Grand Dinner

I

A line of men walking in the empty hall, and at the end is an enormous door guarded by two soldiers. The hall is dimly lit by candles hanging from the high walls of the stone castle. The man in the most front saw the light behind the door is bright, he can realize the light shines between the slits of the two doors and below it. He can hear many voices of people singing and talking. The dinner is going perfectly well.

The men stopped right in front of the soldiers who attend the doors. One soldier looked at the men in the front.

"Another one?" inquired the soldier.

"It's a big one. Many high-ranking mages, witches, et cetera are here," the servant in the front explained the situation plainly.

"Why do they need servants when they can summon up their own dinner?" the soldier asked one last question before opening the door.

"I'm no sorcerer, mage, or witch. But I suppose it feels quite natural to have a servant rather than summon it out of magic."

"Whatever you say, old man."

The guard opened the door and behold them with the grand party the sorcerer's guild attends. It fulls of sorcerers talking and gossips with their mannered tone. They dress elegantly, with accessories wrapped in gold and diamonds.

The servants serve their delicious dinner to each table in the beautifully breathtaking room. The state of this magnificent castle is the symbol of sorcerers' power on the northern continent, maybe even the entire world.

After serving the meal, the servants left the room before the host of the dinner, tapping their glass chalice to gather everyone's attention. The people immediately stopped talking and turned their attention to host.

The woman stood up from her seat, overlooking all the attendees that were beneath her.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is currently our most incredible nights we had since years. A good time where we could be together as one to reach our arm's grips not only in the north, but beyond it," she paused with a smile. "Lately, our number increases more than ever. The north emerged stronger than ever before, and the south has been dwindling in their numbers from their civil war between the west and east. The day shall come for us to... free the south from their own tyrants they called King and Queen. The sorcerers will be great as she once was," she spoke as she walks down the stairs. "All we have to do is go along with our plans. No infighting among ourselves, because that is what the south wants. For us to be divided like the dark centuries ago. The moment-"

"Sorry, Lady Kimbra. But the south isn't going weak eventually," a man rose from his seat.

"Master Vong, how nice for you to be here," she was astonished. "I don't know if i invited you or lord Johan here."

"His majesty sent me here, representing the Kingdom of Hattan. His majesty cannot attend this momentarily because of the tragedy in the town of Bolsa. A tragedy regarding a rogue sorcerer that you may know."

The guests, who stared at the middle age man, slowly turned their heads to Kimbra.

The host seemed a little stressed when the man spoke of the situation. She can feel the aura of tense feeling inside the room.

"Master Vong, the matter of this 'rogue' sorcerer shall be erased as soon as possible. We will find this sorcerer and put the matter to an end. Swiftly..." she stays cool headed. "We cannot tolerate treachery, especially those who claimed to be one of ours."

"Thank you, Lady Kimbra. Your answer will please the king and his entire realm and dominion."

The woman smiles, and the men left his seat, leaving the meal untouched. Amusing the sorceress.

"And where are you going now?" her voice echoes in the room.

Before the man reached the door, he turned around, looking at the sorceress and the entire room. The sorceress raised her shoulder. Vong gave a stare that caught the woman's attention. A warning. He left the room by himself. The discussion between the two of them gave an awkward sensation.

Kimbra lifts the sense of buzzkill and let the people to continue the party while she excuses herself to leave the room. The music plays and the event continues. Kimbra dragged her light blue gown on the floor, trying to chase the old man went. Her shoes clapping when she lifts her gown and running to the front door.

Vong was outside the castle, he is about to enter his cart when the sorceress called his name. He stopped climbing the cart with one of his foot already inside the vehicle. She walks down the steps and there Vong was waiting for her.

"What is it now?" he asked.

"What was that? You insulted me in front of hundreds."

"Oh, did I? I'm sorry. I'm not the one who burned down hundreds of houses, killing innocent civilians, and giving a terrible impression of the King himself!" the man pointed his finger at the sorcerer.

"Oh? It's my fault? Is that what you saying?"

"Look, what are you doing now? You celebrating nothing in this diner. Oh, what? You celebrating people's death, is that it?" the old man stroll back and forth. "Get your house in order, Kimbra. You simply cannot do anything before you can even clean your own house!"

It set aback her. The man's scold made her furious.

"How dare you? I'm clearly capable of taking care of things on my own. The sheer amount of stupidity of you saying that I'm incapable of doing things? Those people inside chose me because-"

"Shut up, shut it!" Vong answered while trying to keep his anger controlled.

Kimbra stopped talking. Her eyes are glaring while Vong put his hand on his waist, clearly exhausted.

"What, what are we doing right now, Kim? Are we fighting each other right now?" Vong's words made her sighs. "What happened? Why are we becoming like this?" Vong walks closer to the sorceress. "I've helped you climb the ranks within the kingdom. I helped you gain the renown, the respect. Yet... you don't give such things like that to the emperor, or me."

Kimbra rolls her eyes.

"I've cared for you, looked out for you," the conversation become closer. "The day that you wanted to be a sorcerer, I was shocked. I couldn't even imagine that you, the one I've loved, turning herself to the sorcerers. I-" the man laugh in disbelief and heartbreak. He rests himself on the side of the wall while the sorceress sat on the stairs with her palms in cheeks. "We could have it all. The house you dreamt of, the peace, the live. Yet... you choose that," Vong looked at the castle he stood before. "While I'm here growing old, you and your magic keeping you together," Vong softly stroke the sorceress' cheeks. Her youthful skin turns old when Vong's hands touched. She stared at the man who's once her lover. "You have it all. Even though I don't want you to, I helped you. And now I'm keep questioning myself. Do I still have my Kimbra, or I'm talking to just some sorcerer?"

