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Behind Every Hero, Chapter 2 part 2 (Mandrake)

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As I stated earlier... at this point, I was quite willing to give Prince Rupert the benefit of the doubt. It was very likely he wasn’t mean spirited as much as tragically misinformed.

However when I turned to share this bit of Zimnirian trivia with him, the prince began menacingly stroking the wispy whiskers covering his chin. “That’s a true shame my good man,” he said with slow menace, leering at my cousin. “The money was merely a formality… As royalty I could... insist on her company you know.”

Then again, maybe he was a little shit. My hand slowly reached for the drawstring pouch at my side. Raheel caught my motion and I saw her tense. “I would advise against that your lordship,” I said sternly. “I am well versed in dread powers and Raheel is protected by powerful spirits that could…”

The so called prince waved a hand disinterestedly. “Oh please… your ghost stories don’t frighten me.” He snapped his fingers and the four club wielding thugs that had blocked the alleyway lumbered forth. “Take her,” he commanded in an offhand way. “Oh, and then I want you to beat the wizard for his insolence.”

There was a pause as the thugs hesitated. “Um… Your highness? You want us to beat a wizard?” I forced my nervousness aside, smiled, and wiggled my fingers in what I hoped was a mystic ominous way.

The prince shook his head and sighed. “Do you honestly think I wouldn’t be a toad by now if he had any magic power left?” I hate people who think they're clever… especially when they are right.  The thugs looked at each other and then looked at me. They cautiously took a step forward. I swallowed. I didn’t think I had that much pepper dust on me.

You might be wondering at this juncture why I haven’t simply waved my magic wand and incinerated the whole lot of them. Let me be totally clear... although by this point in my tale I have not been sparse with the clues. While my stage name is the impressive sounding Mandrake the Magician master of Magical Arts... I am actually Kwisplam ad Kwisplamar… still a wizard mind you, just... well, not as impressive as I may have led my audience to believe up till now.

By the way, if you are interested, I am also available for town fairs, carnivals, weddings, soirees, and quaint local festivals. If your inquiry, however, is about children’s parties, I will tell you right now, I charge double the usual rates, and it will be cash up front.

I made that mistake once… never again.

The main reason I have not blasted my assailants into charcoal is that we wizards... well… we can’t do that sort of thing. Not instantly on command at least… Not without reloading wand number one with fire powder first… and even then it’s less of a blasting into charcoal and more of a setting fire to hair and charring of clothes.

I shifted my hand around to the various other rods I kept tucked in my sash. Wand number one was empty. Wand number two, while a source of particular pride for me, was also out of commision. I somehow doubted that my assailants would give me the time to hook up the copper wiring from the base of the wand to the treadle machine and then give Raheel ample time working the pedals, rotating the silk against the amber and building up enough of a static charge for a spark. Summoning the lightning from the wand was impressive, but too difficult to operate regularly. Or at least that’s what my academic advisor told me when I presented it to him as my final project proposal. That bastard shook his head and just casually tossed a year’s of research away and sent me back to the lab… but what really gets my goat was how he scraped all my research out of the trash and published it under his own name… winning the golden lamp and enough gold to fund his research for five years. I wasn’t even mentioned in the thank you section... That bastard.

Sorry about that. I’m still quite bitter. Anyway... wand number three was useless in a fight, unless your opponent was easily distracted by a cloud of glitter.

Which is why I reached for good old wand number four. I thumbed the release switch, and flicked my wrist. The two steel rods inside slid out the ends and clicked into place. I was now holding a metal bar a little less than a yard long.

I also heard Raheel snort. She is always asking me, “Why do you keep that thing? Wouldn’t a sword, or a staff or even those little knives your wizardly brothers are always tossing about be more impressive?” I keep telling her that a sword or staff would ruin the image I have created for myself, but she knows better than to believe me. She just snorts and rolls her eyes. Honestly, even so, you’d think she could just pretend to be more appreciative after all the trouble I’ve gone through on her behalf. Some people just can’t take danger seriously.

