The Harvest of Souls

CHAPTER 6

Charlotte observed the brightness of the city. In the last ten years, a technological and energy revolution made possible the almost unrestricted use of electricity. It allowed each building to emit its light and illuminate the city even at night, making the capital's skyline even more beautiful. Still, it caused an annoying problem for the many birds that ultimately lost the distinction between night and day, resulting in a new nickname for Arkadia: the city where the birds always sing.

After carefully reading all the words on the device's screen, Charlotte gave a grim smile. Her wrinkles intensified. Her white skin gleamed in the pale light of the device, the eyes that were once intense blue were now faded, she pulled back into a long braid her hair that blended into white and blond. The queen wore a gray dress in a shade that almost matched her skin, ignoring the chill of the night.

'Years since a murder, is something going on?' Charlotte thought. Earlier, Fernanda, her private secretary, the person who knew the most about Charlotte's secrets, had delivered the message that had come from Richard. Fernanda knew about the sovereign's unusual hours, so bothering her in the middle of the night wasn't strange. The information on the screen was simple: two missing people, both public agents. Charlotte pulled out a small rectangle made of glass from a discreet pocket in her dress. She raised her MC to her eye level and then said:

"Fernanda, I need you here on the Royal Balcony as soon as possible."

A few seconds later, the apartment door opened, and Fernanda crossed the small living room and bedroom towards the balcony.

"Good night, my queen," said Fernanda behind Charlotte, who enjoyed the bustling city in the distance.

Fernanda was one of two people who had free access to any part of the world; the other was Charlotte. She had already worked for Charlotte for forty years, and she won the sovereign's trust to the point of being the only one who could enter the Queen's room without an invitation. Fernanda was a mature woman with a serene, focused face, white skin, whiter than Charlotte's, shoulder-length straight black hair, and determined brown eyes. She wore a suit and a green skirt, her posture as decided as her eyes. It was impossible to tell if the Supersovereign first secretary was serious or smiling slightly due to a strange curve in her lips. This ambiguity had brought her to the post she had arrived at: people finally gave up on unveiling her face and ended up believing that she was with the expression that best suited the moment.

"Good night, Fernanda," Charlotte turned and faced Fernanda. "Prepare a small commission to go to Asturian Island with me right now."

"Yes," replied Fernanda. "Excuse me, Charlotte," she made a small curtsy, and at Charlotte's nod, she then turned her back on the queen and entered the royal room, walking through towards the exit door.

Fernand knew that this visit was unusual, they used to visit the Island on an annual basis, for the mere maintenance of Royal Diplomacy outlined by the advisers of Richard and Charlotte, but which always encountered inconveniences on the part of the two heads of state, who always got in the way of any negotiation.

Fernanda thought the attitudes of Charlotte and Richard towards each other were pure childishness and family competition, for several times the two were unable to put aside their personal problems to resolve any diplomatic decision, which made Asturias a kingdom to have lesser relations with Arkadia and to be the greatest critic of Arkadia's super-sovereignty over the whole world. Something that intrigued Charlotte's secretary was why the Supersovereign Queen did not cover all of Asturias with the dark stain that in the past, she had used on much of the Ancient World that had rebelled against the total control of Arkadia.

Three and a half decades ago, the so-called League of Detracting Powers, composed of the oldest and most traditional kingdoms the world has ever known, raised a protest against all the control of Arkadia and the subservience of sovereignties to a World Government. The world ended up going to war, and eventually, many of the smaller kingdoms ended up supporting Arkadia out of fear of reprisal. After both sides developed more powerful weapons, Arkadia finally rediscovered the use of a simple one. The weapon used in large proportions could be highly harmful was unlike chemical, biological or nuclear weapons. Arkadia would be able to precisely delimit its effects.