Never Should Have Happened

[Canid]

Part 1: The Tavern

 

Gwandai removed his traveling cloak and lay it on he seat beside him. He noticed the noise in the tavern dim slightly and the noise of chairs being scraped on the floor as people tried to discreetly move away from him.

 

Gwandai adjusted the sleeve of his dark blue wizard’s robe and placed his long staff-like wand on the table in front of him. His wild red and green eyes stared around the room in excitement at the prospect of finding someone new to experiment on…

 

He smiled unpleasantly up at a waiter to show he wanted attention. The waiter looked fearfully at him and said in a slightly quivering voice “May I help you sir?”

 

“Certainly you may. Give me an ale skin full of mead, I cannot stay long enough to drink much here.”

 

The waiter scampered off in a relieved manner to beg the bartender for an ale skin and Gwandai continued his inspection of the residents of the tavern. He needed someone weak willed but strong who he could practice his magic on without having to worry about the person resisting the magic or breaking down physically. Most of the people here were out of shape or life-hardened and strong willed.

 

The waiter found an ale skin and filled it with mead, then placed it quickly in front of the wizard before moving thankfully to a normal non-magical customer. The wooden door to the tavern moved quietly open and Gwandai turned to face it, hoping the person would suit his needs.

 

A fragile looking and intensely beautiful woman in a feathery, flowing dress ducked in through the door and watched it swing shut. Slowly she pulled her eyes from the door and looked around timidly. She did not spot Gwandai, who had positioned himself in a corner and her eyes eventually came to rest on the heavy-set bartender. She approached slowly and whispered something which Gwandai used his magic to hear.

 

“May I have some watered down milk with honey? Warm is best.”

 

The bar tender was not a good-humoured man. “Tryin’ to be funny miss?” he asked gruffly.

 

The woman immediately backed away several feet and spoke again, this time quietly enough that noone heard it but Gwandai who was listening with his magic.

 

“No sir! Please sir, I would just like…”

 

The bartender looked suddenly angry. “Now sayin’ insults too quiet for me to hear… you ain’t stayin’ another minute!”

 

The man began to open a door in the counter so he could remove her from his tavern and the woman, terrified, backed up so fast that she knocked over Gwandai’s table, tripped over it and landed on the wizard's arm.

 

Gwandai was aware immediately of her silken skin against his arm and he looked up to see her staring with wide frightened eyes as the bartender came out from behind his counter.

 

Gwandai’s breathing was deep and rapid as he supported her back inches from the ground.

 

The bartender lunged towards them and extended a bulky arm downwards to remove her yelling in fury, “You’re payin’ for the man’s drink an’ yer payin for the table!”

 

Gwandai heard her breath catch in fear and almost instinctively reached for his wand which had fallen to the floor. He brought it up instantly and sent a burst of fire at the man’s arm.

 

The weight on Gwandai’s arm increased as the woman went limp and he cut off the fire as the man bellowed in agony and fear of his own. Gwandai looked down at the delicate woman fainted in his arm. He stood up and lifted her easily. Two of the more intoxicated customers charged at him and he sent another jet of flame at the floor in front of him. The men leapt back and Gwandai moved swiftly out the door. Edited by: Canid at: 5/15/02 2:42:31 pm