Anyway, those knives… I’m sure you’ve seen my mystic brothers put on a display with them. Hurling them at all sorts of moving and stationary targets and such. There’s nothing like a wizard for showing off… trust me I know. There are even some wizards who are deft enough to be able to throw a knife and split a feather at twenty paces.

While I was in school... the blades instructor banned me from his classroom, saying I was a menace to anyone standing too close to the targets, to the side of me personally,  behind me, or in the balcony above the target range. Knives and I do not get along.

“Alright Raheel, here is the plan,” I said quietly in Zimnirian. Waving wand number four in what I hoped was a threatening manner. “I’ll block the clubs with the wand, and use the powder where I can. If you see an opening, kick it!”

“It’s nice to see you still have some courage, cousin,” Raheel said eagerly. “And what shall we do about the men behind us?”

I slowly turned my head to discover that I had made one minor yet strategically significant error. I did not check the other end of the alley to see that the Prince Rupert had two thugs in reserve.

I swallowed loudly as they cautiously approached from both directions. “It’s a shame wizard,” the black prince said with a loud sniff. “During your little performance, I was briefly entertaining offering you a position at my court.” I wasn’t really listening. I had more important things to consider, like what was the most noble attempt I could do to threaten six men to keep their distance using nothing but a metal rod, a bagfull of chili powder and Raheel’s footwear.

“Shall I ask Llamalizar for aid?” Raheel asked me eagerly.

“No!” I insisted as quickly as I could. It wasn’t that I was jealous of her ability to do what the ignorant would call magic, it was just that the last thing I wanted was to invite the Goddess to meddle in our affairs. “We definitely do not require Llamalizar’s assistance. I’ll think of something!”

I didn’t have long to ponder. They charged. I managed to fling one handful of powder,  and luckily blocked a club with wand number four. I heard a sickening thump and one man uttered a high pitched squeal. Raheel found a open target. I wasn’t so fortunate with the next club, I took a glancing blow to the shoulder. I stumbled and struck back as I heard Raheel screech… and believe me when she screeches everyone hears it. I spun and saw her caught in a bear hug by one of our rearward attackers. I tried to head back to her, but a thug seized my arm.

As this third assailant was winding up, I had the briefest impression of a huge shape falling into the alley from the rooftop of the stable. The shadow landed with cat-like grace and there was the hiss of steel as a huge gleaming sword was pulled from a scabbard. The thugs quickly stumbled backwards. “Halt evildoers!” thundered a deep voice. “Stop this devilry at once or face the wrath of Kerrick the Bold!” I will admit, it was quite an impressive sight to see him standing there, muscles writhing like pythons under his skin. The air hummed as he swung his blade in a slow lazy arc.

There was a pause during which Raheel stared at the giant in wide eyed adoration, and everyone else looked up at him in stunned silence. I was the first to find the power of speech. “Excuse me… Did you just say ‘Halt evildoers’?” I asked suspiciously.

Raheel was next to recover. “My hero! Our prayers have been answered!” she exclaimed in a breathless voice.

A horrid realization began to dawn on me as the barbarian struck a stereotypical Hero’s pose. “Prayers? Prayers?!? Oh no… Raheel… tell me you didn’t!”

The barbarian ignored my blubbering. “Are you alright my lady?” he asked, eyeing both groups of thugs fore and aft.

She placed one hand one his bicep and leaned into him. “I am fine… now that you are here,” she purred. “I don’t know what my poor cousin and I would have done without you!”

It was that picturesque pose of theirs that convinced me… Right out of a harlequin romance. “Oh Gods… Raheel...Why? I thought we had settled on the usual plan of kicking everyone in the nadgers when they least expected it,” I whined in Zimniran.

“What did the wizard say?” asked the warrior with a look of honest confusion.

