The Crown's Fire - Chapter 114

Chapter 114: Plans to Infiltrate Devon’s Palace
The days flew by swiftly, leading up to the moment when Ezekiel had to depart with the wizard Lurio to meet King Nikolai at Valcrez to finalize their plan to eliminate Devon. Tarah insisted on accompanying them, as she desired to discuss a particular message she had received in her dream just a few days prior with Queen Mineah.

Ezekiel agreed to her request, and the three of them embarked on their journey to Lurio’s teleportation spell.

In an instant, they found themselves in the secluded chamber within Valcrez Castle, a place Tarah and Lurio had visited previously to meet Dahlia. Tarah nervously bit her inner cheek, knowing that Zoran, now working as Devon’s spy within Valcrez, could be lurking nearby. She pondered whether Zoran might recognize her, given their numerous chance encounters where her face was not concealed by her veil.

However, Zoran had appeared distracted during those encounters, so it was unlikely he would remember her. Even if he did, Tarah found solace in the fact that Ezekiel was aware of her situation and her ties to Devon.

“Big Brother!” Queen Mineah exclaimed, warmly embracing Ezekiel before exchanging courteous greetings with the rest of the group. Tarah respectfully nodded her head as she observed Zoran standing alongside King Nikolai and Queen Mineah. When Nikolai formally introduced Zoran to Ezekiel, Wizard Lurio, and herself, Tarah offered a polite bow and exchanged greetings with him. She couldn’t help but notice Zoran’s gaze lingering on her.

“He’s probably recalling seeing me within Devon’s castle,” Tarah thought to herself.

“I remember him vividly. I nearly ended him on the battlefield, ready to turn him to ashes, if not for Tarah’s intervention,” Ezekiel stated, his voice filled with a solemn gravity. His gaze intensified, bearing down on Zoran with a menacing aura. Tarah felt a knot form in her stomach as she perceived Ezekiel’s shift in mood.

Despite Ezekiel’s lethal glare, Zoran’s attention remained focused on Tarah, unperturbed. “Have we met somewhere?” Zoran inquired, his gaze piercing as he locked eyes with Tarah. “You seem familiar.”

“Is she?” Ezekiel interrupted, his face grim, filling the private chamber with palpable tension. Tarah began to answer Zorna’s question, but Ezekiel spoke abruptly.

“Enough staring,” he said calmly, yet his voice carried a firmness that Tarah recognized as dangerous.

“Zoran,” Nikolai interjected, finally drawing Zoran’s gaze away from Tarah. Then Nikolai turned to Ezekiel and stated, “Zoran is now my Scion, and his life is under my protection. He is no longer bound by Devon’s spell or contract.”

As Nikolai explained Zoran’s situation to Ezekiel, Tarah couldn’t shake her discomfort, so she kept her head down.

“Tarah,” Mineah called out gently.

“Would you like to take a walk outside while the men discuss? I also wish to speak with you privately,” Mineah said, offering a kind smile.

Tarah turned to Ezekiel first and the latter gave her a nod.

“It would be my pleasure to accompany you, Your Majesty,” Tarah hummed, and with that, Mineah gave Nikolai a knowing nod before she and Tarah left the chamber.

There was a table and chairs outside the hallway, which was where Mineah walked to and decided to sit as it was near the fireplace. Tarah followed her, and Mineah signaled a servant nearby to serve them some tea. Once the tea and snacks were served, Mineah dismissed the servants ensuring that she and Tarah would have enough privacy.

“Are there any updates with my curse?” Mineah started.

A tense silence hung in the air, and Tarah absentmindedly bit her lower lip, caught in contemplation about whether she should confide in Mineah about the vision she had seen.

“Tell me, what is it?” Mineah’s prompt broke through Tarah’s thoughts. Tarah fidgeted, prompting a concerned furrow in Mineah’s brow. “Tarah, I want to understand what your vision entails, especially regarding me. As you’ve mentioned before, not all visions unfold exactly as you see them,” Mineah reassured.

Tarah sensed Mineah’s determination to uncover the truth, no matter its nature. Perhaps it would be wise to disclose everything, allowing the Queen to address any potential challenges proactively.

“I saw another vision, Your Majesty… In that vision, I saw you stabbing His Majesty, King Nikolai with the dagger residing in you… Doing this will end your curse, and it will happen inside the Kingdom of Helion and Devon’s Palace soon.” Tarah said in a low voice.

Mineah’s face paled.

“Your Majesty, are you alright?” Tara asked.

“I am fine,” She weakly muttered as she clutched her chest.

“Is there more to it Tarah? I’m sure that’s not what is going to happen. Something is very wrong in that vision. I would never do that to my husband!” She firmly stated as tears welled up in her eyes.

“I’m truly sorry, but you may be right… Perhaps there’s a larger picture here, and I’m only seeing a part of it,” Tarah commented, rising to embrace Mineah. Mineah, unable to contain her emotions any longer, burst into tears.

Mineah wiped her tears and said, “I’m ruining the mood. Go back to your seat Tarah and thank you for comforting me. It’s quite hard for me to accept that vision Seer Beirut had and what you have just shared with me now. It’s painful because all I ever want is to protect Nikolai and be his strongest supporter no matter what.”

Mineah took a deep breath and released a heavy sigh as she composed herself and quickly changed the topic. “How about the plans to infiltrate Devon’s Palace? Did you also have a vision about it?” Mineah curiously asked.

Tarah took a deep breath. She hesitated momentarily before fibbing, telling Mineah that she hadn’t received any vision regarding the matter. However, she sincerely conveyed her feelings about not wanting Ezekiel to compromise, despite having seen his success in her vision.

“Don’t worry, Tarah. I’m sure things will work out just fine… Zoran will come with them and he can easily teleport all of them back to safety if things don’t go as planned.” Mineah reassured.

Tarah didn’t say a thing and simply released a sigh.

“By the way, have you and Zoran met before? He seems to recognize you from somewhere.” Mineah brought up. Tarah’s face paled, although she gave her a timid smile as she said, “No, I don’t remember meeting him before, Your Majesty.”