Chương 18: Chapter 18
King Agror wanted Elvira dead.
But why?
What motive did he have behind it? Could it be possible that her attackers were lying? Then how come they knew her name and what she looked like? No one outside her village and King Agror's kingdom knew who she was.
Was Agror planning on murdering all of Lilith's kin? The only motive he could have is that he didn't want them as his possible heirs.
Sending Elvira off to spy on the wizards was all part of his dirty ploy! Were her sisters and uncle going to be okay in Onnanor?
The wizards had brought her back to the castle after her unsuccessful assassination. They had decided to call off their quest for the witch's hut for a few days.
Since Elvira requested privacy, she was permitted to sit in the great hall all by herself. She contemplated the burning logs in the fireplace and prayed for her family's safety.
"Elvira," Wivior called, and it startled her. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't hear him coming. "Are you okay?" he asked.
"Uh, I don't know. How would you feel after a near-death experience? I can't believe it. How could he stoop to such a level!" Tears trailed down her cheeks.
"Terrible," Wivior answered, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, "Don't worry, I would never let them hurt you. As long as you are here with me, they can't even touch a single strand of your hair. Everything is going to be fine, I promise."
She met his gaze, and the warmth inside his eyes made it seem like he meant it. It was unbelievable that the only one there to comfort her was her enemy. Her situation didn't make sense at all, and the worst part was that she felt safe with Wivior at that moment. What was she supposed to do now?
"Thank you," said Elvira, wiping tears off her face with a sleeve.
"The reason I came here besides comforting you was to inform you that Everard and I need to leave urgently," he said.
"So, am I going to be alone in this castle?" Elvira asked.
"No, the castle is pretty safe itself, and as long as you stay inside, no one would be able to hurt you, but just in case, I am going to leave someone here with you to keep you company and to make sure you don't spend the entire day crying," Wivior finished with a friendly smile.
Elvira struggled to return a faint smile. There was no point in staying there anymore when it was only a death trap set by Agror. She had to get out of there soon and reach a safe place before informing her uncle of the danger via the diamond.
"Who is going to stay here with me?" she asked.
"Someone who won't leave your side. He is a wizard, of course. I'll send him in so you can get acquainted."
"Farewell for now, Elvira Smith." Wivior waved at her and walked out of the room.
If the new wizard was anything like Everard, she had no energy to deal with him.
In a few moments, a wizard walked into a room. He was quite the opposite of what she expected. Instead of a heavy-looking man with a mean face, he was young, around eighteen to nineteen years old in human years. His hair was slicked back, and he wore the friendliest expression.
"At your service, Jasper Cullen," said the young man while genuflecting.
"Why are you doing that?" asked Elvira.
"They told me you are a princess, and I should treat you accordingly," he replied.
"I am not a princess, only a lord's daughter," Elvira corrected him.
Jasper rose to his feet. "Your status is still higher than mine. Among wizards, I am nothing more than a commoner."
"You look so young. What do you even do around here?" Elvira asked.
"I might be young, but I am capable of a lot if anyone would let me do anything useful around here. I am a fresh recruit and only got here a few days ago. Looking after you is my first real task, except for dusting old books and rearranging the library," he answered.
The boy then continued to talk about himself and ranted for at least half an hour about how people in his kingdom thought of him as a useless menace.
Elvira was not in the right emotional state to talk about her problems, let alone listen to the hardships of a chatterbox. However, the boy reminded her of her younger sister, Leona. She was just as careless and talked endlessly.
Leona would be Agror's easiest target because she was trusting and carefree.
Till evening, Elvira struggled to figure out a way to get rid of the young wizard. She even thought about tying him up using her magic, but would her magic be of any use in a castle from where she can't even fast-travel? Even if she could overpower the boy, there was a witch-killing staff in that castle. What if it came to the boy's aid?
The last one sounded ridiculous even in her head, but she was afraid to take a chance. That red staff was crazy and had already grown to dislike Elvira.
Until the castle bells rang, there was no hope of escaping.
"Oh, no, the bell rang. Why does it have to be today?" he held his forehead, looking worried sick.
"What happened?" Elvira inquired.
"The castle bell rang. Which means some wizards are here with a prisoner. So, now I have to open the door," Jasper replied.
"Is the door too difficult to open?" Elvira raised an eyebrow at him.
