Philo sat behind the desk in his study and drummed his finger against the wooden surface. He knew something was happening. He had heard whispers of magical folk getting ready to travel. None of his soldiers had come back from Clarton, and it had been over two days. He had sent a message to Viceroy Clay, but Philo had received no response.

Philo knew Gryphon was behind it all. He knew she somehow found out about Clarton. She must have gone to the village and stopped the invasion. He knew she was getting ready to strike, and he had to be ready. They had pulled in a few new recruits lately to his army from the fourth and third rings of the city, and a few villages, but the new magic users weren’t fully trained. Besides being more bodies, there wasn’t much they could do. He supposed he would give them spears, swords, or bows and arrows and let them fight. All that really mattered was Philo getting his hands on Gryphon. If he could kill her and take her right to rule, it didn’t matter how many soldiers he lost. He could make more later.

Philo stopped drumming his fingers and put his hand to his head. He had a lingering headache the past week. No matter how much he rested, or what potions he took, it would not go away. Philo closed his eyes and shook his head. He needed to be ready as he knew the time was coming. He needed to have everything set to keep the city and capture Gryphon. He had written letters to all the Viceroys tell them he wanted them in the city as soon as possible. They were to come brining any forces they had in their lands. They would all be expected to fight for their kingdom.

Helmer had said he was coming today. He said the potion was ready that would increase Philo’s magical power. Helmer still seemed unsure about the potion, but Philo didn’t care about Helmer’s uncertainties. Philo needed the potion to do what must be done. If he was going to take Gryphon and sacrifice her, he would need a way around her protector.

Philo wanted to be done with it all. He wanted to take the right to rule and become king of the kingdom. He wanted to rid the kingdom of Gryphon’s friends. He wanted to show the magical community that he was their ruler and had all the power. He wanted to start working on toughing up Marcus and making him see what needed to be done.

Philo sat silently and thought of Gryphon. He wondered how successful she had been gathering forces. He hadn’t heard much, and he wasn’t sure how many she had convinced she was worth fighting for. Philo wondered how anyone could look at her and think she was fit to be a queen. She was pretty enough, he supposed. She was intelligent and could be charming, but she was also known to be impulsive and hard-headed. Above all, she was weak. She could never make the hard choices it would take to really rule a kingdom. She was too prone to mercy. Her heart was too tender.

Philo would stop that tender heart soon. He would plunge a knife into it and complete the sacrifice to take her right to rule. He smiled a little thinking of the satisfaction he would get watching Gryphon die. She was the last of the Keene’s. It could all be done so neatly. With one plunge of a knife, Philo could kill the queen, destroy the Keen’s, and become the rightful ruler of Regventus. The thought of doing it, put Philo in a very good mood.

There was a knock at the door. Philo hoped it was Helmer, so he raised his hand and the door opened. Instead of Helmer, Cassia walked into the room. She moved gracefully towards Philo, and he automatically stood up, walking forward to meet her.

“Hello, Philo,” said Cassia as Philo stopped to stand in front of her.

“Good Afternoon, Cassia. Can I help you with something?”

“I wanted to let you know that my daughter will not respond to my messages. I’m not sure she is even getting them. Hector or Malchom may be monitoring her letters.”

“Do not worry, Cassia. I believe it will not be long before you see your daughter again. From what I am hearing, Gryphon will try to take Aurumist soon. It will not be long before I am able to take what I need. Once I am truly the king, your daughter will come willingly to the palace to be with Marcus.”

“You seem confident you can win.”

“I am very confident, Cassia. I have everything planned perfectly.”

“What are you plans, Philo?” asked Cassia leaning in.

Philo smiled. “You don’t need to know. You should just trust that they will benefit you and your daughter.”

“Maybe if you told me, what you had planned, I could help you,” said Cassia. She reached up and picked a bit of lint from Philo shirt. She let her hand linger on his chest.

Philo smiled down at her. “You can help me by continuing to keep Marcus compliant. If his old friends are coming to Aurumist, he may feel compelled to join them somehow.”

“Will Marcus stay in the palace with Cecilia during the battle?” asked Cassia. She looked up at Philo and flashed her eyes.

“No, he will be at my side. I have a task I must do, and I want him to watch. I need him to see following the false queen was a mistake. I want him there when I take the right to rule,” answered Philo. He put his hands on Cassia’s arms rubbing them lightly.

