All Is Revealed

  Elizabeth followed Midas as he led her down to the palace’s dungeon. She’d only been down here once and she wasn’t too thrilled to be down here again.

  Her curiosity had gotten the better of her, after hearing how their father had lied about his golden touch, she needed to know everything.

  Midas led her to the largest cell in the dungeon, once inside he pulled a hidden leaver that opened a secret passage way.

  The passage way was unlit and smelled of mold. It seemed as if no one had used this passage way in years, no one except for Midas.

  When they reached the end of the passage way, Midas unlocked a door and gestured for her to go inside.

  “What’s inside?”

  “Dulciena‘s future.”

  What Elizabeth saw when she went inside, was beyond comprehension.

  Sitting on the floor bound by chains, was a girl. Her hair was wild and unkept. She wore long black robes and her eyes had been covered with a blind fold.

  Even though Elizabeth had never seen one before she knew exactly what the woman was, she was a witch.

  After the first Arcane Wars, all the four biggest kingdoms banned together with the shared goal to rid Arion of its magic users. While it was impossible to get rid of all magic, the four kingdoms settled with the genocide of all witches.

  Since witches weren’t particularly favored by any of the other magic users, they did nothing to stop the four kingdoms from killing any woman who’d been accused of witchcraft.

  By the time Elizabeth had been born, witches became nothing more than fictional creatures.

  A law was signed that prohibited any of the four kingdoms from using any magic.

  Though of course that law had been signed years before my grandfather would obtain the power to turn whatever he touched to gold.

  An exception had also been made for healers since so many people, particularly royals families relied on their healing magic.

  At this point the law was more of a guide line than anything else.

  “How is this the future of Dulciena?”

  Midas walked over to the girl and grabbed her by the hair, forcing her to look at Elizabeth.

  Now that she got a better look at her, Elizabeth’s was shocked to see just how young the girl was.

  “I found her on a trip to The City of Eternal Night. She was so cheap, the slave trader was practicing giving her away for free.”

  The City of Eternal Night was given its name after its people angered a powerful sorcerer, they say he casted a spell that made it so that the sun’s light would never fall on the city.

  It’s also where one goes to procure slaves and other illegal goods.

  “You know the law strictly forbids the use of magic in Dulciena!”

  “I also know that those laws were made almost a hundred years age, magic is the future, it’s always been the future. I’m just the first king who’s realized it.”

  “You have to let her go, before she uses her magic and…”

  “It’s too late for that.”

  “What do you mean it’s too late?”

  Midas was silent. 

  She’d already known what he meant. He’d already unleashed the witches power.

  “What did you do?”

  “I needed to know the full extent of her power. I couldn’t risk the other kingdoms finding out, not yet anyways.”

  The goblin attacks. All that death and destruction, Maximus had told her about. It was all because of him. He’d unleashed death on his own people.

  “Their sacrifices were for the glory of Dulciena, now that I’ve seen what this little witch is capable of I’ll create the most powerful army in all of Arion. Our power will surpass even that of The Kingdom of Arksis!”

  “You mean your power!”

  What Midas plans will not only plunge Dulciena into war but it will force other kingdoms to resort to using magic as well.

  Hundreds of thousands would be killed, the peace that had been sustained for generations would collapse.

  “I won’t let you do this!”

  “Why my dearest sister, not only will you let me, you’re going to help me.”

  Before she could protest, Midas pulled the blind fold off the girl to reveal her deep blue eyes. Instantly, Elizabeth had been sucked into her gaze.

  She couldn’t look away even if she tried.

  “I’d hoped I wouldn’t have had to resort to this but as always you’ve left me no other choice. Like I was saying, you will help me.”

  Midas took her hand by the hand and led her past golden men, women and children. The victims of their grandfather’s madness.

  “Now I told you that the men in our family were allowed to possess the gift, what I failed to mention was that the woman could.”

  Elizabeth could hear Midas’s words but she couldn’t speak or move her body. It was as if she was a spectator in her own body.

  “Did you know that father had a third secret?”

  A third secret? What was he talking about?

  “The only reason father treated you well was because he’d known you had the power, he never really cared about you.”

  He’s lying! Father loved me!

  Tears began to form in the corners of her eyes.

  Midas wiped them away.

  “It’s okay, I know what it feels like, father didn’t really care for me either, now that he’s gone it’s just you and I. Together we will build a new legacy that will surpass anything that came before!”