The Burning Witch 3: A Humorous Romantic Fantasy

CHAPTER 47 DIRECT DEFENSES

Annika stood perfectly still as Mr. Kraft studied her daughter’s sleeping form.

Eric watched at her side with his arms crossed.

The coven leader had already examined Fin and determined that the duke’s magic was recovering incredibly slowly—most likely due to only a few members of his “home” being present. Therefore, it could be up to a full week until he regained consciousness …

Kat, however, was a different story.

After several silent moments had come and gone, Mr. Kraft at last let out a sigh and turned to the duchess and prince, sweat shining on his forehead from the extensive effort and pressure he was experiencing.

“I believe she will awake by this evening or tomorrow morning. However, I can’t say what the state of her mind will be. In all our research, we’ve never encountered a witch who has consumed Witch’s Brew in this new powdered form. At the very least, her magic appears stable, albeit extraordinarily weak, and it isn’t consuming any intentions at this time.”

“What about when Witch’s Brew is eaten by a witch in its original state as the mushroom? Have there been instances of that happening?” Annika asked with a frown.

“Unfortunately, no. Because witches here in Troivack have been hiding underground, there haven’t been any cases of anyone who’s taken it. I would’ve thought you would have some records of such a thing,” Mr. Kraft reasoned aloud somberly.

The duchess shook her head. “Not that I’m aware of. All the cases we investigated were for average humans.”

Mr. Kraft looked back at Kat, who still wore her official uniform, her face slack and peaceful.

“Lady Katarina is a remarkable woman; I’m sure she will recover swiftly. My guess is that because of her constitution burning through the drug, she could have been under its influence for far longer—as humans are—so already things are not as bad as they could be.”

Neither Eric nor Annika said anything in response.

It was hard to see any kind of bright side to the current situation.

Without there being anything else he could say or do to help ameliorate the heavy atmosphere, Mr. Kraft took his leave after issuing the proper bows.

Annika and Eric stood in silence after the door closed behind them, both staring at Kat without sparing so much as a glance at each other.

Eventually, the prince moved over to his unconscious wife and gently began untying her hair and letting it lay down loose over her shoulder.

He then started carefully pulling off her boots.

“You should go be with Fin,” Eric addressed his mother-in-law quietly as he worked.

Lowering her dark eyes, Annika let out a long breath. “Eric, I know you’ve investigated some of my dealings and that you are wary of me as a result.”

“This is not the time for that.” The prince’s voice was sharp, and he didn’t even bother looking at the duchess as he set Kat’s boots a safe distance from the crackling hearth.

“It is the time. After seeing the nature of your relationship with Kat, I’m sure you would’ve wanted to discuss this with my daughter present and conscious, but I believe it may be better for us to speak more candidly with just you and me present.” Annika’s tone was soft, yet when Eric finally locked eyes with hers, he saw that she was as assured as ever, though the tension in her expression betrayed her stress.

He faced the duchess squarely, his hazel eyes steely.

Annika clasped her hands in front of her skirts and lifted her chin.

“Your Highness, how much of my work are you aware of?”

Eric slipped his right hand in his pocket. “I know you own most of the brothels in Daxaria and a substantial amount here in Troivack. I know you have a web of informants and participate in other underhanded dealings.”

“And do you believe I am engaging in any treasonous actions?”

The prince took his time considering this. “I don’t know. I’m aware how close you were with my mother, but I don’t know how transparent you have been with her or my father.”

Nodding at the reasonable response, Annika’s expression saddened at the mention of her lost best friend, Ainsley Reyes.

“Well, your parents and I had long discussions about when it was best to enlighten you on the nature of the deal we have … However, after Her Majesty’s passing and your disappearance, the discussions ground to a halt.”

Eric frowned but didn’t interrupt.

The duchess met his eyes evenly. “Your Highness, here in Troivack, my family was infamous for their behind-the-scenes work in aiding whoever wished to pay their fee. My brothers were not a part of this legacy, and when I moved to Daxaria, for a time, I, too, stepped away from it. However, I … started resorting to my familiar methods after a few months of my marriage with Viscount Hank Jenoure. That is, until your mother noticed …” Annika trailed off, a warm smile lighting her face. Her love of Ainsley Reyes was indisputable. “She was sharp. She noticed some of my activities, and we formed the foundation of our friendship. As I got to know her and your father, I realized I wanted to use the skills and tools at my disposal to help and protect them. As a result, I entered into a lifelong agreement with them. Your parents are aware of any and all my activities, and we have been in constant communication regarding them. Some they don’t know simply because it isn’t necessary, but the information is available to them should they ever ask.”

