The Wizard's Queen

Chapter 40

All of the commotion in the dungeons was disturbing Theresa's morning slumber. It was odd for Ember Island to be that chaotic so early in the. Morning. Well, it was odd period for the somber and orderly place. Guards ran up and down the hallways shouting orders into headpieces. Reinforced wards had appeared on all the cells as a precaution. Her eyes narrowed in on a young man running by. He was a fresh face, someone she could easily get some answers out of compared to the seasoned guards.

"Hey, boy, what is going on?" she asked.

The man froze, paling at her commanding tone. He wasn't a very effective guard if he let a prisoner's voice frighten him. It didn't help that Theresa was cutting daggers through him.

Charlotte was the more sympathetic of the two. She spoke in a mothering tone, offering the boy a kind smile. "You seem terrified. Are we under attack?"

The kid's tension eased thanks to Charlotte talking to him. Theresa now understood where Riley got her kind nature from.

"I don't know." The kid gulped, his eyes darting around to make sure none of the other guards were listening. "Two wizards who are supposed to be dead suddenly returned."

Theresa's eyes widened in shock. She had to have misheard the kid. It was impossible to return from the dead. No, on second thought, one Wizard had been able to survive death, but that was because she lived as a cat for almost seven years.

"Who?" Theresa asked.

"A-A-Annalise Noble," he stuttered.

"She technically was never dead," Theresa said. "What about the other?"

"K-K-kasim Murrell."

Theresa's face drained of color. She had seen the body. She'd sat through the funeral. The boy wasn't a powerful illusionist like Anna, so she doubted he was able to switch souls with a nearby animal. Except, one of his strengths was in Demonology. It was possible that he was actually dead, just a demon now. It wouldn't be the first time a Wizard had done it.

"Are you sure he's not a demon?" Theresa asked.

"Positive."

The boy paled at the new voice, turning to see two very important task force members had arrived. Charlotte was the first to react, growing tense at the sight of the handsome blonde man towering over them. He was Jameson Blight, the Captain of the Elite 8's second in command. Next to them stood Redmund Thornheart, a more frightening opponent in Theresa's opinion. If she was on the other side of the bars, she would gladly shove the cigarette hanging out of his mouth down his throat. This was a nonsmoking facility, but that didn't stop him. His excuse was, he was a fire wizard so smoking came with the territory.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Charlotte spat.

"Charlotte, you're lovely as ever," Jameson replied.

"How do you know each other?" Redmund asked.

"She's my former fiancé," Jameson said.

Theresa looked at Charlotte questionably. The look in Charlotte's eyes confirmed that Jameson was telling the truth. She was curious to how Charlotte ended up marrying Mirin. She studied Jameson trying to see if there were any facial similarities between him and Riley. There was no way that girl could be so powerful if she was only half mortal. Maybe if Charlotte knew she was carrying the Sorceress, she left Jameson and ran off with Mirin. But, Jameson had a daughter the same age as Riley. She couldn't recall seeing his wife any, but the man still wore a wedding band on his finger. She shook the thought from her head, realizing she had been rambling in her mind while Jameson and Charlotte had been arguing and she hadn't heard a single word.