The eldest daughter of the Grand Duke of Tuscany is only six years old this year, and the Duke of Colonna will be an adult next year, the age difference between the two is a little bigger, but it is not yet unacceptable, but the official marriage must be at least until the woman is twelve years old - even twelve years old Louis feels a little too early, little Lucy is probably fine, but Anna is definitely not, once pregnant and born, the mortality rate of both mother and child is very high, he said that Elizabeth will not be allowed to marry in Sweden until she is twenty years old, but he is not casual to say.

The small portrait of Anna of Tuscany, which had been placed in the Duke's room for only one night, was removed from the frame, rolled up and quietly sent to the Bastille, where the peculiar and distinguished prisoner of the Bastille looked at it in silence for a long time, but did not speak, did not cry or laugh, and Varro Vesalius quietly accompanied "him" outside the door One night, he returned to the Palace of Versailles, and there was one thing he never told Marie, that is, the king had decided that the Duke of Colonna would personally recruit Gayola on the first day of his adulthood.

The rebellion on Gayola had been going on for some time, and the rebels were fierce and cruel, and the wizards who dared to resist were all used as the cornerstones of the city walls, and the wizards who immediately submitted to them, or simply did their work, were forced to wear magic collars and shackles, and work for them as if they were slaves.

The castle they are besieging now does not belong to Mancini, but a "beehive" built by the wizards of Gayola to preserve books, treasures, and magical instruments, because from the very beginning, they have prepared this fortress as a last resort, and the tens of thousands of wizards who retreat can hold on to it for at least ten years, so it is not difficult for a few hundred people to hold on to it— Although they could be said to be caught off guard when they were attacked at night, the wizards of the six major families reacted so quickly that they didn't even think about whether it was a riot of magical creatures or something else, and with a wave of their wands, they destroyed the narrow path that connected Mancini Castle to the mountain peak.

Wizards don't come and go entirely on their feet anyway.

They reacted correctly, wizards were able to use fire and water to get around, but this magic required great magic and precision, and it was dangerous to be interrupted in the middle of the spell, which could leave a mutilated or deformed limb - they could also ride broomsticks, pegases, and other flying mounts to the fortress, as well as magical creatures with wings that could fly high into the air, but the castle of Mancini had already been equipped with a giant crossbow.

These giant crossbows were built at the behest of Louis XIV and ordered by Marie Mancini to wizards, who were quite unimpressed at first, but the most trustworthy thing for wizards was magic, and the outer and inner walls of Mancini were inscribed here a thousand years ago, and the ancient and rigorous defensive circles were regularly maintained and inspected by wizards - these people probably did not think that all formations could be destroyed and modified.

With their incredible courage and wisdom, Madame Gagne destroyed the defenses of Mancini Castle, and the three families of Agnelli, Rocca and Gagne all thought that the magic in their bodies would make them powerful protectors of the castle if they faced the dripping beasts and knight statues of the castle, but they were wrong, and the first rebel wizards to rush to the castle were met with giant crossbow arrows like riding spears.

As soon as Agnelli closed his eyes, he could see the pale face of the head of the Roca family, no one knew when he was inserted into the team, after all, it was a night, and there was chaos everywhere, maybe it was because the boy was not convinced, his mount was originally a nightmare, although it was a little special in the team, but it was not uncommon, after pulling up the hood, everyone only paid attention to themselves, who would have thought that the head of a family would take the lead regardless of the danger.

No, it should be said that if there were no mortal weapons, he might not have died, too fast, those weapons that they ignored, as if death plucked the strings of the violin, and with a buzz, they watched Delon's magical creatures fall from their battle wizards, like fruits ripe to the extreme— The head of the Rocca family was even worn with another wizard and a giant owl, and he died before he could fall to the ground, the giant crossbow arrow as thick as Agnelli's wrist, which directly broke the boy's thoracic vertebrae, and he opened his eyes wide, as if he didn't believe that he was dead.

The first assault on the castle of Mancini did not produce the results they wanted, or, on the contrary, it was better at night, and when the sun rose and their wizards saw the black blood and hideous corpses all over the place, their hearts became weak - it is difficult to say what would have happened had it not been for Madame Gagne's quick decision, which not only killed the two wizards who tried to escape, but also ordered the ordinary wizards they had arrested before to be pushed to the castle and used them to consume the castle's crossbow arrows and magic.

It was only in the later siege battles that they realized why their ancestors built the last fortress of wizards in such a dangerous and steep place - for a thousand years, although there were still some skirmishes on Gayola Island, wizards and wizards, wizards and priests, wizards and werewolves, wizards and vampires, but these "wars" often only involved two or three families, the size of hundreds of people, and even in the last hundred years, if they want to go to war, they will agree on one place, there are judges and spectators, and elegance and justice are emphasized.

This is the biggest mistake they have ever made, when Marie Mancini first took the position of the head of the Mancini family in a brutal and crazy manner, and then directly destroyed the family except Mancini one by one by divisive, bribed, threatened or directly challenged, they should realize that the power from the outer world has invaded the inner world in another form.

I just hope it's not too late.

Agnelli was lying back in his chair, resting briefly in a tired posture that his wizards must not see, when there was a knock on the door.

"Your Excellency Agnelli. It was Madame Gagne who walked in, she almost couldn't get out of the way when she destroyed the circle, and the enemy's potions hurt her throat, so much so that she now spoke a little distorted and hoarse: "We are running out of time," she said, "and we will take the fortress as soon as possible." ”

"It doesn't seem like you're bringing good news. Agnelli said, raising his palm and wiping his face, "Who did the King of France send?"

