“It’s about time you came back,” Lux said, twitching his whiskers impatiently.
Lydia couldn’t believe what she’d heard! The cat sure did look like Lux, if he’d somehow fallen into a batch of flour.
But that voice was unmistakable.
“Luxus?”
“In the flesh,” he purred. “Well, sort of…”
Lydia shrieked and held out her hands. Without hesitation, Lux jumped up, ready to be caught.
His body passed right through her arms and fell back down to the ground.
“That doesn’t seem right,” he said.
“I can’t believe it,” Lydia said, astonished. “You’re just a ghost!”
Lux hissed.
“Then…what are you?”
She hadn’t seen many ghosts besides the ones from her nightmares, but she didn’t know what else to call him.
“I’m your best friend,” he replied. “That’s exactly what I am. Nothing more, nothing less.”
“Decimus,” replied Luxus. “Apparently, you’ve got no powers. I’m some kind of consolation prize.”
“Or maybe you’re here to keep me safe!”
“Sure,” the cat meowed. “Those werewolves and Wizard Hunters better watch out!”
Lydia giggled as she bent down and stroked Lux’s back. This time she could feel his fur, but only slightly.
“It’ll take some time,” he said. “But I think sooner than later I’ll be good as new. Mostly…”
“Poor Luxie,” she said.
“Don’t feel sorry for me,” he said. “Remember, I’ve got nine lives…er…um…eight lives now.”
Lydia walked back to the carriage and caught sight of the driver’s horrified face. He pointed a harsh finger in the direction of the ghostly cat following behind her.
“That can’t come with us,” he said.
“Why not?” Lydia said. “That’s my cat.”
The carriage driver swallowed hard and nodded. He quickly climbed up into his seat without opening the door for Lydia.
“What’s his problem?” asked Lux.
“Must be allergic to cats,” Lydia teased.
Lydia watched as Luxus jumped into the back seat of the carriage. His little paws sank through the floorboards, causing him to become stuck all the way up to his stomach.
“At least you didn’t fall through the floor,” Lydia said.
Gabriel stood on a makeshift stage and watched as people filtered into the city center. The beautiful fountain that had been in the middle was now filled with debris and wreckage from his onslaught.
He’d called a citywide meeting to talk with the people of his kingdom. It was time to try and atone for his actions, no matter how hard it might be to admit his failures.
There was negative energy in the air that Gabriel wanted to try and erase. At the very least, they could get out their frustrations so everyone could move forward.
Lis and Aero had accompanied him to the meeting. He was glad to have their guidance and support.
He looked off to the side at Aero and was surprised to see him staring longingly at Lis. Gabriel grinned at the thought of them growing so close over the past few months.
His departure from the kingdom seemed to either bring people closer together or push them farther apart.
Gabriel’s attention was pulled back toward the plaza as more and more people poured in.
He couldn’t help but notice that the majority of the civilians were glaring at him.
After his initial run-in with the townsfolk, Gabriel knew he would be speaking to a potentially hostile crowd.
With the city center finally full and murmurs already rumbling from the people, Gabriel raised his hands to quiet them down.
“Thank you for coming today, fellow Imarnians,” Gabriel shouted. “I want you to know that I hope to begin the rebuilding process soon and help out the city in any way possible.”
“You’re a murderer!”
Gabriel took in a deep breath and tried to steady his nerves.
For over three hundred years, he’d done nothing but give his blood, sweat, and tears to these people.
“The person that did commit those horrors was under the mind control of an evil sorceress,” Gabriel replied. “But she is defeated. Evine is dead.”
“Who cares about Evine!” someone shouted. “You’re the only one I saw destroying this city!”
The crowd erupted with boos and hisses. It was as if Gabriel had taken a wrong turn and ended up in a den of vipers.
He looked at the angry faces and began to wonder if this had been the best decision after all. The wounds of his gruesome attacks were still fresh. His people had not forgotten who had perpetrated them.
“Please,” Gabriel pleaded. “I’m here to listen to your concerns. But I want you to trust that I will help.”
“The only one that ever helped us was your sister,” a woman yelled. “She would have never done this to us!”
