by D E Boske
Darian withdrew Mordinian’s amulet. He was so angry with himself. He did not blame Tynuviel at all. Darian knew the pain she was in was his fault, but he could not live without her. He tried. When he was with Tynuviel, he understood what love really was. The way she made him feel…
He had never felt so frustrated in all his life. He was used to being in control. He was used to getting what he wanted. He knew the pleasure that he gave women. Although they satisfied his immediate physical needs, he was not happy. Though he had not realized it until he met Tynuviel. He hated that he caused her pain. He would make it up to her. He would spend the rest of their lives making it up to her. He withdrew his staff, aiming it at the amulet where he’d thrown it on the floor. A beam of red light shot out, striking the amulet and destroying it utterly. Nothing remained, not even dust.
“Darian?” asked Kyler.
“I’m fine Kyler, just angry and upset with myself. Even when I try not to hurt her, that’s what I end up doing. Can it ever be any different?”
“It can and it will. She’s just upset right now. But you know she still loves you.”
“But is that still enough? She has options now. Tireniel is a good-looking guy and he treats her right. She doesn’t have to wait for me anymore. What the hell am I going to do?”
“Just give her some time. I have a feeling she’ll come around. She probably wants to make you suffer. Why did you destroy the amulet? I thought you were studying it.”
“I’m done. I couldn’t really learn much since Dark Magic created it. Tonight, I will begin to memorize the gate spells again.”
“Do you think it’s safe to do so?” asked the elf.
“I believe so. It is still snowing and winter is in full up here. They will not be able to make it through the pass until spring. I’ll be in my room the rest of the day preparing the spells.”
Tynuviel stepped into the hall, fuming. She couldn’t believe Darian’s audacity. He expected her to wait around until Gayla died or lost interest, however unlikely. She did still love him and the thought of being with him excited her. She couldn’t believe she slapped him so hard. He deserved it to be sure, but still… She hoped he did not give up on her. Though a part of her couldn’t believe she would consider being with him anymore. Especially after what he’d told her. She wondered if she hadn’t stopped him if they really would have made love. They always seemed to stop or someone interrupted them at the worst possible times.
She thought of Tireniel. She would end up hurting him. In retrospect, maybe they shouldn’t have gotten involved. They had caused each other so much pain, her and Darian. It was only worse because they both dragged others into it.
She thought of what he’d told her about Gayla. She tried to put herself in her place. What her life must have been like before Darian. She was too jealous to feel sorry for her though. She just could not bring herself to feel any compassion at all.
Now it seemed there was hope for her and Darian. She wanted him so bad she could taste it. But she would not, would not give in while he was with Gayla. The thought was utterly appalling to her. She intended to make him beg. She decided to see how long he would do it. That would be fun.
Darian stepped out into the hall, closing the door softly behind him. “Darian, might I have a word please?” the Mage blew an exasperated breath. He was in no mood now.
“What is it, Kryndale?” he asked shortly. Not waiting for an answer, he began walking.
“It’s about you and Gayla…” Kryndale began, but Darian cut him off.
“I don’t see that that’s any of your concern,” Darian said harshly.
“Your behavior is becoming increasingly more irrational. Bringing her to dinner like
she’s your… your wife.” Kryndale sputtered.
“She will be soon enough,” Darian said in a flat tone.
“What? Are you serious?” asked Kryndale worriedly.
“No. I was kidding,” he replied, devoid of emotion. Which made it harder to tell if he was joking or not.
“Darian, I am not the enemy. I’m only trying to help. What I see the others will also see. You are a Mage of The Order. No matter how high your rank, you cannot bed whomever you choose. There are limits, laws and rules.” Kryndale dared to say.
Darian’s face turned red with the heat of his anger. “Who do you think you are to speak to me so? You know nothing of which you speak! Do you know of my life? Do you know what it is to be a Mage of The Order? You know nothing! The utter monotony, hatred, bloodshed and abuse that fills my world. The things that I have witnessed would leave you stark raving mad! Your feeble mind would crack asunder! Be gone!” he exclaimed, turning away. Once Darian was gone, Tryndil materialized from the darkened doorway.
