Over the next six days, the caravan traveled by day and rested during the night. They had to stop at a town once to restock some of their supplies. Each day, the heat of the sun was unbearable. Galvin noticed this and slipped him an aquamarine so he could cool himself off.

  Morwin almost took the invitation, but didn’t for one main reason. He was riding on the horse while his other servants walked, so it seemed unfair for him to further his comfort.

  Morwin Absorbed in some of the aquamarine and used the essences. He focused on Temperature and willed the power into the people riding with him. He lowered their temperature just barely, not enough for them to notice, but enough to not sweat out all their water. He had to do something to ease his mind from the guilt of being the only one to travel in comfort.

  The six days passed by slowly, with nothing of note happening on their trek. The grand cobblestone walls of Rathalin eventually came into view.

  Surrounding Rathalin was eight camps. Eight massive war camps where Lord De’Shai had officers stationed training troops. Those camps were put in place after the battle of Rathalin ten years prior, and they’re there mainly to protect the city should something like that happen again.

  Morwin was unsure if the other cities where the other two Ministers ruled had the war camps. Morwin had wanted to visit those cities eventually, but his father never allowed him to.

  At the beginning of the journey, he’d looked forward to returning back to Rathalin. Despite him being stuck within the walls his entire life, it made him feel safe. He wasn’t so sure of that anymore.

  Mr. Axwel led the horse through the camps. Of course, the soldiers stationed there let them through because they knew Mr. Axwel and Morwin. Up ahead, another caravan, a much larger force, sifted through the war camps to gain access to Rathalin. Who were they?

  Morwin and his servants eventually crossed the camps. The soldiers they passed by gave him nods as he passed through. He recognized some of the soldiers. When he was younger, he sometimes went out and met some of the people protecting him and his family. Although it’s been years since they’ve talked, Morwin still felt a strange attachment to these soldiers. All the soldiers he knew as a kid weren’t around anymore, and he often found himself thinking about them. The ones who gave their lives for that horrible battle.

  They came to the main gate of Rathalin. Two guards stood on either side. The caravan that arrived ahead of them were granted access to the city.

  Mr. Axwel led the horse with Morwin on it up to the guard. When they saw Morwin, they nodded to each other and pulled the lever, letting them into the city.

  Nothing has changed about Rathalin. Morwin didn’t expect anything to. He’d only been gone, what, two weeks? The city still smelled the same, the buildings still reached the same heights, the streets still made of the same cobblestone.

  Jovin City was nothing compared to Rathalin. If Jovin City was a house, then Rathalin would be the town the house resided in. The city was every definition of the word grand. It made sense too, as this was where King Rai’Shal and one of the Ministers lived.

  Morwin jumped off the horse, almost tripping when he landed. Mr. Axwel caught him before his face could meet the road.

  “Thanks,” he muttered before running off. It felt strange, almost surreal to be back in these streets. The city was a spiraling network of houses, shops, and inns. No farms existed inside the walls. Things like cultivation and cattle was what the Minister of Labor oversaw, so of course they wouldn’t see any here.

  Lord Var, the Minister of Commerce, was responsible for trade routes throughout the country, so it was thanks to him that Lord Demarian’s hard work (well, the hard work of his slaves) managed to make it all the way to Rathalin, for people like Morwin to enjoy.

  He took a casual stroll, feeling the brick of a nearby building. He could feel one or two servants following behind. Of course, not even in Rathalin, would they let him go off on his own. Especially not after what happened in Jovin City.

  Morwin had pleaded with Mr. Axwel to not tell his father about any of it. Mr. Axwel insisted the Lord De’Shai knew of everything that happened since they embarked on their journey originally, but Morwin had convinced him otherwise. It wasn’t every day he’d been successful in convincing his head servant of anything. Finding out about his abilities and the magic residing within sapphires helped him a tiny bit.

  “Morwin,” one of the servants said from behind. “There’s a gathering in the main square. We might want to see what’s going on.”

  A gathering in the main square? Like the one back in Jovin City? What was going on? Morwin obliged his servant and followed.

  A crowd had gathered, which explained why the city’d been so loud since they came back. They’d erected a stage for a couple of people to stand on. Seeing who they were made him go wide-eyed. Standing in the middle was Lord De’Shai. He stood tall and regal, hands clasped behind his back, his eyes sharp and his fashion sharper.

  To his left stood Lord Var, a rather large man with a head the shape of an egg. He stood with hands in his pockets. He looked almost bored to be there.

  To Lord De’Shai’s right stood Lord Demarian, in his full knight getup. He didn’t have his helmet on, and he stood with both arms crossed. Behind them, many of Lord Demarian’s soldiers stood, ready for anything.

  So that was the caravan that came back ahead of them. Morwin balled his fists at seeing that man. He looked over to Galvin and saw him absolutely terrified. It reminded him of how Galvin went pale during their meeting with Saelsgar.

  Morwin followed his gaze and saw, standing behind Lord De’Shai, was the unmistakable figure of someone important.

