A fox in the snow

Chapter 23

Just a day after Agatha's fortune-telling spectacle, the village folk were already hooked. They asked for all sorts of things— how my vegetables and fruits would sell, how many children I'll have, if I'd make more money than my neighbour, and so on. When Agatha hobbled to the marketplace the next day, she was surprised at the number of people who were waiting for her around the oak tree, which cast a welcoming shadow for the shelter seekers.

She could recognize a few faces. They'd come the previous day and were eager to ask her more questions about their future. Most of them, however, were newcomers, who'd heard about Agatha from their kin and friends, and wanted a glimpse into their future too.

She smiled and attended to her customers. Some of them even dropped a few coins on the mat near where she sat, especially those who seemed pretty satisfied with what their future has in store for them. This went on for a few hours and when the Sun looked directly overhead, Lilith (or Agatha) decided it was time.

"Countryfolks! As an experienced fortune teller and a proud Valorian, I have some bad news for all those from this Kingdom. Valoria is in imminent danger, and if we don't do something about it and fast, we'll certainly lose our Kingdom to sinister forces."

This immediately aroused the concerned villagers. They discussed among themselves and one of them asked, "What kind of danger d'ya see?"

"Oh, I see a very threatening one alright! Threatening to our very existence!" Agatha's tired eyes
glimmered with concern and worry.

The villagers almost at once assembled around the huge oak tree with incomprehensible expressions.

"I need not tell you an untruth, you know that." She cleared her throat. "You'll be as angry as me when you realise what was happening behind the closed doors of the palace."

With one light brush of her wrinkled bejewelled fingertip over the crystal ball, the purple gas within it started swirling.

Everyone craned their necks to get a closer look at what was forming in the crystal. Lilith concentrated on the events that occurred right from overhearing the conversation between the two people till the moment when she was pushed into the dungeons after the funeral. She then placed one finger on the temple of her forehead and the other finger slowly encircled the crystal.

Slowly but gradually, an image formed in the crystal ball. The events played out like a stage play, without all the melodrama to thrust real, raw emotions into the heart of the villagers, who were going through their own share of shock and anguish.

When one man saw Aeden and Zayden's faces, he exclaimed. "Why, if it isn't the lads I met a few days ago!" he declared.

"Where?" Lilith asked.

"I'd gone to the nearby town of Cheryl Cove to sell my timber at the woodshop. That's when I noticed these chaps, working hard, polishing the surface. They both seemed quite experienced. Now that I think of it, I don't remember seeing them working there before, so I think they were
apprentices."

Lilith made a mental note of this.

Aha! So Aeden and Zayden know each other. So Zayden is definitely involved. I can't believe I fell for him...

"So, if the crystal displays facts, does our Princess indeed have an estranged brother?"

Agatha simply nodded.

They watched the rest of the events with great interest, commenting on their opinions and suspicions, peering at the scenes in the crystal to notice any abnormalities.

When the story ended (where Lilith was put in jail), the women were all in tears, unable to digest the fact that their beloved ruler had to live a life filled with threats, though he never showed it. The men were enraged at the atrocities committed by Catherine and the Crown Shield, of whom the King spoke highly of.