Making Plans

Things start to get heated once Jeela and John air their worries, but Parathallaxa's moves to help aren't exactly ... orthodox

Parathallaxa frowned once Jeela and John had shared their fears for John's older children. 'I had feared this day would come,' he said grimly. He nodded at Meghan, who'd gone pale. 'Unfortunately,' the elder added, 'there is very little I can do from here. I cannot determine the genetics of your children, nor can I influence events from here. I am essentially linked to this castle; my will is protecting it, and I can only devote my energy to small circumstances. Lifting your children out of danger would destroy the defenses, if not outright kill me in the process, and John, you are still too young to take on my mantle.'

"There has to be something we can do," Meghan said desperately. "Those could be my stepchildren, and I don't want anything happening to them, or to Helena and Josef."

John sighed. 'I wish I knew,' he said. 'And I can't go back there and warn them; I'd fall right into the clutches of Harald's very angry relatives. Apparently he has a b*****d half-brother who's vowed revenge, if Kerrus' magic book can be believed.'

'It can, and it is true, unfortunately,' Kerrus confirmed miserably. 'Josef and Helena are not unaware of the danger, thankfully, so they can do all they need to ensure they and their children are safe. They've got cousins who can step in and act as regents if they need to flee.'

Parathallaxa nodded. 'Then we can guide them here,' he said. 'And since the defenses are stronger than any magic their enemies could ever dream up, your family will be safe.'

John sighed in relief. 'Thank all the gods in existence,' he said fervently. 

Meghan nodded. "I think, in light of the circumstances, that something permanent ought to be done in case one or the other of us gets in strife," she told her onetime betrothed, who blinked.

'Are you sure?' he asked.

"I am," Meghan said firmly. "I'm not sure what my feelings towards you are, but I know you're a good man - er, dragon. Anyway, I think we could do no worse, and certainly it would be a way to ensure the geas is fulfilled."

'It would not have mattered,' Parathallaxa interjected. 'As I told the both of you, the geas is not life-threatening.'

"I know," Meghan said, "but I just know that this is the right thing to do. Maybe you're right. Maybe the geas isn't life-threatening, and maybe it won't do anything if we marry someone else. But I'm not taking a chance on my life with 'maybes'."

Parathallaxa winced. He'd forgotten he was dealing with a unicorn; they were known to be very blunt and to-the-point, traits which had gotten him in trouble countless times in the past. 'Very well,' he said. 'I can see that your mind is made up. We shall conduct the ceremony at noon tomorrow. That will give me time to divert some energy from the defenses.' 

In truth, as the three dragons and one human left him, he really needed that time to reassess his condition. Things were likely to deteriorate much faster than he'd anticipated, and the strain was taking a toll on his lifeforce. He didn't need to be told that someone had managed to retain some knowledge of the Old Magics, primordial forces older than even that of the creation dragons, and that someone was using the Old Magics to defeat him from within. He suspected one of Harald's ancestors; they were notorious for mixing unstable magics together, a process which had resulted in a shocking mutation when applied to a forced breeding between human and unicorn some two thousand years ago. Those mutations were supposed to be extinct, but Parathallaxa knew, deep down, that one of Harald's relatives had somehow managed to get their hands on one of those creations. And since Josef's youngest daughter was not set to inherit a kingdom, she would be ripe for the taking, as it were. 

'Not so long as I live, foul abomination,' the elder growled in a low, rumbling tone. Though he knew it to be forbidden, he reached out, his thought traversing the long miles between the castle and Vasterhall, which had been settled as the new capital of the two reunited kingdoms, now named Novistridia. And up in the chambers where three royal toddlers slept, he found the one he sought. Wearing the new realm's colours of green and gold, her golden curls spread in a haphazard mess on the pillow, her blue eyes closed in restful sleep, she didn't appear to be the keystone on which an entire world's hope rested. But when Parathallaxa's thoughts touched her, he knew she was indeed dragonborn, just like her father. Her siblings had no such blood; they were human. But little Aisa would one day learn of her dragon heritage, just like her father, and she was the one whom Harald's relatives would target. Parathallaxa could sense the dark web even now wrapping around her, and his anger blazed up, fierce as the heart of a volcano, and a thousand times hotter and more devastating. 

With one slice of his etheric claw, he ripped the web apart. A scream sounded deep in his mind, and he almost laughed. Breaking someone's spell always hurt the spell-caster. Even if it was a benevolent spell, the user would feel a mild tingle of discomfort. But if it was created with ill-intent, then the pain would be much greater. Parathallaxa wagered he'd just dealt a serious blow to his unseen enemy. But he wasted no time gloating; Aisa was in greater danger now. Utilizing yet another forbidden technique that was surely going to cost him his life, he wrapped space-time energy around the little girl, and when the vortex cleared, she was gone. Her brother and sister stirred, but Parathallaxa engaged one last twist of magic, and they calmed. In the morning, Josef and Helena would discover their youngest daughter missing, and a tremendous hue and cry would ensue. However, Parathallaxa had yet another final trick up his sleeve, and even as he used it, he knew that this would be the trick that would cost him his life. Even so, he needed to do so, both for Aisa's safety, and the safety of her family. 

Reaching out, he blanketed the entire realm in a fog of forgetfulness, from the king and queen, to their two remaining children, right down to the cook who prepared lemon cakes for the littlest princess, and even the chamberlain, who dandled her on his knee and told her fairy tales - all of them were covered, and as the fog settled in their minds, erasing all memories of Aisa, Parathallaxa felt a sense of deep relief. He'd broken a great many rules, he knew, and he'd pay dearly. Placing a spell of forgetfulness on someone required that the spellcaster also suffer the same fate, equivalent to the gravity of the spell they'd placed on the target. Since he had just caused an entire country to forget the existence of one little girl, he knew he'd have to give up a sizeable portion of his own memories. The worst part was not knowing which memories would be sacrificed, and as Parathallaxa withdrew his probe, he felt the grey fog come over his senses. He could only pray, as the fog grew, that he'd be able to retain his most important memories. For if certain memories were forgotten, then would the castle defenses fall, rendering all his hopes and plans meaningless. 

Author's Note

What do you think?