| The spell that Jarlath was casting on the drum, in an attempt to
determine its creator, was a slight worry, though.
But only a slight one.
Dragon magery was too sublte for these mere humans to be able to cipher
out! Of that, the dragon was pretty sure of!
Well, if a dragon taught a human the ways of dragon magic..... But what
fool of a dragon would dare do that!
Meanwhile
But it was so very hard for her, just the same. So in a soft voice,
along with using a pencil (or a "graphite writing stick" that one man named
Avon would call it) and pad of paper from Astra, Thessamer begins to depict
Sir John with word and her artistic bent (her drawing talent had come up
in casual conversation in the past)....
"I initially was drawn to him because not of his royal blood," Thessamer
says softly, making a shading here and there, "Indeed, he was merely a
commoner..... Something that put a damper on my attraction to him. But
he was....very charming. Witty. Intelligent. And he appeared so kind. (Re:
404 and 1931) He courted me still. Courted and....won my affection."
Thessamer frowned, flushing a bit and feeling anger for having been
fooled. She stops drawing for a moment, though the quick sketch is almost
completed. He had been like from those secret, foolish dreams that kept
haunting her after hearing that overly gushy bard singing about romance
and true love! She.... she....couldn't be a closet romantic? No, impossible.
She'd be a laughing stock in a nation of warrior woman....who looked down
their noses as such nonsense. A vast step backwards into the barbarians
lands, it would be!
She was a Aqualarian warrior princess....not some.....simpering lily
maid in a foreign land's court!
That's why I knew he'd cast a spell on me! she told herself, Along with other things, I finally saw through him and broke off the engagement! The lingering traces of feeling and such she put down as wisps of the
spell she'd broken through....
Spell residue, it was called, she believed.
"And I soon found out he was also vindictive," Thessamer said, shaking her head, "That....his revenge showed. It also showed he was a rather good mage as well." Andria, nods, and then catches a glimpse at who was on the paper. It gives her a nasty jolt, for she heard and seen pictures of this fellow....or somebody like him from Terra Prime (and her own world....point in fact....though only through pictures Probe shown her....soon after returning with them to Terra Prime). Astra saw Sir John as being in his early thirties (some ten years older than Thessamar), and perhaps a little reminiscent of the Master in his character and physical appearance. Or one particular Dragon (or dragon pretender), named....Minestus).
Meanwhile, the dragon is laughing softly, patting himself on his broad
back over just how well he'd been able to alter Thessamer's memories......replacing
some with entirely false ones, even!
Once he got her away from the others and diddle with her memories again,
the dragon would have fun with some possum playing, blood garnered from
a treacherous dragoness, and voila! The blood would get into a wound on
Thessamer, allowing the blood curse to take hold!
Then, after a relatively short time the male dragon would have her,
despite....rather annoying set backs before.
He so loved devious, complex plans!
He had plans for the others as well....but right now basked in the glow
of his genius. And his arrogance....
Back in the cavern of the drum, Andrea hides her shock as well as she
could. Thessamer didn't notice, she was remembering what Sir John had cast
upon her. She looks off into the middle darkness, and seems to speak as
if asleep. Not aware of what her hands were doing, apparently, Astra watches
as Thessamer's hands proceed to erase her work and draw somebody else.....somebody
rather familiar!
Joan also is rather familiar with the image herself. Should be, since
she'd seen it before meeting Belboz and all that. Didn't particularly miss
it, now. Rather happy with what she had now....really.
But she rather recognized that face!
Meanwhile, Fred and Velus are watching the pull out a rather familiar book (much like those found back in the Red Pyramid's library, Fred believed). Andrea and Jarlath look at each other in consternation. At the drum, which they'd finished up studying. Then back to Fred and Thesamer. Velus and Fred look at each other and shrug, not knowing what to make
of that.
|