"Duke of Colonna. Madame Gagne said with a cold expression.

"Not Marie Mancini?" said Duke Agnelli, a little stunned.

"Nobody knows where she has gone," said Madame Gagne, "and I have made a prophecy to the prophet—he can only make sure that Marie Mancini's star is still bright." ”

"Do you think she's going to sneak in here and attack?" Agnelli stood up, grabbed the kettle on the table, and poured a large gulp of liquor into his mouth.

"Didn't we close the 'door,'" said Madame Gagne, "and she was outside." ”

At the mention of the key, Madame Gagne and Agnelli's faces became ugly, if nothing else, just because the key of the Roca parents could not be found on him, I don't know if someone stole it in the scuffle, or if the Roca parents gave it to someone else, of course, they also have the key in their hands, plus Delon and Dante, it is with these three keys that they not only blocked the island of Gayola with the decision made by the majority (thanks to the decision made by the Third Wizarding Council), but also ensured that Mancini could not enter even if he had the key.

But Roca's key disappeared after they imposed a blockade.

They didn't know if the key was hidden or given away, no, Agnelli immediately rejected the idea, it couldn't have been given away, how terrible the cornerstone was They couldn't have done it! Agnelli thought so and took two steps: "Where is the Duke of Colonna now?"

"Three days ago in Montpellier and yesterday in Marseille. Madame Gagne opened the letter sent by the agent and read it again and again, as if the letters would change by themselves if they were read too much.

"How fast, does he have an army with him?" asked Agnelli.

"With an army of wizards," said Madame Gagne, "it is said that they rest in carriages during the day and ride broomsticks or pegasus at night." ”

"What about the priests?" asked Agnelli, "have they all gone to sleep, and what about their vigilance?"

Madame Gagne's face showed a look of sarcasm: "The Grand Inquisitor of the Inquisition, Elelius, is a confidant of Louis XIV, and the Duke of Colonna is the firstborn of Louis XIV, what do you think?" she looked at Agnelli and snorted, and then said: "We must act, Agnelli, before they come here, we will take the castle of Mancini, and we will have the terms to negotiate with the king." ”

"How can a wizard's castle be of such value?" asked Agnelli.

"I don't know, but I think if His Majesty doesn't want to destroy this place completely. Madame Gagne looked around, "If he really wants this place, as the first territory he has ever acquired, he should negotiate with us." ”

"I, you, and Delon," Agnelli said, "and what other wizards can be transferred by fire and water?"

"There are six more in the Gagne family. Madame Gagne said, "Even I am seven." Agnelli's face showed a look of disappointment: "Only seven, Merlin, ma'am, I don't know if I should count you or not, there are twelve people in the Agnelli family, and if you connect me, what about Delon?

"I'm afraid I can't, the Delon family started by domesticating magical creatures, and few of their wizards are strong enough to cast this spell," said Madame Gagne, "We can only do our best, everyone." ”

"It seems to be true. Agnelli didn't say much, he went out and gathered the wizards of the Roca and Agnelli families, and when the wizards of the Delon and the Gagnelli family arrived, there were only about thirty wizards, and it was one thing to be able to successfully cast spells, and it was another thing to not be interrupted when the body was solidified.

With a wave of her wand, a sketchy drawing of the castle's interior opened in the air, and everyone struggled to remember: "I will fall here," said Madame Gagne, "Your Excellency Agnelli landed here," she kindled a fire on the virtual map, "Monsieur Delon, you are here, and you, you and you......" She made another gesture, and the flames flowed in all directions from the mass to the line, like melted wax oil," I can only give you an approximate location, but it doesn't matter, you don't need to know who is inside, there is not a single innocent person there, just remember that. ”

"What about when we get there?" asked one of the wizards, "Ma'am, should we go and help others?"

"Go all over again along the path you came, and don't let go of any suspicious places. Your Excellency?" she said to Agnelli.

The wizard behind Agnelli brought over several boxes, which contained the treasures of the Agnelli family for a thousand years, and now it was no time to regret it, and the wizards looked at each other and quickly armed themselves.

————

"Did you hear anything?" asked Vesalius.

"I can guess," said the Duke of Colonna, "do not forget, sir, that I too went to war with my father. ”

"Perhaps we can wait until they have captured Mancini Castle before entering Gayola. Vauban said that he had only been away from Holland for a short time, and that the king had intended him to rest in Versailles for a while, but the general—yes, he was a general now, and it was evident that mud and smoke were his favourite things—asked the king if he had any more to fight, and Louis hesitated for a while, and then boldly sent him to the Duke of Colonna.

First, because the Duke of Colonna has experienced real wars before, but he is only a bystander, and it is best to have a seasoned officer to guide him, and secondly, because he used many wizards and witches in the war of Flanders, for the upper officers such as Vaubana, Viscount Tyrenne and Marquis de Lois, the world is already a semi-open secret, and in the future, he will use Gayola Island as a base to launch an offensive against Naples, and then will he still let the wizards of Gayola Island go to war?

In any case, wizards are no match for mortals.

"I'm afraid not," said the Duke of Colonna, "sir, there are my soldiers in it, and like my father, I will not give up on those who are brave and strong." He smiled, "Although I know your intentions. ”

In addition to storming, a long siege is also a good way to take a fortress, especially on an island - if they start a battle before the other side captures the castle, then there will be losses, but if they wait until the other side enters the castle, then just wait - Vauban looked at the map, and the location of Mancini's castle did not affect the work he needed to complete later.

"Go open the door, Vesalius. Said the Duke of Colonna.