Means to an End

Author's Note: Yeah, yeah, yeah. I switched to past tense with absolutely no transition whatsoever. And I refuse to apologize. Writhe in agony, literary elites! Mwuahahahah! Seriuosly though, I just got tired of it, and realized about halfway through this chapter that I'd gone to past tense by accident and really really didn't want to go back through and change it all to present. I'll just finish this out in past.

I was skulking in the hallway that leads to Magus’s rooms; mid-morning. I spent the rest of the previous day finding food and someone willing to bind up the remnants of my injuries. I was still dressed in Flea’s clothing. This was a point of contention for me, but there was no avoiding it. The few living creatures I saw around the castle looked like they’d rather kill me than help me. It was a miracle the mystic that managed the infirmary was compassionate on poor wounded Stoat.

There were some wounds that couldn’t be healed with medicine. I was trying not to think of those.

There were some guards outside. Pointed ears, scaly skin – damn mystics. Monsters, all of them. And Magus was surely the worst. Although perhaps he wasn’t one of them… the way Slash and Flea had been talking, he wasn’t. Odd. Closer to human, or a hybrid between them? Even odder. But it really didn’t matter. Normally I would be loathe to help any of the mystics, but if I could get into the good graces of those two perhaps they’d get me out of here. Or at least shelter me from harm somewhat. Besides, I wanted to know what was going on as well.

Flea’s clothing might well come in handy. I took a deep breath, reminded myself that I’d played the role of whore before (although never that far), and walked towards the door at the end of the hall. The guards noticed me coming, one said something, and they both snickered. Yanno, some things really don’t change. Mystic or human, guards are still asses.

“Magus has… asked I come.”

I scuff at the floor and stare at my feet. Acting the abused and frightened woman is no difficulty. I’m feeling like one.

“Eh, didn’t know he was even in.”

“Idiot, his kind don’t need to use doors, just let the brat in and don’t ask questions.”

Now this was interesting. They opened the door and I hurried inside. It slammed behind me and the sound resounded, making the room I was in seem even emptier. Being the ruler of the castle and entire mystic army and whatnot else, Magus had the grandest part of the place. There was a main entryway, the one I was in, and it branched off into several rooms. I could see a study, a library, an entertaining room, and at the back the bedroom. Everything was carefully decorated but for some reason, I doubted any of it was Magus’s doing. There was very little in the way of personal effect… just a place to live fitting for a ruler. A bit depressing, to be honest.

I made for the study first. My lie to the guards should have been blatantly transparent but I guess I got lucky and this wasn’t the first time Magus summoned those like me. Or they were idiots. Or both. It wasn’t worth thinking about so I shoved it aside and concentrated on the task at hand. Magus’s study. There were books neatly piled on a table and in the far corner sat a desk with a good stack of more books and notes. I glanced these over and realized they were in a language I didn’t know. Those would be worthless. With no way to tell what was useful or not I’d just be wasting my time making any copies to take to Flea. I pursed my lips and started trying drawers of the desk. They were all unlocked, which meant I could assume there was nothing of importance in there. Seemed to be useless clutter anyways, the usual assortment of debris magic-users accumulate. I’ve heard that their kind were packrats and even though Magus didn’t seem to care much for his quarters surely he shared that trait. I hoped that was the case and I wasn’t overlooking anything important.

I sighed and on a whim, stopped my rummaging and walked back towards his bedroom. That was a private place and surely there might be something of interest there. Besides, I had lain on the floor bleeding not even a week ago – was it really so short a span? – and it was morbid curiosity. I sidled in, nervous, and looked around. It seemed much smaller in the daylight. Different. Like how a nightmare feels at midday. I licked my dry lips and walked into the room, kneeling at the spot where I’d landed after his spell ripped through me. The rug had been changed so there wasn’t even the scent of blood.

That was when my eye caught sight of the trunk. It sat along the wall, near the corner, and was covered in strange designs carved into the wood. I moved closer and saw scenes among the intertwining branches of shaped wood, here a stag hunt, there what appeared to be a floating city. How odd. I knelt and inspected the lock. After a second I pulled the pick out of my hair.

