Mr Nolan was still on his way to the castle. The sun was up now and everywhere was bright and clear, Mr Nolan greeted the people he knew as he saw them on the road. The closer he got to the castle, the less people he saw on foot and more on carriages.
From Mr Nolan's village Cornswell, he had to pass two villages before getting to the castle so he still had some distance to cover. As he rode in his carriage, the pathway strangely became quiet. The Nolan family weren't rich but they could afford the basic things and fortunately for them, they could afford a carriage and a Coachman. The carriage wasn't fancy but it was something they could use. Mr Nolan felt something was amiss because of how quiet everywhere became and his suspicion rose when the carriage immediately stopped. He was about to ask his Coachman why he stopped the carriage but before he could get the chance to do that, the heard a loud thud from outside the carriage. He quickly came out of the carriage to see his Coachman lying down on the ground. Unmoving as his throat gushed blood. He stared down at the slit throat of his Coachman and a chill ran down Mr Nolan's spine. How did this happen? He asked himself. He wouldn't have suspected this was the reason why the carriage stopped because not a single sound was made. No shouting or even a sign of struggle. Even the horses stood in place like nothing had happened. His coachman was alive a minute ago and dead now. It was something he couldn't comprehend.
He went on his knees as he shook the body of his Coachman to see if there was still a little breath of life in him even though it was obvious there wasn't. "Matthew please...Don't die yet.." Mr Nolan cried as he shook the man's body. Though Matthew was just his Coachman, he still cared about the man and it broke his heart to see him dead. After minutes of crying on the floor, Mr Nolan stood up and looked around to see if he could search for the culprit. Unbeknownst to him, he was the next target.
In the castle, the king had gone to the court room to meet the council members who were now present. "Good morning to you your majesty" One of the council members greeted. Lord Blackthorn. The Lord who oversees the affairs of one of the villages in Denver. The village were Mr Nolan was at the moment. "Good morning to you Lord Blackthorn" the king said as he sat down and the Lord's walked up to him and kissed his feet as they gave their own greeting like Lord Blackthorn had done. The meeting was going to be held because of the current mishaps in one of the villages called Blackthorn. The village Lord Blackthorn oversees, that was why the man was so eager to speak to the king and the other Lord's present.
After they were all seated, the king said "You may speak". Though he already had an idea of what was going to be talked about because Benjamin had told him, he wanted to hear everything first hand from Lord Blackthorn. The Lord then proceeded to say "Thank you your majesty. I wanted to bring to the table the strange things that has been taking place in my village sire. Strange thefts." Lord Blackthorn paused as he waited to get a reaction from the king.
"Go on" came the voice of the king. "There has been several accounts of thefts in my village sire. But it's not ordinary. According to the people, the whole situation is out of the ordinary. Like magic was used. Some say the victims were not even aware when they are being stolen from, some say they were bewitched. I also heard that if you have a strong spirit and do not fall for their bewitchment, they'll kill you and take your belongings" Lord Blackthorn said with a heavy heart.
The other Lord's glanced at each other after hearing Lord Blackthorn's complaint. The king noticed this and asked another Lord "What do you think Lord Irvington?". The man was cut off guard as he hadn't expected the king to ask of his opinion. "Uhmm...Sire, I think the people are just exaggerating. Magic for theft? I highly doubt it sire. It sounds absurd" Lord Irvington said honestly. "Really?" The king questioned Lord Irvington's statement. The king was a king for a reason. He was wise and he felt Lord Irvington's statement was strange. What could magic not be used for? If people wanted to use it for theft, they would. Lord Irvington became silent as he did not know what to say after hearing the king question him. "I asked a question Irvington" the king said with his tone sounding more firm than before. "Uhmmm....Sire, I must have made a mistake in my judgement" Lord Irvington said as he started to quiver. He held both his hands to avoid everyone from seeing how much they were shaking. How unlucky he would be if he falls on the bad side of the king.