37

"I have news from Librona," Cain said, bowing before his king. King Rowan had been waiting anxiously for his spy's return.

"Tell me, Cain, is the witch there?"

Cain straightened and met his king's gaze.

"Yes," he said. "I saw it with my own eyes. The kingdom seems to be quite friendly with it." He reached into his bag and pulled out the papers he found, handing them to the king. "And I found these."

King Rowan took the papers; his green eyes scanned the writing as he fingered the pages.

"A man and the witch were looking through papers like this," Cain continued. "They seemed to be looking for something. A way to keep it's magic strong, I presume."

King Rowan examined the ink on the pages. They were, indeed, directions for potions and spells. It was worse than he had feared. They were stronger with it on their side. They could not just attack their kingdom. No, he thought. We must capture that thing and destroy it once and for all.

"Anything else?" the young king asked as he continued to scan the notes.

Cain smiled when the king met his gaze. He handed the king a necklace and another piece of parchment. King Rowan examined the necklace in the light that streamed through the nearby window and then turned to the parchment that accompanied it. He smiled as he read the scribbles of the faded ink.

"Cain," he began, pocketing the papers. "Alert the troops. Tell them to prepare themselves for a war. We are going to Librona and we will destroy that witch."

Cain bowed once more and hurried out of the throne room to deliver his king's message. King Rowan left the room, making his way up the stone, spiral staircase to his mother's chamber. He knocked three times before letting himself in. The woman sat in a chair in front of a burning fireplace, a cloak covering most of her body. King Rowan knelt beside her.

"Father will be avenged," he said. "King Sloan is letting that witch live in his kingdom. My messenger saw it. We will destroy her and make Librona pay for turning against us."

The woman in the seat did not move. Her eyes were a dull, dirty green; only the flames flickered in them. There was no life behind those eyes. Her shoulders rose slowly and she sighed.

"You must not let revenge cloud your judgement," she finally said, her voice hoarse.

"I am doing what's best for my kingdom."

"This is not your kingdom."

King Rowan was taken aback. He stood up, looking over the woman. "I am its king."

"I am your mother. The kingdom is mine."

"And what do you think is the best action to take? Your husband is dead because of Librona."

"I never wished this for you, my son," she whispered.

King Rowan took his mother's hand in his. "You don't need to worry about me. I can handle this. You need to rest." He grabbed a blanket from the bed and wrapped it around his mother's shoulders. He kissed her cheek and left her alone in her room.

The woman continued to stare into the wispy flames. The orange glow danced on her face and warmed her body, but her soul was cold. She thought of her son, a young king, and the pain he had to bear over the years. She wished she could take it all away. It only turned him into a cold hearted man. A man whose whole purpose in life was to avenge his fallen father and grandfather; to get revenge on the kingdom he thought had wronged him.

She stood and made her way to the open window as a cool breeze caressed her face. She stared across the kingdom to the distant mountains. Just on the other side was Librona. The kingdom was oblivious to Rowan's plans. Their fate teetered on the edge of defeat. She couldn't bear to see the two kingdoms divided.

She couldn't blame her son. In fact, had the circumstances been different, she would have supported him. She suffered greatly over the years with the loss of her husband, and even more as her son's young, promising life was sucked out of him. It wasn't their war with Scarletta, but once Librona was defeated, they would be next. There was so much that her son did not know, but she couldn't do anything about it. She couldn't say anything. His mind was set on what he had to do, and the truth of the matter would only worsen the situation.

She couldn't let their neighboring kingdom fight to their deaths. She believed the witch that called Librona her home was good. She would never threaten their peaceful world. She only wished she could make Rowan see that. But the war that hung over their kingdom frightened her. She didn't know what to do, yet at the same time, she did. It frightened her. She couldn't let Rowan defeat an innocent kingdom. She had to make him see the error in his ways. She had to bring the life and compassion back to her son if he were to ever be a worthy ruler of the kingdom. The world was just black and white to him. There was no in between. There was only good and evil in his eyes. She had to help him see the color in the world.