The Burning Witch 3: A Humorous Romantic Fantasy

CHAPTER 29 A CLEAN KILL

Katarina and Fin were speaking in hushed tones on their way to the council meeting. Both were brainstorming furiously about Likon’s absence when they simultaneously realized someone was standing in their path …

The father and daughter halted and looked up to see Rebecca Devark staring at Finlay Ashowan as if he were a ghost.

Fin’s tired face grew taut. He’d seen that look many times before. He knew it was when someone who had known his father laid eyes on him …

“Good morning, ma’am,” Kat greeted sternly before bowing.

Fin bowed next, and Lady Rebecca curtsied after him.

“If you will excuse us, we need to attend today’s council meeting as well.” Kat started to resume her trajectory toward the council room.

“Lady Katarina, I was wondering if I may have a brief word with you,” Lady Rebecca called out while regaining her composure and lowering her eyes dutifully.

“You’ve had several just now,” Kat retorted childishly.

The twitch of annoyance in Rebecca’s thick black eyebrow was not lost on either Fin or his daughter.

“It will not take long.”

Staring at the woman with open irritation, Kat let out a grumbling breath. “Very well.”

Fin eyed his daughter, caught between wanting to be disapproving of her rudeness while also remembering that the former queen had been the one to ostracize his daughter ruthlessly.

So instead of commenting on either fact, he said, “Kat, I’ll save a seat for you in the meeting.”

Kat didn’t take her eyes off the former queen’s face but gave her father a brief wave.

Once the two women were alone, Rebecca’s eyes roved over Kat in her uniform much as they had the previous day.

“Are you here to judge or talk to me?” Kat questioned, her gaze boring into Rebecca Devark’s face.

“I’ve never seen a woman wear trousers before. It takes time to get used to,” Rebecca countered evenly.

“Right, well if you’ve gotten your eyeful, I better get to the council meeting. And don’t bother me again over something so pointless.” Kat turned her toes to leave.

Taking in a sharp breath and lowering her chin, Rebecca tried again.

“Lady Katarina, I wanted to hear precisely what has been happening in my absence. My daughter-in-law refuses to take a meeting with me, though I hear I am to be grandmother to a future heir. His Majesty is too busy to speak with me, Lady Kezia refuses my requests, claiming she needs to tend to her son, and—”

“Am I supposed to feel bad for you? You did this all to yourself.” Kat scoffed, a pulse of magic running round her eyes. She had noticed that the former queen was speaking as though Alina and Brendan’s child would be her first grandchild and had completely jilted Kezia and Henry’s son, Elio.

Rebecca’s eyes darted to a pair of noblemen that passed by and bowed their heads quickly to both her and Kat, who folded her arms and bobbed her head in return.

Once they were out of earshot, the former queen continued, “I am not trying to garner sympathy. I am trying to learn what has been happening in this castle so that I might be useful.”

Kat did her best to keep her tone level. “You’ll have to earn back everyone’s trust then. Do what you tried to make me do. Be quiet and dignified. Maybe by the time Alina gives birth, she’ll let you hold her child … Though I am curious, how did you manage to return to court after only a few months?”

“I could ask the same of you,” Rebecca returned with an edge in her voice.

Kat smirked. She could tell being utterly powerless and ignored was driving the former queen a mite mad, and given the morning the redhead had been having, she was not in a particularly generous or kind mood either.

From the sounds of it, Rebecca hadn’t even heard about her sparring match in light of the more pressing news about a possible heir to the Troivackian throne and the marriage of the prince of Daxaria to the daughter of the house witch.

“Did you really only come to greet my mother? If that’s the case, I don’t recommend unpacking,” Kat informed the former queen harshly.

Rebecca stared at Kat for a long while without speaking.

At last, she said, “You seem angrier with me now than you did last time we spoke. Is there a reason for this?”

It was Kat’s turn to take her time responding, as another throng of nobility and servants passed by, and more than a few heads turned curiously in their direction.

“Last time we spoke, I was barely recovered from having faced the creator of evil, and I was in a good mood. Now, was that everything, ma’am?”

The corners of Rebecca’s dark eyes tightened. “Given your uniform and some of the whisperings I’ve heard, you have learned swordsmanship. Why?”

Amazingly, the tone behind the question wasn’t hostile or condescending, but rather, curious.