“You took a great chance my friend,” Tryndil observed. “For a moment, I thought he would strike you down.”
“Me too. I think I hit a nerve. Or two. I get the distinct impression that he does not like being told what to do. Still, I had to try. To see him acting like this is disturbing. All the times we’ve been in Mogan Dar, I’ve never witnessed a Mage of The Order behave so. I wonder if what they say about him is true.”
“There is a fine line between genius and insanity,” responded Tryndil.
“How are you and Tryllia getting along?” asked the Gor Li’ Khan Leader to change the subject.
At the mention of his lover’s name, Tryndil’s face lit up. “She told me how sorry she was for leaving me behind, she said she was frightened. She knew I would ask her to marry me. She didn’t think, she just ran.”
“Hopefully she won’t do it again. Remember last time how long it took you to recover?” asked Kryndale.
“You were there for me through it all. I won’t forget that my friend.” Tryndil put his hand on his friend’s shoulder.
“Let’s get a drink.”
“Aye.”
Darian returned to his room, still angry with Kryndale. The assassin overstepped his place. After all, he knew nothing of the Mages. He had not studied at Piri-Tuma all those years, Darian had. He did not have access to the vast library of Piri-Tuma, Darian did. He entered his room, slamming the door and startling Gayla.
“Darian, is everything alright? How did it go with Aganor? What’s wrong? Why are you so angry?” she said, concerned.
“It’s nothing,” he said wearily. “Don’t worry your pretty little head.” He crossed the room to her, hugging her close. She put her hands on either side of his face, kissing him softly. He let her distract him. She pushed him down on the bed and he took control from there.
Afterwards, he told her, “Gayla, I will be busy for the rest of the day preparing my spells. If you do not want to remain cooped up in here, you can take a walk if you like. I will not have time to spend, I’m sorry.” She looked hesitant, scared even, so he said, “What’s wrong? I took care of Shaz so you have nothing to fear.”
“But… What if he comes back? Last time, if Asa did not intervene… He grabbed me and it was like I was back working the floor of Piri-Tuma,” she shuddered.
“Would you feel better if I asked one of the elves to accompany you?”
“Yes, thank you. Will they mind, do you think?”
“I don’t think so. Give me a minute.” He stepped out into the hall as Asa was approaching.
“Asa, I wonder if you could do me a favor?” the Mage queried.
“Sure. Anything, Darian.”
“Gayla would like to take a walk but doesn’t feel safe after what happened. Could you escort her?”
“It would be my pleasure.”
“You’re a good man, Asa. I appreciate it.”
Gayla stepped out into the hall wearing a white dress that came to mid-thigh. Asa might be an elf but he could recognize a beautiful, sexy, human woman. Darian is a lucky man, he thought.
“Asa, thank you so much. It feels good to get out of that room,” she smiled.
“My pleasure, Gayla. Where would you like to go?” he asked.
<
br /> “Oh anywhere. I don’t know. You decide,” she smiled.
“Well, this here is my room. So if you ever need anything and you can’t find Darian, I’d be happy to help.”
“Thank you. That’s very kind. I will take you up on it if I have no choice.”
“Gayla… I don’t want to offend you, but… what’s your story? How did you and Darian meet? He seems not to want anyone to know but… He’s very protective of you. Shaz seemed to really upset you… It just seemed odd is all. It was like you wanted to handle the situation but
were afraid of the repercussions.”
“I’m not supposed to talk about it, though it would be nice to be able to confide in someone.”
“I promise not to tell anyone. I’m a good listener,” Asa coaxed.
“Well, I guess I should start from the beginning. I’m from Al-Dan-Tir. My mother is a seamstress, my father a blacksmith. My mother was always a sickly woman and my father struggled to take care of us all.
