Disclaimer: All scenes, worlds, countries, names, characters, editors,
writing style, books, titles, etc. that belong to Tamora Pierce do not
belong to me and any similarities to other authors, stories, articles, etc.
are purely coincidental and non-intentional.
Note: This doesn't follow the timeline of the Immortals series perfectly, so ignore the incorrect time references while you're reading; they're there for a reason ^ ^. Again, please review! Reading feedback is one of the coolest parts of being a writer.
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Chapter 2: Spy for the Enemy
The mage that Eos now knew to be...Tristan Staghorn came into the room with his customary evil leer. "My dear, we are in for a treat today." He snapped his fingers impatiently, and Mari and Tylan were dragged into the room. Eos's eyes were blinded by tears. Her brother and sister, once supple-limbed from life in the forest, were now bony from starvation and exhaustion. Their eyes were glazed, like the dead fish she had seen in the market. She glared at Tristan through her tears. "May the gods help you when you go to the underworld and receive retribution for your deeds on earth," she hissed at him. Still smiling, he replied, "We'll just see about that, shall we? Oh yes." He snapped his fingers again, and his minions carried Mari and Tylan away. Eos started sobbing for the first time. "Please, don't hurt my brother and sister. Please! I beg you not to, I'll do anything." Tristan actually looked surprised. "You beg me?" Then his face slid back to its original, crafty expression. "Perhaps we can arrange a deal, you having the bargaining chip of those extraordinary powers and your exquisite beauty. I do compliment you...the only person that I've ever met that had more power than you is a black robed mage. Of course, yours is raw power right now, undirected and unfocused, but when you receive training..." His eyes turned reverent. "I could rule the world." Eos gave him a glare that could burst a word of power into a thousand pieces. "I. Will. Never. Ever. Help. You. EVER." She lunged forward, and her bonds, slowly rotting with the help of subtle magical enhancement of the salty air, snapped. Fierce hope rose in Eos, and she easily killed or knocked out her three "bodyguards". When she turned to blast Tristan to oblivion, however, he quickly muttered another spell and her bonds came back, tighter than ever, and her destruction spells were muted again. Tristan coolly brushed himself off and stood up. "For that," he softly hissed, "you will never see your brother and sister again." He walked out, and Eos heard screaming before she fainted for the first time in her life.
Weeks passed without any human contact save the curses that she heard daily when her captors saw how little she ate, barely enough to keep her alive and coherent. One day passed without change, then another....but one day the boat docked in a port where the inhabitants spoke a different language. But Eos never noticed. The next day, Eos was led, blindfolded, into a room that chilled once she came in and kept there for what seemed like years. Eos, still dulled with grief and fury, didn't notice. *I'll never see Scancra again...never...never hear Mari laughing again, or Tyler slurping his porridge...* Her thoughts were interrupted by the appearance of Tristan, at whom her senses sprang to life again. She blinked quickly, clearing the fog from her brain and watched him alertly. Tristan walked slowly in a circle around her; a beautiful woman walked into the room. "Varice, I'd like you to meet our new mage, Eos. Daughter of the late Maggur Rathhausak." Eos noticed the woman's trembling, and grinned savagely, assuming her to be the enemy. Varice whispered, "What do you want me to do?" Tristan answered, "My dear, Eos is in a...similar situation to yours. Now, I would like you to transform her into the perfect noblewoman. Someone that could spy for me, masquerading as a noblewoman competing for my title through marriage and the automatic favor of the illustrious Emperor Ozorne." Eos visibly gagged at the thought. Tristan snapped, "Don't be stupid, girl, you're not going to marry me. I simply need a spy that has enough raw power to block any spells around her, and that would be you...afterwards, I promise to return you to Scancra." Eos stared narrowly at him. "And never bother me again?" Tristan held up both hands. "My girl, I am a man of my word. But as the daughter of the late and unlamented Warlord, I cannot return you to your original life. You see, I have these special arrangements with your father's people that will make me very rich. Very rich indeed." He smiled.
Eos snarled, "What's holding me back from tearing you to pieces the moment your back is turned?" Tristan looked at her intently while Varice stood behind him. "Girl, do you honestly think I would train you with such skills without a safeguard?" He pointed at her neck, and an exquisite-and lethal-necklace appeared at her neck. "That is activated at all times by magic. Now, what's special about this particular masterpiece is that any pain I suffer, you suffer in return-triple in the intensity. So if I die, you will die first. And as extra incentive, I've linked this to Varice as well. So we should take extra special care to protect Tristan, shouldn't we? Oh yes...if you try to take it off it will, of course, tighten enough to neatly snap your neck." Eos sagged. She was completely walled in. Tristan walked out, leaving Varice Kingsford with Eos.
