“I second that.” said the prince.

  “I’ve never been to Oldvale.” offered Loxo. “If its haunted I could tell some fantastic ghost stories along the way.” The three witches glared at him, unimpressed. “Or… I could not tell stories and simply enjoy your wonderful company.”

  “Then Oldvale it is.” Said Hoxley “Once we reach the south side of it, we should be home free to reach the western throne.

  “Finally, some good news.” Huffed Morell as he resituated the pack upon his shoulders. “Then let’s get going.” Hoxley took up the lead and the party traveled south. All morning they traveled with the twins scouting ahead. The time in the grasslands was uneventful until Hoxley crested a hill to find Siouxsie and Robert standing in the old trail. Behind them, the ruins of what once was the great magical capital of the land. What once were small stone buildings were now moldering ruins. As they walked closer, a perpetual lingering of dark clouds hung over it, casting the land in a grey sadness of its own. The trail into the city was lined on each side with stone markers for graves. Markers were hardly three paces apart and lined fifteen rows deep all the way in. So unusual a sight; a city seemingly built in the center of a cemetery.

  “It’s so bleak.” Hoxley said to Ignatius at her side. “So, this is Oldvale.”

  “It once was known by a different name,” He replied. “This was once the town of Spellvale. The journals and stories that survived say it was beautiful and bountiful in its crops. The storm clouds that linger are a remnant of the magic that remains because the witches that died during the dark harvest never clapped their hands to stop the casting of their spells. Without a master to tell it to disperse, the magic lingers and cannot dissipate. It waits to be called to be useful again. No songs have resonated here for centuries.”

  “Look at these grave stones.” Said Morell as he looked to Ignatius. “Does each one really stand for one person?”

  “It’s far worse than that.” Ignatius said with the saddest of expressions. “Those are family names carved into those stones. They are not just one dead person, but the bundling of entire families. Whomever came back to bury the dead saved themselves blisters and back breaking work by throwing entire families into the plots to rot together. It’s unfortunate and degrading, but understandable.”

  “But…there’s so many.” said the boy.

  “Yes, yes there are.” Further into town they walked. There wasn’t much to see other than the remnants of what may have once been a bustling community. The continuous grey wasn’t helping ease the mood either.

  “What an absolutely dour place.” Loxo said to no one. “The only thing left standing is half of that temple in the center.” They all looked to see what might’ve been an ornately decorated two story structure with a bell tower whose enormous iron bell looked like it would collapse at any moment. Now only half of it remained as it had toppled inward on the left side. When they got closer to the open square that would have been a perfect place for a market, Hoxley noticed the carvings in the stone documenting witchly achievements had lost their sharpness and seemed only as mottled shadows of their former selves.

  “It’s so eerie.” Said Morell. “The sun should be high in the sky but its darker than twilight.” Hearing this, the shadow girl slipped from the prince’s pockets and dared to venture out. To the surprise of everyone, she was able to take on something of her usual outline although she remained almost completely transparent. She was more of a ghost in this odd light. The shadow girl looked at her hands and down the rest of her body, surprised that she could exist while the sun wasn’t down.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  “It must be because of the magic holding the clouds.” Remarked Ignatius. “Their supernatural nature blocks the sun to an unnatural extent.” As Ignatius walked by, she reached out and was physically able to pull the sword out of its scabbard a few inches before letting it slid back in. “So curious.” She said, looking at her hands again.

  “Everything is so…gray…here.” Said Morell as his eyes scanned from one side of the town to the other. “If sadness were a person, it would call this place home.”

  “I couldn’t agree more.” said Robert as he landed next to him and dismounted his broom “Look at this place. It’s so desolate.” The witch then looked to his sister who looked uneasy. “Sis? What is it?”

  “There’s so much energy here.” she said, her hair starting to frizz from the resonant magic. “It’s not just the clouds, its…something else. There’s a faint pulse, like a heart beating. It’s coming from the temple.” Robert looked to Ignatius

  “If Siouxsie senses something, we should investigate.” The tall witch looked to the ruins and scratched his chin.