Raheel shot me a venomous look and dropped into a curtsey.  “He expressed his most heartfelt thanks for coming to our rescue.” Raheel smiled up at him. “And I would like to express my eternal thanks as well, my champion,” she rose and pressed herself tightly to Kerrick’s arm, an arm I may add which was probably as big around as my thigh.

It was at that moment I made a most  interesting discovery regarding our rescuer. A barbarian he may be, brawny he may be, but he was still young. How young you ask? Young enough to go into a complete fumbling tizzy when coming into direct contact with an attractive female’s ample bosom.

His sword slipped out of his fingers mid-menacing swing. It sailed through the air and fell to the ground with a clatter several yards away. There was a moment as everyone present stared at it awkwardly. “Sorry,” the barbarian mumbled and started to go to pick it up.

Unsurprisingly it was snatched up by the prince dressed all in black. “So Kerrick the Bold,” he said with a sneer, “once again, the advantage is mine!”

Kerrick's craggy face deepened into a frown. “Prince Rupert the Black,” he intoned heavily, “we meet again, my old nemesis.”

I rubbed my throbbing arm and looked back and forth between the pair of them “Oh Gods no… Not you too?” I looked at them in growing horror, the narrative tropes were beginning to pile up… a sure sign of the Goddess Llamalizar’s handiwork. “Please tell me this is some sort of acting, right? A rehearsal for a bit of theater? Word play between old friends? Or a joke maybe?”

“No joke wizard,” rumbled the barbarian with an impressive flair. “We are surrounded by the dastardly army of Prince Rupert the black, the most evil man in the seven duchies of Engeorne. We should gird ourselves for combat.”

Raheel gasped and dramatically put a hand to her forehead. “Oh! What ever shall we do? We are doomed!”

I gave her a pained look. “Six men is hardly dastardly army. Why are you encouraging this idiot? We should use the distraction he is providing to strategically withdraw!” I insisted in Zimnirian.

Of course Raheel ignored me. “We are doomed!” she repeated more emphatically.

“Doomed? Never my lady! Good shall always triumph over the forces of evil!” boomed Kerrick.

Gods, his posturing was getting worse by the second. “Funny... I always thought that the side having superior numbers, arms and better armor was most often the victor,” I said snidely. I tend to get sarcastic in the face of divine influence and overwhelming naivete… It’s a wizard thing.

Raheel shot me a sour look, and turned back to the barbarian. “I will gladly fight by your side, honorable Kerrick! Together I am confident we shall vanquish our common foe!”

“Nay, my lady… It is not done for one as lovely as yourself to sully one’s immortal soul in mortal combat. I pray that you stay behind me; your favor is all the armor I will need in this battle!” intoned the barbarian flexing his muscles mightily.

Raheel was practically aglow witnessing his display. “No my lord, I beg of you, let me fight by your side! For I am no harmless maid! In the course of my travels with the Wizard Mandrake I have learned the curse of the exploding genitals!”

There was a bit of consternation amongst the thugs at that declaration. They eyed their compatriot lying in the alley clutching his groin. There was a general shuffling away from Raheel.

I was having a bit of a conundrum at this exact moment… You see if Llamalizar had enough power to weave her typically cheesey narrative around us, then the Goddess definitely had enough power to ensure Raheel would be perfectly safe… However that little sword dropping moment of Kerrick’s… that was more appropriate for a bumbling sidekick… not the hero. Was Llamalizar weaving a story here or wasn’t she?

“You fools!” sneered Prince Rupert. “You outnumber Kerrick six to one! The wizard and the girl are no fighters! They have no magic! All she did was kick him in the unmentionables!” It took him two hands to lift Kerrick’s sword and wave it in our general direction. He didn’t see the shadow detach itself from the wall behind him. “I order you to kill that idiot and take the… urk!”

“I think you meant to say that you order your little group of wankers here to piss off… very slowly and with no sudden movements… isn’t that right Rupert?” hissed the young man who had been locked up in the cage with the barbarian. He held one of those huge barbed metal hooks that the Engeornians use for digging reluctant fish out of rivers across the Prince’s neck.

