Victoria\'s POV

I lost track of time completely, while I was busy investigating the country of Mafhaelore. I say "investigating" because that\'s precisely what I have been doing these past few hours. Going from farm to farm, talking to the people who were employed there and learning about their miserable life post-war.

Obviously, they didn\'t say all these directly, no one in their right mind would admit that the Queen isn\'t doing her job well. However, I was way too good at reading between the lines, and from what I could interpret so far, life in Mafhaelore is as dreadful as it can get.

I knew that the Goblin Kingdoms were forever in war, so much so that they had hardly managed to progress elsewhere. Everything that was done, was done keeping the war situation in mind. Every little innovation that had happened in the past decades had been to facilitate the war machinery. No one really cared about the lives of common people, and they were usually left to their own device.

I was really amazed how little the Queen knew about the troubles of her countrymen. She was obsessed with the idea of defeating Arphoelus and in that process she had completely forgotten about her own Country. The longer I talked to people here, the more convinced I was that what the people really needed was not another war, but a long standing peace in which the general life can be improved upon.

I wondered if I could broach the subject to the Queen. She would surely reject me, scoffing at my ignorance and then maybe give me a lofty speech filled with ideals. Maybe, I should talk to Cassadrei...no no she\'s too docile to stand up to her mother. I could always talk to Cassadrei\'s father, he seemed like a reasonable person….but how far would he go to oppose his wife?

I crooked my eyebrows, looking for an answer, because it wasn\'t my nature to just tolerate something. I had to do some intervention, I had to do something for these people….they have already been neglected for so long. If only I were the Queen! As soon as the thought crossed my mind, I blushed….what am I even thinking?

Ofcourse, Cassie would be the Queen. Then, maybe I can convince her to stop this meaningless war and rather concentrate on the welfare of her people.

My thoughts were spiralling off in all directions, as I now moved through the rank of soldiers, training for the battlefield. Here, I saw utmost discipline, and the living conditions in these barracks were far superior than the ones to be found anywhere else.

I was moving a bit fast, perhaps, because I stumbled upon someone. Proffering hurried apologies, I looked up and saw that this person was none other than Sofosys.

He was carrying what seemed like atleast a fifty books, balanced precariously upon his hand. By some strange miracle, my collision with him had not toppled them.

"What are you doing here? These are a soldier\'s barracks!" I exclaimed, taking a few books from his hand to reduce his burden.

"I can ask you the same thing." Sofosys remarked sarcastically, "Aren\'t you supposed to be at the castle?"

I tried to look unabashed, but the truth was that I didn\'t really know why I was roaming the streets of a foreign country.

"Well, I got up late...and I missed breakfast. I didn\'t know anyone in the castle, let alone know where I can find some food. So, I decided to stroll a bit and then return for lunch." I mumbled.

"But, it seems that you are late for lunch too." Sofosys frowned, and then broke into a pleasant smile and said, "Come with me."

I obediently followed him to a small house tucked at the corner of the fighting grounds.

"This is my humble shelter." He mused, "Well actually it belongs to my brother who is a soldier here, but he has lent it to me for the time being. Make yourself comfortable, and I\'ll get you something to eat." He hurried off saying so.

I sat on the sofa and looked about the little room. Every corner of it was crammed with books, and I could make out a few titles….most of these were about Black Magic. I wondered how Sofosys\' brother must feel, about his home being stacked with forbidden books.

Sofosys returned with hot cup of coffee and some pastries, which I gladly accepted.

"Now, did you find anything about the spell that the Queen used?" I asked between a mouthful of pastries.

"Actually, I am still trying to find something. You know, most of the books about Black Magic are forbidden or lost, and the little that I could procure so far doesn\'t contain much information." Sofosys offered.

"So, we have no clue how to free Magnus?" I said.

Sofosys nodded his head mournfully.

"Can you tell me more about this magic?" I asked absently, "I just want to understand it better."

