Chapter fourteen

     I was in a foul mood after the unsatisfying end to my dream and it only got worse after I read the letter that was stuck under the gate sometime early in the morning. It read- 

               You are hereby summoned by the lord of the city, lord Alazar , druid second class , seventh elder of the Eddington family, to appear at the mansion no later than noon to fulfill your duty as a citizen of the borrows and consequently a loyal vassal of our great lord.  

               Minister of public relations , Tawdry McAllister.

      There were so many things about that letter that pissed me off that I wanted to simply burn the damned thing and ignore the whole thing altogether , but I knew that if I didn't go as instructed I would probably be arrested for treason or something . As I ate my breakfast I tried to remember everything I knew about the lord. Since he started snooping around me and my business I asked around about him. I learned various things about the man.

      The most important thing you should always keep in mind when dealing with lord Alazar is that he was a druid, second class. This might not sound impressive but the druids use a descending system to designate power, meaning the only druids more powerful than him were the druids, first class and most of them are members of the council of 30 that ruled Britain.

       The second most important thing to remember when dealing with the lord is that he is an elder of one of the 30 ruling families, house Eddington , meaning he is well connected enough to get away with anything and there will be people coming for revenge if something happened to him.

       I was thinking about these facts and other trivia I managed to ferret out about lord Alazar as I walked up to the giant gate guarding the mansion. The guard asked what my business was and I simply showed him the letter. I was quickly led to a parlor area and was told to wait for the lord. When he finally came a full hour later he was followed by a servant carrying a cushion with a small crown resting on it.

     "Hello john, I was asking around about your enchantments ,none of them were particularly impressive, but one of them did catch my eye. The enchantment you did for clarity was something new to me, so I have decided that you will enchant this diadem with that enchantment. You will of course be properly compensated."

      He then turned around and walked away ,not waiting to hear my reply. I could understand why he would want that particular enchantment, it would be a great help for any spell caster, reducing the strain of casting. The servant put down the pillow and its load down on the table and also left.

     I was about to quickly enchant the damn thing and get it over with quickly , when I remembered the sinister glint in the Lord's eyes as he was walking away. Granted the guy always looked sinister but some gut feeling was telling me this was different, so instead I did what I should have done in the beginning.

        "Jules, please scan the area for anything abnormal."

        "There are five hidden runes in various places around the room and one on the tiara itself."

        I was seething mad at the gall that the lord had. If he had succeeded in his little espionage I would have become a vow breaker, of course I didn't have any actual vows but the lord didn't know that. In simple terms he just tried to kill me to learn a single rune. I destroyed every rune in the room then inscribed the diadem with 'clarity' and 'fake' . It would make the wearer believe he was under the clarity effect without granting any of the benefits. I was just finishing when the lord reentered the room.

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       "Interesting,  what is this jewels you spoke to? Is it a companion spirit ? Maybe a familiar , no? OK , I guess everybody is entitled to their secrets . Now about the final thing I wanted to talk to you about, the children that are working for you , I want you to fire them."

        "Why?" I was finding it very hard to keep my tone civil.

       "Well I want the land their orphanage is sitting on and the only thing that is keeping them afloat is you so fire them as soon as possible. Well that's it for today you can pick up your money on your way out."

           I stormed out of the place angrier than I have been in a really long time. I went to the shop, told the kids to close up and follow me to the orphanage.

             *  *  *

     P.O.V. change Lidia

        Things have been going well since the mysterious john hired Cara and the twins, that gold coin they brought in the first day was able to shut up most of the money lenders. I was finally able to relax a little and my headache finally disappeared. I was even humming a little as I was sweeping the floor. I suddenly heard a loud knocking at the door. When I opened the door Mr john walked in followed by Cara and the twins.

        "I'm sorry miss Lidia I will have to terminate the employment of these three."

          I was shocked, "Did they do something wrong Mr. John?"

       "Before we talk , is there anywhere we can talk privately?"

        So I took him to the store room out back. When I turned around he started speaking quietly .

       "Did you know that the lord of the city wants the land the orphanage is on?"

        "No ....." 

        "Well he does and so he ordered me to fire the children. Which reminds me catch." He then threw a sack at me.

         "Mr john what is this?"

         " Its a tradition where I come from, its called severance pay."

        " I can't take this ... It must have thirty gold inside ..."

        "Oh, don't worry about that its as much about spiting the lord as helping you, just do me a favor and don't tell anyone you got this from me, and tell the children I'm sorry."

           Then he turned around and walked away, it was like he was one of the heroes I grew up hearing about. I suddenly started imagining what he looked like under his cowl. When I asked the twins they just said he was a pretty boy, what I found more interesting was Cara's reaction, she flushes red and refuses to answer. I imagined the handsome mysterious hero rescuing the helpless maiden from the evil lord and I had to cover my cheeks to cover my cheeks as they blushed.

           From that day forth every time I thought about john for some reason I would blush.