Chapter 45

Queen Isabel

It was a marvel. I gazed at the old map spread out on the table before me. One of the few remaining artefacts of the long-lost glory that had once besieged this land. When I closed my eyes, I could almost imagine it. Mighty cities built from white stone with paved roads connecting every corner of the empire. I could see it, busy with wagons carrying trade from the far corners of the empire, and its mighty army that kept the land at peace. I smiled and let my imagination carry me.

Ships powered by a magic forgotten a long time ago, soaring in the sky… They belonged to an old legend that had been revealed to me as I travelled the southern islands, gathering myths from the primitive tribes. Could I trust it? I did not know. The old scroll had been written long after the lies of the Unicorns had spread over the land.

They had turned the once-mighty empire into barbarity and its inhabitants into savages. Fighting over the scarce resources produced by their fields, the people had lost the knowledge that had once kept them prosperous. Was the scroll a lie, like everything else? Despite it all, I doubted it.

I had spent my life gathering the few scraps of wisdom that still survived, recreating what I could. By now, I was certain that magic beyond the common conviction existed, but few understood its power. Protecting crops from pests and tracking wild animals. It was all good until you understood what lay beyond. Long before the mirror showed me the truth, I’d pondered it.

Even the traitor Unicorn had understood it and transcended her race’s power far beyond what anyone could have imagined. When the anger at her daring attack had faded, I’d begun to admire what she knew. If only she would understand what was at stake, we could… I shook my head. No, she had chosen to resist me, and she would soon pay the price.

The knowledge would die with me. It was too dangerous a gift to offer to a stranger. Cat’s race had preserved their gift of power, and I’d taught her what I could, but it had been in vain.

Why had she left me? Why did I need to carry this by myself? I shook my head. I could not let those thoughts take hold of me. The fate of this world rested on my shoulders, and I knew what would happen if I faltered. I had seen it in the memories haunting my dreams.

'There is still hope,' I whispered into the room. Even without magic, I could build a mighty army that would resist the evil coming to our world. Just like the great kings of old who had fought bravely against it until the liars betrayed them. The Unicorns had sold our glory and freedom for a slave’s yoke and the promise of peace.

The fools had doomed us all. The evil had almost been defeated, but it saw its chance to cling to its ambition. The peace was nothing more than an opportunity to rebuild its strength while the Unicorn traitors destroyed our might as part of the pact

They deserved to die.