The crowd was growing restless.
“We want Lis! We want Lis!” A chant was breaking out among a smaller group.
“Lis will be by my side,” Gabriel assured them. “She is my sister and a trusted advisor. Together…”
“She didn’t need your help,” an elderly woman croaked. “When you were gone, she’d already started rebuilding efforts. The only reason this city doesn’t look any worse is that she helped!”
“Now, it’s my turn to help you,” Gabriel replied, trying desperately to do damage control.
“You’re not listening!” a man suddenly shouted in a booming voice.
He was nearly a head taller than anyone around him and had long, flowing, blond hair tied in a tight bun atop his head. His beard and piercing blue eyes made him look rugged and formidable.
“You’re the man who murdered our families and destroyed our crops,” he continued. “Yet, you act as if you want us to forget the horrors you committed.”
Gabriel looked at Aero and nodded. His second-in-command nodded in understanding—they would keep an eye on this man.
“I didn’t do any of those things,” Gabriel replied. “Not willingly.”
“But you willingly came here to try and win us over?” the rugged man asked. “As if we’re children who will love you after a new toy and a little kiss on the cheek.”
The crowd laughed and pointed at Gabriel. His face flushed with embarrassment as he looked down at the people of his kingdom, openly mocking their ruler.
“We are all here to work toward a common goal,” Gabriel replied. “To rebuild this city and this community better than it was before. That will be my present to you, child of Imarnia.”
“What do you know about the children of Imarnia?” the man asked. “My child and wife are dead. And it’s because of you!”
The crowd exploded in anger and began to volley insults at Gabriel. Aero and his guards moved tighter around Gabriel, ready to defend their king.
Gabriel was at a complete loss for words. He’d never in all of his years as ruler had the people turn against him like this.
“Speak to them,” Aero said. “Try and calm them down. You are the leader of Imarnia.”
Aero placed his hand on Gabriel’s shoulder, helping the king steel his nerves.
Gabriel raised his hands to try and quiet the crowd. At first, his gesture only caused them to grow louder. He could see some of the townsfolk in the back of the crowd beginning to disperse.
“I beg of you,” Gabriel shouted. “Listen to what I have to say.”
The tall, blond-haired man in the middle of the crowd suddenly raised his hands, and the crowd went frighteningly quiet.
Gabriel was astonished by the man’s power over the crowd. It was almost unnatural how easily they listened to him.
“What is your name, sir?” Gabriel asked.
The man stared at Gabriel hard with piercing blue eyes. He seemed to be contemplating whether or not to answer at all.
Several people in the crowd agreed.
“What can I do to make it up to you?” Gabriel said. “Tell me what I can do to ease the burden of your troubles.”
“We want you to protect us!” someone shouted. “And to stop attacking your own people as if we were diseased vermin!”
Gabriel nodded in response, but he was unusually speechless. His mind was unable to think of any suggestions or answers, leaving him stammering on the stage.
Wolfgang looked at the crowd around him before returning his gaze to Gabriel.
“What I want, King Gabriel, is for you to raise my family back from the dead,” he said.
Once again, the crowd’s voices rose in an ominous cacophony of angry boos and jeers.
Gabriel had only wanted to start the process of giving back to the community. But in the few minutes that he’d tried speaking with his people, he’d only managed to burrow deeper under their skin.
Gabriel tried a few more times to speak to the people, but it was impossible to be heard. Their shouts had drowned out all other noises, and he could barely hear himself think.
A few members of the crowd began tossing things, some narrowly missing Gabriel’s face.
Aero and the guards surrounded Gabriel and began to move him off the stage and away from the crowd.
As they made their way to the royal carriage, Gabriel could hear the crowd’s growing unrest. The Kingdom of Imarnia had never before been faced with such distrust in a time of peace.
And it was spurred on by a man who called himself Wolfgang Everard. But the way the people responded to his words and rallied around him created a bitter taste in Gabriel’s mouth.
With Evine and Uzier both dead, Gabriel had stupidly thought that the worst perils were behind him.
He was beginning to understand there were just as many dangers brewing close to home.
