(Nathan POV)
I was in the throne room with Valkis.
"So how is the plan going. What about the construction." I asked him while caressing an artifact.
"The construction is already complete my liege and the plan to delay the army is also progressing smoothly." Valkis replied
"What? The construction is already finished? H-H-How is this possible!!!! It was still not supposed to be completed till three days. How is this possible." I was flabbergasted. The plan that I proposed, to be honest, was kind of impossible in this day and age. That was just how absurd the plan was. Although it was only made possible due to the abnormal phenomenon that occurred at river Mogicio.
"No one knows that, my liege. Even the workers were all shocked. They were saying that somehow the work is faster than we all anticipated. According to them sometimes the work they left uncompleted, would complete itself when no one was looking. According to them it was like some magical phenomenon." Valkis said.
"What... Magical phenomenon. Okay leave it at that. What about the other plan? The one to delay the invaders." I posed another question.
"The spies are keeping us regularly updated. Those squads are also doing quite well."
(How the hell is this possible. They were not trained like this until I suggested the guerilla warfare. Those people never even knew about such a tactic. And now he is telling me that after a mere ten days, they are doing well)
"Ahem, that is good news. Any other thing You would like to report to me." I asked
"The guerilla squads that you created to delay the invaders are also saying that there is some king of magic in play...…." He was saying but I cut him.
"THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS MAGIC." I shouted
"I am so sorry your honor but I simply stated what I was told."
(How is this possible. I do not sense any magic power in this world. And if he is speaking of some magical phenomenon, this can only mean one thing. Wizards. This is not good.)
"I apologies for the outburst"
"You do not need to my lord"
"Hey Valkis... What do you think this is?" I lifted the orb that had been bugging since the time I came to this world.
"No one knows that my lord. It is said in legends that it was given to the first king of Arcadia by some Wizard who had concurred another world."
I looked towards him with a puzzled expression.
"That is the most absurd thing I have heard in my life."
"I know that sire but that is what the legend says. Nothing else is known about this artifact."
"I was not expecting this." I placed the orb back. It looked like a simple crystal ball. What interested me was the thing inside the crystal ball. It was violet coloured and was hovering in midair. As it spun, the colours in it seemed to change from light to dark. The shape was that of a pyramid. Three of its sides were smooth while the bottom or the fourth side was rough with many rectangles protruding out. It seemed like that it was ripped out from something bigger.
(Its has been bugging me continuously. Seems like that I have seen this before.)
"You should get some rest. I will inspect the construction site tomorrow and we will proceed accordingly from then on." I ordered.
Valkis bowed down to me and left the throne room without saying anything. I waited there for sometime and then also walked out the door. The moment the large doors of the throne room closed behind me an eerie feeling enveloped my whole body. The hair on the back of my neck stood up. The air was cold and there were clouds in the sky. It was a dark night with no moonlight or starlight. I looked behind me only to find the closed door and nothing else. There was no one in the whole corridor. But my gut was telling me that something was wrong.
(What the hell is this feeling)
I walked cautiously towards my room. As it was already midnight, I was in my night gown and did not have a weapon on me. That was making me all the more edgy. Cautiously but quickly, I reached my room but nothing happened. At this point the feeling I had felt before had almost faded away. I slowly opened my room and peaked inside, half expecting someone to jump at me. There was no one in the room.
"Like someone will enter my room with all the security they have in this place." I snickered to myself. While moving towards the bed I took a slight spin and looked at the room. I had been sleeping in this room since the time I came to this world but I had never been able to get use to this simply enormous room.
*CREAK*
I suddenly heard a sound and I immediately turned my head in the general direction. My eyes grew wide upon looking at the face that was in front of me.
"How did you get here" I tried to hide the surprise in my voice and said nonchalantly.
"My king" *PANT* "You need to" *PANT* "come with me." *PANT* "Your life is in danger."
In front of me was a girl dressed in a maid uniform. Her uniform was drenched in sweat and her breathing was extremely irregular. She was panting like someone who had ran a marathon.
I rolled on the floor and picked my sword the moment she she entered. Pointing it at her I asked.