  “Perhaps we could indulge her intuition. But if so, we shouldn’t linger too long in this place. Correct, Hoxley?”

  “Agreed.” she said. “If no one objects, we’ll stop to take a look and rest but I don’t want to be here too long.” No one showed a sign of disagreement. “Alright. It may be abandoned by witch-kind but we don’t know whom else may be nearby. If we’re going to look, let’s look. Siouxsie? Lead the way.” The companions followed the mass of frizzed hair peeking out from beneath the pointed hat toward the temple. Each of their eyes watched the and defeated pillars as though they might send forth ghosts to spook them at toppled any moment. Morell unslung his mace and gripped it tight. Shadows seemed longer and more menacing in this place so much that even darkened empty corners seemed sinister. A sizeable fountain with a knee-high ledge adorned the middle of the temple courtyard.

  Hoxley peered into the middle where a sizeable hole that at one time been a well to supply the water for the fountain. It was huge and as she dared to lean over a little to look down it, there seemed to be no bottom. She took in her surroundings before setting her spear against the ledge and setting her hindquarters upon it. Prince Damron put down his shield in the same manner and sat next to her. No water had filled the fountain in ages. Dead grass and dry leaves lay scattered in the bottom to contribute to the decay.

  What was once an ornate carving of a witch high atop the north side of the fountain was now only an unkept relic with a broken broom. Faint howls passed on the breeze overhead as it slipped through cracks in the masonry making the atmosphere even more uncomfortable. An unsettling stillness blanketed everything and Hoxley found it unnerving that no birds were heard singing in any direction. As for the witches, they fanned out. Siouxsie curiously followed unseen clues on which way to go while Morell followed close behind. Robert didn’t like the ground floor and jetted up to stand in the belltower and look upon things from overhead. The spooky boy stealthily moved from dark corner to dark corner as he slinked and stalked along the higher levels. Hoxley dug in her bag for a morsel to eat, finding some nuts and bit of dried meat to chew on. When she noticed the prince eyeballing her food she asked him where his was.

  “I’ve eaten all of mine.” He said. Without hesitating she offered him half of what remained.

  “If I were you ‘d ask Morell if he has any more edible mushrooms.” she said. The prince’s head swiveled about to find the boy.

  “Where is he?”

  “Following Siouxsie on a trail of mystery, I would guess. How are you feeling?” she asked

  “About what?”

  “About your grief for Idris.”

  “I’m trying not to dwell upon it, but its difficult. So much has happened. I grieve for his passing but with all that’s going on around us. I worry too much for my sister as I don’t know if she’s alive or dead. The feelings are there, and I miss him but now isn’t the time to grieve.”

  “What is it time for?”

  “Flight. We have to continue on, Hoxley. If we can just reach the western kingdom, then I know the king will hear my plea and come to my aid. He must.”

  “We’re close enough…” Hoxley pondered. “I wonder why we haven’t seen any king’s men or soldiers. We’ve seen enough of your uncle’s, that’s for sure. It’s curious, isn’t it? Eastern soldiers being this far west and no signs of contesting western boundaries, or conflict by their presence. I’m wondering.”

  “Wondering what?” the prince asked

  “What if the western throne is now allied in their cause to fall under your uncle’s rule or influence?”

  “What do you mean?” the boy asked with a frightened look. “You mean they’re conspiring against me?”

  “I cannot say for sure. It would be unwise to jump to conclusions but I am concerned that we haven’t seen near as many western soldiers than we have eastern ones.”*SIGH* “Listen to me, I’m rambling on about nothing. Don’t take anything I say to heart, your highness. I’m starting to have an idle brain from growing tired.”

  “But there is reason in your words.”

  “Perhaps it is coincidence.” She thought it over. “But I have no proof either. Let’s not jump to assumptions until such a time that we have facts. I think that would be the prudent thing to do.” The prince nodded in agreement.