no one will remember the events of this Peak, and we will now adopt your customs. Thank you for listening, Sire.”
The king forced a slight smile. “It appears I was being hasty. We have much to talk about over breakfast.”
Sam and the king turned to walk through the doors.
After they were gone, Shalee moved across the room and released her magic.
As the guards reanimated, they were confused by the absence of Sam and the king. They exchanged glances between their empty hands and the pile of swords in front of the king’s throne.
Shalee giggled as Helga winked. The younger sorceress lifted her arm and pretended to give her friend a high-five before turning to leave the room.
Helga looked at BJ and grinned with a hint of mischief. “I may not be able to teach her how to command her power any longer, but I can still teach her how to be a vixen with it. I guess all went as planned.”
BJ’s brow furrowed as a hundred questions filled his eyes. “What are you talking about? What’s a vixen? Did Shalee teach you that word?”
Helga licked her lips. “She did. Just wait until I teach you the phrase, ‘Who’s your daddy?’”
Taking him by the hand, Helga led BJ and the confused prince out of the throne room to find the king.
SAM, Shalee, BJ, Helga, and the prince spent the rest of the day with Keldwin. All parties enjoyed getting to know one another. They shared information that needed to be exchanged. And now, with Late Bailem approaching, the king is about to give an address, announcing the details of his upcoming tournament.
DOUBLE D is still traveling to the city of Brandor. He is now only 3 Peaks of Bailem from the city gates.
GEORGE, Maldwin, and Amar are due to arrive in Lethwitch tomorrow and have decided to stop for a night’s rest. They will sleep at an inn located inside the gates of the city of Champions, not far from the landing platform.
KEPLER is on his way to Gessler Village. His trip has been uneventful. When he reached the northern part of the Dark Forest, he asked Hestin, an asordian sparrow, to deliver a message to his brothers. He wants the cats to be at Gessler landing platform when he arrives.
THE GENERAL ABSOLUTE, Justin Graywind, is with the army’s high-ranking officers. He is being briefed on the field reports so that he can create new orders. As expected, the wagons are being built in an orderly fashion. Each populated area will have more than 70 new harvest wagons within the next 17 Peaks. The carpenters and engineers are working with the king’s army through the nights.
The general knows they only have another 20 Peaks of Bailem before the harvest. He orders his officers to disperse throughout Southern Grayham to ensure that all men, no matter what their occupation, are helping in the process. He also follows up on the progress of the construction of harvest barns, and he has given his officers enough coin to hire 400 men to build these barns. After a few more orders are given, he closes the meeting and makes haste to join the king at his dining table.
CELESTRIA is still living with the elven witch family. She has now taken up walking to avoid them as much as possible.
LASIDIOUS has been on the world of Luvelles. Five nights ago, he felt Shalee’s power from afar. He excused himself from another long conversation with the Source and went to see what was happening.
Lasidious had put a warning spell on Shalee the day he brought her to the Temple of the Gods. He had also secretly listened in on a conversation between Bassorine and the Book of Immortality inside the Hall of Judgment. The late God of War told the Book that Shalee was unique, and that she would eventually grow to command great power. This news prompted Lasidious to put the warning on Shalee.
Lasidious would never have dreamed that Shalee could become so powerful so quickly. Something more had to be behind her accelerated growth. Whatever the reason, he needed to find out why, or George would run into opposition that would affect their plans.
Lasidious was the one watching from the shadows near the town of Empire the night Shalee launched the tree into the air. The power it took to do this was substantial. The Mischievous One was now glad that he introduced George to Amar sooner than he had originally planned. He knew their