Page 39 of A Monarch's Fall

Arvid led me to the side of the building where two small, two-seater, green-coloured carts sat waiting. He pulled a key from his pocket and swung it on the little keychain.

“Get in,” he commanded as he took the driver’s seat.

“There are no belts,” I commented as I sat in the passenger seat. There were no doors and no roof either. It was really just seats, a steering wheel, and a small storage space at the back, all on four wheels.

Arvid laughed.

“Nope, no belts. Not necessary, these things don’t go fast. We modified them to nearly double their top speed but even then, they are dismal,” he told me. “Most around here wouldn’t bat an eyelid at being thrown from one of these at its top speed. Still, it’s quicker than walking, no one wants to run everywhere, or be constantly shifting,” he shrugged, “they make sense.”

He turned the key, and the engine whined to a start.

“Go and stop, no gears on this bad boy,” he told me as he pulled a lever and drove away from the building to the gravel road.

“They’re for anyone to use?” I asked.

“Not quite. A universal key system makes it easy to distribute keys to trusted individuals. Each officer, captain and team lead is issued a key. Normal recruits and privates are not issued a key,” he explained.

“And what’s your rank around here?” I asked him.

“I don’t have a specific ranking or designation,” he turned to smile handsomely, the kind of smile I had become accustomed to seeing from high-born noblemen, it made me feel uneasy. It was the smile someone with too much arrogance and unearned confidence in themselves gave. “Still, I suppose if I had a title,it would be somewhat equivalent to a high-ranking general. I’m not officially part of The New Foundation, but I am the main financier. I write the cheques.”

“And it’s hard to say no to the person funding all this,” I said and waved at the multiple buildings we passed.

“Something like that,” he smiled, far too pleased with himself.

It must have cost a lot to set up everything; it must have taken a long time, too.

“How long did it take to do all this?” I asked.

“Full of questions,” he commented.

“Wouldn’t you be?” I countered.

He shrugged.

“If I were in your position, I’d recognise my power,” he answered and chuckled condescendingly. “The New Foundation has been around for decades, before you or I were ever even a dream of our mothers. But all this,” he waved similarly as I had to all that we passed, “this is my creation, so to speak. It’s taken nearly three years to build this all up.”

He turned down a new gravel road that led into the surrounding forest.

“Where are we going?” I asked.

“The Witching Division building,” he answered. “It was once an old mansion during my grandparents' time. It was a wreck to begin with. But the building was there, the forest having grown around it. So, we refurbished it. You lot desire privacy, even from your own troops.”

“My lot?” I asked.

“Witches in general. You keep to your own, even when begging for the help of other Houses,” he explained.

“Halvorsen's charm didn’t miss you, did it?” I asked quietly. He was as rude as Oskar had been.

His laughter was loud, and he veered off the gravel path and swerved back on track.

“I really do like you, Percy. No one but a true outskirter would speak to me like that,” he said, smiling widely. “It’s refreshing, and coming from one like you, quite attractive. If Oskar wasn’t so disgusted by the female species, he could have had himself quite the thrupple.”

“Thrupple?” I asked.

Arvid turned to look at me and grinned. “How have you remained so innocent?” he asked, before answering, “It means a three-person relationship.”

I gagged.