You can organize the series by toggling the hashtag below: #Royalty Training Series
I will plan to publish the series in small increments once a week on Saturday morning 8.00 a.m. sharp

The Takers Arrive

From the shadows crawled tall figures with paper-thin limbs, wearing helmets shaped like blank receipts. Eyes glowing red like unpaid balances. The lead one unrolled a scroll that stretched to the horizon.

“Account: SAURAT OF MUSCALA,” the creature hissed.

“STREAM COUNT: 25.”

“THRESHOLD REQUIRED FOR ARTIST and COMPOSER PAYOUTS: 1000.”

They laughed and howled the more knowing that, in this case, Saurat was both the artist and composer of his song and he would get NOTHING.

The scroll crumbled into ash.

“CINDRELS OWED: ZERO.”

Caligo stepped forward bravely. “You vile ministers of Spottifar! The Cindrels have already formed- look! The numbers are clear!  You cannot deny the artist his rightful share!”

The Takers hissed in unison, like steam escaping a broken cauldron.

“BY THE DECREE OF LORD SPOTTIFAR THE WITHHOLDER,” they intoned,

“Any song falling short
shall see its earnings fed
to Spottifar’s Great Hoard,
nourishing only the colossal,
well-favored songs of the High Houses.”

A wicked law. A tilted scale. Arindhel (Saurat's father) despised it. So did Saurat.

“UNTIL THE THRESHOLD IS MET.”

Caligo and the Battle by the Green Pool

The Cindrel Pool turned pitch Green. The glowing numbers died like extinguished stars. Caligo gasped as dark water surged upward and wrapped around his quill hand, freezing it. 

“No—NO!” he shouted.
“I gathered the numbers fairly!
I followed the echoes!
I obeyed the laws of Muscala!”
“You obey the wrong laws,” a Taker sneered.

With a violent pull, the creatures dragged Caligo toward the base of the Tower. Saurat lunged forward and Celladonna’s arrows flew and found their mark but were no match for the hoard. Maelor was knocked unconscious by a second swarm of Takers.

A wall of spectral ledgers slammed down between them, one crushing Celladonna. 

“Master Saurat!” Caligo cried as he was hauled away.

“Find Sir Royal T! Warn him—the system is rigged against us!  Umalgroth’s hand is in this—

I SAW HIS MARK ON THE POOL—”

His voice vanished into the dark. The ledgers dissolved. The clearing fell silent except for the faint hum of vanished opportunities.

Saurat Stands Alone

Saurat stared into the empty Cindrel Pool— still rippling from the violence— knowing his twenty-five streams had vanished into Spottifar’s void.

And Caligo Thornscribe, apprentice of Sir Royal T, had been taken for daring to tally them. Brave Celladonna was injured but still alive. Maelor needed to be held back.

"Maelor! said Celladonna; Enough! We must re-group and come back to fight anther day!

 A cold determination tightened Saurat’s jaw. If Spottifar was merely the Withholder, then Umalgroth—the Grand Corrupter— was the one who built the trap. And now Saurat would have to seek the next realm of Muscala to search for other Cindrel but first, he must counsel with Sir Royal T. We must leave Spottifar for now but will return to re-visit this dark place again more prepared.

You can organize the series by toggling the hashtag below: #Royalty Training Series
I will plan to publish the series in small increments once a week on Saturday morning 8.00 a.m. sharp
note: Spotify really does impose a 1,000 stream threshold before they will grant any royalty to the creator and artist of the song.  The technical term for this is called sucking.