"Very well." Sofosys started, "It\'s a very ancient magic. You know there are two components of any corporeal object, the physical manifestation and the soul. Usually, you can\'t seperate one from the other. This ruby that the Queen has used is a soul trapper, it seperates the soul from your physical being and entraps it within itself by physical means."

"And?"

Sofosys continued, "When the soul has been torn off, the physical body loses it\'s existence...and merely remains as a force of nature. It is the soul which makes up the cognitive mind of a person, and when he is trapped in the ruby, his mind is trapped not his body. He can still experience pain, both emotional and physical but none of that will be reflected on his physical body. Only, his mind will be scarred."

"So, if we somehow manage to unite both, he\'ll be free?" I asked skeptically.

"Yes." Sofosys answered gravely, "but it\'s not that simple. I need to do some more research before I can comment further. Meanwhile, you should go…. otherwise they will be looking for you."

He was right, I have already been away for so long. I bade Sofosys farewell, then putting the remaining pastry in my mouth, I continued walking towards the castle.

I was nearly drenched in sweat when I reached the castle. It still stood like a giant ballroom which has been deserted, and even though it was mid-day now, no one was in sight. I looked around and then let myself in. Wasn\'t this place supposed to be more guarded, I thought to myself.

As soon as I entered, I felt like an enormous fool. Of course, I had no idea how to return to my quarters, and for that matter go anywhere. All the corridors looked the same, all the doors were the same and had one thing in common , they were all locked. There was no one in sight, and I realised I was the only person stranded amidst these limitless corridors.

There must be some way to escape this maze, and I made a mental note to myself to tell Cassie to provide me with a map, the next time we met. Meanwhile, I might have to explore my way around here on my own.

I randomly chose a corridor and began walking through it. There were many doors on either side of the walls, covered with dust for the lack of use. I tried to open a few, but they were all locked. I tried calling out a few times, wondering where the other people were, but no one responded.

Then, suddenly I came to a dead end. Well, it wasn\'t exactly a dead end per se, but there was just a solitary door at the end of a vast expanse of corridor. This door, for some reason looked a bit peculiar, different from the others. Out of curiosity, I laid my hand on the handle... expecting it to be closed like it\'s predecessors, but to my surprise the door creaked open.

I now entered a huge room, covered in ancient tapestries and there was no furniture lying around, except for a big table at the centre of it. I looked up to see the portraits that adorned the walls, and could clearly see Queen Iphigenia\'s formidable figure among them. I went to the table and picked up a red notebook lying on it.

Flipping through the pages of the notebook, I could see hurried scribblings accounting for someone\'s daily routine. I read through a few pages, and was convinced that it must belong to the Queen. But, what was it doing here, in this dusty forlorn room?

The diary contained a detailed account of the Queen\'s day to day life, and also the kind of magic she performed. It showed her interests, her opinions, her hobbies and often her criticisms too. This, I realised, was a highly personal diary... and maybe I could find something about the Queen\'s secret here. I continued flipping through the pages, looking for something relevant.

A piece of paper fell off the diary, a crinkled old thing and being curious, I picked it up. The paper was cramped with writing, and I squinted my eyes trying to read the letters.

God! It speaks of Dark Magic!

I felt a unknown surge of energy, as I read through the paper. It described the magic performed to capture a soul and trap it in a ruby. The very similar kind that has been performed on Magnus!

"Only the blood of perpetrator

Can mend a broken soul

Fix those disjoined fragments

To make a person whole."

This poem seemed of particular interest to me, as it mentioned a way to reverse the magic. I think, I might have found a way to rescue Magnus! The more I read, the more convinced I was that it must be the only way. But, the stakes….they are even more dangerous than I had thought. Managing to suppress a shudder, I surreptitiously pocketed the piece of paper and sneaked out of the room.

"Hey! You are here!" A familiar voice sounded just as I had closed the door. I turned urgently to find Cassadrei standing before me, crossing her arms across her chest and looking at me accusingly.