It has been a long time since I’ve spun a tale based upon an image. In fact, it was Hidden Exchange back in July 2022. Unfortunately, there’s been a lot of obligations tugging me in every direction. Thankfully, those demands on my time have lessened. As a result, I thumbed through my Magic favorites on DeviantArt and isolated the image that sparked a story. This time it was a piece, with an unusual name, published by EinsteinWarrior..
Instantly, the story that bloomed in my mind revolved around the lineage of Tiatha and Leodor and the creation of the ruling council and their Hunters.
The elderly man’s head turned over his shoulder as the pounding intensified. With a snarl, his fingers twitched over the flipping pages of his floating tome. Between each crash, a page tore free from the binding and swirled about the frantic mage, joining the others whipping about him. As the flock of papers whipped about his twitching brow, light consumed the scribbled words. When the glow enveloped each sheet, they popped out of existence.
“Thobin,” a husky voice said as a mighty thud punctuated the wizard’s name. “Open the door!”
The man’s steely gaze whipped toward the strange voice as his fingers continued their dance over the whirling pages. Between thumps, Thobin’s grinding teeth rebounded off the walls as he widened his stance. “This isn’t going to end well for you!”
“By a unanimous decree of the ruling council,” the gruff voice said as the pounding increased, “you are required to surrender yourself and all of your tomes to our authority.”
A swirling wind whipped about Thobin, throwing his long graying hair about his head. As more pages tore from the tome, he rolled his shoulders, sending a series of cracks bouncing off the walls. “I neither respect that institution nor you. Enter at your own peril.”
As the pounding gave way to cracking, a feminine voice sliced through the din. “Thobin, you can’t win this fight. However, if you submit yourself to our authority, you’ll be rewarded with a place on the council.”
“Bah!” Thobin’s whirling fingers intensified as the pages continued, ripping free from the tome. When the last page freed itself, Thobin turned to the cracking door as he clasped his hands behind his back. When his hair settled about his shoulders, his fingertips glowed with a warm yellow light. “If you turn around now, I’ll have mercy on both of you.”
“We’re the best wizards next to the council,” the original voice said. “You can’t survive a confrontation with us.”
Laughter bubbled out of Thobin’s mouth as the glow raced up his arms. “If you enter my chambers, I’ll make you regret your existence.”
“We will perform our duty to the council.”
The elderly mage’s scowl deepened as he inclined his head. “Such is the fate of fools.”
The door blew off its hinges and spiraled away from Thobin to crash into the far wall as the last page vanished. A lean man sauntered into the private chamber. “You brought this on yourself.”
“No,” Thobin said as his body blurred. He crossed the distance in the blink of an eye and slammed both hands into their chests. The yellow glow flooded into their bodies. Thobin smirked as he brushed his shoulder. “Unfortunately for you, I’m more skilled than the pompous fools who sentenced you to death.”
He reached up and patted the male intruder’s cheek. “It’s unfortunate that you allowed those idiots to warp your understanding of reality.” With a sigh, Thobin’s fingers began to glow with a pale verdant light. He closed his eyes and pressed his fingertip against Owyn’s forehead. “While this won’t kill you, don’t consider it an act of mercy.”
The green illumination flowed onto Owyn and wrapped around the man like a snake winding about its prey. When the light enveloped the intruder, it exploded, washing over everything in the room. Once the extraneous light diminished, Thobin turned his attention to the remaining trespasser and traced her lips with his thumb.
“What happened to Owyn?”
Thobin pressed a fingertip against her mouth as his eyes narrowed to slits. “Vonora, I did not allow you to speak just to be inundated with useless questions.”
“But you killed him.”
Thobin’s finger whitened as he leaned next to Vonora’s ear. “While I didn’t kill him, I suspended him in time for a thousand years.”
“What?”
The elderly mage stepped back, clasping his hands. “After ten centuries, the spell’s strength over him shall wane and he’ll reenter the world.”
“He’s going to live?”
“Owyn has been removed from time’s steady march, so the next time his feet tread upon the ground, his physical body won’t be any different from what it was today.”
“What’s going to happen to him?”
With a chuckle, Thobin flicked Vorona’s nose as his lips curled into a smirk. “Unfortunately, the only difference will be the loss of his magical abilities, since my spell will devour them to sustain itself.”
“When he finally breaks free, he’ll be a regular person?”
Thobin’s grin intensified as he nodded. “Vonora, let me be blunt. I don’t need you to deliver my message to the council. If you do not stop annoying me, you’ll share in Owyn’s punishment. Do you understand?”
“Yes.”
“Excellent.” Thobin’s chest expanded as a silence wrapped around the two mages. When he released the pent-up breath, he flicked her forehead. “Inform every member of this foolish body that each Hunter they send after me will suffer Owyn’s fate.”
“Is that all?”
“I wasn’t done.”
“Sorry.”
Thobin reached out, cupping the woman’s cheek. “Before they launch into their inevitable and pointless questions, advise them that despite my vast patience, it isn’t infinite. If I have to consistently deal with these intrusions, my frustration will win out, and I’ll return to punish them for their ceaseless and petulant behavior.”
A lump slid down Verona’s throat as her eyes stretched into small plates. “If I pass that ultimatum on to the council, they’ll execute me for treason.”
As the mage’s hand glowed white, he pressed his palm against her chest. “Then you’ll have to decide whether you’d rather die as a wizard or live as a human after losing a thousand years. Because if I’m angered, I’ll become your hunter before turning my attention to them.”
“That’s not much of an option.”
“Make your decision,” Thobin said as the intense spark crashed into Vonora. When she collided with the far wall, she slid down the smooth stone and vanished before collapsing on the floor. “Hopefully, your choice will be the correct one.”