The Four Tales

by Rebecca Reddell

  Sighing, the prince shrugged. “I have advocated for our kingdoms to start checking on this idea. People are ready to dream and progress again. My family remains firm that advanced technology will only lead to chaos again. They might be right. Or they might not be.”

  “Will you continue to encourage the reuse of it?”

  “We’ll see. You dance very well, I might add.”

  Knowing the subject was closed, Cassie smiled. “Thank you. I had lessons.”

  “Again, our education is not going to waste!”

  Cassie laughed, as expected, and their talk turned to the ball and the reason behind it.

  “Do you think we can avoid war with this festivity?” he asked.

  Taking a deep breath, Cassie didn’t know what to say. Should she lie? Should she tell him what she knows? Where was Simon?

  Glancing around the room, she tried to find Simon. Her pause gave her time to detect Kemyss and Miriam watching her from across the room. Aven and Petunia were no where to be seen.

  “Did I ask the wrong question?” the prince recalled her attention.

  “Oh, no, not at all. I’m sorry. I suppose I don’t know how to answer it. I can hope it helps,” Cassie jerked her head back to face him and said.

  “It’s okay,” he told her. “I don’t think it’s going to help either. That’s why I’m here.”

  “What do you mean, Prince -----?” Cassie inquired.

  “I don’t think this party is going to fix anything. King Ammandon has a plan, and this is most likely a trap. I wasn’t going to stay at home and allow my sister and parents to be caught unaware. I’m not sure why I’m even telling you all this.”

  “I’ve been told I’m a good listener,” she told him.

  Chuckling, he smiled. His teeth gleamed through his brown beard, and his brown eyes twinkled. The dance ended, and he offered his arm to escort her into the crowd.

  “I don’t see your stepsister. Is there someone else I can take you to see?”

  “No, thank you,” Cassie told him. “I’ll get some punch. Would you care for some?”

  “My answer would be yes, but I have to find my next partner. Maybe later?”

  “Of course,” Cassie agreed.

  He left her at the table, bowed over her hand, and kissed her hand before leaving.

  “Simon, where are you?” she whispered and accepted a cup from the girl serving. “Thank you.”

  “There you are,” a voice came from her left.

  Startled, she spilled a few drops of the punch onto her glove.

  “Miriam,” Cassie acknowledged.

  “Shouldn’t you be calling me mother?”

  “I prefer not to live in hypocrisy any longer. You might want to try it sometime.”

  Miriam grabbed her arm and pulled her over to where Kemyss stood. “You might want to take out her voice again. She’s getting sassy.”

  Cassie took a step back.

  “She’ll be fine. Keep her next to us for the remainder of the time. We don’t have much longer to go.”

  Cassie heard her and glanced at the clock hanging over the double doors leading into the hallway. It was now 11:15. Simon was no where in the ballroom. The king had still not returned.

  “Where’s the king?” Miriam asked, as if she had heard Cassie’s thoughts aloud.

  Kemyss looked around with a frown. “He left an hour ago. Why hasn’t he returned?”

  She was in Cassie’s face the next instant. “What did you do?”

  “Nothing,” Cassie lied. “I’ve been in the ballroom the whole time with all of you around me. The only time I’ve been out of your sight is when I danced with the prince. We only talked about education.”

  “You had better be telling the truth, Cassidy. Your life depends on my success as well. Don’t forget it.”

  Glaring, she held Cassie’s gaze before turning to Miriam. “Do not let her out of your sight. She stays with you from now on, and no more dancing. Where are Aven and Petunia?”

  Miriam shrugged.

  “Do I have to attend to everything myself?” Kemyss bit off the words before turning on her heel and walking away.

  Miriam grasped Cassie’s hand and held tight. “You’re in this whether you want to be or not. You’ll be just as much to blame as us. Who will believe you weren’t involved in all of this? I’ll make sure everyone doubts it. So, are you with us?”

  Cassie took a deep breath. Simon believed her. He knew whose side she was on, and his trust meant more to her than anything Miriam could say against her.

  “I’m with you,” she lied.

  19

  “Father,” Simon said when his father walked in the door. He waved the king over to his side and pointed at the book he was reading from. “Rupert, please find Advisor Atkins and anyone on the council you can. Also, tell mother to keep an eye on a guest named Kemyss.”

  Rupert nodded and bowed out of the room.

  “Kemyss? The older woman who came with the Alasdairs?”

  “Yes, one and the same. She’s D’Arcy.”

  “What?” the king exclaimed. “Simon, are you sure about this? How do you know?”

  “Cassie told me. I found her at the party and managed to pull her through the secret tunnel to this room.”

  “I see,” the king spoke while rubbing his chin.

  “She couldn’t hardly speak. The witch put a spell of some kind on her. She had to write down her message to me. Here it is.” Simon handed the paper to his father and watched as the king read it.

  “She’s sure about this?” he asked, handing the paper back to Simon.

  “Cassie wouldn’t lie,” Simon bluntly stated. “I know her.”

  “I know. I just want to make sure your judgement isn’t clouded at all by knowing her.”

