Songs Of The Silver Wizard

COMPENDIUM

Thaddy…bruppppppppp cash in ye chips when…hck…the moment…hck…ye can. Ye never know when a bastard is going to spend ya hard earned winnings on women!

An owl hooted overhead; a pleasant surprise so early in the evening.

“Ayy Antonia ye wee Lassie, how’d I know you’d mix me up in dis’?”

It was impressive that every enemy from a mile away didn’t swarm them whenever Bowlorn opened his mouth. It was also impressive that he didn’t need to shapeshift to rip a man in two, so there were some things Thaddeus let slide.

“As though you weren’t itching to get truly into this fight,” the captain walking beside Bowlorn said. He wore a deep green forest robe with his recurved bow and quiver of phoenix feathered arrows slung across his back.

“Mayhaps Stephinius, Mayhaps! If I ‘member, you have a wee collection of Goblin ‘eads on your wall? I sense you’re so sickened by all this.”

“Our aim is to not kill the goblins, gentlemen…if you’re going to draw your weapons so eagerly, I suggest you stay away,” Antonia said, sullen upon her black horse. The gaunt mount terrified Thaddeus, though Bob didn’t seem to mind it. If Bob didn’t mind it, he’d brave it out. Bowlorn and his captain had argued for the better part of a league, giving Thaddeus’s mind ample time to wander. He remembered that night in the pub with Headmaster Sefodarus. He couldn’t remember another time the great man had been so downtrodden… or drunk.

“I thought you said we needed Bowlorn before going to Shaggurt…” Thaddeus said. He drew a deep inhale from his reed pipe, a welcome relief against the cold evening near the base of the Camelan range.

“Did she now!” Bowlorn bellowed half-laughing and even in the darkness, Thaddeus felt the heat rise in Antonia’s face. “Did she tell ye why?”

“Hmm, I did not,” Antonia said through her gritted teeth.

“It seems the princess of darkness is still mourning her thrall,” Stephinius said with the appropriate amount of contrition in his voice on behalf of his liege lord.

“It’s because the last time I saw Shaggurt I tried to kill him.”

Thaddeus snapped his head around at that. “You know Antonia, these are the kind of details that a wizard likes to know before he signs on to a scheme.”

“Well, it’s not like I tried to…Kill him. The bastard was threatening to side with Gavool over my father on the matter of Gillforich Abbey. I simply persuaded him otherwise.”

“Persuaded him with a knife prick while he slept comfortably beside his mistress. Neither he nor his wife were happy about that evening,” Stephinius colored in the rest under Bowlorn’s howling cackles.

“So I did not lie, Thaddy. He owes me for not killing him. If I really wanted him dead, he would be,” she said as though commenting on the night sky.

“And did he side with your father?” Thaddeus asked, enjoying the relative silence that followed. It always pleased him when his questions unbalanced someone. In that way, the spoken word was so very much like the sword.

“He did.”

“Splendid! However I’m failing to grasp why, despite my ever growing pleasure in their company, we needed this lot?” Thaddeus thumbed toward Bowlorn. The battle at Bowlorn’s Keep cost them many good soldiers and cost Thaddeus quite a bit of magic. He had not dwelled on that yet. There would be time for that, but now was not it.

“Because she be me Gods Daughter, and you best believe Shaggurt wouldn’ dare lay a boney blade on ‘er in me presence!”

And at that, Thaddeus learned, much to his delight, that vampires could blush.

“It’s simple math: the goblins to a…well, goblin have sided with Othoritrix, except Shaggurt’s tribe who coincidentally own the largest share of border tunnels in the Camelan range with the dwarves of the Ironal range. We get Shaggurt, we go to King Hain with much more leverage. Two for the price of one.”

“Good thing our pirate friends are off on a little adventure, I don’t think they could leave King Hain’s hall with their hands attached. They say every room is painted in pure gold. Where are they off to anyway?” Stephinius asked, more curiously than anything.

“They had a task to attend to. One that I was more than happy to oblige. They will meet up with us in due course.” Thaddeus had grown rather fond of that merry band. Bob didn’t need much guidance through the gentle forest paths, and Thaddeus let himself relax for a singular moment, listening to the owl hoot overhead on a wonderfully clear night. He would need to replenish his magic but that was a task easier said than done. He just hoped he’d resolve that particular issue before crossing Othoritrix. And if he didn’t, well…some things were worth sacrifices.

It was on that clear night, below those stars that seemed so very bright, that Thaddeus resolved to cash in whatever debts he needed to give these good people a world they deserved.

It was equally unfortunate that no sooner had he come to the aforementioned conclusion that a cascade of hooves and war horns trampled through the night’s tranquility.

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A/N:

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