Chapter Three: An Eternity of Waiting
Tahkisis ministered to her court still silently fuming over earlier events. There was something about that mage, something familiar that she couldn't quite place. The Goddess knew there was something more to him, but she couldn't put her finger on exactly what. An odd duality to his nature, survival instead of annihilation, nothing about the mage she currently had in her dungeon made sense. He was something else, perhaps something new.
Yet, at the same time the Dark Queen felt she had seen this all before once. Once so long ago humans would have only a faint memory or no memory of it at all, but close enough to be gnawing at the back of the goddess's mind. These were events, feelings, which had played out at least once before The goddess was intrigued by it all much more then she knew she should be. Still, there was something about this mage the one who had gone dark so quickly, had even thought to usurp her own power, this one was special. And still it was all too familiar.
Then Tahkisis made the connection. The one that had gotten away from her before, who had cheated death and thus cheated the goddess out her rightful claim to collect on his soul. It all felt so familar because it had all happened before. The desperate grasp for power, the physical weakness of the man who had grabbed for it, the gate travel were all connected because the whole thing had been orchestrated from beginning to end. It all did have that familiar flare to it. So it had been his work, a rare seductive smile spread across her lips. At this moment the Dark Queen was both seductive to watch as well as dangerous.
Curiouser and curiouser this incident was quickly becoming. So, he had tried again and the "lamb" he lead to the slaughter, why by no means himself innocent probably thought the whole thing had been his own idea independent of any prompting. What a rude awakening it must have been when the young wizard had changed his mind and stopped playing along, decided to play the hero and save the world instead of seeking ultimate power.
The Dark Queen chuckled, after all maybe it had been the black robed wizard's idea. The young mage seemed to have so much he felt he had to prove. And yet, the mage was alive when he very clearly should have been dead. Tahkisis knew that he had in fact counted on that outcome. For what ever the old fool was planing he needed that mage's soul to be completely out of the way. Well then, the goddess may yet have the upper hand. After all Majere had lived.