Despite wanting to call the woman an old bat and be on her way, Kat was able to rummage up the recollection that she did want to encourage women to be open to learning how to fight … So with great struggle, she set aside her animosity in an attempt not to color the former queen’s thoughts on the endeavor.

“I did it because I knew it was something I was meant to do, and it suits me better than any ladylike lifestyle.” Breaking free from the conversation at last, Kat gave a shallow bow. “Good day, ma’am.”

Taking her leave, Rebecca Devark stared at Katarina’s erect back as she marched down the corridor in the direction of the council room.

The young woman, while still wildly inappropriate in much of her conduct, did seem to fit the role of rough soldier outrageously well …

It seems like my daughter-in-law is succeeding in changing a lot more than I anticipated. Whether these changes will last, however, remains to be seen.

Kat scowled.

Pina napped.

Cleophus Miller stared.

He didn’t need to express anything in his statuesque face.

Everyone knew the man was one casual insult away from a bloodbath.

Alina gaped at the knight, and Brendan looked remarkably … humored.

“We shall now commence our meeting with regards to … Miss … Pina Colada … and whether the … kitten is responsible for magically tampering with the minds of Troivackian vassals.” Even Mr. Levin, the man who wasn’t exactly subtle about his disdain for Katarina, was struggling to take the subject of that day’s meeting seriously.

“Of course! It must have been the beast that made my son lose his senses and attack Lady Katarina!” Lord Herra burst out while jumping to his feet.

Brendan Devark raised his eyebrows, his expression candidly conveying that he found the entire thing ridiculous.

“What purpose would it serve the kitten if her own mistress were attacked?” he questioned bluntly.

“Why to … to implicate my son! Lady Katarina had a vendetta against him and knew she wasn’t in any immediate danger!”

“Are you forgetting, Lord Herra, that the men who were to spar with Lady Katarina were not permitted to be around the familiar?”

“Why was that though?” Duke Icarus questioned loudly, a pleased shine in his eyes that darkened Brendan’s mood instantly.

“Everyone finds Lady Katarina’s familiar adorable, and so they did not want to upset either of them as a result. It’s much the same as when someone adores a child and, therefore, wishes the mother well as a result,” Alina returned while keeping her voice light and breezy and resting her hand on her growing belly.

Duke Icarus gave an almost imperceptible eye roll as he turned back to the council.

“Our men-at-arms are battle hardened; they do not turn weak in the face of an animal that is merely cute. It must be magic.”

“You think Sir Cleophus Miller is weak?” Kat asked with a derisive laugh.

Duke Icarus risked a glance at the beastly knight, who was staring at him in a way that made even him recoil.

“If I may interject,” Fin called out, making everyone’s head swivel toward him. “We’ve had these accusations discussed … at length … in Daxaria as well.” The house witch didn’t bother hiding his weary exasperation. “Altering the minds and wills of people is against the wishes of the Gods. They never have and never will give such magical power to anyone. Including witches. While you may wish to question my words on this, I have brought with me all accounts and reports submitted to the Coven of Wittica since its creation as well as all ancient texts referring to this.”

Kat blinked at her father in amazement.

He noticed this and was unable to resist adding, “The number of times this misconception has been spread has made it so that I travel with these records every time I visit somewhere new. I also have the accounts from the Zinferan and Lobahlan covens … Do I need to dig up some from the Coven of Aguas as well?” Fin drawled while fixing Duke Icarus with a caustic stare.

There was a lot of throat clearing after Fin’s announcement.

“What about familiars? Your own familiar has become a legend in his time for his prowess,” Duke Icarus continued, though even he could sense he was losing his foothold.

“My familiar is infamous because I can understand him and he has superior intelligence, not because he can alter minds,” Fin returned effortlessly.

“Then what reason could there possibly be for what must be at least a hundred nobility, knights, and serving staff combined being so wildly enamored with a mere cat?” the duke demanded while leaning forward in his chair, his fingers laced together.

“She’s a cute cat. Animals don’t ask anything, demand anything, or judge us the way humans do. It’s easy to find solace in a creature that not only is endearing in appearance but is also content just to be in your presence,” the house witch explained, his eyes thoughtful and his voice softening.