"What do you mean my life is in danger and why do you even care. More importantly who even are you"
"I am sorry my king I cannot say." Was her reply.
I was about to ask what she meant by that but her hand rose in a robotic manner and she pulled down her collar a bit. There was a tight necklace on her neck. It seemed beautiful at first glance but I knew very well what it was.
(A slave collar)
"You have to please follow me or else something bad might happen. I cannot say more than I already have."
I fell into a deep thought.
(Is this a trap or is she telling the truth. The slave collar complicates things. If her master's orders were like 'Bring Kizen here without him knowing' or Something like 'bring Kizen here by tricking him', I will most probably die. But if she is telling the truth and her orders were something like, 'help him without telling him the details' then I am doomed if I stay here. But why would somebody send their slave to save me but do not allow her to tell me the details. And I can't shake the feeling that I have seen here somewhere before.)
The moment I had laid eyes on her I knew that I had seen her somewhere before. But that was it. Right now, I was inside Kizen's body and I possessed his memories. That guy was a degenerated asshole. He had seen every single maid in the castle with more details then required. Him seeing a girl usually happened in bed.
"You do not convince me." I made my decision. She clearly was not expecting it and was shaken badly. I was half expecting her to jump at me with some weapon but what she did instead shocked me. She sat and then put her forehead on the floor.
"Please I beg you. You have to come with me"
Now I was in a worst situation.
(What should I do damn it. I can't tell weather she is laying or telling the truth. I can't trust her. I can protect myself. I do not need to trust her. People are untrustworthy. And moreover, she is a maid. A slave on top of that. She can not be trusted in any way.)
"Lead the way" I put my sword back in its sheath.
My mind was thinking many things but my body was not cooperating. The moment those words left my mouth, she looked at me with stars in her eyes. Then she got up and walked towards a corner of my room. I thought that she was already hiding inside my room when I had entered and we were going to leave through the door but she was leading me away from it.
"Where are you going. Do not waste my time or else I might change my decision abo....." But I never got a chance to complete my sentence. She put her hand on the wall and a door I never knew existed opened up revealing a tunnel.
"Please follow me" she said as she entered the tunnel. I followed her without a word. The moment we entered; the door closed behind us. Inside the tunnel was pitch black. I could not see a thing but somehow, she knew where she was going. It was then I heard a voice from the outside.
*CRASH*
The door of my room broke and I also heard all my windows shattering. From the sound of footsteps, I could tell that there were about thirty people in my room.
"Look everywhere. That bastard is supposed to be in his room. He must be here." I heard someone say.
(What you know she was telling the truth. But are those guys assassins. They are making such a noise. Guards will be here in moments.)
Thinking such things, I simply followed her. We walked for something like ten or so minutes. The whole journey took place in utter silence. She never said a word and I never tried to start a conversation.In about ten minutes or so we reached a dead end. She placed her hand on the wall again and the passage opened reveling some stairs. That was when I found out that we were actually underground. The tunnels were built at a slight angle. I climbed the stairs and got out. It was the backside of the castle. I was still collecting my thoughts when she bowed to me and spoke
"You should run away and find the captain of the guards. Right now, the castle is swarming with enemy assassins. Your life is in incredible danger."
"But why are you helping me. What do you...…" And suddenly I knew why she felt so familiar. She was the maid of the former Duchess Asheren Careas. The one who was beaten by her not too long ago. Suddenly a lot of things made sense.
"I was ordered to not reveal the details of the plan or the name of my master to anyone. So, I cannot tell you anything but I could help you through the loop hole in the orders. So, all the maids decided this and sent me to you."
"You are her maid right? That means Lormen Careas
Is also involved in this...… whatever it is."
She did not respond but the slight twitching of her lips gave it all away.
"I shall reward you in the earnest when this matter is resolved." I said and turned to run away. It was the moment when the eerie feeling returned to me. The same feeling that I felt in the corridor. At that time, I could not understand what it was. But now I was sure of it. This was the feeling I had grew up feeling. But due to this body it felt like something foreign. I stopped and looked behind me. I was sure now. The feeling was coming from the second floor and I knew what it was.
MAGIC!