‘Guard, show methe small Llanllean.’ commanded the Queen and a guard picked up hisbasket and approached her. He stopped about two paces from her andheld the cage at shoulder height so that she could clearly seehim.
‘This Llanlleanis still a baby. I find it difficult to believe that it could doall the things that you claim Master Garret.’
‘It’s no babyYour Highness. It’s a powerful wizard. I saw it fight a dragon andwin. It speaks to me with mindspeak and tells me what I shouldsay.’
Aquitain wasshocked at what Garret was saying, and then he got a clear view ofthe Queen’s eyes. They were glazed over as if drugged or worse …mentally dominated.
Suddenly it wasall clear. They had been set up. Someone had got Ansidian toconvince Somanller and her group to capture Garret on the way tothe Queen and then have them found in the presence of the Queen’sMagician so that it would look like a conspiracy. If Queen Aurorawas dominated she would only believe what she was told by hermental captor and it was quite likely that he or she was listeningto them speak right now.
He sent amindspeak message to Llalorax.
‘The Queen hasbeen dominated.’ He was then hit with the most powerful mentalassault that he had ever felt. It swept aside his mental defencesas if they weren’t there. It stunned him as surely as if he hadbeen hit over the head with a large club. His eyes went blurry, hislegs gave way and he collapsed to the bottom of the basket.
‘Take Llaloraxand the small Llanllean to the dungeon and incapacitate them both.Place them in dead magic cells until I decide their fate and have aroom prepared for my guest Master Garret.’ ordered the Queen in acold heartless voice.
**
Aquitain cameto his senses just as two guards hauled him out of the basket andheld his body flat against a dusty stone floor as another swungdown with an axe. He felt a jolt of pain as one of his leg waschopped off, then excruciating pain as a red-hot flat iron waspressed against the wound to seal the stump against bleeding.
There was asickly smell of burnt hair and flesh. It happened again and againuntil his six legs and one arm were removed and sealed. He managedto block the pain mentally at first but by the fourth leg he wentunconscious the pain was just too much.
When he awokehe found himself lying on a bed of dry reeds in a dark stony cellwith seven painful stumps where his legs and arm had been. Thesteel door at the entrance had a small barred window, which allowedfaint flickering light to enter from a torch burning on a walloutside the cell. The amount of light didn’t matter much as he hadexcellent dark vision. He mentally sought his source but didn’tbother using any magic as he also felt the tell-tale numbness of adead magic zone.
‘Great! ‘ hesaid using mindspeak, ‘So much for stealth and cunning. I’m leglessin a dead magic cell that blocks my magic abilities. How do I getout of this predicament? Slivver, can you help?’
A minute laterSlivver answered. ‘That was terrible. That was the most pain I’veever had. What have you done that makes people want to harmyou?’
‘Ah soeavesdropping on my mind has a down side.’ said Aquitain. ‘Youshared my pain.’
‘I share allyour emotions.’ replied Slivver. ‘I will especially enjoy yourlovemaking.’
‘Ha ha.’laughed Aquitain. ‘I’m afraid you’re in for disappointmentthere.’
‘Why is theresomething wrong with you.’ asked Slivver with a real sound ofconcern.
‘No. It’s justthat I’m betrothed to a woman that can’t enjoy lovemaking yet.’
‘By themiserable Powers what have I done to deserve this?’ criedSlivver.
‘I can rememberwhen I thought times were tough. I had to spend a month on a Mudrunrat to stay alive. I got no sensible conversation but do you knowthat he copulated with at least six female rats every night. It wasbliss!’
Aquitain hadn’tfelt so miserable for ages but surprisingly Slivver was cheeringhim up. Slivver had no idea how they might get out of their currentpredicament but related several short experiences of difficultsituations where he had somehow survived. His strange dark humourappealed to Aquitain.
He lay therethinking about how everyone believed he was some type of villain,an Agent of Chaos and how much he was going to disappoint them ashe could hardly bring much chaos to the world sitting in a darkcell with no legs. It was actually quite funny in a weird sort ofway.
He was stillchuckling at Slivver’s latest tale of woe when in flew a miniaturewoman about two hand spans tall. She had thin delicate wings likethat of a butterfly and wore only a chain of some small flowersaround her waist.
She flewstraight down and landed in front of him just out of reach. Heheard sounds reminiscent of the Llanllean speech. He couldn’tunderstand as his earring had been taken. She then changed to whatsounded like the Elendari language. On the third attempt shesucceeded. She asked his name in low Draconic.
‘Hello my nameis Glammer. I’m a friend of Llalorax. He asked me to find you andapologize and ask forgiveness for what they have done to you. Hefeels great shame that a young Llanllean could be treated so badlyin his presence yet he was unable to help.’
‘Hello Glammer.I’m Aquitain.’ He replied using mindspeak.
She looked athim a bit closer.
‘Ewww. Do youknow you have a parasite on you?’
Glammersuddenly stopped talking and darted out of the cell. Moments laterthey heard footsteps and two Elendari guards came strolling down tothe cell. One opened the door and the other shone a light from atorch in. He smiled and said in low Draconic
‘I was told tofeed you well as the Queen had something special planned for you sowe set some traps and caught you some special dinner. Hope you likeit.’ as he tipped a bucket letting half a dozen dead rats fall onthe ground in front of them. Aquitain looked at the bodies andthought ‘You’re joking!’
After theguards had left, Glimmer returned. She dragged three