  “You really think I wouldn’t know when someone is lying to me? I learned about lying and evasion at King Iver’s house. He taught me how to spot if someone wasn’t telling me the truth. Cassie isn’t a liar, and she wouldn’t lie to me. I believe her.”

  King Tritium nodded and took a breath. “It seems to me we need to investigate her claims.”

  “I have been. She had to return to the party. They would have noticed her absence, she’s been under surveillance from her family, and they haven’t allowed her out of their sight.”

  “She told you this?”

  “Father, she is trying to help us. What would she gain from telling me a lie? Why tell me anything at all, if that is the case?”

  “You make a valid point. I’m sorry, Simon. I just need to be aware of all the facts. Remember, you know her, but I don’t. This is the first evening I even saw her. I have a right to be suspicious.”

  Simon nodded before rubbing his temples with his fingertips. “I understand, father. However, even if you can’t trust her, you can trust me. Right?”

  “Of course, my boy. Of course. I just want to make sure you’re thinking everything through. I taught you that, didn’t I?”

  Simon looked up with a smile. “You did. I am thinking everything through. Cassie said her stepmother and step-siblings are helping Kemyss. She said they’re in league with King Ammandon. The war was only a distraction. If they’re all here this evening, it can only mean they have aligned their plans.”

  King Tritium nodded and sighed. “So, your Cassie has told you what they’re planning?”

  Simon ducked his head and grinned. He liked the way his father said, “your Cassie.” Somehow, it felt right.

  “She told me Kemyss has erected a dragon, and somehow, Cassie is the key to the dragon. She doesn’t know how or why.”

  “A dragon? You mean to tell me we’re going to be faced with a beast of that nature?”

  Nodding, Simon added, “From what Cassie has told me, yes. As soon as she returned to the party, I began reading on dragons and their connection with the occult. It’s not as prominent, but it has happened in the past.”

  “Does it tell you how to defeat this dragon?” King Tritium
asked, leaning over the table and reading.

  “It gives some spells to counteract the dragon, but it depends on what she plans on having the dragon do. Plus, we don’t have anyone who can fight her magic with magic. I wouldn’t know how to conduct half of these spells.”

  “What else does it say?”

  This book mentions dragons in passing,” Simon mentioned as he lifted another book to the right. He held it out to his father. “With this one, there isn’t any spell.”

  “That’s good, then, right? It will be easier without using a spell.”

  “I don’t know,” Simon disagreed and shook his head.

  King Tritium took the book out of his son’s hands and looked down at the page. He swallowed. “Is this what Cassie meant by being the key?”

  “I don’t know. However, it seems to be the only one that fits so far with what she was able to tell me. It’s also the only one that mentions a ‘key’.”

  “Am I interrupting?” Atkins asked from the doorway. The open door revealed Councilman Jacobs, Scholar Bernard, and Scholar Kennedy stood behind him. King Iver and King Kearney were with them as well.

  “Not at all,” the king said. “Come on in. Simon may have found some answers for us.”

  “Really?” Atkins questioned as he stepped further into the room.

  “There’s a good chance I have,” Simon reiterated.

  Waiting until they all came into the room, Rupert nodded at the king and closed the door. The men gathered around the table. Scholar Kennedy picked up an open book and tried to find an answer. Atkins pressed his hands into the side of the table and faced Simon and Tritium.

  Simon took a deep breath and explained, “A friend of mine told me the spell Kemyss has enacted involves a dragon.”

  “What?” Scholar Bernard blurted out.

  “You’re joking,” Atkins said, while the others murmured negative responses and found each other’s eyes with shakes of their heads.

  “Unfortunately, I’m not,” Simon stated. “Let me explain.” He told them everything Cassie had shared with him. He walked through the books he’d read and the spells each one included.

  “This one talks about how to tame a dragon,” he told them, pointing to one book passage. “This one shares the relationship of the beasts and those who can control them. This talks about the different skills and powers a dragon has or can have. The book in your hands, Scholar Kennedy, talks about the dragon being found or created with a ‘key’ as it’s source of control.”

  Dropping the book on the table, Scholar Kennedy put his hands in his pockets. “This is preposterous! Are we seriously going to have to combat ourselves against a dragon?”

  “Yes,” Simon told them, “I think we are. Now, we just have to sift through these books to find the answer. This one shares several spells which can trap a dragon, kill a dragon, or control a dragon. However, we aren’t prepared to use these. Spells take an enormous amount of energy and knowhow. We don’t have that.”

  “He’s right,” Councilman Jacobs agreed. “We aren’t witches. Our ancestors had no recourse against the witches. Witches who believed in the religious side of magic fought back against those who wanted to destroy the world. We don’t have anyone to do that.”

  Several of the men nodded. They stood a few minutes in silence as they digested this information. Atkins picked up the book Kennedy set down.

  “Exactly,” Simon spoke up again. “Tell me again, how did the war start?”

  The kings looked at each other. King Iver cleared his throat. King Kearney stared at King Tritium for a long moment before being the one to speak.

  “The government at that time began to break down. They declared martial law and began to go after anyone who didn’t register as someone who would support them. Men, women, and children were ripped apart. The government knew who to target because of technology.”

