Ziu was slightly surprised by Dr. Tanaka's request. He nodded, took a sip of whiskey and said, "Right now he is busy with the Kingdom. When you are ready with all the preparations, I will call him." He played on the fact that his father was the King of the Serpents and that he wasn't just any person who would come to meet them anytime.

"Okay," replied the doctor and looked at his son. He knew that Niiya hated this whole idea. He picked his glass and left the room seeing Niiya's reluctance to answer his question.

​​

"So when are you going to call the meeting?" insisted Ziu.

"This is a bad idea Ziu," murmured Niiya. "This is going to lead to doom."

"You overthink a lot. Imagine a world where you humans don't have to deal with the waste. Everything is going to be dumped in the ocean."

"But that is scary. What about the fish we eat? It will poison them."

"No, it won't."

Niiya frowned as his gaze shifted to Ziu.

"We will create a perimeter on that side, so don't worry about it."

He walked back to the sofa. "Adrianna is not an enemy we can trifle with. She is a powerful witch. Her powers know no bounds."

A smile played on Ziu's lips. He turned the glass and held it against the light. The whiskey in it looked clear and refracted the beams falling inside. "Yes, that is why we will have to kill Adrianna."

The hair at the back of Niiya's neck rose. "Why can't we hold her captive?" He wanted to know all his options.

"Because as you just said – she is a powerful woman. There is no guarantee that if we capture her, she wouldn't escape."

"Once the Wizard Kingdom is in your control, she wouldn't be able to do anything if you are in power, Ziu."

Ziu emptied the contents of the glass and said, "Leave that to me Niiya. I know Adrianna. I watch her everyday. She is like a splinter under my skin. If I won't kill her, do you think she would spare me? That constant fear will affect me. You must eliminate the enemy while you can."

"I need more time to think." Niiya looked away. He hated Ziu. The fact that his father wasn't on his side was gnawing at his soul. His father's reasoning was affecting him.

Ziu got up angrily. His eyes became red. He spoke in a menacing voice, "I have given you enough time Niiya. I need your answer in a week's time. Remember you have given me your word. If you back out, I will ensure that you meet an excruciating end."

"You are in no position to threaten me. It will take exactly a day to wipe out the serpent kingdom with the help of human military equipment. So keep your threats to yourself," Niiya scorned. He pointed his chin to the door and said, "Now get out! I will tell you my answer in a week."

Ziu clenched his jaw and left.

---

Next day Isidorus went to Adrianna in the morning. She looked fresh and pretty as ever.

"That was the most horrible thing you did Isidorus." Adrianna was sitting on the sofa. She retorted the moment he entered.

"I am sorry my Queen." He bowed and sat opposite to her.

"Explain."

"I had heard that the spirits of the Mountains of Tibris demanded blood of the near and dear ones and that could be any person you were close to."

"But I wasn't as close to Kayla as I was to Grandfather. How did the wall disappear?"

He took a deep breath. "The spirits sense the emotion in the person who is sacrificing. When Ed sat there to be sacrificed, your misery was heightened. I needed that sentiment from you. Had I told you about my plan, your judgment would have marred. I doubt that if it had been Kayla, you might have just killed her without feeling twice. This way when you plunged the dagger in Kayla's heart, you felt disgusted at yourself."

Adrianna flinched remembering that moment. "So you switched the bodies?"

"Yes, I did that as soon as you reached that state."

"That was a gamble you played. It would have been possible that the spirits wouldn't have allowed me in."

"I agree, my Queen, but I need you to answer my question – was going to the Elder worth it? Because if it was worth it, then what I did is justified."

Adrianna pursed her lips. "Yes, it was worth it," she answered after a pause.

"Let us go to the court, my Queen."

Adrianna nodded. There was a lot she had to focus on now.

When the carriage reached the noble court, she saw from the corner of her eyes that Ziu had just entered. He was staring at her. She looked straight and walked to her throne.

As soon as she wore the crown, the first thing she did was to see the energy glowing around everyone's body. Everyone except Ziu was as usual. Ziu's energy showed glints of red and purple.

"Do you know what that means?" the Crown whispered. "Get your spies on him immediately."

"Yes."

Ministers presented their cases. She discussed them all in detail. When the Minister of Defense spoke, Adrianna interrupted him. "Have you repaired the wall that was breached by Vikra?"

"The work is going on my Queen."

"How long will it take?"

"Another month. There are a lot of spells that have to be reworked and we are doing our best to make it like before."

Her eyes drifted to Ziu. "I want you to take Ziu with you to work on that wall. With his help you will be able to complete the work within a week."

Ziu jumped in his seat. His eyes bulged at this sudden decision from the queen. He couldn't say no to her. He stuttered, "O- okay." He had to wriggle out of this situation. There was a lot of planning to be done.

Only a week and the Wizard Kingdom would be his. He knew Niiya would buckle.

When the court was adjourned and she came out, Haldir opened the carriage door for her. With his long white flowing in the cool breeze and jagged cheek bones, he looked epitome of beauty. He spoke in a low voice, "I would like to spy on Ziu."

"It is not necessary." She managed to keep her surprise contained. She was always impressed by his powers. "But we have to meet Rhys."