The princes eyes swiveled to look at his attacker. “Ah, Elsinore… How are you fairing? I see you couldn’t wait to put your hands on my royal… Eeek!” He stopped abruptly with a yelp as the young man twisted the hook sharply upwards.

“Shut it Rupert. And it’s Finn! You only get to call me Finn! You smarmy little prick!”

The Barbarian glanced down at Raheel with what I swear was an embarrassed look on his face. “You heard what my… what stalwart Finn just said,” he stammered out to the Prince’s ‘dastardly army’. “Lay down your weapons and no harm shall come to your lord!”

Again there was a general indecisiveness from the cluster of bruisers. The prince, who was still struggling against the hook managed to suck in a lungful of air. “You bumbling idiots!” Prince Rupert rasped. Attack them! Atta…”

“That wasn’t what I bloody said, you little shite… That wasn't what I bloody said at all!” growled Finn in a high tenor. He used the hook to hoist the prince up off his feet and dangled him in the air. “You always think you’re so special, don’t you Rupert? You always have to try to be so bloody smug… playing at being the big man, bossing everyone about!”

The thugs exchanged worried glances with themselves and surprisingly, with Kerrick. “Um… Finn?” said Kerrick slowly, trying to get his attention as the Prince’s face went from dark red to a purple.

“You always used to cry your little eyes out, you damn big baby!” snarled the rather angry young man. “Oh no Uncle, it wasn’t me that stole the pies… It was all Elsie and Kerrick! I had nothing to do with it!” he said in a rather good falsetto.

“Finn!” called the young barbarian again.

“And we just stood there and took the blame!” roared the young man. “Do you know why? ‘Cause you was family to us! And then, you slimy little goat turd, you had to go and…”

“Elsie!” shouted Kerrick the Bold at full volume. “Let him down! You’ll kill him!”

But Finn or Elsie, or whatever his name was, was beyond all reason by this point. “Good!” he snarled.

“Finn!” snapped another voice, this one with year’s of command behind it. “Put the Viscount down!”

Finn hesitated for just a second before letting his arms sag. “Nicely done,” said Lord Jamie stepping into the end of the alleyway. “Thank you Finn. Now if you would be so good, I would appreciated it if you would see to your brother and our guests for a moment… Apparently I need to have a quiet word with... the Prince.” Lord Jamie held the still gasping Rupert up with one hand and started to whisper in his ear. He had only said a few words before he noticed Fin still standing in the vicinity. “I’m quite sure I told you to go… Elsinore.”

Finn / Elsie / Elsinore shot Lord Jamie a guilty look, shoved her way past Rupert’s milling thugs and approached us. “Seven Hells Elsie,” Kerrick whispered in a low rumble. “You were going to kill him! Have you gone mad again?”

Fin spun and jabbed the giant in the chest with a finger. “I won’t have none of your bloody lip Kerrick! I’m not in the mood! Didn’t I tell you, no running off after scantily clad foreign women?”

“Sorry Elsie,” murmured Kerrick despondently.

“No I refuse!” screamed Rupert, causing us all to turn our heads. “I refuse to do anything of the sort until the pair of them are arrested… again!”

“He is… a troublesome little man is he not?” said Raheel conversationally, watching in earnest as Lord Jamie pulled on the prince’s ear and said something obviously harsh.

“The randy little leech thinks he’s irresistible to anything in a dress,” grumbled Finn. I have to admit I was watching this new arrival with some interest. He didn’t fit the mold of the typical youthful, wide eyed, hero / sidekick. He seemed more like a rogue, a cutthroat… there was a palpable edge of true danger about him, not the false airs that Prince Rupert was putting on. I began to build some hope that maybe Llamalizar wasn’t toying with us after all. And then, all that flew from my mind… Finn paused for a second before glaring at Raheel. “Speaking of which… Get your grubby little paws off of my brother… Gods only knows where you’ve been!”

