The Dragon Kings' Forbidden Witch

The servant girl who had somehow, impossibly, caught the attention of all three kings. The servant girl who had, without even trying, managed to make herself the center of the kings’ collective focus.

Isolde’s hands clenched even tighter.

It wasn’t enough that the kings ignored her. It wasn’t enough that Draeven had rejected her with the kind of cold indifference usually reserved for insects. But Morgana had to exist in this palace. Morgana had to be a constant reminder of her failure. Morgana had to be a presence that prevented Isolde from ever being seen.

It was intolerable.

It was unacceptable.

And it would end.

Isolde moved to her writing desk and sat there looking at the writing materials placed on the desk.

First, she needed her most trusted ally. First, she needed someone who understood strategy, who understood discretion, who understood that what she was about to do required absolute precision and unwavering loyalty.

She needed Marta.

Isolde rose from her desk and moved to the door of her chamber. She opened it and looked out into the corridor.

A servant was passing by....one of the palace maids.

”You,” Isolde said sharply. ”Find my personal maid, Marta. Tell her to come to my chambers immediately. Say it’s urgent.”

The servant girl curtsied quickly. ”Yes, my lady. Right away.”

She hurried off.

Isolde returned to her chambers and closed the door.

She paced.

Back and forth, back and forth, her mind working through possibilities, calculating angles, understanding what needed to happen.

Morgana had to be removed.

Not gently. Not with any mercy.

Permanently.

And Isolde would be the one to do it.

***

The knock came perhaps ten minutes later.

”Enter,” Isolde commanded.

The door opened, and Marta stepped inside.

Marta was a woman in her thirties, with dark hair beginning to silver at the temples and sharp, intelligent eyes that missed nothing. She had been with House Greythorne for over a decade, had come to the palace with Isolde as her personal maid, and was one of the few people in the world that Isolde actually trusted.

She was loyal in a way that was almost frightening in its totality.

”My lady,” Marta said, closing the door behind her. ”You summoned me?”

”Sit,” Isolde said.

Marta sat, her posture perfect, her hands folded in her lap, her expression neutral but attentive.

Isolde studied her maid for a long moment.

Then she began to speak.

”Tell me what you know about Morgana,” Isolde said.

Marta’s expression didn’t change. ”The servant girl from the stables, my lady?”

”Yes.”

”I know that she arrived at the palace approximately six weeks ago,” Marta said, her voice steady and measured. ”I know that she was initially placed as a serving girl in the palace proper but was demoted to the stables. I know that despite this demotion, the kings continue to show an unusual interest in her. I know that the noble daughters resent her. I know that the palace staff is divided in their opinions of her, some sympathetic, some hostile.”

”And what do you think of her?” Isolde asked.

Marta hesitated for just a fraction of a second.

”I think, my lady, that she is more significant than her position suggests.”

Isolde leaned forward. ”Why do you say that?”

”Because a king does not order daily reports on a servant girl unless that girl matters,” Marta said simply. ”Because the kings do not defend someone of insignificance. Because there is something about her that has captured their attention in a way that goes beyond the normal selection process.”

Isolde nodded slowly.

”She is a problem,” Isolde said flatly.

”Yes, my lady,” Marta agreed. ”She is.”

”And she needs to be removed.”

Marta’s eyes flickered with understanding.

”Permanently, my lady?”

”Permanently.”

Marta was quiet for a moment.

Then she said: ”That will require planning, my lady. It will require precision. It will require the cooperation of others.”

”I know,” Isolde said. ”That is why I am telling you first. That is why I need you to help me. Can you do this, Marta?”

Marta met her mistress’s eyes directly.

”Yes, my lady,” she said. ”I can.”

”There is a necklace,” Isolde said, rising and moving to a locked drawer in her wardrobe. She opened it with a key she wore around her neck and withdrew a small velvet pouch.

She handed it to Marta.

Marta opened it and her eyebrows rose slightly as she saw the delicate gold necklace with its single ruby.

”This is Lady Margot’s necklace,” Marta said quietly. It was not a question.

”Yes,” Isolde confirmed. ”The one reported stolen three days ago.”

”How did you acquire it, my lady?”

”Does it matter?” Isolde asked.

”No, my lady,” Marta said. ”It does not.”

Isolde returned to her seat and began to speak, laying out the plan in careful detail.

The necklace would be planted in Morgana’s trunk during Mistress Calla’s routine inspection of the servants’ quarters. Isolde knew Calla’s schedule...she conducted her inspections on specific days at specific times. It would be easy to time the planting perfectly.

Once the necklace was discovered, it would be reported. Morgana would be accused. And then, the final piece....witnesses would come forward to testify that they had seen Morgana acting suspiciously. That they had seen her near Lady Margot’s chambers. That they had witnessed her desperate behavior.

The evidence would be overwhelming. The accusation would be undeniable. And Morgana would be removed from the palace.

”Who will be your witnesses?” Marta asked, her mind clearly working through the logistics.

”The other noble daughters,” Isolde said. ”Vivienne. Seraphine. Celeste.”

”They will agree to this?” Marta asked, and there was a note of doubt in her voice.

”They will,” Isolde said with absolute confidence. ”Because I will make them understand that it is in their best interest. Because I will make them see that Morgana’s presence is an obstacle to all of us. Because I will show them that removing her benefits everyone.”

Marta nodded slowly.

”When do you plan to execute this, my lady?” she asked.

”Tomorrow,” Isolde said. ”I will call them to my chambers tonight. We will finalize the details. And tomorrow, the necklace will be planted. By the end of the day, Morgana will be arrested. Within days, she will be expelled from the palace.”