  It didn’t take a genius to figure out the man there is the king of all Agnius. King Rai’Shal. On top of his head, he wore an ornate crown, neatly crafted and designed using real gold. He wore a golden cape which had velvet on the inside as the material and on the outside, had many gems encrusted into it. Rubies, sapphires, emeralds, topazes, you name is. All the gemstones Morwin knew of was encrusted into his cape. In his right hand, he held a golden scepter, which stood tall and at the very tip of it, the biggest ruby Morwin had ever seen sat. No denying the wealth of that man.

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  Where was the queen? In all his years of living in Rathalin, Morwin hasn’t seen the queen make an appearance once. The king wanted to protect his queen at all cost. If the rebels couldn’t defeat him, then they’d surely aim for the next most important figure in all of Agnius, right?

  Morwin, however, focused on the fact that the three Ministers gathered. He’d never seen them all in the same city, much less the same spot. Lord Demarian visited Lord De’Shai’s home on rare occasions, and so did Lord Var, but they were never in the same location.

  Murmurs made its way throughout the crowd. Galvin clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. But behind those eyes, the unmistakable look of terror was there.

  It’s been ten years since the king last made a public appearance. But now he stood, before his people.

  The citizens of Rathalin waited in anticipation an air of anxiety all around, but King Rai’Shal was patient. He waited for the murmur to die down before he began speaking.

  “Citizens!” he started, his voice booming and echoing throughout the square. The unmistakable voice of someone filled to the brim with confidence. He stood tall and proud, his arms spread out. Morwin tried to look the man in the eyes to see what kind of look he had behind them, but the king didn’t even know Morwin was there. Did he even know who Morwin was? Surely his father had talked about him to the king sometimes.

  “I am sure you know me as a fair and just king! And as such, I strive to be an honest king as well. I am here to deliver news that I feel only I should deliver, and declare a new law which will go into effect immediately.”

  Galvin raised an eyebrow. “A new law?” he whispered.

  Despite knowing the king had no intention of harming him, he couldn’t help but feel threatened at the presence of that man. He moved closer to Galvin.

  “I am sure you all lead busy lives and don’t have much time to deal with something such as politics, but recent events have proved that this is something that concerns every last one of us gathered, and more beyond these walls. Earlier this week, I have gotten reports that Justicar, the infamous rebel group that was destroyed ten years ago, has resurfaced again.

  “Now what does this mean? This means there will have to be changes within the country if we are to fight them. I don’t intend to fight them directly and throw away lives, but we will be rebuilding our army to the same degree as it was ten years ago. That means a draft will be in place, where we will select capable men or women to help us drive these scum out of the country!”

  Murmurs went through the crowd. Not everyone would be fond of a draft, that much is obvious. But if the king has declared it, then his word is law.

  “Over the course of the next several weeks, we will be going door to door and the head of the household will present with every family member living in the same roof. Then we will determine how eligible that individual is to serve in the army. This is mandatory, and there will be no fees you can pay to avoid the drafting process. This is also law, so to go against it would be no better than joining up with Justicar yourselves.

  “However, this is not the only law that I will be instating today. I’ve word from Lord Demarian, who was recently in battle with one of the members of Justicar, that they may have evil people of special abilities among their ranks. People who can use gemstones and manipulate the arts which they have no business in manipulating.

  “It is because of this, that I will from this day forward, outlaw gemstones. Of course, you can keep synthetic gemstones as decoration, but anyone found with real gemstones on their bodies will be arrested and questioned immediately.

  “You may be wondering how we will handle igians, which is a currency made up of gemstones? Well we will have a program running for the next several weeks all across Agnius in major cities, where you can turn in all your igian, and receive the new igian, at a one to one ratio. That way, the economy will not be harmed this way. The new igians will be produced here and we’ll ship them out thanks to the efforts of Lord Var.

  “Now, as I said, things will change within Agnius. To prevent another all out war with these people, I must take some necessary precautions, and I hope you will be avid in assisting me with this. I apologize for the changes I’ve had to make, and I sincerely thank you all for continuing to make Agnius a great nation. I am proud of you all!”

  The soldiers stepped up, spears in hand, and protected the four of them as they descended from the stage.

  Morwin didn’t notice Galvin had been shaking this entire time. A draft? Who did it apply to?

  “What’re we going to do?” Morwin whispered to him.

  “We’re not going to do anything. Their army is going to grow, and gems will be outlawed. We can’t Gem in this city,” Galvin replied.

  “Then are you just going to give up the fight?”

  “No,” Galvin said. His hands relaxed. He unclenched his fists and stared straight ahead. “If anything, he’s reminded me of why I fight. I’m not going to give up yet. If anything, I’m going to be more vigilant in my recruiting process, and Justicar is going to come out on top. I’m going to need you by my side, Morwin.”

  He still felt conflicted inside. A large drift had been formed between the nation and Justicar. For some reason, Morwin felt like he would be the center of it, the glue between Justicar and the nation. There had to be something he could do, with the position he’s been given.

  “Don’t worry,” Morwin said. “I’ll fight them from the inside.”