Even if the magicians were to suddenly and unexpectedly turn up, he would make sure that the king saw his worth as an adviser. He did not even mind being added to the magicians as a third person...
“My King,” the adviser said softly, controlling his tone of voice so as not to sound anything but utterly subservient.
Henok looked at him, and then looked away.
The adviser swallowed. The king had not given him any indication to go on or to stop. He would take the silence to mean he could go on.
“Things may not look too bright at the moment, but you can make them be my lord,” he stared at the king and continued. “It looks like your throne may have lost its power because it was not able to provide the peace which your ancestors have been providing before you...”
“If you intend to rub my failures in my face, you should know that you are succeeding, and that does not bode well for you,” Henok told the adviser.
“I’m sorry, my king,” the adviser replied hurriedly with a deep bow, “but that was never my intent. Not even the slightest bit. I intended to show you that though it may seem like you have been stripped of your powers and authority, it is not the case!”
“No one fears authority anymore,” Henok said. “They can easily band together and challenge the throne. It is going to be easy for insurrections to rise among the people. How long before someone thinks he is better than the king on the throne and steps forward to challenge me?”
The royal adviser smiled inwardly. He had the perfect solution to that.
“My King?” he called, “Are these same people, not your people?” he asked.
Henok sat up a bit and looked more intently at the adviser.
“They are,” he replied.
“And do they not reside within your walls and under your very own protection?”
“They do.”
“They are subjects of yours, my king. And a few new magic tricks and a new hero are not going to stop that. They are still going to go back to their beds to sleep, counting on you for their protection. They will still move about, work, have lives, raise families, counting on you to watch their backs. You make the policies. You make the decrees. It is also your job as a king to act on foresight. And like you have rightly said, my king, you have seen this newfound power going to chaos.”
Henok’s face had gone from grave to a mask of brightness within seconds. The more he listened to the adviser talk, the more he understood what he had to do, and the clearer the plan in his head formed.
“What is your name?” he asked.
“Yoel,” the adviser replied.
The king stared at him for a long while.
“Yoel,” he called finally. “What do you suggest I should do?”
Yoel smiled and bowed. Inward, he felt a flush of satisfaction. “Call out for one-hundred years of war. Everyone for himself. They want to be free? Show them what it means to be free, my king. Show them, that real freedom means chaos.”
Everything had gone according to plan. Within a few minutes, he had warmed his way into the king’s graces.
“I now know what I must do,” Henok said.
The next day, the king stood imperiously on the portico to his palace and watched the gathering of people before him. They were all here to answer his summons. He watched the reactions on their faces as the guard beside him read out the new decree.
“No one can be trusted; We know that Camin and Lowus are trying to bring chaos everywhere. Therefore, we must always be on the lookout for the next enemy. Even within our own walls. From this day onwards, King Henok is calling a total war against every other race in Toas for the next hundred years. Until a new being of Balance and Chaos is born that can shift the balance in our favour. Until then, don’t trust anyone, besides the guards of the Middle Kingdom. We will control every corner, so that you are safe,” the guard read out loud.
But the people were not having any of it.
It did not take long for the crowd to turn into a riotous mob, shaking their angered fists at the king, and hurling all sorts of words. Henok simply watched with a calm demeanour as everything played out, and then when the first bolt of lightning came his way. He was not the greatest magician but growing up as a king had taught him important spells that made him strong. He quickly muttered one of them and formed a shield around him. But that was not the least of it. Whoever had just used his freedom, had given the right to the guards to intervene.
Without wasting time, Henok flicked his hand in the air, giving the order for the Warriors to quell the dispute. With their amazing speed, the warriors descended on the protesting mob with batons. The majority of the crowd took to their heels, throwing lightning bolts or fire carelessly into the air with the intent of warding off the warriors that were too fast to be seen. Without proper training, it was easy for the warriors to fight them off.
Henok stood and watched the crowd disperse and heaved with pride.
I am your king, he thought, and I will always remain so.
In the coming weeks, the streets resembled a war zone as people tried to fight back against the King’s oppressive rule, but were being met with force. Anyone who so much as uttered a spell or was not obedient was apprehended by the warriors. But he did not stop there. Henok sent letters to every corner of Toas declaring war on everyone.
Smoke was rising from the kingdom. Chaos was far from over and war was looming on the horizon and at the moment, the Middle Kingdom was its home.
Mussie Haile
Final Note
Thank you for coming on this adventure
