Сonspiracy

Raphael left, leaving me in even more shock.

So he knew everything! He was there, in the library! That's why the door wasn't locked.

I slapped my forehead with the palm of my hand. What a dumbass. And it was necessary to get caught not by anyone, but by the king himself. A wonderful employee, you can't say anything, not only did I used the library without asking, she also slept at the workplace. A heavy sigh escaped my lips.

And what kind of statement is this about my tortured face, does he really care if I get enough sleep or not? I allowed myself to mentally grumble at him and the whole situation, and then I went to look for Oliver, I need to warn about my leaving. I didn't have to go far, the groom was at the back of the barn, where a large training area stretched and walked a small horse, by the size it can be assumed that its rider was a woman.

I walked up to the fence and waved when Mr. Salamander noticed me. He took the reins off the horse and let her enjoy a free walk in a leisurely gait, and then came up to me, spreading a friendly smile.

- Oliver, I'm sorry to bother you. I've finished feeding the animals and I need to leave now, so I wanted to warn you. – I didn't go into unnecessary details.

- Well, I'm grateful for the help. Come at any free time, Thea. I'll be glad to see you again, and the horses, of course, too. – the groom had an excellent ability to defuse the situation and cheer up.

- See you then. - I bowed slightly.

***

/ Somewhere outside the kingdom of Abion. /

The dense impenetrable forest hummed noisily, swayed by a strong wind, the trees bent almost to the ground under the onslaught of the elements. There are no animals or birds around. It could be almost silent, but far from the borders of the forest, in its very heart, the silence was broken by numerous human voices – arguments, shouts and swearing.

There was a large clearing, devoid of any vegetation except grass, and in the middle there was a huge, by all standards, bonfire, and people. A lot of people.

- How dare you come here, traitor? - A hissing, snake-like voice rang out.

- I have never betrayed you, my lady! I've always been loyal to the coven, even though I haven't actually been part of it for a long time. - the old woman's voice was quiet, uncomplaining.

- For a long time? More than forty years have passed. You've joined our sworn enemy! – an angry voice rang out, almost turning into a scream.

Lowering her eyes and clasping her hands in front of her, Tethys was visibly nervous. Everything the high witch said was no secret to anyone.

In her youth, she was one of the strongest witches, but foolishly fell in love. The witches were angry at her not because of a pernicious love interest or even because her choice fell on a vampire, but because this vampire was the original wizard. The roots of this enmity went far back in history.

As you know, the life span of witches is the same as that of ordinary people, they did not have eternal life or at least longer. like bloodsuckers. When Tethys met Raphael, she was twenty-four years old, he immediately attracted her attention, and she lost her head in this love.

The Council of High Witches was categorically against her infatuation, they could not lose one of their best witches, they could not allow her to switch sides, but Tethys was too audacious and simply left the coven with Raphael. It never occurred to her to wish evil for her fellow humans, but she was firmly rooted to the vampire and did not leave him all her life.

And now she is standing here, old and decrepit, who has not found solace in men's hands in her whole life and rejected by her own people.

The reason why she came here again was because of a deep resentment against Raphael. The trigger was his cruel grip on her neck, his eyes burning with madness and the desire to wring her neck without hesitation. Tethys immediately realized that she had been just a puppet in his hands all her life. And here she is, standing with her head bent down and listens to all the insults and evil messages that are being whispered on her head by other witches.

- I admit that I was passionate, but I never did anything that could jeopardize our community. And now something has happened that can help us all regain our former power and destroy the cursed immortal vampire. - her eyes were burning with fire and a desire for revenge.

The chatter in the forest abruptly stopped, all eyes were directed at her.

- Go on. - The high witch said dryly.

- Nineteen years ago, a valuable artifact was stolen from Abion Castle. An artifact of Artemis. - The crowd of witches murmured excitedly.

– We all know what power he possessed during the life of his owner. King Raphael always kept him away from prying eyes, protecting him with powerful charms. But something went wrong. On that day, the castle was open to everyone, the birthday of the great ruler was celebrated, the nobility came from everywhere, and representatives of other kingdoms and somehow unknown people were able to steal the crown of Artemis. She simply disappeared without a trace, the charms protecting her were easily destroyed, as if they had never existed. After a long trial, suspicion fell on the Rivaldi genus. - she hesitated for a second, and then continued again.

- The King of Riliya visited Abion with his pregnant wife and his accompanying delegation. But in the middle of the celebration, the queen suddenly became ill, and they hurried to retire. And soon they left the castle in a hurry. King Raphael found out about this after the unexpected departure of the guests. The same evening, the crown was reported missing. And all these years he tried unsuccessfully to find the artifact, but failed. - Tethys continued her story.

- How is this story of yours supposed to help get rid of a vampire? The supreme witch asked, curling her lips in annoyance.

- I'm not done yet. – the prophetess reported.

– About a month ago I had a vision. There was a girl in it. I immediately noted for myself some details that indicated that the girl was the Princess of Riliya. The vision showed me her as a powerful witch, her strength was incommensurable, simply defied any logical explanation. Such a flow of energy could easily have torn a person into atoms, but she held him in herself as if he were a small part of her. I couldn't see her face, but that voice kept repeating only one phrase – "Riliya's kindred Light." Just a set of words... I didn't understand what it meant. But then her hazy image appeared before me, holding that very crown in her hands. I told Raphael about it, and he brought the native daughter of the King of Riliya to Abion. – the wind in the forest increased, the witches were indignant.

- You should have told us! - The witch shouted at her.

- How do you intend to destroy a vampire without this artifact?

- We haven't found him yet! - an excuse followed.

- But you brought him a girl who will lead him to the crown!

- Yes, but an unforeseen circumstance has arisen, the girl does not possess any magic at all, there is not a shred of witchcraft in her. She is an absolute person. And that's why I'm here. We need to understand how it relates to the prophecy…

- And is she really the one who was in the prophecy. - the other witch continued, grinning maliciously.

- The king has only one native daughter, although the general mass of people do not know that his other children are adopted. Magic craftsmen have tried to fool people's brains, but they cannot pass against my knowledge.

- I want to see this girl. - The high witch said after all she had heard.

- It will not be easy, or rather impossible. So far. After the Artemis artifact was stolen, an enraged Raphael plunged the castle under a magic dome – no one can enter and exit without his knowledge, so as not to be killed. And for two decades now, few people have received invitations - the castle has been completely mothballed from outsiders.

- But you're in there! So it won't be difficult for you, right? So show your loyalty to the coven, Tethys. – the witch knew where to put pressure to cut off the path of retreat for the prophetess.

- Even if everything is like that and I bring the princess to you, the difficulty lies in the fact that the artifact is constantly changing. And how it looks now, in the wrong hands, no one has any idea. – this news clearly did not please those present in the clearing.

- Then how are you going to find him? - Someone from the crowd shouted irritably.

- Magic is drawn to magic. Raphael should feel the power of the artifact when he is next to him. This is all the information I have at the moment. I took the king's time to sort out the situation, so I won't be able to return right away, it will be too suspicious if I don't give him the answers.

- Okay, you can stay here for a while, but keep in mind that our trust still needs to be earned. - The high witch's tone was stern and unyielding.