Arthur's Sons (Book 2)

The Witchfinder (Part 1)

It was a beautiful spring day, only weeks after the troll incident, the twins were collecting firewood out in the fields surrounding Camelot with several other peasants. Arty decided to take a small break and lay his basket of wood down before flopping down on the grass and staring up at the clear blue sky.

"You leaving the rest of us to do all the work brother?" Rowan asked amused as he stood over his brother blocking out the sun.

Arty cracked an electric blue eye open and glared up at his brother lightly. "Is it a crime to just take a small break to enjoy such a wonderful day?" He asked while his brother snorted before placing his basket down and sitting next to him.

Rowan looked out over the small valley and smiled when he saw some smoke rising from a small hut just down the hill. Rowan quickly checked no one was watching before lifting a hand. "Hors, beride þá heofonum." He whispered, the smoke twists into the shape of a running horse for a few seconds before it fades back to smoke.

Rowan lay down with his brother with a soft smile on his face before he hears running footsteps and looks over to see a peasant woman running towards them frantically. "Did you see it? The smoke, did you see it?" She asked wildly.

Rowan blinked in surprise before looking to the smoke then back to the woman. "No, I saw nothing." He lied, hoping he was convincing.

"Are you blind? You were right here!" She cried while the twins looked at each other in mock confusion. "It was magic, I tell you. There's sorcery here. We must tell the King." She whispered terrified before turning and fleeing towards the castle.

"Hey! Wait!" Arty called out to her while Rowan sat there frozen in shock. Arty looked at his brother with panic. "We need to get out of here." Rowan nodded numbly in response before they both got to their feet grabbing their baskets and practically sprinted all the way back to the citadel.

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Once they had returned they told their mother what happened and got a sound scolding and a clap around the ear for their stupidity, they hurried to the Throne room to see what the woman would say to the King.

"It was sorcery you saw, and you're certain of it?" The King asked as the three magicians slipped inside unnoticed.

"Yes, Sire." The woman confirmed with her head bowed in fear.

Uther stared down at the woman coldly. "And you swear this before your King?"

"I swear it." She replied with a trembling voice.

Arthur who had noticed the others enter had seen the fearful look on their faces and suspected one of them was behind it immediately. "Perhaps your eyes deceived you, a trick of the light." Arthur tried but the woman shook her head vehemently.

"The smoke was alive, I tell you. I feared for my life." She cried and Rowan rolled his eyes, it was just smoke!

"I thank you for bringing this to my attention. Your loyalty will not go unrewarded." The King promised before waving the guards forward.

"Thank you, Sire." The woman bowed before she was lead out by a knight.

Uther paced like a caged animal in front of his throne before pausing and gritting his teeth. "It cannot continue." He growled causing both twins to shiver.

Arthur gave both twins a hard look before responding. "I will hunt down those responsible, Father. I promise they will not escape unpunished." Both twins blanched at the look on his face and he could help but be a little proud that he could still scare them consider they could turn into bloody dragons.