There was a soothing quality to his tone that created a relaxed air about everyone as they all began to concede that they, too, had a favored horse or pup at home that earned a good amount of adoration … And a well-behaved cat that let anyone pet or hold her? Why wouldn’t people be a little kinder toward her?

“I think Lord Herra is simply desperate to have his son pardoned,” the first whisper started.

“Lord Ball is concussed right now … he wasn’t even in his right mind when he gave the order.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if it was Duke Icarus who told him to have a kitten arrested.”

Duke Icarus’s head snapped around to look down the table, but when he did so he was not able to catch the culprits who were speaking against him, as everyone stopped talking and stared back; they were all regarding him pityingly.

He gritted his teeth, then redirected his attention to Finlay.

“I move to dismiss these charges against the kitten, Pina Colada. Lords, do I have the majority vote on this?” the king called out ceremoniously before the duke could find another point to argue.

Everyone save for two or three hands went in the air.

“Excellent.” Brendan nodded and did well at hiding how pleased he was by how effortlessly the matter was wrapped up. “Currently, we are still awaiting results on the Witch’s Brew testing, so we will not be continuing Sir Seth Herra’s trial today.”

A faint sigh of relief could be heard from Lord Aaron Herra.

“Instead, we are going to be discussing the discovery that Duke Sebastian Icarus has been illegally participating in human trafficking in order to enslave people to work his vineyards.”

The room fell into stunned silence.

“I had intended to bring this matter to light after Lady Katarina’s sparring match, however, the attack took precedent.”

“Your Majesty, this is hardly—” Duke Icarus blustered, but one smoldering look from Brendan had him closing his mouth.

“You have in your possession nine hundred and thirty-six enslaved people across your various estates.”

The room erupted in grunts and exclamations of surprise.

“I obtained this information after His Highness Prince Eric Reyes—who, unfortunately, could not attend today’s meeting—had mercenaries under your employ, Duke Icarus, attack him. I also have a witness who has given testimony that they were blackmailed into attempting an assassination of the Daxarian prince.”

The room exploded.

Duke Icarus’s eyes went wide.

Kat smiled coldly at him though he didn’t turn to look at her, and Alina stared unflinchingly at the duke, hungry for his demise.

“That is slander! I have no—”

“Two mercenary groups that had been in pursuit of His Highness after he fled your northern estate have been apprehended and interrogated. We have since received their confessions, and they admitted they had been instructed by not only you but also your brother. Mr. Levin has compiled the evidence for everyone here. In addition to these grave offenses …”

Duke Icarus looked as though he were about to faint, but Brendan had always been one to enjoy a clean kill.

“I was told you were the one who had a private audience with Sir Herra prior to the match and that Captain Orion colluded with you in order to place Sir Herra in one of the matches with Lady Katarina. Captain Orion signed his confession to Leader Faucher this morning. After yesterday’s meeting, Leader Faucher suspected who was responsible behind the scenes given the events of the day of the sparring, and it would seem he was correct.”

Lord Herra’s hand slammed on the table, and he rose from his seat furiously. He looked ready to execute the duke himself.

“Duke Icarus, you are hereby under arrest for your many crimes, and your brother will be summoned for a trial in the coming days. Given that you were using your ships to take part in the illegal act of human trafficking, they have all been commandeered and are now under the crown’s property as the investigation continues. I have additional proof on this, however, it will be saved for your brother’s trial,” Brendan finished while Duke Icarus leaned back as though foolishly debating whether to run.

His inspiration died quickly when his eyes shifted to the right and he startled at the sight of Sir Cleophus Miller looming over him with Pina purring on his shoulder.

“Duke Icarus, you will be escorted to the front steps for the first stage of your execution. May you reflect upon your sins in the Grove of Sorrows.”

Sir Cleophus Miller’s hand seized the duke’s shoulder and hauled him to his feet.

“I-I-I was framed by my brother! By the mercenaries! Your Majesty! You must believe I would never—” A sharp jolt from Sir Cleophus silenced the man as he stumbled out of the council room.

The council that remained sat in stunned silence.

It seemed as though the powerful Icarus dukedom was on the precipice of utter ruin.

Kat slumped back in her seat and smiled at Alina over Duke Icarus’s empty seat and lowered her voice so that no one else could hear.

“Now that is what I call a council meeting.”