"What has her sacred greatness suggested, Mr. Garrick?" One of the villagers asked him with a concern looking over his little son lying on the hay with fever.

Knox thought for a moment and decided to concoct a story about the witch's demand. He needs the gullible villager's help in fulfilling the demand. He need to make sure that villagers are playing to his tune like always. That was how it should be to fulfill his desire to be the law of the town and he did everything he could and will do it further in the future too.

"Her sacred Greatness is angry with us. When she asked me to talk in private, she told me how disappointed she is with us." Knox feigned a defeated sigh while his eyes were as sly as always observing the villager's facial expressions.

The villagers got distraught with the news of angering the sacred witch. They didn't know what they did to make her angry. They did everything that she asked to then what might have angered the sacred witch to refuse to help them.

Villagers are the blind believers of the witch and according to them; she is the only God they knew of. "Why? What happened, Mr. Garrick? Why is she enraged by us?" A lady cried out in desperation as she held her little girl in her arms who was shivering and coughing. The little girl was one of the victims of the new sort of flu came along the storms.

The flu has already taken away eleven adults and six children and the town do not want to lose any of its people.

"She was enraged because we only approach her when in trouble and does not offer service when everything was alright." Knox put in the words carefully with a hit of guilt feigning in it. Everything is going how he wanted to; now he just need to make the villagers guilty for the sins that they did not do.

"Oh heavens, may you forgive us sins. We fell short in taking care of the sacred seraph you have bestowed upon us. We committed the most sinful act of defying your gift to us." A lady exclaimed.

Knox just shook his head in utter shame and looked over to the villagers to see if they have completely fallen into the blame or not. He immediately felt glad when the villagers were talking about how selfish they were.

"What do we do now, papa. We are ready to anything to calm the sacred witch." Blythe, Knox's daughter asked. Knox hid his vicious smile from the prying eyes and looked objectively towards his daughter.

"It is time we stop being selfish and appoint few young men entirely for her sacred greatness service. We ought to apologize her with great services." All the villagers fell in a complete silence.

They could not comprehend what to say. They are ready to serve the sacred witch with all their hearts and sincerity but allowing their young sons or brothers for the service forever is not what they are ready for. After all their family and friends are precious to them.

"I do not expect any of you to sacrifice your families but we do need few men. So I have a suggestion." Knox stealthily stated. The villagers were attentive when the town head said that. "I suggest we bring orphan men from the adjacent town. It would be an easy task to bring them here without anyone noticing but I need your assistance in doing so."

"Yes we would do that."

"That was an amazing idea."

"Those orphans need some good deed to clean away their sins and have parents at least in their next birth."

"Oh, yes. We should give the orphan to opportunity to be serve the great witch."

The villagers blabbered in excitement together. They were happy that it was not their family and they are alright to sacrifice anyone as long as it was not one of them.

Knox smirked at the foolish lot and turned towards his daughter giving her an evil smile which she returned.

"We have them in our grip, papa. Soon enough your word will be the decree in the town."Blythe whispered devilishly away from any prying ears.

"No dear daughter. Not so soon. We are just few steps away from being the town's royal but we are far far away from being the Lord of the whole region. I want to pass on to you a throne of being the highest Lady of the region." The father smiled determinedly at the daughter. He would trick, cheat or even kill to get what he wanted.

"About that, Papa, I got a chance to see the new young Lord of our region and- " Blythe trailed our in a girly sophisticated shy and looked at the ground.

"But he was known to be a shadow and it was said one should be very lucky to see him in person then how did you?" Knox was both confused and excited looking at his daughter getting bashful at the mere name of the young Lord. He was thrilled to know about the young unknown and unseen Lord who was known to prefer a secretive life.

"Few days ago I saw a man was going uphill along with few other large men. I was not much invested in them but the man who was walking in the front of everyone wore a large black cloak and has a cane of gold and diamonds. But then I had to look at his face and he looked so royal and striking. So I walked towards the last walking servant in the troupe and asked who he was." Blythe explained in detail looking enthralled by the man. She had a big grin on her face and her face has many cunning curves which suggest sin.

"And he was the Lord?" Knox asked again to validate what his daughter was saying.

He was getting thrilled to see how the lucky stars are being on his side and acting together to get him to his goal. The levers of his brain started working and he looked towards his daughter with sly smile.

"Yes papa, he was so attractive. He was so tall and burly and so powerful. The way he strode, the way he ordered his servants the way he covered his dark look in his eyes with cloak, he looked like the very characterization of power." Blythe spoke with utmost fanciness towards the young lord. Anyone could see how she was fantasizing her in the future while she was describing the Lord.

"You want him." Knox stated confidently clearly understanding her daughters feeling and wishes. She feels for him romantically and wishes to rule aside by him. Knox did not except the events turning out to be advantageous for him. Everything was working out favorable to him coincidentally and he was glad to see the bigger picture of future clearly now.

All he must do now was to send a troupe eight men to the witch's mercy and work on stopping the calamities. But along side that he should also strategize how to trap the Lord. When his daughter becomes the Lady of the whole northern region, he would be the highest aristocrat in the whole area.

Everything was going just as he wished!

"You have made me so happy, my daughter. I would leave it to your sources how you would ensnare the Lord into a marital bond. The day you would successfully be the wife of the Lord will be the day you make me proud of you. Get the Lord, dear daughter." Knox encouraged his daughter playing his vicious games from all the sides.

"But Papa how could reach him?" His daughter's innocent question only made him smile in affection towards her. He blinked his eyes in reassurance and told her that he would help her with everything he has to bewitch the Lord.

One step at a time... One cautious step at time and he would reach his destination. Just few more sleepless nights and he would have the most peaceful night in the arms of luxury.