"My lord, your meal is here." A guard announced.
Keevah could hardly raise his head from the books he had buried it in as he answered.
"Bring it in."
Instead of the maid, Victoria walked in with the food, a smile on her face.
She looked different from her usual stoic look. For one, she had a smile on her face but that was not all. She was dressed in a pink gown and she had allowed her hair to flow, quite contrary to how she always tied it and the combat friendly cloth she always had on.
"My lord, I heard you have had not anything since dawn." She said dropping the tray carefully on the table Keevah's books laid.
He stretched his hand to her, his eyes still on his books. She did not make him wait before she provided him what he was asking for. The reports on Velaine throughout her time guarding him.
He collected it and pushed the book he was reading to make space for it. He scrolled through for a while before he raised his head to look at her.
"Is there anything I need to see urgently?" He asked.
She shook her head in negation before she replied.
"Nothing my lord. If I am to give my opinion, he is void of suspicions."
Keevah nodded and continued scrolling when she heaved a sigh and pushed the tray closer to him.
"I will eat later." He grumbled, still unable to take his eyes off the book lest he missed what he was looking for.
"You can do that after you eat. You have to take care of yourself first." She insisted trying to pull the book out of his sight.
He held her hand in place and raised his eyes to meet hers.
"You did well with the prime minister and king Velaine but that is all this is about. If her highness needs you for any other assignment, you will be called upon."
He removed his hand and leaned back on his seat when he heard her timid voice.
"Can I ask you a question."
He simply nodded refusing to look at her.
"Are the rumors true ?" She asked trying to find his gaze.
"Did you choose her?" She asked again.
"It has always been her Victoria, I never gave you a reason to hold on to and I do not know why you did but if you can, I hope you let go. " He made sure he said all he needed to while looking at her so she could take him seriously.
Aveedah may never see him the way he sees her but he will also never see her the way she sees him.
It's simply one of the cruelties of life.
"I understand." She nodded and walked out.
He did not dwell on the fact that she had tears in her eyes or that their long term friendship would crumble, he had more important things on his mind.
He had searched but had found no answer or at least a lead on who Velaine is.
He had sent messages to all other sorcerers but there was nothing.
If felt like he simply appeared one day and built a kingdom.
No familial ties, no past.
He began to check everything about him including the name of his kingdom and for the first time since sunset, he felt like he was finally making progress.
The name of his kingdom is Ridah. In the old language like the book says, Ridah means shield.
A person as meticulous as Velaine would not pick a name simply for the sake of it, he is the kind of person that gives meaning to everything, even breathing if he has his way.
"I just need to dig some more, I will find what this clue is leading to." He whispered to himself.
Glancing at the tray of food, he shrugged and picked it from the table, he might as well eat as he ponders on his next step.
*********
Yvonne tried to sleep in the palanquin but her efforts were futile as her overly alert mind kept on moulding different scenarios for her.
Dunni's words three days ago had left a print on her mind and she realized she was depending too much on them.
He was right. Kebarah is a very greedy man and he would rather turn monster himself than allow Noelle sit on the throne.
So why was he asking her to make Noelle choose her?
Is this his way of discarding her?
And a monster might not necessarily mean someone hideous in appearance. It can be Someone whose heart was hideous and if so, Kebarah is more of a monster than anybody else.
*********
Dunni sighed in frustration as he discarded the bowl of potion or rather, a failed attempt of a potion his father had taxed him since he had returned from Vedarah.
He had never seen him so frightened.
He stammered as he spoke and he was as pale as ice yet he had refused to explain the reason behind his agitation.
Other people believed it was the shock of seeing Simon dead but he was no fool and he knew his father well. Even if he had died, his father would not be so frightened. Whatever it is he had seen or heard, it must be something that would destroy his life long goal, that is the only reason he was so shaken.
A day later, he had approached him with a request.
A potion made from snake's venom. A rare specie of snake.
The potion was easy to make from his description but the snake used in making such potion was very difficult to come across.
He had tried so many other species of snakes but it had failed.
The potion if made correctly was supposed take away the reflecting power of a mirror but all those he had managed to make only broke the mirror.
He would have long given up if not for the words his father had said that day.
"Our goal depends on this potion. If you are not able to make it, all our efforts, all this I am doing will go in vain."
But how was he supposed to make a potion solely based on his father's description. No book had such potion and his father's description just sounded too absurd that sometimes he found himself doubting the existence of such potion or the snake used in making it.
Apparently, the snake had two heads. One was poisonous and the other was not. Another intriguing thing about it was nothing could pierce through it and nothing could kill it except the venom from the poisonous head. If by some bad luck, it happens that the non poisonous head ingests the venom of the poisonous head, the snake dies or on very rare occasions sleep forever.
The venom has no antidote and it's effect once ingested can not be neutralized by any magical means, be it spells, elixirs or talismans. Which is why a potion from it's venom was a sure way of poison if the person targeted Ingests it.
But why go through the hassle?
There are other potions that can kill a person without even ingesting them, so why was he insisting on this one?
And who is the Poison for?
**********
"Are you there yet?" He wrote down on the journey book he shared with Aveedah. He dipped the feather in the small pool of blood he had gathered from where she slit his wrist before he thought of what to write next.
Nothing came to mind as there was still no reply.
The magic of the book made the writings on one book appear on the other immediately it was written as far as it was written with the blood of the owner.
Aveedah must have not seen the message owing to the delay in reply for she never delayed answering his message.
He sighed and closed the book then thought to continue eating the food he had discarded but a thought crossed his mind.
' A shield.'
He had seen the same thing when he tried to look into his heart.
The shield that stopped him from penetrating further, that pushed him out.
Could that shield mean something or was he assuming things because he wanted to give meaning to his findings?