Hidden Stones

CHAPTER 4 | New Sheets

June of 2020

LUKA

"Your Grace, the wagons are here." 

I lifted my gaze off the parchments I was studying and saw Zest standing by the closed door of my office. 

I lifted a brow. "I'm sure that was locked. Couldn't you just knock like a normal person?"

"I'm far from normal, Luka. I'm all powerful." To prove a point, he vanished into thin air and reappeared sitting by the lounge chair near the fireplace. Zest is the appointed High Warlock of the North. His family is one of the three magic coven situated here in the mountains. He's often bragging about his greatness, especially when he was just recently welcomed to replace the previous High Witch and gain authority over the protection of the royals.

Deciding not to continue the line of conversation and concentrate on the matter at hand I asked, "How many have gotten through?"

His friend's smug smile disappeared when he heard the question. "Only two." He sighed and lifted his feet, placing them on top of the coffee table. "Sorra tried to get five in. But the Elders's scouts just decided to visit the northwest border, too close to her work cabin if you ask me. It's a wonder she even got any in. She could have been caught and we'll be questioned."

The wagons we're trying to move here are filled with people. Desperate people who wanted refuge from the other kingdoms. Some are wrongfully banished and some are ones who're trying to escape from their previous lives. Sorra is an old woman living a few miles outside the North Borders. She's a witch who have an alliance with us but chose to work outside the protection of the kingdom's domain in order to gather shifters, witches, and mortals who needed help. Her powers can sift through a person and she claims to detect positive auras. She does whatever to help these people and move them here through the wagons. Since we trusted her judgment for years, we accept whoever she sends and help them find their place in the kingdom. Ever since I was born, these wagons have gone in and out of the north and so far nothing bad had emerged from these proceedings.

However, after the sudden loss of the East Kingdom two years prior, alliances and border negotiations are harder to come by. The Elders have come and gone through each kingdom searching. They even so much as issued to have tighter security between the borders. Whatever the East have lost must be so important that the Elders are forced to take action. That never happened before. They usually just create laws and let the kingdoms deal on their own.

"How many were in the wagons?" I asked.

"Six from each one. The guards have already checked all of them for any harmful objects they've brought. I did as well." Although we trust Sorra, repercussions are still needed to ensure that everything goes well.  "Three females were taken by Vanessa. She says they're maid-worthy. Some with experience with hard work were transferred to be taken care of Gareth by the mines. The rest decided to choose their positions for another day." 

"Good work. You may leave now." I told him. I've got lots of papers to run through about crop supplies and a couple more of security recruitment that needed to be approved.

"Not so fast, Your Grace. Have you forgotten what transpires two months from now?" He asked while flipping through a book, placed it back on the table, and reached for another one.

"The Season. Yes, how could I forget?" 

I saw him once again deliberately turning the pages of this new book and reached for a new one. He does this a few times more and I told him off. "And stop ruining the books. You don't even like to read." I liked those books. I placed them by the lounge so that I'll easily reach them and now they're carelessly scattered on top of the table.