort her back to the festivities on the ground floor.

This would allow the King a brief moment to talk to the woman alone, while trying to maintain a playful mood.

How could the King feel playful when the dead were walking? He stepped out of the water, and dabbed himself off with a soft towel.

Zarina would also need to partake in the Chase since he had now declared her. He smirked at the idea of how she was most likely hating the idea.

****

Zarina hated this.

She stood with her arms to her side being pricked occasionally as the servants around her took her sizes and began designing an entire new wardrobe. A dress for each event. Apparently, her dresses for being an Ambassador were too conservative for a Maiden.

From the look of what was being created, these dresses needed to be light weight, flowy and show far more skin.

Black lace draped the dressers, while shimmering pitch black silks lay on the bed behind her.