Sorry, today's chapter is a bit short. Bear with me, next chapter coming soon.
___
"What do you suggest we do?" Leon's loud voice resonated in the courtroom, where Conner, Matthew, and his chieftains sat in their respective seats.
His messenger stood behind him as he sat on the throne, looking at Conner, who was holding a scroll of Vagary's map.
"I suggest we continue searching for this dark magic user... Perhaps they can help us fight this Vagarian Princess," he proposed, shifting his gaze from the map to King Leon.
"We are utterly powerless against her if she is as powerful as I imagine," he added, shaking his old head in resignation.
Leon then looked at Matthew, who appeared to be deep in thought. Matthew had woken up this evening just before Leon called the court meeting, and he had managed to attend.
"Might you have anything to say?" Leon inquired. At this point, Matthew seemed to be the only one in the courtroom who had felt Dasha's magic, but he shook his head.
"There was... nothing..." he began, trying to recall any details. "It was just emptiness after I passed out, and then I woke up to find you all staring at me in the infirmary." He explained his experience.
Everyone's gaze turned to Conner, but the old man shook his head.
Somehow, Conner didn't find anything unusual about Matthew after he awoke, but he did notice a void in Telma, the other knight. It felt like a hollowness.
"What news have you heard about any dark magic user?" Leon asked Conner.
"My trusted brothers have cast locator rituals around the first four districts under your command, but there have been no signs," he paused and looked at Matthew, "It has led us nowhere."
Matthew's eyes narrowed as he turned to the king. "The magic was wielded in District 2 during the battle. How could it be that there's been no sign of a dark magic user around there?" he reasoned.
"Perhaps the person ran away for fear of being caught?" one of the chieftains suggested.
"I made sure to close Vlamunda's borders since the war ended. No one can enter or leave the kingdom," Leon informed them. "There's no way the person would run farther than District 12, so we should keep the rituals going, Conner." He addressed the old man, whose face scrunched in concern.
"So what if we still don't find the person? Perhaps they found a way to hide or conceal their presence very well?" another chieftain asked, prompting the others to look at him.
That was a reasonable point. They were discussing a dark magic user. No amount of the priest's rituals could surpass such a person's ability if he or she was truly casting a spell to hide.
Leon considered this and the room fell silent as everyone debated how to handle the situation.
Suddenly, Conner cleared his throat, breaking the silence, and everyone turned to look at him with curiosity.
"I—I think I might know something about Dasha..." he said, standing up with the scroll still in his hands as he walked toward the throne, bowing slightly to the king.
"Speak," Leon commanded.
"I believe Princess Dasha may be in search of something—something Vlamunda might possess," he said uncertainly. Leon's brow creased as he tried to recall what they might have...
The dragoness.
Leon exchanged a knowing look with Conner, who nodded in agreement.
It had to be the dragoness. When it came to dark magic, Kilgharrah was the most powerful and ancient force to wield it. If anyone got hold of her magic, it would be lethal.
That was what Dasha wanted. She was greedy for more power and knew that the only thing that could grant her what she sought was the ancient dragoness's magic.
"I adjourn this meeting until noon tomorrow," Leon suddenly announced, catching everyone off guard.
He was already feeling a headache from the complications piling up for him and his kingdom.
"We should take a rest and come up with suggestions to tackle this witch by then. For now, I shall end this court meeting." He stood, and everyone else followed suit, slowly dispersing in different directions.
Matthew did not meet with the king afterwards. Instead, he headed straight to his room, still not fully recovered from his state as he felt fuzzy here and there.
Leon, however, went directly to his chambers, sitting on his plush couch, passing the time for over an hour until he heard a soft knock on the door.
"Come in," he said, his eyes lighting up as he sat upright to see the frail redhead figure that entered.
"Your Highness," Melina bowed timidly before stepping inside.