Raheel’s face went cold and hard. “What did you just say?” I saw her foot twitch. “Are you trying to suggest that I am... tawdry?”

Finn’s nostrils flared. “Oh I’m sorry... was I not talking fancy enough for you? I’m not suggesting it… I’m saying you are actually a...”

“Hold!” I intoned in a wizardly fashion, stepping between them. I gave both Kerrick and Finn a short nod “Good sirs, you have my thanks for coming to our aid this fine day… but I’m afraid we must be going.” This was a mixed blessing. On the one hand, since these two didn’t seem to fit the profile from one of Lllamalizar’s tales, then there was an excellent chance that Raheel and I were still in control of our own destiny and had a good chance of being able to flee the fighting. On the other hand, if this wasn’t one of the Goddess’s ideas of a fun story, we were trapped in a castle with a bumbling barbarian, his psychotic sidekick, a royal villain out for our blood, and an army of bloodthirsty killers outside… with no divine protection to ensure our survival. They don’t teach you how to deal with a situation like this at the Academy. One thing was clear. Raheel and I needed to make our way to some quiet corner where we could plan in private.

“Kwisp!” Raheel said in protest as I grabbed for her hand.

“Raheel, listen to me!” I said in Zimnirian. “These two scoundrels are probably murderers, rapists, and thieves… we just saw them try to kill a prince! Who knows what…”

“Who’re you calling a murderer and a rapist you late night fornicator of goats!” shouted a voice behind me in heavily accented Zimnirian. I turned to see a very angry Finn swinging a very angry fist.

There was a sharp pain and blackness.

I awoke to a cool cloth being pressed over my jaw. “Thank you Raheel... that feels wonderful,” I groaned.

“If you want to thank your dancing girl, she’s standing over there with his Lordship getting a full apology from the bloody Royal turd.” My eyes snapped open to find Finn hovering over me, dipping a rag into a bucket. “Lord Jamie says when you’re awake, you’re to go over and get an apology as well.” There was a pause as he wrung out the rag. “Of course his Lordship also insists that I’m supposed to apologize for laying one on you,” Finn leaned forward to put the rag on my chin. “But bugger that nonsense... I barely touched you.”

I shrank back. “You punched me in the face!”

“Only a little… Believe me, If I had known you were such a jellyfish I would have settled for just stealing your purse.” Finn laughed as my hand shot to my side. “Don’t worry, I gave it back… nothing in there but a few coppers.”

“You thief!” I snarled at him.

“Technically you're wrong, I haven’t stolen anything from you... yet. I did take the liberty of doing a bit of exploring though… Found all those clever pockets you’ve got sewn into your sleeves. I’m guessing that’s where you hide the birds… Tell me, how do you keep them from crapping in there?”

I took this opportunity to get my first good look at Finn. He looked young, young enough not to need to shave. He had sharp brown eyes set in a wide face beneath an unruly thach of dirty brown hair. There was a spray of freckles across his nose, and an insolent grin between his stretched lips. “You searched me? While I was unconscious?”

“The best time, as Old Thom used to say.” Finn leaned forward and grinned at me. “Your real cash is tucked in the wallet you got tied down in your drawers,” He laughed as I scrambled away. “Don’t worry… As tempting as it was, it would have been too hard to come up with a convincing story for what I was doing down there.” Finn took note of my skeptical stare and sighed. “Look, to show my good faith, I’ll make you a deal… you promise to tell his Lordship I made a heartfelt attempt for your forgiveness and I promise not to hit you again… Okay?”

During my observations, other little details had begun to add up, like his slim hands, and lack of a pronounced adam’s apple… but what really tipped me off was the way his shirt swung when he leaned forward.

It was like one of those pictures where you can either see a vase or two faces in conversation… once my mind made the connection, the features of the young boy, switched, to those of a... not entirely unattractive young woman. A young woman who had apparently searched my person while I was unconscious. This was a wholly new experience for me. “You’re… You’re a girl aren’t you?” I mumbled in my half daze.

