A secret Army

Blue's Pov;

"Why... why is this empty? Not even a single gold or silver coin? This, it can't be right." Rose mumbled, walking around the big store room crazily. She just can't believe that the lords she trusted so much are actually snakes in disguise.

"I guess the lords have been busy filling up their pockets," Wilder voiced, standing right beside me.

"I guess so." I nodded in agreement, "but what I do not understand, is why they need to fill up their pockets with such an amount of money."

"The tax ledger had so much money recorded on it, enough to be distributed among thousands if not millions of men." Sarah chipped in.

What she said gave me an instant idea... one that was still forming up a little in my head.

But first...

I turned to stare at the accountant, but he wasn't in the room, neither was he anywhere to be found. When did he leave?

"What is it?" Wilder asked.

"The accountant, he is gone." I pointed out, walking out of the treasury room, but I still couldn't find the accountant.

"He definitely hasn't gotten far. I will be back." Wilder informed me, then super sped away without giving me a chance to respond.

In no time, he was back with his fingers latched onto the accountant's clothes, and then he shoved the man to the ground before my feet.

"Please forgive me, your majesty." The man cried out, crawling over to my legs with haste.

I moved back, "don't you dare touch me with your filthy hands!" I growled.

"Please, please spare me, please spare me. No, no, no I deserve to die, I deserve.. I deserve to die." He stuttered, lying flat on the ground.

"Then I shall grant you death," Wilder remarked. He grabbed the man by the neck and was about to hurl him across the treasury room, when the man yelled.

"THE LORDS!! THEY MADE ME DO IT!!" He screamed at the top of his lungs, and so Wilder released him, shoving him to the ground once more.

"Where is all the treasure, the money, gold, diamonds, silver... where is everything?" I asked him, crossing my hands on my chest.

"I... I... I don't know. They never told me." He stammered, beads of sweat forming at the top of his head.

"You want me to believe that you are not an accomplice, is that it?"

"Yes... yes... yes, your majesty. I was only told to record, I... I... have no idea of the location of the treasure or anything pertaining to it." The man's words were rushed as he pleaded for his life.

"Do you believe he is saying the truth? Or do you want me to torture him?" Wilder asked, staring at the man with distrust.

"For now... yes." I replied Wilder, crouching down in front of the accountant. "But, if his tongue is at least precious to him, he will divulge a useful piece of information by the time we are done inspecting the food storage."

I stared straight into the man's eyes with great intensity, then stood up on my feet. "Take us to the food storage."

"Yes, yes your highness." The man scurried up to his feet, and with the man walking in front of us, we all exited the storage room, and we arrived at the food storage, which wasn't so far from the treasury.

"For ninety percent tax, the food storage is a bit disappointing." I let out. There really isn't much food in the storage, but it's just enough to feed the king and the workers in the palace.

"I agree. I had always wanted to come in here, to see the amount of food stored in here but, Mr Atticus would never let me in." Rose mumbled, glaring at the accountant who I believe is known as-- Mr Atticus.

"Staring at it for long won't change the contents of the store room," Wilder pointed out.

And I nodded in reply. We all exited the storage room, and then I turned to stare at Mr Atticus, my hands enveloped in my flames. "So tell me Mr Atticus, do you really need your tongue to speak?"

"Uhm, plea..."

"Burn his tongue, Blue. He doesn't have anything for you," Wilder remarked.

"No.. wait. I.. I have something."

"Then out with it!" I uttered, impatiently.

"There's a rumor going about... that... that the lords are forming up an army. I have no idea if this is true, but that's all I have, your highness. Please, spare my tongue."

"An army." I repeated, thinking deeply of his words. Earlier in the treasure room, I had suspected that the lords needed the ninety percent tax for something big, and an army... is definitely something big if not bigger.

"But that can't be possible. What would they need an army for?" Rose asked no one in particular.

"Maybe to dethrone the king," Sarah expressed.

"Makes a lot of sense, they would do anything to get me off the throne." Wilder discerned.

"And anything, includes- growing a large army in secret!" I exclaimed, with a lot of conviction for the unverified rumors. "Now, how do we find a large army in hiding?"

"Leave it to me." Wilder voiced, and without a moment of delay he disappeared.

"So.. I'm guessing he went to look for the secret army, right?" Sarah asked out loud.

"Yeah. I guess." I nodded in reply.

"So what do we do now?" Rosemary asked.

"We wait. And for the main time... GUARDS!!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, and in a few seconds about four guards rushed into the storage room.

"Take him away, and lock him up. He is guilty of deceiving the king, and so... he won't see the sunlight till the day he dies." With my order received by the guards, they bowed their heads, then grabbed a pleading Mr Atticus and dragged him away.

Sarah, Rosemary and I... waited patiently for Wilder to return. And about an hour later, Wilder appeared back before me.

With an inquisitive mind, I asked him... "So, is there really an army or is it just nothing but groundless rumors?"

Wilder closed the gap between us, his breath intensified. "What punishment would you love to bestow on the Lords, My queen?"

"What?"

"I found them, Blue." A grin spread across his lips, as he gazed into my eyes with victory. "The army, I found them."