Avoid The Lead, No Matter What!

34. In The Act

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It was dark, and all that could be heard were the cries of the shrill creatures of the night, the swishes of the wind, the gentle flickering of flame, and the even gentler whirring of the Palace's crystals.

But somewhere in the West Tower, two elegantly shod feet went back and forth in restlessness. Feeling both anxious and excited, Vitav couldn't seem to settle down, so he paced, keeping vigil with what went on in another part of the West Wing...

Now this part of the West Wing was usually closed off, and even when it were opened, all the servants understood that entry might mean death.

On this calm night, they had been put to sleep with a powerful spell, and five maids were carried into a secret chamber, where a magic circle awaited. The maids were arranged at five points of the circle, while a cloacked mage completed a few drawings here and there.

"My Lady, I must ask once again... Are you sure about this?" The mage asked, removing his veil to reveal greasy and greying brown hair receding from his hairline. His eyes were a startling hazel brown, but his skin had a sickening palor.

He looked middle-aged, but he had lived a good long number of years... Almost two hundred years.

Lady Flora stepped into the light. "More than certain!" She confirmed, and determination burned in her brilliant blue eyes.

"But, in the past, we were dealing with a child!" The mage pointed out. "We only needed a simple spell, and one sacrifice each time! Even if we can get away with five missing maids, the spell must be more complex to match someone of the Crown Prince's power! What if someone senses it?!"

"I told you not to worry! My boundary magic should stop the spell from seeping out! Just do as you're told! My son is the first prince! I won't let that little fairy brat steal  his birthright!"

Well the mage did as he was told, and he proceeded to cast the spell, but the instant Lady Flora brought out the ancient book...

~"It's out!"~ Taze telepathically cued Celia and Grand Mage Sidian. The three had been lurking around the West Wing every night since the day Taze came out of the East Wing!

A little further away, a long line of guards waited for orders.

~"Now!"~ Grand Mage Sidian signalled the leader of the guards, and they quietly marched forward.

On Taze's cue, Celia already played her own part, executing a powerful spell which froze everything within the entire West Wing, and this bought Grand Mage Sidian and the guards enough time to barge in and find the mage, Lady Flora, and the sleeping maids in the magic circle, all frozen in place.

"No!" Lady Flora forced out, as Grand Mage Sidian seized the frozen book from her hands, casting a spell to defrost it.

"How dare you?!!" He thundered. "You dare to perform dark magic within the palace?!" His eyes roamed to the sleeping maids. "Claiming lives of the innocent?! Send word to His Majesty at once!"

Outside the door Celia beamed at Taze, as they secretly watched the scene from outside.

"It's a relief!" She whispered. "Everything worked as planned!"

But Taze suddenly went rigid. "Wait! Where is Vitav?!" Taze demanded, and no sooner had the words left his mooth, before he felt Celia slump beside him.

"Celia!" He caught her before she hit the ground, and he gently lowered her down to it, noting she felt as cold as ice!

Her complexion was paler than usual, and frost was climbing up her hands.

He cast a quick spell which warmed her, and he anxiously watched as the frost creeped away and colour creeped into her face.

Relief flooded him as she coughed herself awake, and he had never been more pleased as her eyelids fluttered open.

"Celia! Are you okay?" He helped her sit and lean against the wall.

"I'm fine..." She replied, staring at her palm in disbelief. "It was a spell rebound. Vitav was caught in my freeze spell, but he broke it and used it to attack the caster!"

Taze's eyes widened. Celia had accumulated knowledge through numerous lives, and in this life, she had pushed herself to the limits, growing her strengths even further. No one knew, because she hid it well, but she was most likely already Grand Mage Level, with the added advantage of possessing numerous magic types.

Logically, such a powerful freeze charm would trap even Arch Grand Mage Soren, if he was careless. If Vitav could break free so quickly, then he couldn't be underestimated!

If Taze's guess was correct, Vitav had spent roughly seven years with the dark magic book, and there was no telling what he had learned from it.

Taze's primary concern was Celia, and his hands went behind her back and knees, lifting her into his arms. He moved faster than an arrow, getting away from the scene before anyone saw them.

Since Celia concealed her strengths, Vitav would likely assume that one of the High Mages with Ice Magic had been brought in to assist Grand Mage Sidian. As long as he didn’t see Celia, he would continue to believe she had nothing against him and wouldn't directly attack her.

Fortunately, only Grand Mage Sidian knew they were present...

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There was precious little that could cast an entire populace into shock and disbelief, but the events of the previous night did just that.

If it wasn't the commoners wondering why a Royal concubine would do such a thing, it was the nobles wondering how such a thing happened within the palace!

If it wasn't the Magic Council wondering how Lady Flora, one of their favourites, could do such a thing, it was the High Mages wondering how such a thing had gone  undetected for so many years!

Even maids and servants wondered how so many maids had been killed off within the palace, with no one noticing.

And most of all, the owner of a cold blue gaze eyed the woman kneeling before him, and he wondered how he had never guessed that his precious son's illness had been caused by the black-hearted malice of someone he had let remain in his home!

King Vien's aura was all over the place, and even Grand Mage Patiel and Pariel were hesitant to approach. King Vien might be King, but his magic level was somewhere near Arch Grand Mage!

It was difficult to breathe in his presence, when he was this enraged, and they all eyed Lady Flora with some pity, as she knelt there, painfully wheezing  before his throne.

"The Nerve of you." He spoke with barely controlled calm.

There was disbelief, but no room for doubt. Lady Flora had been caught in the act...

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