章 9: Chapter 9
King Agror delivered a raging speech on why they should seek revenge on the wizards. Elvira didn't pay attention to most of it. King Efeus was the only thing on her mind.
After the speech, Agror left with his attendants. It was her chance to speak to her uncle. "I have something to tell you," Elvira said to Eldritch.
"Not here," he responded. "There are too many eyes on us. Agror has summoned some eminent people of our kind." Elvira quickly studied the room. There were many well-dressed and noble people in that room. "Come with me to your mother. We need to tell her about the wizards in Berkton, "Eldritch said and rose from his seat.
They had barely gotten up from their seats when someone from the crowd interrupted them. "Who would've guessed that Eldritch Payne would be joining us all here today," said the woman with a smirk. She was middle-aged, not handsome yet polished, and richly dressed.
Elvira turned to Eldritch. He looked like he was in actual physical pain by looking at that witch. "Why do you even care?" He asked the woman.
The woman chuckled and covered her face with a hand, "My, my! You are usually never there when needed. You're the kind of person who gets there after the war. Just like in the case of Zovell and your own family. Is it a coincidence, or do you do it on purpose?" Her tone was brutal.
Eldritch's face was beaming with anger. "Are you here to mock me or focus on the issue we are currently facing?" he said, "You would have done a lot more in life if you had focused your attention somewhere else other than me."
"Oh, believe me," she said with the same amount of mockery, "I wish I had followed that advice a long time ago."
Elvira was a witness to a confusing exchange of mockery for a greeting. "Who is she?" she asked her uncle in a low voice.
"So, he didn't tell you?" asked the woman, "I am guessing you are either his daughter or his sister's. Have this pleasure to meet his ex-wife."
Elvira gasped. Her uncle had a wife! How interesting!
"Go to Lilith, Elvira. I'll join you in a moment," said her uncle.
Elvira wanted to listen to their spiteful remarks, possibly learning more about their marriage. "Fine," said Elvira.
She found her sister Valaine in the crowd, who took her to meet Lilith in a guest chamber. Ursula Cain, her eldest sister, was also present in that chamber. She was a plain Jane even though all her other sisters were gorgeous. Her only extraordinary feature was her red hair.
"Why were you gone for so long?" Lilith immediately asked upon seeing her.
Elvira had to think more about her answers with her mother than anyone else. Lilith must be more disappointed than worried about her long absence.
"Charlotte, my spirit friend, had asked for my help. There was something strange going on in her forest," Elvira answered.
"I thought I was clear about not meddling in spirits' business. It's not our problem!" said Lilith furrowing her eyebrows.
Elvira told Lilith everything, including the wizard's conversation where she had overheard King Efeus' name. Every word shocked her sisters, whereas Lilith listened to it with an expressionless face.
"Leona will die if she doesn't start obeying," spoke Lilith. "By the way, I am impressed by how you handled things in Berkton. I always knew that you had my brains."
Elvira was over the moon to get words of praise from her mother. Lilith had only complimented her once before.
"If those wizards were helping humans without a price. They must belong to Efeus' kingdom. He is famous for being a generous fool. Also, the blue staff sounds like an interesting weapon of magic as well," Lilith added.
"I will let the king know." Lilith walked towards Elvira. "Splendid job! I have never been prouder of you." Lilith caressed her cheek affectionately and exited the room.
Elvira felt like a champion at war. Lilith wasn't easy to please. The underworld deities were easier to deal with than her mother.
Ursula and Valaine came up to her after their mother was gone.
"I am glad you survived the wizard encounter," said Ursula. Despite being her mother's pet and constantly seeking her approval, her eldest sister was not awful.
"Me too," said Valaine, "I hope you're okay and Leona as well."
"We are," said Elvira, "I don't want to talk about it right now. Let's go outside and meet new people. I made a strange discovery about our uncle. He had a wife, and she seemed very bitter."
Her sisters were equally surprised and expressed their desire to see her immediately. The four sisters spent the next few hours following his ex-wife around because their uncle refused to talk about it for the moment.