Note: This doesn't follow the timeline of the Immortals series perfectly, so ignore the incorrect time references while you're reading; they're there for a reason ^ ^. Again, please review! Reading feedback is one of the coolest parts of being a writer.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter 2: Spy for the Enemy
The mage that Eos now knew to be...Tristan Staghorn came into the room with his customary evil leer. "My dear, we are in for a treat today." He snapped his fingers impatiently, and Mari and Tylan were dragged into the room. Eos's eyes were blinded by tears. Her brother and sister, once supple-limbed from life in the forest, were now bony from starvation and exhaustion. Their eyes were glazed, like the dead fish she had seen in the market. She glared at Tristan through her tears. "May the gods help you when you go to the underworld and receive retribution for your deeds on earth," she hissed at him. Still smiling, he replied, "We'll just see about that, shall we? Oh yes." He snapped his fingers again, and his minions carried Mari and Tylan away. Eos started sobbing for the first time. "Please, don't hurt my brother and sister. Please! I beg you not to, I'll do anything." Tristan actually looked surprised. "You beg me?" Then his face slid back to its original, crafty expression. "Perhaps we can arrange a deal, you having the bargaining chip of those extraordinary powers and your exquisite beauty. I do compliment you...the only person that I've ever met that had more power than you is a black robed mage. Of course, yours is raw power right now, undirected and unfocused, but when you receive training..." His eyes turned reverent. "I could rule the world." Eos gave him a glare that could burst a word of power into a thousand pieces. "I. Will. Never. Ever. Help. You. EVER." She lunged forward, and her bonds, slowly rotting with the help of subtle magical enhancement of the salty air, snapped. Fierce hope rose in Eos, and she easily killed or knocked out her three "bodyguards". When she turned to blast Tristan to oblivion, however, he quickly muttered another spell and her bonds came back, tighter than ever, and her destruction spells were muted again. Tristan coolly brushed himself off and stood up. "For that," he softly hissed, "you will never see your brother and sister again." He walked out, and Eos heard screaming before she fainted for the first time in her life.
Weeks passed without any human contact save the curses that she heard daily when her captors saw how little she ate, barely enough to keep her alive and coherent. One day passed without change, then another....but one day the boat docked in a port where the inhabitants spoke a different language. But Eos never noticed. The next day, Eos was led, blindfolded, into a room that chilled once she came in and kept there for what seemed like years. Eos, still dulled with grief and fury, didn't notice. *I'll never see Scancra again...never...never hear Mari laughing again, or Tyler slurping his porridge...* Her thoughts were interrupted by the appearance of Tristan, at whom her senses sprang to life again. She blinked quickly, clearing the fog from her brain and watched him alertly. Tristan walked slowly in a circle around her; a beautiful woman walked into the room. "Varice, I'd like you to meet our new mage, Eos. Daughter of the late Maggur Rathhausak." Eos noticed the woman's trembling, and grinned savagely, assuming her to be the enemy. Varice whispered, "What do you want me to do?" Tristan answered, "My dear, Eos is in a...similar situation to yours. Now, I would like you to transform her into the perfect noblewoman. Someone that could spy for me, masquerading as a noblewoman competing for my title through marriage and the automatic favor of the illustrious Emperor Ozorne." Eos visibly gagged at the thought. Tristan snapped, "Don't be stupid, girl, you're not going to marry me. I simply need a spy that has enough raw power to block any spells around her, and that would be you...afterwards, I promise to return you to Scancra." Eos stared narrowly at him. "And never bother me again?" Tristan held up both hands. "My girl, I am a man of my word. But as the daughter of the late and unlamented Warlord, I cannot return you to your original life. You see, I have these special arrangements with your father's people that will make me very rich. Very rich indeed." He smiled.
Eos snarled, "What's holding me back from tearing you to pieces the moment your back is turned?" Tristan looked at her intently while Varice stood behind him. "Girl, do you honestly think I would train you with such skills without a safeguard?" He pointed at her neck, and an exquisite-and lethal-necklace appeared at her neck. "That is activated at all times by magic. Now, what's special about this particular masterpiece is that any pain I suffer, you suffer in return-triple in the intensity. So if I die, you will die first. And as extra incentive, I've linked this to Varice as well. So we should take extra special care to protect Tristan, shouldn't we? Oh yes...if you try to take it off it will, of course, tighten enough to neatly snap your neck." Eos sagged. She was completely walled in. Tristan walked out, leaving Varice Kingsford with Eos.