A week later, a messenger from the capital arrived at Border Town. He was a tall man with a serious face, wearing the uniform of the royal guard.
"I have a message from the king," the messenger said to Roland, as he handed him a sealed letter.
Roland opened the letter and read it. His face grew dark as he read.
"What does it say, my lord?" asked Barrow, his chief advisor.
Roland handed the letter to Barrow. "My father wants me to return to the capital immediately," he said. "He is not pleased with my actions."
Barrow read the letter, his face growing dark. "This is a trap, my lord," he said. "If you return to the capital, the king will arrest you. He will hand you over to the Church."
Roland nodded. "I know. But I cannot ignore my father's command."
"You must not return, my lord," said Carter. "The people of Border Town need you. The sorceresses need you."
Roland thought for a moment. "I will send a reply to my father," he said. "I will tell him I cannot return. I will tell him I have work to do here."
He sat down at his desk and wrote a reply to his father.
"Dear Father," he wrote. "I cannot return to the capital. I have work to do here in Border Town. I am protecting the people of this town, and I am protecting the sorceresses who have come to me for help. I know you do not approve of my actions, but I believe I am doing what is right. I will not abandon the people of Border Town. I will not abandon the sorceresses."
He signed the letter and handed it to the messenger.
"Give this to my father," Roland said.
The messenger nodded, then turned to leave.
"Wait," Roland said. "Tell my father that I will not back down. Tell him that I will fight for what is right, no matter what the cost."
The messenger nodded, then left the castle.
Roland knew he had made an enemy of his father, but he had no choice. He had to protect the people of Border Town, and he had to protect the sorceresses.
Over the next few weeks, Roland worked tirelessly to prepare for the Church's next attack. He built more fortifications around the town, trained his soldiers harder, and began to develop new weapons using magic.
Anna and the other sorceresses created powerful defensive spells, while Roland worked on strategies to defeat the Church.
"We need to build a better defense," Roland said to his advisors one day. "The Church is going to use a magical cannon to break through our walls. We need to find a way to stop it."
Nightingale nodded. "I can create a barrier of magic to protect the walls," she said. "But I need other sorceresses to help me."
Roland smiled. "Good. You will have all the help you need."
He turned to look at the map of the kingdom on the wall. He knew the Church would attack soon, but he was ready.
"We will win this war," Roland said. "We will build a better world."