I’m not sure how long it took. Too long, I’m sure. There was sweat on my brow by the time I finished and I wound up holding my breath until it hurt for the last bit. But finally the lock clicked, I put the lockpick back, and opened the chest.

There was a robe inside, sized for a child. Curious. A collar and leash, sized for a cat or some other animal of that size. A painting in miniature… of a young woman with the same pointed ears and same pale blue hair as Magus. I lingered over this for a bit and dug deeper into the chest.

A hand closed on my shoulder and I felt my blood run cold. I could not move and it wasn’t from any trick or spell. I was too frightened to do anything but let Magus’s breath wash over me.

“When doing what should not be done,” he said smoothly, replacing the picture into the chest and shutting it, “it is always wise to first ensure that the cat is gone, and then how long the cat shall be gone. But it seems the mouse neglected a part of that, or perhaps, didn’t think that someone like me would have magical wards to be able to tell when their possessions are being snooped into by a foolish little human girl.”

He pulled me from my kneeling position and threw me away from the chest. I staggered and fell. Didn’t try to stand.

“It amazes me that you’d have the audacity,” he said, pacing the room. He wore gold armlets and I kept watching the light flash off of these. “But I suppose you just have a fascination with stupid, senseless and hopeless undertakings. Perhaps you could be useful to me, given brains to back that courage.”

Magus stopped and stared down at me.

“I’ll take it under consideration. You would like revenge against whoever betrayed you, wouldn’t you Stoat?”

“Yes,” I managed to croak.

“Good. Now, before I allow for that, I must know how much you gleaned while roaming through my possessions.”

“I couldn’t read the language, please…”

He ignored my plea and strode over to me, kneeling and wrapping a hand around my neck. I cried out, both hands trying to force his wrist away from me, but he didn’t yield and only pushed me onto my back and placed a knee just below my ribs. I squirmed under his weight and all that fear flooded back in. Helpless. No, not again. Please, not again.

His other hand he put over my forehead. I grew very still, feeling the hair on my arms prickle.

“Be still,” he whispered, “and don’t fight so much.”

Then he whispered some words in a language I didn’t know, a language of power I could only presume. Something pierced me, like a needle, except it was within and did not touch the physical realm instead. Someone screamed – me I would later assume – and I felt like I’d been tossed outside of time, like my soul had been dropped into a black nothingness save for that one white needle inside me.

I was curled in a fetal ball, covered in sweat. The rug beneath was soft on my bare skin. I’d been crying, maybe? How long was I out?”

“You didn’t pass out,” Magus said smoothly. He was somewhere behind me. “If that’s what you’re thinking. In fact, not even five minutes has passed.”

Felt like days.

“If you’re wondering what that was, it was a simple delve into your mind to see what you’d been doing and why. Quite informative. I will have to speak with Slash and Flea about the matter.”

Oh hell. This was bad.

“I don’t do it very often. Difficult against a strong mind, but yours seems to be already broken to my will. Quite convenient.”

You did it. You did this to me, you’re the reason I’m frightened and unable to defend myself against you. I hated him.

Somehow, I managed to stand. Somehow. I’d get out of here, lick my wounds, and wait for Slash and Flea to enact whatever vengeance they’d concocted for Magus finding out their scheme. Magus was sitting on the end of the bed, seemingly lost in thought. I edged towards the door and had even put one foot out into the hallway.

“I didn’t give you permission to leave.”

I turned. Took one step back into the room. He still wasn’t looking at me directly. Then his eyes focused back to the present and his smiled. Concentrated his attention on me.

“Flea gave you that to wear? I approve.”

I should have just run. Wouldn’t’ have gotten far, but still, it would have still been some kind of a fight. Magus gestured, and in the second I hesitated the door behind me slammed shut. He stood. And forgive me, but I only sank to the ground, trembling, and waited for what would come next.