By the time the wizards descended down the stairs, everyone was already settling in for the meal. The others had already taken their seats, though they all waited for the king’s arrival. Even the chefs held off on sending out the food.

  Normally, the center of the table was reserved for Rodger. As the host, the privileged spot was kept for the lord, even if some of his guests technically outranked him. Even back when he invited his own direct liege, the late Duke Tymon, the chair still belonged to Rodger. The monarch was the one exception to that rule. He usurped that spot. In a way, everything in Logres belonged to him after all.

  With all of the seats filled, the servants finally began bringing in the food. The quartered stag was roasted on a large spit in the kitchen, and the chefs had already cut it into smaller portions. On top of that, they brought out fresh bread, cheese, and eggs. The only thing that was lacking were the vegetables.

  With the limited population in the area, there wasn’t enough fresh produce to feed everyone on such a large feast. Much of the local food was limited to the forest’s bounty, and entire bowls were filled with fresh berries and mushrooms.

  Unlike most of his fellows, the lord of Ashbourne earned much of his income from exporting items such as those. His magistrates sold dried mushrooms, honey, and jams, as well as more material goods such as pelts, timber, and charcoal. The nearby peasants mostly worked with grazing animals, especially sheep and cattle, and only farmed limited plots of rye. The few vegetables that they did grow in their backyards were just enough for themselves and their liege directly. Not enough for their guests.

  Another steady source of profit were the frequent trips organized here by the wealthy aristocrats. While they wouldn’t stoop to something so pedestrian as paying cash for the privilege, bringing in expensive gifts was necessary. Since the entire point of coming here was showing off their prestige, they needed to splurge. Rodger was often greeted with expensive horses, jewelry, wine, and silverware. Goods that could easily be resold in other nearby towns, in exchange for fresher food.

  Peas, carrots, and other pickled vegetables were brought here by the cartload. So was grain. While Ashbourne would have struggled to feed itself, it could import enough supplies to last. Though none of it was as fresh as what could be found in other regions.

  All of that made for a unique experience at the table. The feeling was only strengthened by the fact that they were eating venison hunted by the monarch himself. Everyone rushed to compliment him, even if he had little to do with the overall flavor.

  “You must admit though, it does taste better after you’ve caught it with your own hands, doesn’t it?” Rodger said, leaning over towards his guest of honor.

  “I suppose,” Varre replied, and cut off another bit of the venison to try it again, “it’s not something you get to eat every day. But I see what you mean.”

  Etty giggled. “Not unless you live out here. We may not be Westbridge, but even little Ashbourne has its charms, wouldn’t you say?”

  “It is a nice change of pace,” the king smiled back.

  “Your father always said the same thing,” the lord recalled, “I swear, he spent more time out here than he did back in Lindridge!”

  “You say that like it’s a bad thing! I’d say he still should have come more often!” his daughter chastised.

  “Yes, of course. I hope you too will visit us even more often, your majesty!” Rodger grunted after someone kicked him under the table, “I meant Varre! Please visit as often as you’d like. Ashbourne will always welcome you with open arms.”

  “Thank you for the hospitality,” the king replied and nodded politely.

  “I hope you’ll stay for a while!” Etty continued, “there’s so many other things we could do out in the forest. We could show you the Emerald Pond! Or go practice some falconry! Isn’t that right, father?”

  “Oh yes, certainly,” the lord continued, “you’ve gotten a taste of deer hunting, but there’s so much more to do. I could show you some more aspects of it and teach you how to skin them properly. Just think of what it would be like to have a pelt made by your own hands! That’d be a national treasure! Or we could try going after other animals. There’s plenty of boars and aurochs in the woods. Those are always exciting to hunt.”

  “I’m not so sure about that,” Hakon interjected, “with such strange magics out there in the forest, it might be dangerous to go out there again.”

  “I certainly hope not!” Rodger laughed awkwardly, “we’ve never had any problems with magicians before. What about you, court mage? Has your investigation revealed anything so far?”

  “I’m pretty confident that it had nothing to do with his majesty’s presence here,” she answered noncommittally, “it’s pure coincidence that we managed to stumble upon that deer.”

  “Coincidence or not, it’s still a risk,” the captain insisted.

  “The spell was passive,” Elvira explained, “whoever cast it had no way of retrieving whatever images the animal saw. Even if they had bad intentions, they still have no idea that we are here.”

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  “I will not gamble with his majesty’s life,” Hakon replied bluntly.

  “It’s not a gamble, it’s… look, anything could be a risk. Having his majesty go for a walk through the city, or hells, even leaving on this journey in the first place was a risk!’ the court mage argued.

  “It’s not the same, and you know that,” the captain challenged, “those risks were calculated!”

  “And so is this one,” Elvira gestured wildly, “the spell wasn’t hostile. And I believe that whoever cast it wasn’t either!”

  “Believe!?” Hakon stood up, “there is no believe! You cannot know that for certain!”

  “Councilors, please,” Benjamin urged them as he glanced around the room, “you’re making a scene.”

  They ignored him.

  “Whoever cast it was a complete amateur. No safeguards. Not following procedures,” the court mage raised her voice as she stood up to match her opponent, “it’s some untrained bumpkin, or hedge wizard! Not an assassin!”