“I remember one bright summer day, I hadn’t seen thirteen summers yet, and a Mage of The Order came to our doorstep. He spoke to my parents at great length. In short, he gave them a fat pouch of gold for their only daughter.
“He promised them that I would be well cared for. He said that I would be taught to read and write. They would teach me how to cook and clean. All the things that a young girl should be taught.
“When we arrived in Mogan Dar, they were true to their word. During the day, they taught me how to read and write. How to sew and read patterns, which I was already learning with my mother.
“But the lessons at night left a bad taste in my mouth. You see, I was to be a whore of The Order. That first night, I was given to the highest-ranking Mages to break me in. Then they sent me to the novice’s floor.” Asa was aghast, a horrified expression on his face.
“Gayla, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to make you relive it.”
“It’s okay. It helps to talk about it believe it or not. So of course, I was disgusted, angry and so filled with sorrow. I would never know love. I would never fall in love. I was rebelling. I would not cooperate. They were only novices, so nobody cared when they complained about me. They were lucky to get female companionship. Once a month for novices, twice a month for journeymen. Once a week for Masters, and a full Mage gets what he wants when he wants it.
“One day I was in the laundry room washing and ironing the novices’ clothes when a Mage came in that I’d never seen before. I knew right then that I was in love with him. I kept it to myself because the punishment for falling in love with a Mage is death.
“I could tell he was of high rank by his robes. I hurriedly fixed my hair and straightened my clothes, but I may as well have been invisible. He paid me no mind. He went to the window, picked up a few things and left. However, a journeyman noticed me and got me promoted. Now I didn’t know the name of the handsome Mage I’d seen in the laundry room. I will not discuss what I had to do to learn Darian’s name.
“A while went by before I got promoted twice more. Finally, I was working the floor that Darian was on. All the girls talked about Darian. How good he was, how gentle. He never beat the girls like most of the others. Everyone wanted Darian. It became increasingly unlikely that he would ever call on me. He had taken two regular girls, Clarissa and Denay.
“My days were filled with servicing disgusting, mean, cruel men. The higher the rank, the meaner they got. Or so it seemed. Some would slap me around while others would beat me severely. I was usually bruised up.
“This one night I was sent to the ugliest, meanest Mage yet. He beat me within an inch of my life. He cracked a couple of my ribs from kicking me. He punched me in the face, my chest, everywhere. Trétorna is a mean drunk. It’s dangerous for a Mage to drink too much.
“When he was through with me I was sent to be bandaged up. I must have passed out because I don’t remember this. The Mages are not big on healing. There are not many who know how and they certainly wouldn’t waste it on a whore. They didn’t even give me a healing potion.
“The next night, the Summoner came knocking on my door. I couldn’t believe it. I could barely stand up, let alone walk. He told me I was summoned. I thought he was kidding! I could barely walk. He said it wasn’t his problem. That Clarissa and Denay were ill and I was the only one left.
“He brought me to Darian’s door, knocked, and then left me standing there alone. I was horrified. The one night I would be with Darian and I looked a wreck. I was leaning heavily on the wall, barely conscious. He opened the door and my heart leapt out of my body.
“He stood there with just breeches on, so attractive and finely tuned. He took one
look at me and he was furious! I thought I would be in trouble because if a Mage complains, you get beat.
“I told him I would do my best and that I wouldn’t cry no matter what. I begged him not to tell and to just give me a chance. Then to my surprise, he picked me up and brought me to his bed, ranting the whole time that you should never hit a woman. He then told me that he would heal me but I needed to keep my eyes closed. Of course, I complied. I began to feel warm all over. I could hear him chanting, but could not understand what he was saying. Then I lost consciousness. I don’t know how long I was out, but when I woke, I felt like a new woman. I was a new woman.
