Chapter 1:

Chapter 1:

"See this!!"

"What's that my friend?" I asked, as he excitedly showed me his map with markings here and there. The map was old and was not printed ones, it was drawn by using hands.

"Have heard the story of queen of the witches?"

"No, sorry I'm not familiar with it."

"Oo-Oo!! I heard it, isn't that about the mistress of count Dorthey!"

"Exactly!!"

"Can you tell me about it, Leon?"

"Stories has it that, Count Dorthey of Lebernun, had vast riches in 1960. He was an honest and hardworking man but had one flaw. A flaw that had sunken many whom had a great future."

"What flaw, Greed?"

"No, my friend, greed may to be the fault that had destroyed many great men but it's the lust that been a downfall for many, not even gods can escape from the clutches of Women."

"True! A women can make a man great but it's the women, who are source of all our troubles." Said, Ashu while nodding.

"Okay but do go on, we are not here to discuss weather women are the source of problem or not."

"Oh right! So, The count had overwhelming libido, how should I put this… his thingy had power repopulate the earth if needs to be. One day, he come across a young maiden on his travels. She was the beauty to say the least.

One look at her and count of Lebernun was love struck, but there was a one problem, Count had a wife and was already married man. His wife was shrewd and cunning with an ugly personality."

"How so?" I asked, as the story was getting interesting.

" She was so spiteful that, she had murdered all female staff in her residence, due to the jealousy she felt when count flirt with other beautiful women.

About 30 beautiful ladies left the earth because of her… I swear if I was in her time, I would have killed her with own bare hands…"

"Easy there Leon!"

"Yeah!"

"Sorry… so where was I, yeah… As I said, the count was in deeply love and never wanted his wife to even hear about his affairs with that young maiden."

"Why can't the Count just divorced his wife?"

"You see the wife of the count was sixth sister of the King of Artia Empire."

"Okay, what happened next?"

"Unfortunately, countess, got the winds about the affair. And boy she was mad, like really mad. She had her men kill that young maiden."

"She tried every thing but she was failed to detach her husband from that lady. But what anger her more was that the young maiden of humble origins had more beauty and elegance then that herself."

"So, she concocted a plan to take away the face that she hated the most."

As the stories progresses, I wished for some snacks to eat. I must say Leon way of storytelling is just amazing.

"She ordered her men to kidnap the young lady. Count to got the winds about it, but she still was successful on kidnapping her, before Count could prevent the misfortune that had befall upon the young lady. Countess destroyed the young maidens face."

"She tortured her, burn her face, pluck her hairs and teeth's. Before count could arrive, the young lady died due the pain. Countess gave the body to the butcher, and ordered him to cut the body in too little pieces. Which in the end she fed to the dogs that she had own."

"Count found out about the horror that his wife had committed. He was shattered both mentally and physically. He truly loved that woman, so much so that he killed his wife, same way as his young maiden died. After that he killed himself."

"Oh! What a tragic story…"

"The story is not the main part." Ashu said.

"Here the interesting thing, Count had a child that nobody knew about it from that young maiden. He wasn't aware of it, some sources say's that that young lady had given to her servants in hope of saving that child, when she found out about the countess."

"Not only that, before count died, he amassed all his earnings and all of his treasure in one place as an offering to a queen of the witch in exchange of life of his lover."

"But, bringing death back to life was not even possible for the witch queen. So she created the mausoleum out of all treasure for the count to rest with his beloved. That my friend is where the story ends."

I started clapped…and then Ashu said something more amazing.

"So, here's the thing I discovered that mausoleum in the valley of Lutia!! And on my way to explore that place!!"

"By the way, before that Ashu, we came here on business." said Leon, sitting down on a high three-legged stool, and pushing another one in my direction with his foot. "My friend here wants to take diggings, and as you were complaining that you could get no one to go halves with you, I thought that I had better bring you together."

Ashu seemed delighted at the idea of sharing his rooms with me. "I have my eye on a suite in Lorn district," he said, "which would suit us down to the ground. You don't mind the food that I cook, I hope?"

"I love to, I too always eat the home cooked food. I learn cooking in my free time." I answered.

he cried, with a merry laugh. "I think we may consider the thing as settled—that is, if the rooms are agreeable to you."

"When shall we see then?" "Call for me here at noon tomorrow, and we'll go together and settle everything," he answered. "All right—noon exactly," said I, shaking his hand. We left him working with his work, and we walked together towards my hotel. "By the way," I asked suddenly, stopping, and turning upon Leon, "how did he known that I had come from Abu-sultan?"

My companion smiled an enigmatical smile. "That's just one of his little peculiarities," he said. "A good many people have wanted to know how he knows things out." "Oh! a mystery, is it?" I cried, rubbing my hands. "This is very piquant. I am much obliged to you for bringing us together. 'The proper study of mankind is man,' you know."

"You must study him, then," Leon said, as he bade me good-bye. "But you'll find him a little too hard to deal with, though. I'll wager he learns more about you than you about him. Good-bye."

"Good-bye," I answered, and strolled on to my hotel, considerably interested in my new acquaintance.

To be continued…