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Message: <blockquote data-quote="barsoomcore" data-source="post: 4490948" data-attributes="member: 812">What A Woman's Got To Do: 9"We could torture him."Etienne, Elena, Arrafin and Isaac considered the Kishak assassin Etienne had captured. He lay unmoving, bound enthusiastically if not efficiently in masses of rope."Have you ever tortured anyone before?"Etienne shrugged at Elena's sour question."How hard could it be? Break a finger or something, ask a few questions.""Somehow I don't love the idea of just breaking a helpless man's fingers."They all stared down at the assassin. He didn't offer to break his own fingers for them.Arrafin squatted down and studied the man more closely."Hi. My name's Arrafin. Why were you trying to kill me?"He made no response.Everyone started when Arrafin drew a knife. She turned the blade over in her hand, watching the light of the lantern flash around the dark hold."I don't really know how to use this. But I'm pretty sure I can cut your throat with it. Are you sure you don't want to talk to me?"The assassin remained mute, staring into the darkness.Arrafin shrugged."Fine."She drew the blade across his throat and stepped back as he thrashed and convulsed, breath hissing out of the terrible crimson slash."Arrafin! What the hell? Arrafin?"The Naridic girl watched her victim die then wiped her knife clean on a bit of sacking in the hold. She pointed at the body."Cut his head off and bring it up on the deck."She left, her little owl riding carefully on her shoulder. The others looked at each other."Great," said Etienne, "Now we've got our own insane sorceress."*****"Nevakada...""We probably could have figured that out on our own. Kishak assassins? Probably Nevakada.""You're so smart, Etienne, you ask the next question.""Guys, we need to focus.""Shut up, Arrafin. This is all your fault, anyway. What were you thinking?""Look, they're trying to kill me, so I get to ask. Also it's my spell. Now hang on.""Ask him why they're trying to kill you.""He'll just say because he was told to. Severed heads are very literal."At last Arrafin stepped over to the deck rail where Isaac had affixed the Kishak's decapitated head. Captain Mateo and his crew tried not to notice the gruesome scene."Why does the Nevakada want me dead?""All unauthorized sorcerers must die.""They must have picked you up in Al-Tizim.""Great. So not only is the entire Kishak empire is after us, they can somehow send assassins after us in the middle of the frigging ocean. Fantastic.""I take it back, Arrafin. It's all Nevid's fault."Arrafin only rolled her eyes at Elena and addressed the head once more."What were those demon creatures?""Spirits bound to whoever cracks the vial.""Spirits?""Yes.""Wait, that wasn't a question. Oh, damn..."Arrafin slumped as the head lost all animation and keeled over. She swore emphatically enough to raise Isaac's eyebrows."I'm always doing that."Elena got a thoughtful look on her face, and then Farouk appeared next to her."What does my mistress command?""Do you recall the beasts you fought here earlier today?""Yes, mistress.""Were they spirits like you?""Less powerful, but yes, mistress. They are the same form of sentience."Arrafin came forward."Why less powerful?"Farouk bowed to her."To bind a spirit requires a great will. Great wisdom, to not be fooled or distracted. Great focus. Great strength. The greater the mortal will, the more powerful the spirit that can be bound.""You were bound by Suelekar ben Azan, right?""He was very powerful, and so he was able to bind me. A lesser man would have failed and I would have consumed him."Elena and Arrafin exchanged a look."Is the Sleeping King more powerful than you?""In a sense, yes, mistress. But the Sleeping King is not entity of himself. He is part of a larger entity, that collection you refer to as the Tarn. Their binding is the most powerful I have ever seen. Truly, I cannot imagine the mortal soul great enough to bind them to the rocks of this land.""The Tarn are a single entity? But there's thousands of them.""Mistress, the statement is irrelevant.""What?""I cannot explain it any further to you, mistress. I have no gift to explain. But what you experience as a multitude is in fact a single entity, yes."Isaac shook his head."Has anyone noticed that the more powerful anyone is, the crazier they are?"Farouk bowed to the Saijadani."The correlation is not coincidental. As an entity's power grows, its relationship with the world around it changes. A sufficient power disparity between entities renders their worldviews so different no common basis for understanding exists, and the decision-making of one becomes opaque to the other.""Huh."Elena interrupted Isaac's thoughtful response."Speaking of which, we need to visit those guys. We've got their Magreb now, weren't they going to tell us how to get her to the Sleeping King? Farouk, can you take us to the