“I went to look for my savior. He was in his study working on something. I slipped up behind him, putting my arms around him and kissing his neck. But to my surprise, he told me to rest! I told him that I wanted him at least once before I was sent back to the floor. I tried my best to make him give in to me, but he refused, saying there would be plenty of time for being intimate after I rested. He told me that I had been close to death. A few more hours and I would have perished due to the internal bleeding. I started to protest but he said that I did not understand.
“That’s when he hit me with the biggest shock of all! He told me he’d released his
regulars from his service and he was taking only me. He said he’d sent for my things to be brought to his room. No one had ever been allowed to stay the night with Darian Brade. Once he was through with you, you had to leave, so I heard.
“It was a couple weeks before we finally made love. He’d healed me totally and completely. He was very gentle with me. I don’t know how he did it, but all those Mages who’d come before… he erased their touch on me. He made me new and whole again. I’d forgotten how painful it could be the first time, but with Darian… He took his time with me and for the first time, I felt true pleasure. The rest, as they say, is history.” Asa was stunned into silence for long moments.
“Do you mean to say that he…? How can that be possible?”
“I do not know, but he did it.” She said, smiling at his reaction.
“What happens if you are with child? Surely they do not put you on the floor then?” She looked crestfallen. He had the distinct feeling he was not going to like the answer.
“Oh Asa. The Mages have taken care of this possibility as well. You see, when the girls arrive in Mogan Dar, they remove those organs to avoid this. Then we can work every day nonstop.
“I had no idea. You must be very strong indeed.” She laughed at the suggestion.
“When Darian left… He never said a word to anyone. Just one day he was gone. No one knew where or why. They asked me questions day after day until I disappeared as well. If I ever go back… they’ll probably kill me. And if they ever found out about us now… For sure my life would be forfeit and Darian would be beaten.”
“What about the Mages who beat you? Didn’t they get punished?”
“Not by The Order, but by Darian. He found Trétorna and pushed him down the stairs. I know at least Aganor knew, but he never did anything about it. Darian is Aganor’s favorite. He just looked the other way.” Gayla explained.
“What a life you’ve known Gayla. I’m so sorry. If ever you need to talk about something, anything, I’m here.”
They spent the
rest of the day together just talking. He gave her a tour of the dwarven mines, showing her how they mined the mithril, turning it into weapons and armor.
“Asa, you’re a good friend. You make me forget my troubles. I’ve never had a friend before. It’s nice.” Asa’s heart went out to her.
They strode into the dining hall for supper, still chatting. Tynuviel stared hard at her brother, but he paid her no mind. He made sure Gayla was comfortable before seating himself.
“I trust she was no trouble for you,” Darian said dryly.
“Not at all. You’re a lucky man Darian. She is warm and caring, beautiful yet intelligent.”
Darian drew Gayla close, kissing the top of her head. But to Asa, the Mage’s actions seemed mechanical, not loving at all. Gayla appeared not to notice. She beamed happily, resting her head on his shoulder. It appeared to Asa that his sister could not tell the difference either. Why were they oblivious to the Mage’s demeanor when it was so clear to him?
Suddenly, Asa understood why Darian had done what he did. He also understood the sacrifice that the Mage had made. That was something the elven warrior could respect.
“Where have you been all day, Gayla?” asked Nephraete sweetly.
“Walking with Asa. He gave me a tour, showing me around.”
“I assure you, I was a proper gentleman,” Asa said hurriedly.
“That was never my concern Asa,” Darian said flatly. “Tomorrow, I will begin on the gate again,” the Mage said, taking the conversation away from Gayla and Asa.
In the morning, Darian began his work anew, with Lorin and Loganthar helping as they could. In the weeks that followed, the gate took on its form, the runes and symbols becoming clear.
Darian began to weave the killing spells into the complex creation. Next, he wove the password in, which he would later give to Branson and Galavad secretly. Lorin and Loganthar stood ready to help, but the magic Darian commanded was beyond even their accomplished skills. As the Mages worked, the leader of the Gor Li’ Khan approached Kyler.