P I And Magic
Copyright© 2005 by Volentrin
Chapter 20
The next morning I had breakfast with Mirwanna. She was playing the 'Responsibility Card', to the hilt.
"Paul. Do you know what it means to be Duke De Landkur?" she asked, buttering some bread.
"Not really. I know a Duke is a pretty high rank. The Land I am from did not really have nobility. While there is nobility in that world, I never really understood it," I said.
My sister finished chewing, swallowed and said, "Duke De Landkur means you are the senior Duke in the Land. It means, you are the Duke of this very city we are in, Landkur. You are the hereditary ruler of this city. The 'Lord of all you survey'. When you say something, people had better listen. Your word is law, here.
"Don't you think that means you should find out about this place you're ruler of? What are its laws? What are the rights of the citizen? What are your responsibilities? Do you see where I am going with this?" Mirwanna asked me.
I had been getting uncomfortable, and that switched to anger.
"Let me see if I have it, sister mine. I am your slave. I cannot do anything, unless you tell me to do it. I have to go to meetings I know nothing about, and I have not had time to get up to speed. And you're doing your level best to make sure I don't keep my sanity, right?" I asked angrily.
"Paul, it's not like that. You have responsibilities," Mirwanna was saying as I got up and left the table.
"I find it very strange that this Land has been able to survive my absence without falling apart for over 200 years; but now that I am here, it can't go one more day without my being at the knee of your favorite retainer learning the Duke business!" I finished, shouting.
I slammed open a door, and found myself in an unfamiliar corridor. I started marching down it, and just turned in what I thought was the correct direction. I was hopelessly lost. Where was a servant when you actually wanted one?
I felt an agonizing pain in my back. I stumbled and as I did, a blade went whizzing by overhead. I turned, and saw a dark clothed figure. I cast my heart attack spell at him. It bounced off a protection of some sort.
I fell to my knees, and concentrated on trying to breathe. I fought through a haze that descended over my vision, and I lifted my left hand, and found myself looking at a claw.
The pain was incredible. I heard the ripping of clothes. I roared my pain. This could not be happening! I was no longer human. There was a moment of concentration, and I breathed fire at my attacker. He screamed, and died. I lost consciousness.
When I came back to myself, I was lying on my bed, on my stomach. I hurt like hell. There were several people in my field of vision.
"What happened," I asked, gasping.
"Paul. Don't talk. You were attacked by an assassin. We pulled a Drebasty knife from your back. We're trying to heal you now. It is very difficult. It hit just right of your spinal column. It pierced your right lung," Mirwanna told me.
I could feel liquids being poured on my back. I heard chanting. It felt like a fire was kindled inside my back. It was like a hot coal was inside me. I screamed in pain. I panted from a feeling of not being able to breathe. I felt light headed and lost consciousness, again.
When I opened my eyes, I felt much better. I could breathe, and while my back hurt, it was more manageable this time. I was also lying on my back, this time. I turned my head, and saw my sister looking out my window.
"Anything out there I should know about?" I croaked.
"Paul!" Mirwanna said, rushing to my bedside.
"How do you feel?" she asked, feeling my forehead.
"Like shit," I said. She laughed.
"Good, you should. It means your healing. It was touch and go there for a minute. A Drebasty knife is a very deadly weapon. They are made to cut through anything, including spells. Most spells, anyway," she added the last hastily.
"What the hell is a Drebasty knife?" I asked her.
"The Drebasty are an elder race. They are stepped in magical lore of all sorts. They are a magical race, literally. For the most part, they have withdrawn from contact with all but a few.
"They are excellent weapons makers. The knife that hit you was made for the express purpose of killing powerful magic users. The blade is inscribed with runes of power that are old and not much could withstand it," she hesitated, then went on.
"The only beings able to withstand this type of magic, are the divine, and dragons. We don't know of any other being to have ever survived an attack from this type of blade. Our divinity, yours and mine, is not of sufficient strength to really counter the effects of this blade.
"Paul? How did you kill that assassin?" she asked me.
"Well, I remember pain, and breathing fire at him," I said, incredulously.
"That's got to be it! That's what the goddess did to you, to us! Paul, we are the first Dragon Lords in over a thousand years with the ability to transform INTO DRAGONS!" she almost shrieked.
"That explains your shredded clothes! It also explains why the knife had almost worked its way out of your back, by the time we found you. The knife's blade showed that it had gone into you up to the hilt.
"Paul? I am sorry about the argument we had this morning. Take all the time you need to get your bearings. You were right. I was being controlling and manipulative," she said.
I almost felt like saying no she was right, but, no. I was not going to throw this away. I nodded at her.
"Far be it from me to argue with my Princess," I said grinning at her.
"I wonder how we are supposed to transform? Do you remember anything at all about it?" she asked me.
"Not really. I remember getting off a spell that just bounced off him. