The Ether Witch Volume 2

Giving a single nod, King Eric Reyes barely managed to hold on to his temper.

The news Captain Taylor had just delivered had not been what he'd been hoping for.

The elite knights combing the woods and countryside had not been able to find his sons or Astor Fucks. In the beginning there had been signs the boys had been headed toward Sorlia, but their trail had suddenly gone cold. Fin was on his way back to the castle after having contacted some of the businesses his wife invested in in Sorlia to let them know to watch out for the group of children runaways. He also had alerted both the small staffs that cared for their Sorlia estate and the staff caring for Lord Les Fuks's keep to send word should the boys appear on their doorsteps.

Eric raked a hand through his hair as the captain of Daxaria's military stared at him sympathetically.

"Lord Fin says he still hasn't had any visions to indicate that the princes are afraid," Captain Taylor reminded carefully.

"I know," Eric bit back. He was well aware how brash he sounded. "But if something does go wrong it can go wrong quickly, and with the coven no longer at our disposal and an enemy, you know as well as I do it's only a matter of time."

The military man pressed his mouth in a thin line, making his salt and pepper beard bristle.

Eric cursed and placed a hand in his pocket as he turned away. "There hasn't been any update from Kat or her mother. In fact, even the Zinferan merchant ships haven't come as they were supposed to, and we have no idea why. Has the first witch already taken over Zinfera? Is the Coven of Giong already running things?"

The captain looked in the same direction as the king out the open arches that overlooked the courtyard. Eric stared blindly at the bright sunny day that did nothing to lift the spirits of the castle residents. There was an unease in the air that permeated every nook and crevice without discrimination.

"Ah! Captain Taylor!"

The king glanced back over his shoulder in time to see Hannah, his head of housekeeping, approaching with a tray ladened with two slices of peach pie, a teapot, two cups, a container for sugar, and a dainty pitcher for milk. The entire tea set had blueberries painted on them and while it wasn't normally what would be served to the king, Eric always enjoyed the fun dishes Hannah would discreetly add to the castle's stores.

"Pardon me, Your Majesty," Hannah gave as much of a curtsy as she could manage with the fare in her hands. "I thought you two would be in the council room a little while longer."

Eric glanced at Captain Taylor who visibly tried not to show his thoughts, but he already knew the military man was going to sit and enjoy that slice of pie since he had only just returned from leading the search for the princes north of Xava that morning.

Sighing, Eric put extra effort in gentling his demeanor for Hannah's sake as he turned and gestured toward the council room door. "You two should enjoy all that. I need to go and try contacting Rollom again."

Captain Taylor was just starting to bow in assent, when his eyes abruptly cut to something over Eric's shoulder.

Eric whirled around, silently blaming his lack of sleep for his dulled senses that he didn't notice sooner that someone was approaching.

Then he registered what he was staring at.

There was a young woman with strawberry blond hair, round clear blue eyes, flanked by two towering beings…

Imps.

Eric almost reached for his belt, but he hadn't clipped a sword on that morning.

"Aradia," he called, squaring himself as the woman clad in entirely black approached him.

She arched an eyebrow and quirked her mouth in the shadow of amusement. "I see my new appearance does not fool you, Your Majesty."

Eric heard the creak of leather behind him, and he knew that Captain Taylor was reaching for his sword. The king held out his hand, stopping the movement.

"What are you doing here?" His heart thundered and his mind buzzed. What did this mean? How did the first witch get all the way to the castle without him hearing a word? Was Kat safe?

If she hurt Kat I'll kill that bitch myself even if it costs me my life.

"I'm here to have a conversation, Your Majesty." Aradia smiled coldly, as though sensing his thoughts.

"Where's Kat?" Eric asked, his head slowly tilting over his right shoulder as he ignored the threatening looks the two imps were giving him.

The first witch gestured toward the door of the council room. "We can discuss Her Majesty's safety in—"

Faster than Captain Taylor could react, Eric pulled the knife from the man's belt without a glance back, and leveled its tip at Aradia's eye. "There won't be a discussion unless you tell me directly if my wife is safe."

The two imps drifted forward, but Eric didn't flinch.

Aradia held up her hand, stopping them.

"As I was saying before you interrupted me. Once we discuss the more pressing matter of two covens declaring war on Daxaria and Zinfera and their demands, I'd be more than happy to share with you Her Majesty's whereabouts."

Gruesome thoughts filled Eric's head as he continued staring down the first witch. "There will be no discussion of terms if this is a threat to her safety. This will be a war."

Regardless of the knife leveled at her face, Aradia rolled her eyes. "Forsake the lives of thousands of innocent lives all for your wife. What a king you are."

"You might not know this because it's been a while." Eric's hand wrapped around the front of Aradia's black tunic by her throat, and yanked her closer the knife's distance to her eye drawing even closer..

The two imps hissed like boiling kettles, but again, Aradia raised a hand stopping them.

"My wife is the actual hero. I'm the sick fuck up who will burn this world to the ground if anyone hurts her."

Aradia blinked at his rush of breath, but otherwise seemed unphased. "For how boisterous and devil-may-care your wife is, I would have thought you'd have mellowed a little."

Eric allowed the tip of his dagger to move closer to the first witch's eye. "Where is she?"

"Last I saw her she was perfectly fine," Aradia sighed. "I can't tell you where exactly she is right now as I have no idea. Now, can we get on to more official matters?"

Eric's grip loosened fractionally as he registered the lack of deceit in Aradia's face. Though he knew she was an exceptional liar, he trusted his gut that told him he would have felt something.

"Is the duchess safe?"

Aradia didn't mask her irritation. "I haven't a clue. Now if you do not release me, and agree to this conversation that I came to have in peace I will be forced to make this day a rather bloody one."

Eric wished he could simply throw her into a dungeon and declare the whole mess sorted and done with. However it wasn't just the first witch he had to deal with, it was the imps and the covens.

So with no small amount of hatred over his lack of power in the situation, Eric slowly released her, and gestured to the council room.

Straightening her tunic and leather corset that had gone askew, the first witch stalked into the council room with the imps following behind her.

Eric watched her go, then turned to the captain. "Wait out here."

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Captain Taylor frowned. "Your Majesty I should be there for your protection—"

"You can't protect me against those imps. There is no point in both of us risking both our lives," Eric interrupted, his tone firm.

"There has to be something we can do!" Hannah insisted. The head of housekeeping looked between the king and captain, her brows furrowed and her eyes bright with panic.

Eric set his calmest stare on her. "No, Hannah. There isn't. Fin won't be back for a little while, and we have no witches in the castle. The stone golem loyal to Pina is out at sea. The first witch knows this. It's probably why she's here. If she's being honest about this being a peaceful talk then maybe this won't end with bloodshed."

Hannah glanced at the captain. "I have a bad feeling about this."

Captain Taylor met her eyes before turning back to Eric. "As do I. Be careful, Your Majesty. I'll be just outside here."

Eric nodded, then moved into the council room and closed the door behind himself.

If Aradia found it strange that Eric was having the conversation without anyone else present she didn't show it.

Eric seated himself at the head of the table as he always did for council meetings. His stomach leaden as he stared at the first witch. There was a strange foreboding in the air despite Aradia's insistence that this would be a peaceful talk. He didn't like it one bit.

"Your Majesty, I'll get to the point. Witches are too different from humans. They should have a government of their own to keep them organized."

"They already have that. In the covens," Eric reminded curtly.

Aradia sighed. "They need to have their own leader. One who actually understands what it means to be a witch. Even your own council thinks witches are too different to be named a king."

Eric didn't bother asking how Aradia knew the incredibly private matter of succession for Daxaria. He already had guessed that the coven leader Louise Riddel had been fully immersed in this betrayal.

"That is because we understand that the people have only just started to adjust to the idea of witches being a fixed part of our society. We understand that big change must be done slowly. Finlay Ashowan has made great strides in this matter."

"Speaking of the house witch…" Aradia settled back into her chair while crossing her arms and legs. "There are talks of his son, Tamlin, not inheriting the dukedom."

"Because the dukedom was granted in light of Lord Finlay's contributions as a diplomat. With Lord Tamlin presumably being allowed to take on the role, what reason is there for the title to stay the same? But I don't see how this is relevant to what your original ransom request proposed." Eric's words rang with disdain.

Aradia's foot bobbed in the air. "The point in my bringing it up, is that your kingdom is struggling to offer witches any stability yet they continue to make decisions about the role of witches in society without understanding their true purpose and abilities. That is why, either a temple or an independent state granted to the covens, makes sense. Lobahl operates in a similar manner. Though their entire government and its power is much more evenly distributed."

"Separating witches from humankind would inspire great divide in the people again."

"Some separation is expected. And that is not a bad thing. In recent years, your father and yourself have worked to bring about harmony between witches and the people by both painting them to be more human to the common people and by elevating the witches with significant power to show that their abilities are there to serve the humans." She paused, her expression neither hostile nor eager. "The longer you try to push that narrative, the bigger the collapse will be when the truth comes out."

Eric frowned. "Witches are people. They have the means of controlling the elements, but they feel love and hate, eat, and sleep. They marry humans. Have family with humans."

"How many humans do you know that can't allow themselves to get angry or they'll burn their house down?"

"Two. I don't know if you've ever had the pleasure of meeting Lord Oscar Harris or his wife Lady Mackenzie. And that's just on my council," Eric retorted flatly.

Aradia balked, but recovered after a moment's thought. "Alright. What about a prince who misses his mother and can't stop causing a torrential downpour that nearly destroys the farmers' crops for an entire city."

Anger flared in Eric's chest, but he battled back just enough to silently concede… She had a point there.

"You are thinking of how to minimize the world's awareness of witches, and as a result, you keep trying to put them in boxes that do not fit them. Your son, Antony? He has weather magic, which is phenomenal, and powerful. What if instead of worrying he is going to drown your city, there was a place he could go to, fully supported by others of his kind. He could learn to safely master his powers without fear of hurting someone else."

Whichever way Eric had thought the discussion was going to go, it wasn't this. "Then the organized witches would be convened under one government, but who would hold them accountable if they started attacking humans? Common people would be powerless."

"The fact that they were hunted to near extinction nearly eighty years ago shows that is not the case. Furthermore, that is not a witch's purpose. Again, this is something that you human rulers have not grasped." Aradia uncrossed her limbs and leaned her elbow on the council table. "Witches exist with a holy purpose. They are here to help humans balance with nature. I think you and your father have managed as well as you can for now, but we can make this world even better, Your Majesty. We can make a place for witches like your son to master their craft. A land they can call their own. And if they choose to want to live on Daxarian or Zinferan land, then they can register with your kingdom. You would have full awareness of who is coming and going, as would we."

Eric listened and drummed his fingers on the table. "I see the merits of your argument. However, years ago, you supported a man by the name of Aidan Helmer. Aidan Helmer didn't dream of a utopia for witches. He wanted power, and he even went the extra mile of being a disgusting human being by believing there was a hierarchy to witches based on their power."

Aradia's eyes lowered and a brief weariness took over her features. "I lost a friend because of that temporary allegiance." She lifted her somber gaze to Eric. "Aidan Helmer was a means to an end. I was stuck in Troivack decades ago when women were not treated kindly. Additionally, if I had tried to rise in power or implement the changes I'm proposing, my brother would have quashed them."

Eric openly expressed his doubt over her words.

"I do not believe that there is a hierarchy to witches and their powers. And you are more than welcome to ensure this as this new land is developed," Aradia assured calmly.

"You led a rebellion that slaughtered thousands of people in order to bring ancient beasts from the Forest of the Afterlife for you to command."

"To suppress my brother," the first witch snapped before she closed her eyes and took a steadying breath. "Your Majesty. I have always, and at great detriment to myself, worked to bring about peace between humans and witches. It was my brother who did everything he could to destroy that. I was desperate in Troivack. The devil… he has bested me for far too long. Once I succeed here? Once I've helped set up a safe place for these kingdoms for my kind? I will happily leave."

"If what you're saying is true, why didn't you try to align with us sooner? If you really as well-intentioned as you are—"

"There needed to be enough momentum from the covens. Witches needed to understand what I was trying to do, and I needed enough support. I also needed a strong enough defense to stop my brother from interfering." Aradia suddenly looked the millenia or so years she had lived as she once again slumped back in her seat. "Your Majesty. You've had your own struggles with ruling and battling against the weight of representing your people. You've struggled to protect those you care about—"

"Mostly from you and your brother," Eric reminded.

Aradia shot him an imperial warning look before continuing. "I've been trying to protect all of humanity and witches since I was put here. I've endured things that broke me. But now, at long last, I have organized enough with the covens. I have enough power behind me, and all that is left is to reach an agreement with yourself, the emperor, and to get a hold of my brother. He and I will go home, and this will all be over."

The king remained silent as he turned over her story in his mind.

In a way it lined up with what they knew.

She still had committed heinous crimes. Crimes that if Eric thought too much about would make him slip into a storm of rage that would consume him. However, he also knew that he himself had done heinous things in desperate times. He couldn't imagine the sins he'd wrack up if he had endless lives; and what the first witch was suggesting was an end to the chaos and suffering.

"If we reject this proposal will you go to war with us?"

An enigmatic half smile climbed Aradia's face. "I've already swayed enough people, and I can tell you yourself are seeing my point. So if you reject it, I won't declare war, but you may find that it finds its way to you regardless."

Eric didn't like her overconfidence, but he also knew she wasn't exactly wrong. Even so, he had to confirm. "To reiterate. If we reject this, you yourself will not declare war or bring in the ancient beasts to get involved."

Aradia's expression shuttered. Then she straightened up in her seat and leveled him with her eyes. "I will only declare war and involve the ancient beasts if you choose to protect the devil. So, Your Majesty. Do we have an understanding?"