Tale of Stories
Book 1
Chapter Eight: Tharamar Azvorad
The first thing that Tharamar thought was OW. He opened his eyes and tried to readjust to the light of the room and rubbed the back of his head. What happened? His head was hazy, and he tried to remember what took place.
Then, as suddenly as the blow that knocked him out, he remembered. Angela, the book, being dragged! Shaking his head, he quickly surveys the room around him, and quickly realized with horror that he was captured with the rest of the nobles.
Angela! How-ah curses! She betrayed us! Why she did, Tharamar couldn't figure it out. But he had bigger things to worry about. He quickly noticed his hand were crudely tied, and finally realized what was happening right at the moment. There was Angela, holding John by the throat with a knife! Even more surprising, she was talking with the evil Queen, slowly inching toward her, and speaking about rewarding her? Was Angela helping her this whole time?
While he listened, Thar laid low, acting as if he were still unconscious, while channeling the energy of magic into his hands, waiting for the perfect moment.
"Mother, daughters, we are all affected by those whom we love and cherish," said the Evil Queen, staring at at Snow White with utter hatred and continued, "And those whom we are chained to. Very well, you may have your little trinket." Trinket? What trinket? "You are ambitious, and wise. But first, prove what you mean, and that your word is good." The Queen gave a vile smile and looked almost pleased she bore intently at John. "Kill him, and you may go."
Angela, with a cold face, replied, "Alright then."
Thar was just about to jump out to stop Angela, but was completely surprised when instead, Angela pushed John to the side, and jabbed the blade right into the Queen's stomach!
Everyone, (well, just John, Tharamar, and the Queen) looked completely shocked. Angela merely had a stone cold face, and pushed her to the ground.
"Sorry," said Angela, "But I'm afraid I can't let you do anything worse to these people."
Tharamar finally decided to act, giving a great cry as magical flames burned his cords and he ripped them free. Angela looked up, and appeared almost sad. "Sorry about knocking you out. But it was necessary."
Thar eyed her, still unsure what her game was.
"Was that your plan the entire time?" asked John, as Thar helped him up.
Angela looked up at them. "Yes," she replied rather simply, "But I was making most of it up along the way. Both of you had noble intentions, but she had too many advantages. The only way to take her out was to force her guard down. And strike."
The Queen, who had been in too much of shock with the blood coming out from her stomach, finally spoke while they had bantered. "You stupid girl. You did play me well, but you can't kill me. No one can kill me!"
Angela knelt down to the Queen's bloody face, and said, "No? You don't think I won't kill you?"
The Queen merely laughed a horrid, insane laugh, and answered cackling, "Oh no, I know you can kill me but you won't! Because then your precious little Snow White will die!" She gurgled blood up as she devolved into a laughing hysteria.
Everyone seem shaken but her words, but Tharamar became horrified as his mind raced to figure out what the mad woman had done. "What have you done?" he asked.
The Queen merely replied smiling, "A blood-bond. Her sweet little heart is tethered to mine. If my heart stops beating, so does hers!"
Thar stepped back with horror, "Blood magic!" he hissed, "John, check the princess!"
John did so, quickly moving over to where the sweet girl lay, still breathing as if in a deep sleep. "By the Pope!" he exclaimed when he got there. "What has that witch done!"
Thar moved over to see what had happened, and, while disgusted, was not completely surprised with what he saw. Snow White was still calm and beautiful, but on her chest a great red wound was struck, right to where her heart was.
"What does this mean?" asked John.
"It is as she said," replied Thar, "A bond of sorts. The Queens life is tethered to the Princesses. If either dies, so does the other!"
"So this mad woman gets to live!" John exclaimed.
"For now, yes. It takes time to carefully unbound such a spell, and I myself am not an exact expert on specific magical arts like that." Thar stared at the Queen, "Was this your plan all along?"
The Queen coughed again and merely retorted, "I had many plans. This was just the beginning. Be grateful you arrived earlier. Everyone, everyone loves her! Everyone one!"
The Queen began to mutter and curse a rabble of words, before Tharamar finally waved his hand and spoke an arcane word, which silenced the Queen.
"Finally," said Angela, and she began to move around the room, looking for something.
Thar, finally standing long enough, began to spring into action. "John, see if you can rouse the Princess. I will heal the Queen, enough that her life doesn't end."
John nodded and tried to rouse young lady, while Tharamar moved over to where the angry but silent Queen was. Getting low, he stroked his beard, and then spoke softly "Helaesh."
A soft warm glow followed his hands, as wound within the Queen's stomach began to revert to its unharmed state. The skin reconnected and the tissue came together. Internally, damaged organs and blood vessels were reknitted. When he was done, Thar was a little drained, but had healed the monster before him, even though he could have cared less about her state.
