Snippet #1426854

((Wow, sorry for making you read all this. I'm having too much fun playing the baddie.))

Safir gazed down at the frightened townsfolk below him.

"You wretched ingrates. You dare defy the Queen of Dragons, after she spared your miserable lives? You know the price of treason. You shall all perish this day. I will lay waste this nest of vermin and set my mark upon it; I will raze the buildings to the ground and make a tomb for your lifeless corpses. Nothing and no one who dwells within this place shall be spared; the stench of death will lie upon the ruins of your town, the birds will not fly over it, nor will the soil bear fruit for twoscore and six years."

"Stop!" Someone pushed his way forward out of the throng of people, into an empty space before the town hall, directly under Safir. "Stop, sorcerer. These people are not to blame." The man was tall, burly, clad in leather armour with a bloody sword held in his right hand. "It is true there are warriors here opposed to the witch. But the townsfolk did not give us board of their own will. We forced ourselves on them. If you want the rebels, behold, here I am, the leader. But if you and your mistress even pretend to care about justice, leave the others be."

Safir allowed his gaze to linger on the man. He was putting himself in danger to buy the townsfolk's lives, a noble gesture, although doomed to failure. But Safir didn't appreciate being lectured on justice by this jumped-up sword-swinging oaf, who apparently fancied himself a great defender of the people. Did he not know that all justice, mercy and goodness flowed from the Lady alone? What did brutish thugs like him have to do with it?

"A pretty story," Safir said, "if only it were true. So, you are the one behind this charade. I have met many fools like you, with an excess of courage and a want of wisdom. You will die painfully for your folly."

"Perhaps," the warrior retorted. "Perhaps not. But even so, some things are worth dying for."

"I am glad to hear it. Then your journey will not have been in vain."

"Tell me," said the warrior, hefting his sword. "Will you come down here and fight me like a man?"

Safir sneered. "Why should I do that? You may be a man, but I? I am the lightning that strikes from Heaven, I am the raging fires of Hell. I am the Prince of Dragons, the shadow of Death, the sword of woe, the right hand of oblivion. You may fight like a man, for that is what you are: a weak, infirm, limited man. But I am Safir Azgard, and I will fight as I am: a force of nature. The autumn storm does not notice the tiny insects broken in its winds, the vast ocean does not heed the little fishes dashed upon the shores, nor do I care for the pretensions of my enemies. Bow before me or be destroyed; the choice is yours."

The warrior stared at Safir a few moments before speaking again. "Do you never think of the suffering you inflict upon others?"

"Suffering may be justified in pursuit of a higher goal. It may even be beneficial. As a steel sword must pass through the blacksmith's fire to become tempered, so our souls must pass through the fire of suffering to grow strong. I thank the fates for each instance of pain in my life, as each has served to make me stronger."

"But you're not the ones starving down here, are you? You and the witch live in your magic tower with all your needs taken care of, I don't doubt."

"Enough of this," Safir said. "I need not justify myself to you."

"Just tell me one thing, sorcerer: how did you find us? Did someone betray us, or was it your powers?"

Safir smirked. "Nothing in heaven and earth may be hidden from the Queen. She sees all, knows all and understands all. As her -"

Whoosh! One, two, three, four sudden blurs of motion speeding through the air! As they approached Safir, the arrows slowed and finally came to a stop, floating in mid-air a few inches from his body.

"Well done. Engaging me in conversation to give your archers time to take their positions. Unfortunately, it takes more than arrows to harm me, even if they are coated in death-lily poison. A scratch from one of those might kill an ordinary man, but I am not so easily felled." Safir made a flicking gesture with his right hand, and the arrows twisted and writhed in midair, lengthening into enormous, hissing green snakes, which floated to the ground and turned on the terrified townspeople. Safir could see the warrior looking distressed, obviously upset at the failure of his plan. Several of his companions came out of the crowd and together they faced the serpentine threat with weapons drawn.

"Go ahead and slay them," Safir said. "It makes no difference to me. Not one of you has the capacity to harm me." Now one of the snakes had the warrior in its coils.

"No!" A thin young woman with lank brown hair came running out of the crowd, dressed in a drab grey dress. She stared at the struggling warrior, her eyes large with horror. Then she turned and glared at Safir. "Stop it!"

Amused, Safir raised his eyebrows. "What was that, wench? You stare and speak boldly for one so lowly." But he had a sudden flicker of doubt... the way the girl was staring at him - could it be? No... but... and then suddenly he felt the pressure on the outside of his mind, someone hammering and shouting, Let him go! The girl was a magician!

"No!" shouted Safir. "Traitorous bitch!" He lashed out with his hand and a bolt of yellow lightning exploded from his palm, sped through the air and struck the woman in the chest. She screamed as she was blasted off her feet, tumbling across the ground several times, until she finally lay still.

"Suzie!" Now the warrior was hacking at the serpent's coils, managing to free himself and racing to her side. "No! Suzie! I told you, no!" He gently raised her and cradled her head in his arms, her eyes flickering open and peering blearily.

Safir pointed at the prone girl. "You are twice a traitor, once to your Queen and once to magekind. You use your gifts to aid the common humans who despise and persecute us. There can be no forgiveness for such villainy."

"Don't you see!" shouted the warrior. "It's because of you and the witch that people hate mages!"

"Lies," Safir said. "Your kind has always mistrusted us. I know that better than most."

The magician girl coughed, raising herself so that she was in a seated position. "No, he's right," she whispered in a hoarse croak. "There were always people who were prejudiced and cruel. But before, those of us with useful gifts were accepted, and the others were tolerated. Only the bad wizards were truly hated. But now... they're killing magic users because they say we're all in league with the Witch."

Safir said, "And so you would be if you had any integrity. But you would rather abuse your powers to render succour to the enemies of magekind. So be it. I am weary of this wretched town, and I pass my sentence on all of you: die. Die! Go down into oblivion!" He raised his arms and broadcast his summons to the Stymphalian birds and the ur-wolves. "Kill them all!" he commanded. "Kill them all! Death to traitors, collaborators and enemies of the Queen! Rend their flesh, shatter their bones, send them to the dark world!"

The monsters amassed eagerly, racing into the town square. Safir watched with expressionless eyes as the slaughter began.