  “They tracked them?” Simon inquired.

  “Yes,” King Kearney verified. “They were easy to manage and root out. So many had social media sites which provided all the ammunition the government needed to find them. They started with anyone who was suspected of being a terrorist. Then, they hunted anyone with a religious background. They shut down churches across the nation.”

  “How did the witches get involved then?”

  “The government turned their quest to them. Anyone who claimed to be psychic was rounded up first. Soon, the military went on to find anyone who claimed to have powers or work with the occult or believed in the religious aspects of magic.”

  “Did any of them escape?” Simon wanted to know.

  King Iver shook his head as King Kearney looked down. “No, many didn’t. Those who agreed with the government made an agreement. If they helped root out anyone who wouldn’t work with them, they could live. Congress, the United Nations, the royal sectors, and the President agreed.”

  “So, it started an even bigger war?” Simon digested this information.

  “It did. The necromancers turned against each other in a heartbeat. War erupted. On one side were those who fought for the people’s rights and their own.”

  King Kearney paused. “The other side supported the government and took down anyone they could. No one really knew the magic these groups could enact. The world found out on that day. They destroyed each other and more than half of the countries.”

  “How did our people escape and start over?” Simon asked.

  “You know. They gathered up and left their destroyed homes to come to this land. It was the only land still intact to a greater degree. The government was dead. The witches had annihilated one another. We thought they had all died out. It seems we were wrong.”

  Simon nodded. “Our ancestors set up this area of land to be a protected space. Is there a chance there are people on other parts of the existing land who might be descendants of the witches or government officials?”

  “I don’t know,” King Kearney admitted. “When everyone came here, they were given a series of tests to ensure they weren’t of the occult. If anyone was associated with government, they were imprisoned. We couldn’t take the chance they’d stir up trouble. We shut down any technology and started all over.”

  “Just so this would never happen again,” Simon whispered.

  The men heard him and nodded. The room fell into silence as they reviewed history and their current predicament. Each found their eyes wandering to the books open on the table in front of them.

  Simon rolled his shoulders and swallowed. “If there’s no one to fight with us, and if Kemyss really if the only living witch that we’re aware if, then we need to find a way to end her plan before she destroys the world again.”

  “Do you have a plan?” King Iver asked.

  “I don’t know. If I knew how she created the dragon and for what purpose, it would give us a way to read up on what to do. I only have one idea, and it might be the wrong one.”

  “What do you mean?” Scholar Kennedy demanded.

  “That book,” he indicated the one in Atkins’ hands. “It might have the answers we’re looking for and a way to win without magic.”

  “How do you know this?” Atkins questioned.

  “Cassie told me.”

  “Who’s Cassie?” King Iver wanted to know.

  Taking a deep breath, Simon explained his relationship with Cassie and her father. He told the men everything Cassie had told him. He pointed to the book, and Atkins handed it back to him.

  “In here, it mentions the ‘key’ Cassie told me about, and if this is what she meant, we have a way to defeat the dragon.”

  “What if she’s wrong? What if you’re wrong?” Scholar Kennedy questioned.

  “I don’t know. However, from what she said, this is the only book which mentions a ‘key’ and how the process works. It’s a chance I’m willing to take. They’re here tonight. We could be on the brink of her plan right now.”

  “Fine,” Scholar Bernard jumped into the conversation. “What does it say?
What do we do?”

  Simon looked down and read a few paragraphs aloud. The men stood in stunned silence. Councilman Jacobs sat in the nearest chair, and King Kearney muttered to himself.

  “This is impossible!” Scholar Kennedy growled. “Do you really believe we can talk to a dragon? We have no authority against him. We’re going to be the enemy!”

  “It’s the only thing we can do,” Simon told them. “It states what needs to be done right here, in black and white. We can only try.”

  “We should arrest the girl!” Scholar Kennedy shouted.

  Councilman Jacobs agreed.

  “No,” Simon countered. “None of this is her fault. If we arrest her, we’re going to make Kemyss suspicious, and it might rush her plans. In fact, it could act against us. Kemyss might use the arrest to her advantage, if we take Cassie.”

  King Tritium put his hand on Simon’s shoulder. “What should we do?”

  “King Tritium!”

  The door slammed open in front of them, and Rupert stood in the opening breathing hard. He walked a few feet into the room and beckoned at the king.

  “They’ve disappeared,” he gasped.

  “Who?” King Kearney threw out.

  “Kemyss and her entourage. They took the girl with them. King Ammandon seems to have disappeared as well,” Rupert told them in a breath.

  “No!” Simon shouted. He shut the book and ran past Rupert.

  “It’s starting,” King Tritium told the others.

  “We need to follow Simon,” King Iver took off after the prince.

  The others rushed out after him. King Tritium took up the rear and put his hand on Rupert’s shoulder.

  “Rupert, I need you to ensure the queens are safe. Tell them what’s happening. Keep everyone inside, if you can. I’m going with the others.”

  “What do we do, Sire?”

  King Tritium knew what he was asking. “Whatever you need to do,” he stated and walked away.

  20

  “We need to move. Now,” Kemyss came up to them and said.