  Even though she was shorter and thinner than the muscular captain, she didn’t seem afraid to stand straight in the fact of his glare. Perhaps she was used to argue with those physically stronger than her. Or perhaps she was confident enough in her magical abilities that she didn’t fear the powerful warrior.

  Still, Varre wasn’t going to let this come to blows. “Enough! Both of you!” he yelled out.

  That finally caught their attention. Both stopped immediately and turned to look at him. The conversations around the room had completely stopped by this point and an overbearing silence filled the air. One could hear a pin drop.

  “Sit down,” the king simply said and pointed to their chairs, “go on. Down. Both of you,” they complied with awkward expressions and he continued, “I understand that you value my safety captain, but it is not your decision to make.”

  “You’re right of course your majesty, but…” Hakon began.

  “Pah pah pah pah,” Varre raised a finger to stop him, “is it my decision or not?”

  “It is,” the captain replied.

  “Good,” the king nodded, “and you Elvira. I thought you just told me that an untrained person wouldn’t be able to cast a spell as complicated as that.”

  “Well, yes, but…” she fidgeted in her seat.

  “Which one is it then?” Varre insisted.

  The court mage cleared her throat. “To be completely honest your majesty, I… am still unsure.”

  “See?!” Hakon pointed towards her, but the glare from his liege instantly stopped his outburst.

  “Tell me Elvira, have you ever seen anything like that before?” the king asked.

  “Well, I have seen other vision spells, but nothing quite like this one before,” she rubbed the back of her neck, “they always seemed more… targeted? I suppose? It’s a difficult spell to cast, so normally a wizard puts a lot of effort into it. And the subject is chosen with a lot more care. No one would enchant a random deer from the woods. At least no one I know.”

  “What about you Rodger?” Varre turned to his host, “are there any other mages in the area?”

  “Not that I’m aware of your majesty,” the lord said, and this time, even his own daughter wasn’t going to react to him using the formal term, “I know there is an alchemist in New Lindridge, but he rarely leaves the town.”

  “Could it be him?” the king turned back to the sorceress.

  “I… doubt it your majesty,” Elvira answered carefully, “I’m not familiar with that mage. At least not off the top of my head, but like I’ve said, it’s a very difficult spell. Very few people in Logres could cast it, and I don’t think a provincial alchemist would be one of them. No offence,” she paused, then quickly added, “though of course, it’s a lead I’d like to investigate!”

  “So you think this mystery is important enough to research it yourself?” Varre looked her right in the eyes.

  “Well… I…” she stammered, then sighed, “no. No I suppose it is not. But I am still curious. It is magic like I’ve never seen before. I have no idea who could have cast it and I’d like to find out.”

  “I see, I see,” the king slowly nodded, “so you’re telling me that some strange wizard is going around enchanting animals inside of my own kingdom? Right on the border with an unexplored forest? And no one can tell me how or why they’re doing it?”

  “That is correct, your majesty,” Elvira replied with a grimace.

  Varre smiled. “Then that sounds like the perfect task for my Court Mage to investigate. In fact, I order you to do so.”

  She widened her eyes. “Your majesty? What? Are you sure?”

  “It is an order isn’t it? And if it forces me to spend a few more days in this pleasant, relaxing forest then, well…” he shrugged, “it is a sacrifice I am prepared to make.”

  Elvira laughed. “In that case, I hear and obey your majesty,” she stood up and bowed theatrically.

  The king picked up his goblet of wine and tipped it towards her. “Good. But I expect frequent reports. To be honest, I too am curious about what exactly is going on here. I hope you’ll be able to explain it to me. I’m not too familiar with how all of this spellcasting works.”

  The court mage understood the message. She sat back down, picked up her own drink, and clinked the silver chalice with his. “Of course. I will update you as soon as I find out anything interesting.”

  “Does this mean you’ll need even more specimens to do… whatever it is you do with them?” Rodger asked, excited.

  “Oh yes,” Elvira nodded quickly, “plenty! I still have no idea how many others could be affected so we might go through a few before we find another sample. Assuming we ever do. I hope it’s alright with you if we get to interrupt your procedures a little bit more. We’ll still need the eyes.”

  The lord’s smile slightly deflated. “If it means I get to show his ma… Varre,” he corrected himself this time, “a little more of the area, then so be it.”

  “And what if it’s not just the deer that are affected? Shall we investigate those boars and aurochs too?” the king suggested. I’m going to find out what those are one way or the other, he thought to himself, determined.

  Rodger’s eyes lit up again, and he stared straight at the court mage. Almost like a puppy.

  “It’s worth a shot,” she replied.

  The lord couldn’t handle any more of this excitement. He picked up a goblet of his own and stood up. “You heard her everyone! From now on, we have a mission. The safety of the entire kingdom depends on it! We will scour the woods, explore the forests, and hunt as many animals as we can eat!”

  “I think you meant research,” Elvira teased him.

  “That too!” Rodger replied, “well, then pick up your chalices everyone. I propose a toast. To his majesty! May his reign be long, his hunts successful, and may this mystery provide an exciting adventure to us all! Let all the future bards write about this day, and the heroic deeds of Varre the First!”

  At those words, everyone stood up and joined him in the toast. They weren’t sure if anything was going to come out of this mystery, but at the very least hunting was always exciting. Everyone looked forward to more opportunities to gallivant around the forest.

  It's his first proper vacation since ascending to the throne.

  Etty too is overjoyed.