Chapter 140: Book 2 Chapter 5

Fritz

 

"And how are you feeling?" Fritz helped Paul in the bakery. The two kneaded bread dough in the small room at the back.

"Valentina is very stressed. Three small children are a challenge... A few months ago her sister Anette visited us. But this was probably the last visit in a long time, now that the Queen has raised taxes for all of us. The coming winter will be hard."

"Was there not enough rain here too?"

"Yes. The harvest this year was very bad, so food is expensive, and due to the disease... I’m glad that there are now medicines, but even these are expensive. Too expensive. Fortunately, my family has been spared so far."

Fritz nodded. "The production of the medicine is expensive, as is the research. Therefore, mother had to raise taxes..."

"Travel was also banned. What for?" Paul formed a few loaves. His bakery was small and modest. Paul had two employees who were both selling different baking products. "Shortly after Anette was with us. Valentina is glad to have seen her sister again. Who knows when travel will be allowed again? Is it really because of the refugees? That we humans are no longer allowed to travel? Unless it's about work? What's next? Are we no longer allowed to write letters? That's madness."

Fritz nodded. "It's because of the refugees, yes. Since Mom has tightened the laws, more and more citizens are trying to flee. Anyone suspected of having links to the uprisings or trying to flee faced harsh punishments. Some try to escape to the marshland, but there the borders are heavily monitored. The Queen also has an agreement with the vampires on how to deal with refugees. They send them back. Or into the steppe. Escaping there is probably the better choice. Negotiations with the centaurs aren’t possible. When our soldiers enter the steppe, they are attacked immediately."

"This is terrible!" Paul sighed and lit the fire on the stove. "Of course, people want to escape! Even we are no longer safe. But even that must not be said too loudly. A few months ago, the disease broke out in one of the werewolf villages. Close to the border to us. I usually sell bread to the werewolves, but this time they asked for medicine. But medicine is too expensive to get for all the wolves... Many have died. And it took some time for healers to come."

"The queen must be stopped." Fritz sighed and looked at the clock hanging on the wall in the bakery. "My carriage arrives in about an hour. Then I drive back home. The inspection of the hospital is finished. As soon as there is a message to deliver, someone will contact you."

Paul nodded.

 

Torsten

 

Annemarie was playing with Rosina's little feet. The little girl squealed happily and kicked her legs. Rayk looked at the whole thing skeptically. In general, the almost three-year-old was very skeptical about everything. He squinted his red eyes slightly. Torsten often wondered what was going on in his son's head. Rayk had inherited Torsten's red hair and nose. Otherwise, he resembled Annemarie. Rosina, on the other hand, had Annemarie's light hair and red vampire eyes, but otherwise, she was his little image.

They were in her salon. Annemarie sat with Rosina on the carpet and tickled the little one now. Rayk came to Torsten, who was sitting on the sofa and sat down next to him.

They waited for the two nannies to take the children for a walk in the castle garden.

"Mother told me that my aunt was coming to visit tomorrow", Annemarie informed him. "Marlon is also expected back to be part of the council."

"Marlon is coming back?" Torsten sighed and took Rayk on his lap. "Is his time in the military over?"

"It is. He didn't make a particularly good figure there."

"I've heard about that." Torsten smiled and ruffled Rayk's hair.

"No!", the little boy grumbled immediately.

"And Coletta... She hasn't visited for almost three years..."

"She has a child. Almost as old as Rayk." Annemarie lifted Rosina up and sat down next to Torsten. "No one knows who it is from. And Marlon isn't just coming back to be part of the Council. Dad told me that they wanted to introduce him to a young lady. If the two like each other, they might get married soon."

"A young lady?"

"Oona von Schwarzmoor. The youngest daughter of the family."

"Von Schwarzmoor? I don’t remember ever hearing that name."  Meanwhile, Rayk had climbed off Torsten's lap and hopped through the salon. "Rayk. Don't!", Torsten scolded him.

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"But I'm a frog!", protested Rayk. A few seconds later, the two nannies appeared and took Rayk and Rosina with them. Rayk protested at first, but one of the nannies promised him that they would play catch outside.

"The von Schwarzmoor family lives close to the desert. They manage several villages and farms there. They were at the king's birthday party. But without Oona. She is a distant childhood friend of mine. We didn't see each other very often. Don't you remember? You accidentally spilled red wine on Egon von Schwarzmoor's shirt. His wife Rhea thought it was so funny that she couldn't calm down for the rest of the party."

"Oh... These two!" Torsten sighed. "I remember them. That was embarrassing. Do they also come to visit? Soon?"

"Well. First, we expect Aunt Coletta and her child. She will probably bring it with her. If it exists. It is just a rumor… Marlon returns around the same time. Oona and her parents arrive a few days later. But now we should go. The Council is about to meet. I guess there we will learn more about the possible engagement. I know that the proposal came from one of the council members."

"The Council meeting... I had almost forgotten about them." Torsten sighed and helped his wife off the sofa.

"What a cavalier!" She winked at him.

 

 

Julia

 

"A girls' outing! This is exactly the right thing now!" Flordelis had stormed into the tent and dragged Josefine and Julia out and took them to one of the human villages, where she wanted to exchange leather, which her parents made, for jewelry.

Flora had wished the girls a lot of fun while Finn sulked. He wanted to come along, but Flordelis insisted on an only-girl outing. She wore a bag over her back in which she wore leather. The leather that her tribe produced was coveted in the villages. She had a good chance of being able to exchange it for jewelry. "I have enough leather that you two can exchange some for jewelry too", she said now.

"But it's your leather", Julia protested. "You should only trade something for yourself."

"Oh. No! Mom insisted that you two get something too." Flordelis grinned. "You and Josefine. She said you two have enough pretty things and, in the village, they make pretty bracelets with glass beads."

"I think jewelry would be a bit impractical for me. I would probably break it as soon as I transformed", Josefine objected. "That would be a waste. But we could bring something for Peter."

Julia grinned. "I'm sure he would like that."

"All right. So then jewelry for Julia, I insist, and for Peter." Flordelis sighed. "If you're sure? Josefine?"

"I am. Jewelry is not for me."

But when they arrived at the village, there was hustle and bustle. Some houses and the wall were damaged and the guards at the gate would not let them in. "I'm sorry. No centaurs", said an elderly gentleman. "And we don't need visitors now."

"What?" Flordelis blinked indignantly. "Why not? I come with goods. I have leather!"

The man shook his head. "We were attacked by centaurs during the night. They stole our grain and injured a few people. That's why we're not letting any centaurs in for the time being."

"Raided?" Julia embraced Flordelis. "But Flordelis wouldn't do anything bad..."

"The market is destroyed. Today you cannot sell anything here. Come back when the situation has calmed down." The Lord closed the gate, without much of a farewell.

"They were attacked?" Josefine frowned. "Which tribe might that have been?"

"Not ours!" Flordelis snorted. "We are peaceful!"

"Let's go back", Julia suggested.

 

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