"No, you don't get it," began. Jasper was getting edgier. "They are asking for access to the dungeons. I have to go down in that wretched dungeon, identify those wizards, and grant them access through the dungeon door. It is a complicated job."
"If I screwed that up, only God knows what they would do to me then."
"I know what you should do. You should go down there and believe in your ability to do things right," said Elvira.
"Can you come with me?" Jasper requested with puppy dog eyes.
"Uh, you know I can't because Wivior can get into trouble if they saw me. I suppose you're not allowed to have humans in the castle," Elvira reminded him.
"Oh no!" Jasper hit his head against the wall. "I almost forgot that you are a human. They must not see you, but now I have to do it. My city crowned me for causing trouble."
"Maybe we can just pretend that we didn't hear the bell ring," he suggested.
"You know you can't do that. Those bells are loud. One would be able to hear them while sleeping. You don't want to get into trouble for running away from your duty," said Elvira, and he began to jump in panic.
Elvira grabbed his arms. "You can do it, Jasper. I know you can. Just go down there and do what you are supposed to do. I'll go and hide somewhere in the castle. Just take a few deep breaths first."
Jasper took a long breath. "Yes, I can do it," he said. "And the king will personally award me for my services."
Elvira looked at him in perplexity. She didn't want to burst his bubble when he had just found confidence in himself. Who cares if he thinks the king would award him for something so small?
"Let's meet soon after I do my duty in the dungeons," he said, adjusting and rolling his sleeves.
"Sure," Elvira began. "Remember that you will soon be the most loved person in your kingdom. Now make haste and make everyone proud."
"I'll go," he said with a broad grin. "Let's pray that there are no scary witches in the dungeon."
Elvira watched him leave while she thought about what he had said about the dungeons. She wondered if anyone she knew was still behind bars. However, she was barely in a position to escape out of there herself, let alone take a prisoner with her.
After Jasper was gone, she sat there staring at the door in case he returned out of cowardice. Impatience was getting to her because that might be her only chance to escape.
Elvira got up from her seat and exited the room. The rage that possessed her overpowered her fears and anxieties as she walked freely through the castle corridors. She was determined to leave because she wasn't going to sit and cry in her enemies' den while her family got murdered by Agror.
She wasn't careful with where she was going, and luckily, she was on the ground floor, so it took her less time to get to the castle courtyard undetected. She scanned her environment and saw no one there as well. Wivior wasn't lying when he said Jasper and her would be the only ones in the castle.
Her sense of strangeness arose when she was able to raise the portcullis, which is a heavy grilled metal door, using magic. She pushed that feeling aside because it was not like they were expecting her to run away.
From the solid ground of the castle to the uneven soil paths of the forest, the land beneath her feet changed the moment she stepped through that gate.
Elvira turned around to find that the castle was no longer there. She tried waving her hands in the air to feel the gate she had just walked out of, but she felt nothing but the wind in her hands.
For a moment, she felt impressed by the magic they had used to protect the castle because it was way better than the one they had for their village. However, it was not the time to think about it. She had to get out of there fast! Using magic was the fastest way to do so.
King Agror's kingdom was unreachable via magic, and there was no way she was risking her life by landing on the grounds close to it when he was already planning on murdering her. So, she held the picture of her village in mind as she was sure there would still be some people there who could help her reach her uncle. Upon thinking of her village, Elvira snapped her fingers, but she was in the same spot as before.
"Oh no," Elvira cried out.
She started snapping her fingers repeatedly, but it was of no avail. Feeling hopeless, she sat on the ground. Why was it not working? The forest must be enchanted.
Luckily, as a witch, she could summon her horse via magic. Every witch could enchant one or two animals for emergencies. She snapped her fingers, and the horse she had left behind in Berkton was now standing before her.
Elvira made haste to get on it, but just when she was about to mount it, something pulled her down and threw her on the ground, causing her to land on her stomach. She was so shocked that it took her a moment to process what had happened. After rolling onto her back, Everard appeared before her, and his eyes were red with rage.
"Where do you think you're going?" he asked, pointing a finger toward her.
"I thought you wanted me to leave," answered Elvira. She didn't see him anywhere when she came into that forest. He came so suddenly that she hoped he didn't see her perform magic.
"That was before you made a horse appear out of nowhere," he said.
Elvira couldn't cover up or justify that.
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