To his own satisfaction, Thar calmly cast a sleeping spell upon the Queen, to put her out for a while. And shut her up. Satisfied, Thar stood up, and saw that John had only made some progress. Most likely she was drugged with some special alchemical cocktail. He would have to whip up some antidote or figure out a spell.
Before he did so, he remembered Angela. Quickly looking around, he noticed she was walking, rather sternly, towards one of the dukes who was incapacitated.
"Angela, what are you doing?" Thar asked, slightly concerned. She seemed to pay him no mind, and merely continued moving down, before pulling out her dagger and raising it high over the duke.
"Angela, wait!" Thar yelled. She brought the blade down, but instead of blood and slit skin, Angela pulled out a small neck necklace.
"What?" asked Thar as he moved neck to her. Angela looked disdainfully down at the elderly duke, before she responded.
"This is what I'm here for." She hoisted up the trinket, and Thar was able to get a better look at the necklace. It seemed old, yet well kept, without rust or sign major signs of decay. Perhaps magical?
"What is tha‒"
"‒My mother's necklace. The only thing that is truly my own." Angela interrupted John, speaking almost reverently about the item, "The only part to my…Anyways, this duke here stole it from me several nights ago."
"Why would he do that?" asked John quickly.
"A bit complicated. Mostly he saw it on a poor beggar-person, wanted it, and accused me of stealing it. His men took me by surprise and he took it from me. I've been following him for almost two weeks now."
"And so you decided to break into a heavily defended castle during one of the most important weddings of the century, and somehow steal it back from a duke?"
Angela thought for a moment and replied, "Yes. Castles are not as impassible as you might think. Easy to get into, especially now, if you know the way. I knew how to get it from him, but this Evil Queen messed everything up. Still, if you think about it, you owe me. If fact, it might even be a good thing I had to come here, or else who knowns what would have happened without me."
John grunted only, "I guess…"
Tharamar looked around. This whole experience was definitely not what he had in mind for a wedding. The whole act wasn't even very long, with the Evil Queen quickly taking over, the trio of them eluding walking aberrations, and then taking out the Queen herself. The entire city probably doesn't even know what happened.
There was still plenty of things to do. And Thar knew he wouldn't be leaving as early as he thought.
"Well, we had best get to it. I will begin to awaken everyone up. John, you can help. There is still a wedding that can be salvaged here."
"What about the Queen?" asked John.
Thar looked at her, his blue eyes beaming. "She said it herself," he began, "We cannot kill her. I'm sure the Prince and his bride could find a suitable dungeon for her to rot away in."
"So that monster gets to live? Still?"
"Yes John, it seems so. But there are worse things. We are all very lucky things did not end worse than they did." Thar paused. There was another thing to consider. "Angela?" he asked. "What of you?"
Angela looked at him, somewhat lost. "What of me? What does it matter? I had probably best be leaving soon. Most people wouldn't want some scruffy peasant around. I have what I want, and there's nothing left for me here."
"There could be a reward," offered John, surprising the both of them, "I'm sure some the young Princess would be grateful."
Angela eyed him, then merely smiled softly, "Sorry little duke. But there's nothing here for me to stick around."
"Well," John said, "I guess this is where we say goodbye. I-I'm sorry. I misjudged you, earlier."
"Perhaps you did, perhaps you didn't" Angela responded coyly.
"Yes, well. Goodbye, Angela of Viennar. May God keep you and bless you"
He bowed slightly, and then walked off, to do who knows what.
Tharamar turned to her and began speaking, "Thank you for helping both of us. There is far more to you than meets the eye."
"I would hope so!" she replied with a laugh, though Thar couldn't help but notice a twinge of sadness in her voice.
He moved in closer and said quietly, "I speak also of your, talents. I confess I am most intrigued by your abilities, and how they came to be." Angela looked up at him with only silence, as if she herself was unaware of them. "My superiors would be most interested in you, and as a Dumenor agent, it would be in my interest to take you in."
"No. I am not a mage, and I don't belong in golden towers." She quickly replied.
"I expected as much. Still, I would say that it was more than just coincidence that you happened to be here and meet with us. I think you and I will meet again, someday, somehow, and perhaps very soon. Here," Thar then dug into his pockets, shifting through all sorts of useful materials and pulled out a small smooth stone, like a soft black egg. "Take this. If ever you are in need, this will call me."
"How am I supposed to use it?" Angela asked.
Thar smiled. "You'll figure it out. It can be a little…particular."
Angela nodded, than clutched stone and put it into a satchel on her side. "Thank you. Well, I, guess I should be going now."
With that, Angela promptly began walking away. Thar quickly turned around to face her and said, "Oh, by the way," she turned back to him, "Here. A coin for the way." With that he tossed a small gold coin, which she easily caught.
"He, you kept a coin hidden this entire time?"
Thar smiled and simply said, "I'm a magician, am I not? Can't I have a few tricks up my sleeve?"
Angela smiled, nodded, and then turned out to the door, walking from the wizard, the duke, and the crazy old queen.