Mia's Stand
Chapter 23
The Dark Sorceress Eringaff stood before the shallow wooden bowl, the Stracombe of Seers, and peered into the magic of its design, watching the Carrier of the Book of Life make her way with her companions to the southernmost edge of Centauria. She allowed her hatred to grow to its fullest potential. She savored the evil of her very being. The attack on Blackmane's Point had benefited her only in the death of Starrelocke, no more, she thought. Then there was the elimination of the weak from part of her army. There was that, yes, of course; had they not been weak they would have survived to fight another day. The Shadowrought had been summoned with the aid of Gaff, that vomitous swine!, as she would not have been able to invoke such a spell without the help of a very powerful wizard. That Finnegaff and Miagaff had been able to trans locate the shadowrought back to its home planet did indeed impress her, yet did not concern her, her arrogance too deeply rooted to yield to good common sense. For Finnegaff, she knew, was more powerful than she, if not by little. Yet she had not the power displayed by the Carrier. The new wizard's Saa was perhaps a power so great that it would even rival the near infinite abilities of Gaff himself. Staring into the Stracombe, she had a fleeting thought that she now beheld one of the most powerful wizards in the history of all of Morrah. Though fleeting, she knew it to be so. Still her ego permitted no fear, nor did it allow for belief of possible defeat. It did, however, precipitate precaution.
She could not send her armies into Mantadia. If they survived the Land of Lost Memories, which the imbeciles would not, they wouldn't make it far in Mantadia. The wild male Mantids would make short order of her darkhounds. Yet she, with Essaa, could enter Mantadia, at least in spirit. She planned to break Mia. Tear her down. Crumble her emotion. Cripple her will. One way or another, she would have the Book of Life. She left the high tower where she housed the coveted Stracombe, strolled down the dusty stone stairs to her quarters, hands behind her back, head held high. She was thinking of what she would record in the histories. This, she thought, must be done, as all must know the truth.
"Servant!" She demanded of the tattered human girl that swept her floor. The youth's head was bowed, perhaps from respect, perhaps from fear. Fear, Eringaff thought, if she knew what was good for her. "I want Mobbliss here. He will bring the archives. Go!" The servant girl immediately set aside the broom. She ran from the room to fetch the scribe. In moments he was at her door.
"Yes, great queen!" He bowed deeply.
"Write!" She pointed to the table. The scribe laid open a huge, black, leather-bound book, set down the inkwell and took quill in hand. "The true and accurate account of the eighth Carrying of the Book of Life. It fails. Already the Carrier Miagaff has exposed her weaknesses. The battle of Blackmane's Point with the appearance of the shadowrought broke the spirit of the enemy and sent them fleeing, even if the division I sent did not get the Book of Life. They will pay for this, each of them! Even now the Carrier is lost on the Plains of Rhammahadra, being under the poor leadership of Finnegaff the Liar. They are going to cross the Land of Lost Memories, another mistake by the incompetent Finnegaff the Liar." She liked the sound of that. "Let Finnegaff be henceforth known to all as Finnegaff the Liar!” The dark sorceress smirked. “That's what he is." She smiled wickedly in self-pride for her creativity as she talked herself into rage. "A LIAR!!" She gripped Maraska pon Durk with white knuckles. Her breath hissed through her teeth as she immersed herself in the concept. Several moments passed while she calmed herself down.
"The Centaurian King Rockheart means to wage war with me; so be it. Soon the Book will be mine and in time, Centauria will be mine, too. Then Rockheart the Coward will pay, but first with his family! I have already given him warning in the slaying of Starrelocke, his prince's bride. That was the whole purpose of the attack on Blackmane's Point. Not to get the Book of Life, as many may think. They think wrong. It was no mistake! Blackmane's Point. I killed Starrelocke on purpose; now let's see what good King Rockheart's plan is!" She sneered the king's name as she paused to laugh. It grew. She laughed long. Her deep, wicked laughter echoed in the black, stony chamber. She looked at the many stone gargoyles that were perched about the upper reaches of the room, her maddened eyes darting rapidly from one to another. Inside herself, she felt as if they were her allies, her friends. They did indeed, in her own poisoned mind, laugh with her, fueling her mood. She saw them come to life in agreement. She heard them roar in deep, inhuman laughter. She saw them throw back their heads and wildly flap their great wings. She saw their powerful talons grip crumbling stone to avoid falling from their perches from their fits. Yet in reality, they moved not at all, they made no sound, for they were in fact but stone. Even the dark magic of Essaa couldn't give the cold stony statues life, for as everyone knows, the magic does not work in that manner. She laughed as she held on to the back of the chair she stood beside to keep from falling. Mobbliss the scribe moved not at all, nor did he do anything except to continue transcription of what his ruler was saying, and when there was nothing to write, he pretended to do so. She laughed, bent over. She wiped tears from her eyes as she caught her breath. Suddenly her laughter ceased. She shot to an erect stance.
"ENOUGH!" She held her staff aloft and yelled at the scribe. He took up the massive book and carried it opened so to not blotch the still wet ink. He scurried to the door. "Rigt!" (Trip!) She tapped Maraska pon Durk once on the ground. Immediately the scribe fell on his face on the book, striking his elbows hard upon the cold, black floor. He hastily gathered his book and exited the room to the roaring laughter of his evil mistress.