Tarn?""My assistance is unnecessary, mistress. They have arrived.""Oh, look at them. They brought pants this time, at least.""You should hide me, mistress. They will find me interesting.""Yeah."Alongside the ship a strange island rose from the dark waves. No broader than their ship was long, it was neatly covered in perfect lawn of close-cropped grass, with a single oak tree rising in the middle. All across the island capered strange creatures of all size, some no bigger than infants, others towering twice the height of a man. They were either bestial and misshapen, or unearthly in alluring slender forms, and all of them seemed very happy to see the ship arriving.Isaac turned to Captain Mateo."What is this island?"The captain shook his head."You folks are the ones who handle the weird stuff. I just sail.""I think we need to go ashore.""Better you than me."*****"Welcome. Welcome. You are most welcome, Beloved."Arrafin stepped sideways to avoid what appeared to be a number of child-size insects dancing on their hind legs. She frowned at her hostess, a young woman who would have been lovelier if she were not apparently formed out of the bark of cedar tress."Why do you call me that? Beloved?""Because you are the Beloved of the Beauteous One. We honour--"The bark-woman stopped speaking when Arrafin gestured violently. The Naridic girl attempted to laugh."Ha. Ha ha. Well. Isn't that amusing. Yes. Let's not mention that anymore, okay? Bad idea. Just don't bring it up.""As you wish.""Thank you.""Beloved."Arrafin ground her teeth and marched over to where her friends were being seated. The island appeared a great deal bigger once you were on it, she noted. They now found themselves in a sort of great cathedral formed of living trees, their boughs high over head forming thick arches between which spreads of green leaves filtered the sunlight dappling through.Horns sounded. Excited weird folks began scattering as through their capering midst came the tall figures of Ugwyrdin, the antlered king, and his horned-but-somehow-still-gorgeous queen. The pair strode arm-in-arm up to the table. Isaac stood and bowed, doing his best to feel not at all ridiculous. He couldn't look at the woman."You have not brought HER. Will you not fulfill your part of the bargain?"Elena managed to speak first. At least they were wearing clothes this time."Oh no, we'll bring her. We just. Well. We've got Magreb, but she's not what we were expecting."She gestured to Isaac, who stared for a second then yanked out the sword that hung at his belt.The creatures all around burst into song, waving happily as if to an old friend reunited. The Queen smiled."That is she. Now you may bring her to her father, and deliver them both to peace. He is seeking her always, but once he has found her, his will to seek shall ebb.""Oh. Great. That makes perfect sense. So we need to take this sword to the Sleeping King?""And plunge it into his breast."Etienne continued gaping at the Queen as he sniffed."Remember the days when we sold guns to back-stabbing traitors? I miss those days."The Queen's smile faded."Now. Where is SHE? You must bring her to us.""Well, we..."Elena trailed off as Arrafin gestured urgently. The mortal friends put their heads together and the Naridic girl hissed."Should we bring her? I think she can handle them.""Handle them? What are you talking about?""In case this is a trap. I think she'll be okay, don't you? She's more powerful than them.""Oh yeah, that's what we're really worried about here, Arrafin. Whether or not the ten-thousand-year-old vampire who slaughters innocents for fun will be okay.""Isaac..."Elena broke in."Arrafin, how would we bring her here, anyway? We don't have any more of those crystal rods like the one Kani gave us.""Yeah, I have a couple. But do we think we should?""Where did you--""Do you think we should?"Elena smiled over at the Queen. The entire court was watching them carefully, and it seemed that some of the good will they'd arrived with had maybe begun to evaporate. The Queen spoke."Bring HER.""Yes. Do it."Arrafin rummaged in her bag and withdrew a slim rod about a handspan in length of transparent crystal."This will bring the Beauteous One to you. Shall I bring her now?""Yes. Yes. Bring HER. Bring HER to us. Let us see HER again."Arrafin snapped the rod. Dark shadows whirled out of the broken ends, and with a dramatic flourish, the towering figure of Yuek Man Chong appeared.The bizarre horde on all sides gasped and fell to their names, crying out in rapture.The Queen and King bowed.Arrafin cried out. At first Elena didn't understand what had startled her friend but then Madame Yuek gave a similar cry, one of shock and disbelief and Elena looked up to see her clutching at her own face.A face of warm skin the colour of almonds, that gave softly to the pressure of her fingers. Madame Yuek fell to her knees.Alive.</blockquote>

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