“Then let me be with you as well. I can help with Marcus. I want to be there when you take your right to rule. It will affect my daughter after all.”

“You are not afraid of being in the battle?” asked Philo

“No, I rather look forward to it. There are so many emotions and tempers running high during a fight, and I feed off of them. Let me be with you when you are victorious, Philo. I think you will find you will be glad I am close after the euphoria of getting everything you want hits you.”

Philo leaned down. “I believe you are right, Cassia.”

He kissed Cassia as she pressed herself against Philo. Philo turned her around still kissing her and guided her over to his large desk. He laid her down against it and kissed her while running his hand under her skirt. She responded by grabbing Philo and pulling him on top of her. A knock at the door caused Philo to pull back. He straightened up and composed himself, while Cassia stood up and adjusted her skirt.

“Would you like me to leave?” asked Cassia.

“No, you wanted to know my plans, and Helmer is here to complete the first part. Stay and see what happens, then we can pick up where we left off,” answered Philo. He grabbed Cassia and kissed her one last time before raising his hand and opening the door.

Helmer walked in as Cassia sat down in one of the chairs in front of the desk as Philo walked over to stand behind the desk. Helmer looked down at Cassia and then up at Philo. He was holding a long vial of elixir.

“Am I interrupted something? I could come back later,” said Helmer.

“No, have a seat Helmer. Cassia is here to know more of my plan. She plans to join us when we take the right to rule form Gryphon.”

Helmer nodded and sat down in the chair next to Cassia.

“So, you have done it? You have made the elixir?” asked Philo.

“I have. It is right here in the vial. Before you take it, I want to again mention the risk. It can cause insanity. Your power will be increased by a large amount, but it can also mess with your mind. You will need to be aware of your mental state at all times.”

Philo smiled. “I am not afraid. I believe my mind is very strong. I know what I want, and I know how to do it. The potion is necessary to complete my plans. If I am to take Gryphon from her protector, I will need to be very powerful.”

“Just be careful, Philo,” said Helmer. “You will need to watch your temper and think about each decision you make. This could also make you impulsive.”

“I don’t want to stall any longer. Give me the vial, Helmer, and I will drink it now,” said Philo.

“If you are sure, I will give it to you,” said Helmer.

“I am sure, Helmer. Now hand me the vial,” said Philo with irritation.

Helmer handed Philo the long vial. Philo took off the top carefully and smelled the elixir. It smelled of dirt and bitter herbs. He looked at Helmer who looked somewhat fearful. Philo looked down at the elixir and took a breath. There was no need to stall as he had to do this. If he wanted to rule the kingdom, he needed the power found in this small vial. Philo nodded to himself and then drank every drop of the liquid in the vial.

The liquid was cold at first. It ran through him, making him feel that his blood had turned to ice. He shivered as it filled every part of his body. Then as if a switch had been thrown, his blood felt like it was on fire as it ran through him. He thought it must have been burning him from the inside out. Philo leaned on the desk as the fire consumed the inside of him. It seemed as if it would last forever, but eventually the burning faded away.

Philo stood up and flexed his fingers. He could almost see magic oozing out of them. He looked at Cassia and Helmer, breathing hard.

“Philo, are you alright?” asked Cassia.

Philo smiled as he held out his hand and the fire in the fireplace roared. He snapped his fingers and all the books in the bookcase flew across the room. He raised one finger and the desk in front of him flew into the air. He dropped his finger and it landed just where it was. Everything was so easy. He could do anything he wanted with just a single thought. He stared at a cup across the room. It flew to him without him lifting a hand.

“Well, Philo, are you satisfied?” asked Helmer.

Philo smirked. “I am very satisfied with the elixir, Helmer, but you need to leave now. Cassia and I have an appointment and I think it must take place at this very moment.”

Helmer looked at Cassia who was staring at Philo with wide eyes before he looked at Philo and nodded.

“I will be going. If you need anything from me, you know where to find me,” said Helmer. He quickly stood up and left the room.

Philo walked from around the desk and raised a finger. Cassia hopped up out of her chair. Philo curled his finger, and she flew into his arms as he smiled at her.

“Are you satisfied with the first part of my plan, Cassia?” asked Philo.

“It is promising,” said Cassia putting her arms around Philo. “But I think I will have to see a bit more to tell you how satisfied I really am.”

Philo smiled slightly before kissing her.