She shook her head and wrung out the rag again. “My my… Glass jawed and a profound master of observation… you must have to beat the ladies off with a bloody stick,” Finn said sarcastically. She dropped the rag and studied me closely. “Well, you look a bit better. You feeling up to having a chat with Rupert? He does tend to spray when he’s angry, so I’d make sure to stand back a bit.”

I knew things were… culturally diverse outside of Zimnir, but this… women dressing as men... taking on such a non standard role… this was fascinating from a sociology standpoint. She held out a hand, and I found myself taking it without really thinking. It was rough with callus. “So… you’re a girl… yet you dress like a boy?”

“That’s a funny question coming from a man wearing a false beard and a dress,” she said giving me a tug, and pulling me to my feet.

“It’s not a dress! It’s a wizard’s robe!” I snapped. We wizards take a particular pride in our appearance. After all, without the robe and hat and pointy shoes… how would anyone be able to tell me appart form a lanky, dour faced merchant? It’s not like I could wear a sign around my neck!

She grinned at my discomfort. “Call it whatever suits you magician, but if Old Thom was still here, he’d be making a comment or two about your legs,” she said with a chuckle and punched me in the shoulder. I remember thinking it was it was a nice laugh, even as I winced.

I wasn’t quite sure what to think at this point. She was definitely delivering mixed messages. That last comment , whom ever this ‘Old Thom’ was, did an adequate job of disarming my feelings of insult. I must admit I was feeling slightly… confused. Confused enough that I slipped back into Mandrake. “Well then, my fair maid, despite first appearances, our meeting was a fortunate one.” I said with a courtly bow. “For I am truly ‘enchanted’ by your company.” That little bit of courtly manner and word play wowed the royal court in Celantris.

Her smile evaporated. “Who are you calling a fair maid? I bloody didn’t hit you that hard!”

I was taken aback at this unexpected vehemence of her tone. I mean really... she looked like she was about to hit me again. “I mean no offence,” I said quickly,  “I merely felt I should thank you for tending to me.”

Finn shot me a look of pure disgust. “Well, don’t thank me. Thank your bloody prancing wench. I was all for dunking you in the horse trough, but then she went all wobbly in the lips and wet in the eyes fearing for your safety, and that got Lord Jamie and Kerrick all weak in their knees, and they started bloody looking at me as if I was kicking puppies… It was easy to see I’d have less of a headache if I played your bleeding nursemaid!”  

I took a step away.  “Well, I apologise that you had to care for me at all then,” I said as calmly as I could. “I don’t see a reason to get upset about it my dear.”

“I’m not your bloody dear!” she said, taking an ominous step forward.  “I’m not your pet, sweet thing, honey bun, love muffin, or pooky bear! Do you get me?”

I found myself backed against the wall. “I never said pooky bear,” I said nervously.

“I said… Do you get me?” she hissed.

“Yes Finn,” I said with a less than manly squeak. She clearly had a lot of unresolved issues.

“Good! Don’t you forget it! And keep your thrice damned sweet talking to yourself!” She nodded once and stiffly walked away. “Now move it,  Mister Magician, his lordship is waiting.” Finn tossed over her shoulder.

Prince Rupert did apologize to myself and Raheel, to the satisfaction of all present.. well, with the possible exception of Rupert and Finn. Finn spent her time glaring at the Prince like there was nothing she’d like better than to spear him on the huge hook she kept turning over and over in her hands. I made a mental note not to get on her bad side… again.

When Rupert was finally done apologizing. Lord Jamie turned away from him and said. “Good, and now my Prince, you and your men are direly needed to man the walls… If you would be so kind as to lend your strength to defend the kingdom?”

“Actually my Lord, I would like to point out that the two notorious criminals, Kerrick the bold, and his charming sister,” he shot a glance at Finn and smiled, “Elsinore, appear to have escaped from their prison. I demand that they be returned there forthwith!”