It was all fun and games until a servant came to Elvira with a message. "You have been summoned by King Agror," said the servant. It sent chills down Elvira's spine. "Can you come with me? she requested her sisters. The servant blocked their way. "Only your presence is requested. No one else is allowed to join."
Elvira followed the servant to a council room. She crossed the threshold and was surprised to see only the king, her mother, and her uncle present in the room.
"Shut the door behind you," said Lilith to the servant. She was standing behind the king's chair with her hands on his shoulders. Her mother was already acting like his lover. Until the previous day, he didn't mean a thing to her!
Why did the king wish to marry her? Elvira received her answer when she took another look at her mother. She had never seen a woman so beautiful. There was nothing like the beauty of her luscious golden hair, oval-shaped blue eyes, and smooth skin. No man could resist her. Lilith possessed many other qualities. She was clever, resourceful and had some qualities that made her the perfect choice to be his queen consort.
"Do I have to be here while you talk to her?" asked her uncle. He was red with anger.
"Leave," said Lilith, pointing at the door. "We'll call you when you're needed again."
Her uncle stormed towards the door, only stopping to whisper something to Elvira. "You need to come to me after this. We need to have a word alone."
After Eldritch had left, Lilith asked Elvira to come and sit close to the king.
Elvira sat next to the king while avoiding direct eye contact with him.
"Don't be afraid, child. Lilith has told me everything. And I wish to say something to you," said Agror.
Elvira gazed into his icy blue eyes that seemed to look right through her. His words were kind, but he had the look of a predator that made her shiver in his presence, "What do you want to say?" she asked.
He took her hand, and she quickly freed it from his hold.
Agror's eyes went up and down her body. "This curse inside you. The power inside you is deadly. What do you do about it?" He asked.
"I drink a potion. It's provided by Daxaos himself. I drink it once a week to keep it at bay and to stay healthy," Elvira answered with a lowered head.
"Is it?" Agror raised an eyebrow. "Just by touching your hand, I felt the jolt of a dark curse inside you."
The effects of that medicine only lasted for four days that week, but how could he tell just by touching her?
"How do you know? Do you know what it is? And who did it?" she asked.
"No. I don't know who did it. It could be anyone. The only thing I know is that it's burning you inside out, and if we don't do something about it soon, you shall succumb to its deadliness," said Agror.
Elvira gaped in horror, "What can I do then? Can you help me survive?"
Agror tapped his fingers on the table. "Unfortunately, it's not in my power, but I know who can. Only Daxaos or Riion can help you with a curse as strong as that. It's only in your hands to prove yourself worthy of their help."
Elvira shook her head. "I have been doing a lot for years. I don't know what else to do. Why is that not enough?"
"I have something in mind," he answered with enthusiasm. "A task made for you. I assure you it would be enough to break the curse. You might even receive more."
"You heard my speech. We have leads on three enemies, but King Efeus has been eluding us for years. Now, I think you might be able to help with that," added Agror.
Elvira creased her forehead. "What can I do? We have been worshipping the underworld gods for years. Why won't they help us against the wizards?"
"The underworld gods are on no one's side. They have the burden of an entire underworld on their shoulders. They entertain themselves with chaos on earth, and so far, the wizards have given them more wars than us. If they had chosen to worship him directly, I'm not sure what the underworld gods might have given them, but it's against their dignity to do so."
"We worship the underworld deities for our benefit, and it doesn't come without a price. This war is ours, and everyone else is merely an audience," said Agror.
"What can I do?" Elvira asked.
Agror smiled with pleasure. "Let's spy on the wizards and find out what they know about Ifeus. Perhaps they are the citizens of his kingdom. You have the gift of concealed magic. You can easily keep meeting them as a regular human girl and get as much out of them as possible."
Elvira couldn't believe they asked her to do something so dangerous. She had barely made out of Berkton alive, and now they wanted her to be a spy! She looked at her mother for help. Lilith pointed towards Agror and urged her to agree with her eyes. Even though she was enraged, Elvira had no choice but to answer the king, who seemed not the kind of man who would accept a no.
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