“Yes, I do. With an unforgiving iron fist.”
I glanced around at the devastation the Council had caused. How could they do this? Destroy a town of people who did not deserve it. Children were suffering and they didn’t care. They didn’t even bat an eye.
“Is there no way to get your powers back?” I asked, turning my attention back to the king. “Have you considered re-negotiating with the Council? Or...”
He laughed and the sound was bitter. He turned and tugged on my hand. I followed, and we kept walking down the castle roads.
“I have asked, many times, Ava,” he said. My name sounded like honey on his lips. “Every hundred years, I approach them again. But the Council changes hands every fifty years or so. Therefore, the Witches and Warlocks that made the original plague are long gone and buried. Each new Council is more corrupt than the last.”
And the new Council doesn’t give a shit.
“I am so sorry, King Ankor,” I said, meaning every word.
I began to see why my father and Tavlor had brought me here. To show me what the Council were capable of. How they treated people who stood up to them.
“I... appreciate you letting us come here. And especially how well you have treated my father since we arrived. I have to assume it is hard for you to see him.”
Without wanting to kill him.
The king snorted. “I am no match for Matlock, and my soldiers are no match for Tavlor, so you are under no threat.”
I shook my head. “I didn’t mean that. I mean... Thank you for letting us come here. Thank you for being honest with me about the state of your kingdom. I assure you, I had no idea that this was happening. I wouldn’t stand for it if I had.” I sighed, wanting to show this man how grateful I was to him for letting us visit. He must hate all witches and warlocks. “You see, I am... deciding if I want the job as High Warlock or not, and my father thought it would be a good idea to see some of the other realms. And I think I know why he brought me here, now.”
“To show you what the Council does with their power?” the king guessed, arching a brow.
I nodded. “And the first things I’d fix if I was High Warlock.”
The king stopped walking. “You would fix...this?”
He gestured to the people around him, his eyes widening.
I nodded. “Oh, my god, are you kidding me? Of course! If I could find out how to. Of course, I agree that you can’t go back to killing anyone you want, wars aren’t good for anyone... but this, what they’ve done... It’s atrocious.” I let out a breath. “I’m sure there’s a compromise the two of us could come up with. One that involved peace and reinstated powers.”
I couldn’t stop myself from telling him the truth. I was gutted to know that these strong, practically immortal people, had been left to suffer in such a way.
Of course, I’d have to find out the Council’s side of the story; there was always two sides. But this... punishment had surely gone on long enough. Perhaps the king deserved it, but the people certainly did not. The children did not.
The king cocked his head to the side and studied me. “You are a very unusual Witch, Ava,” he said. “But I suppose I’ve said that already.”
I rolled my eyes. “Yes, you have. I still don’t know if I should be insulted or not.”
“Why would you not want to be High Warlock?” he asked, seeming genuinely curious.
I frowned. “Well, for one thing, their conditions... on taking me on as the illegitimate heir are...”
“Complicated?”
Hell yes!
“They demand a high price, I suppose is the best way of putting it.”
He pressed his lips together, the skin around his mouth wrinkling. Then he said, “Yes. I can imagine.”
Although looking around, my conditions suddenly seemed a small price in comparison to what these people had paid.
I squeezed his arm where my hand still lay in the crook of his elbow. “I’d like to thank you for the tour, King Ankor, but I think I need to go ba
ck to my rooms and ruminate on what you’ve told me.”