The prince’s eyes widened fractionally. He hadn’t considered the idea that the powerful positions the duchess and duke held would be surrendered and disclosed so readily to the crown. That type of loyalty wouldn’t exist in Troivack … And even in Daxaria, it was hard to come by as it meant the dukedom’s fate was perpetually in the hands of the monarchy.

“I will continue to serve the crown until I pass, and Tamlin has started resuming these duties as well, and training with me should you wish for our family to continue its work.”

“Would my father even be able to hold you accountable should you choose to act of your own accord?” Eric asked pointedly. “Between your wealth and connections, not only with your brothels but also with the Coven of Wittica, you could successfully seize the throne or control the kingdom however you see fit.”

“We have become a powerful family; I won’t even bother trying to say otherwise,” Annika countered bluntly. “However, this has carried on for so long and with such great success because of the great trust between your parents and our own household. Should you wish to put an end to this relationship, there is a significant amount of work that would need to be sorted. Now, I must ask, do you think nullifying this arrangement is wisest when, by marrying our daughter, we are now a highly invested ally?”

“Do you expect an answer right now?” Eric questioned with a bite to his voice.

Annika shook her head. “Not at all. While you may feel uneasy about the agreement and power we hold, it does warrant careful thought. I will of course abide by whatever Your Highness wishes once you assume the throne.”

“While you had a strong bond with my mother, you’re essentially asking me to trust Tam in the same manner, and I know next to nothing about him.”

“That is accurate. What you may like to do is get to know our son before making your decision. Even with your return to court, you will not be taking over the throne for at least a few years, especially with Katarina being required to learn more about becoming a queen. So until then, you can consider how you would like the relationship between the crown and the Ashowan duchy to be.”

“A perfectly reasonable suggestion,” Eric responded stiffly.

Annika eyed the prince calmly. She could see he was not at all convinced of trusting her, and she knew the feud that had taken place with Fin had done significant damage to his opinion and outlook of them …

She gave a lone shoulder shrug. “There is no reason to worry about this now, Your Highness. My loyalty is with your family regardless of this answer—though in a sense I suppose through marriage, it is by extension also our family …”

Eric’s expression hardened momentarily before he closed his eyes and tried not to respond emotionally.

“I dislike the duplicitous nature of your work while presenting yourselves as the epitome of a wholesome family,” the prince stated frankly. “I also know I am not biased to think favorably because of the state of my relationship with Fin in recent years. That being said, I’m given to understand you have been a prominent figure in my sister’s life and she thinks incredibly highly of you, Your Grace.”’

Annika lowered her gaze in demure thanks to the prince’s acknowledgment.

“I will of course have to carefully consider what our relationship is going to look like in the future.”

The duchess curtsied. “Of course. In the meantime, I will attend to Fin.”

The prince inclined his head. With a graceful turn and careful exit, the duchess left the chamber.

Once alone with Kat, Eric slowly turned back around, nervous to stare at her still face in the silence of the room where his more potent feelings could run rampant … His anger and suspicion toward the duchess had actually been a reprieve to the dark consuming terror he had been feeling prior to their talk, but when alone with Kat, that all faded away and he was left back in the cold, quiet reality where his wife was far away from him.

His hand gripped into a fist in his pocket.

Then he made his way around to the empty side of the bed where he climbed in beside Kat and carefully pulled her into him.

The faint aroma of amber touched Eric’s nose, and before he knew it, tears were gathering in his eyes.

“Godsdamnit, Kat … You knew it was a trap …” he murmured into her hair while hugging her even more tightly. “We should’ve just run away when we had the chance.”

By the following day, the king had finished sending out the units of men to guard Vessa and ensured that their supplies were well stocked should the city be surrounded and merchant routes be cut off. He was feeling far more in control of the situation.

Faucher of course being the steady and reliable presence he always was helped immensely.

Preparing for war or skirmishes was like second nature to the two men, and for a brief window of time, it felt as though things were once again as they should be … until the messenger came.

The wanted mercenary, Leochra Zephin, showed up at the castle, claiming he had something to relay to the king himself.

All at once, Brendan found himself plunged back into the unpleasantness of uncertainty.