The woman put her hands on Vong's softly. Not long, she forcefully push his hand away from her face.

"You're now talking to the high sorceress of Hattan. You should've known who you are talking to."

Vong was understanding, he took a step back.

"I was a fool to let her go with the sorcerers."

"I'm now much wiser and stronger now, Vong. I hope you can understand that my choice is now permanent, and better than anything else that I had once."

"Understandable, High Sorceress. Then forgive me, I need to be going."

Vong entered his cart and left the castle in the dark night.

II

Kimbra walked back to the event. Two of her soldiers were standing there, watching her approach from afar. As she got closer, she saw the soldiers stood weirdly. She saw their eyes weren't open; they were asleep. This has already been the worst day for her, and now the soldiers were sleeping. She stood in front of them and waiting for them to wake up. The soldiers still weren't aware that she was waiting for them.

The high sorceress slap one of the soldier's face as hard as she could, the impact can be heard loudly. These soldiers were still asleep. The sorceress shook their body and ordered them to wake up. She then realised that they weren't asleep, but sedated. She released one soldier from her grip, the mans suddenly drop to the floor.

At that moment, it alerted her to an intruder. She rushed to the door, trying to open it. The door was closed shut. There's no way in except by force. She used her magic to knock the door down, revealing the room inside.

She saw remains of a massacre. Bodies of dead sorcerers in their tables full of blood. She gasped as she walks inside the room. The windows were broken, the place where the attacker stormed in. She was horrified. Who could've killed hundreds of sorcerers in a short amount of time?

Then she looked at her 'throne', someone sitting on it. Kimbra was full of hatred.

"An easy kill. Who could've thought that a small grain of Wolfsbane could kill people? Starting with a sense of burning, pain in the limbs, and suffocation."

Kimbra stood with a grimace on her face whilst watching the person slowly standing up. From where she stood, she could see the man was stupidly tall than she ever thought.

"That's right, only sorcerers know that," the man walks down the stairs with his eyes still chained to her. "How does it feel when those you knew die right in front of you? Could you save them?"

"Who are you?"

"No, you can't save them," the man ignored her question. "In fact, you will stand down... won't you?"

"You bastard, do you know the power that I hold in the Kingdom of Hattan?"

"I do not care for the Kingdom. I only come here," he raised his curved sword at her. "For you."

"You scum!" Kimbra roars.

She let out a strong wind that knocks the man far away, slamming him to the wall. The high sorceress pinned him to the wall with the strong wind. The man can barely move his body, then a sudden tremor from the ground.

A large tree root attacked the sorceress violently. It wanted to subdue the sorceress, but she doesn't want any of it. Kimbra summoned sentient swords that are bound to her. The swords cut the root that is attacking her, but it still coming after the sorceress. She stepped back each time the root attacked, making her trapped in a corner.

The woman looked at a candle standing near her. She grabbed it and threw it at the root. The creature shrieked even though it has no mouth. Kimbra covers her ear while the creature retreated underground.

Before she could act, a fist was about to hit her. She dodged it and the man's palm punched a hole through the wall. He can't take his hand out, Kimbra let out a devastating lighting right at his gut. She sent him flying, crashing through the dozens of tables. The sorceress ran out and called her guards.

"Guards? Guards!?" she screamed, but nobody answered.

She ran through while feeling her chest is about to explode from the tense fight. She is being hunted, for sure. But, she doesn't know who wanted her dead. The two things that is in her mind are only escaping and finding out who is that man.

While running, she saw a wire being pulled at the last second to make her to fall down right about before she left the castle to the yard. Her ankles were in pain, she cried to keep the pain away. Kimbra left her heels before standing up. She felt the world is spinning, everything is angry at her as if it was a fever dream.

Then, at the end of the hall, she can see a glowing red eye from the darkness of the shadow. It's looking at her.

"What is it you fear? The end of your uneventful existence?" a ghastly voice whispered to her from the end of the hallway.

The woman screamed when the glowing red eye dashed towards her. But, something that she didn't see knocked her out.

In the courtyard, a single man saw it attacked the sorceress. He silently sneak away from the yard to the stable. He used one of the horse then blitz out of the castle.

III

Vong was in his cart, alone. The ride was silent, he can only hear owls flying in and out from their nest. The ride will last for hours, and it's already over four hours he spent in this not-so comfortable cart.

Then he heard a galloping horse coming from behind them. Vong stuck his head out and saw a man screaming for help. Vong told the coachman to stop and looked at the man on his horse who approached the cart.

"Sir! Sir! Please! I need your help!" he spoke convolutedly, his eyes shows terror.

"Calm down, I don't understand what are you talking about when you talking like that. From where do you bring this news asking for help?"

"Sorcerer Guild's Castle, my lord."

"Sorcerer guil- what's happening over there?" Vong exited his cart looking worried.

"I-I don't know! I saw things, creatures, monsters, they killed one another. I've injured one too! They took the high sorceress."

"Who took her?"

"I don't even know. You must tell everyone!" the man grabbed Vong by his wrist.

The coachman who saw that instantly jumped down and threw the man off his horse. Vong break up the fight, knowing the man was stressed after his encounter in the Castle.

"Coachman, go back to the King and informed that the sorceress' castle has been attacked. And you, come with me."

"I'm not- I'm not going back there," his body shivering. "There are creatures you won't even understand. They must be..." the man cannot complete his own sentence.

"Fine! Then I'll go there by myself."

"Master Vong. By the King's decree, a member of the council cannot go unguarded to place of harms."

"I need to find out more before anything worse can happen."

Vong climbed the saddle and took off alone back to the castle, alone.