Before Lord Jamie could open his mouth Finn snarled. “You’re really a slimy little shite aren’t you Rupert?”

“You will address me with the respect I am due and by my full title,” the Prince purred. “That it the law, is it not my Lord?” he said turning to Jamie.

“Stop it, the pair of you!” snapped Lord Jamie. “We’ve got enough problems outside these walls without the pair of you bringing more problems inside. “Finn, please address Rupert by his proper title.”

The girl stared at Rupert angrily for a moment and then shrugged. “Fine... You’re really a slimy little shite aren’t you, my lord Viscount Rupert? There… happy?”

“I cannot accept this abuse to my person!” snapped Rupert. “Jamie I insist that…”

Whatever he was going to insist was lost behind Lord Jamie’s hand clamped over his mouth. “Viscount Rupert,” said Jamie with finality, emphasising the title, “right now we are in a delicate military situation. I am sure this has you very concerned. It has me very concerned. Now I have asked you and your…” There was a pause as Lord Jamie looked over Rupert’s thugs, “men to take to the walls of the free hold and help in its defense.”

“How dare you…” started the prince. The hand that was briefly removed was quickly replaced.

“That wasn’t a request lad,” growled Lord Jamie. “It was an order… You dream of being king one day? Learn how to act with some dignity!”

The Prince did as he was told, but as he and his thugs departed, he shot his Lordship this truly venomous look. At least I think he was trying to be venomous, what he actually looked like was a man who has the sinking realization that the hummus he ate for lunch had been out in the sun too long.  

Lord Jamie gave Raheel and myself a wide smile. “I’m glad that you are still here my honored guests. Would you beg my pardon and wait a moment while I have a quick word with these two?” He gestured at the giant and the girl, who was giving his lordship a quizzical look. “Finn, Kerrick… I have an idea that might encourage the snake men to leave our fair city quicker than they planned… However, in order for it to work, I’m going to need the help of a few characters used to dodging through alleyways and running the roofs with me and my skirmishers… what say you?”

Finn screwed up the corners of her mouth like she had just taken a bite of a lemon. “Your Lordship, we…”

“We would be honored to,” rumbled Kerrick, straightening proudly. Raheel squeaked and clapped her hands excitedly, causing him to blush.

“Excellent!” said Lord Jamie, ignoring Finn’s dour look. ”We’re going to set fire to their triremes.”

To my surprise Finn stepped forward. “That’s a bloody stupid plan my Lord.  Burning the ships just leaves a bunch of pissed off baby eaters trapped in the city with us!”

Lord Jamie gave her a short nod. “Not if we burn all the ships but one, I’m praying that leaves them just enough room to take all of their men home but not much else.“ He then spun and turned that wide smile on me. “So Mandrake… I noticed during your little performance you seemed to be able to wield fire?”

I couldn’t help it… everyone was staring at me expectantly… The beard took over. “Fire?” I proclaimed, striking an eldritch pose. “A child’s trick! It is one of the first skills a novice mage masters!”

“Wonderful!” said Lord Jamie, his smile growing even wider. “So tell me... how hard would it be for you to set fire to some Ythanian ships?”

Do you recall what I said earlier about people in authority asking for favors? This was a prime example… I really needed to get this blasted beard off before it killed me.
The World of Derkomai belongs to :iconspadiekitchenqueen:

She gave me permission to run a muck in it.

Behind every Hero Links:

Behind_Every_Hero_Chapter_1

Behind_Every_Hero_Chapter_2.1

Behind_Every_Hero_Chapter_2.2

Links to others as they are written:
© 2013 - 2024 cas42
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spadiekitchenqueen's avatar
:love:

I know I told you alreday but wow. This is making my heart skip a beat each time.

Not only it's stunningly witty and have me howling of laughter like a drunk hyena, it's also epic, stufed with action, and amazingly well written.

i feel so, so honoured that my little world has caught your fancy, my freind. :blush:

I can't thank you enough, really.