He permitted the man entry, however, with the knowledge that he was a witch, summoned Mr. Kraft and Mage Sebastian to be present for the meeting in his office along with Faucher.

The king sat behind his desk and waited.

When at long last the infamous mercenary leader swaggered through the office door, he briefly smirked at the sight of Mr. Kraft before he swept into a theatrical bow before Brendan.

“Your Majesty, I come bearing a message from Samuel Zephin, or as you know him, Satan.”

“Samuel Zephin? You two are brothers?” Brendan’s eyes glinted with interest.

“My parents adopted him.” Leo waved off the king’s question, making the monarch’s eyes narrow at the flippant attitude. “The devil wished to convey to you that the men coming to attack Vessa are no longer coming in order to murder the queen.”

Brendan sat up straighter, the air around him turning dangerous.

“They are coming because they intend to trap the devil. We ask permission to leave the city, and as a result, this should negate the threat to your citizens. We would’ve done so sooner but noticed that the roads leading out of Vessa were blocked this morning.” Leo bowed again, his tone magnanimous.

Brendan rose to his feet and fixed his black stare on the man, whose disrespectful behavior was bringing the king’s tenuous control of his violent urges to a boiling point.

“If you knew the purpose of the rebels’ attack, why didn’t the devil leave sooner?”

“Ah, because his fate is tied to Katarina Ashowan, and so it is … difficult for him to put distance between him and her.”

“The rebellion has been breathing down our necks, trying to assassinate Her Majesty. Why has their objective changed? Do you mean to tell me all of them are now aligned with the first witch?”

Leo’s eyes sharpened. “You’ve learned of the first witch? Do you know who she is?”

Brendan raised an eyebrow and schooled his expression. “That is not business you have any right to know.”

Leo ran the tip of his tongue over the point of his canine tooth before he nodded slowly.

“I see … Well, the reason the rebellion is following that woman’s orders is because she promised to cripple the Ashowans’ influence in your court, bolster their coffers, and to add the final nail to the coffin, she swayed Duke Icarus to join forces to give the rebellion better odds of winning, but most of our own men have still withdrawn, so you shouldn’t be too overwhelmed.” Leo all but rolled his eyes.

Brendan’s lips curled upward coldly. “Your master isn’t aware that she is prepared to use magical beasts and the rebels to sacrifice thousands of my soldiers and militia so she can not only open a portal and thrust him through, but then possibly keep the beasts she’s summoned to assert even more of her own control over my kingdom?”

At last, Leo looked taken aback. “What do you mean?”

“Witch’s Brew. She’s using it to exchange lives from the Forest of the Afterlife to open a portal to send the devil back, yes, but she also may intend to impose her own will.” Brendan watched as Leo’s face paled but took no pleasure in seeing it.

“That cannot be right.”

“Is the devil certain he knows exactly what the first witch might do or be after, or is there some room for interpretation? Because if that’s the case, and I am now understanding there is some kind of magical bond to Lady Katarina, who was attacked and is now unconscious, I would say your master should prepare to return home to the Gods.”

All former arrogance in Leo’s countenance had dissipated as he first looked to Faucher, then Mr. Kraft, and finally Mage Sebastian.

When he saw no signs of deception on any of their faces, he swallowed.

“I will … speak with the devil and …”

“No. You will take my men to the devil, and you will bring him back here so that we can settle this once and for all.” Brendan loomed over the mercenary, who tensed.

While he had been relieved of his weapons, they knew he was a water witch. Mr. Kraft watched him warily in that moment while glancing briefly at Faucher in warning.

“If you bring the devil here, you are serving him up to that woman.” Leo slid closer to the door.

“This matter between the devil and the first witch is jeopardizing the people of my kingdom. So they will confront each other now and finish their business between them. Besides, I’m sure your master is anticipating that I would react in this way. There is only one of you here, after all.”

“Are you really going to give the devil to the woman who holds your people hostage?” Leo snarled while noticing Faucher’s hand go to the hilt of his sword.

“The way I see it, unless we know who the first witch is, we are sitting ducks. Now, are you going to cooperate, Leochra Zephin? Or will things become violent?” Brendan stood inches from the mercenary leader and awaited his answer.

At the very least, despite facing down a technical witch and seeing the fear in his eyes, the king doubted that Leo was anywhere near the same level of power as the Ashowan family. Despite the two members in his castle being unconscious, the thought did comfort Brendan just a tad.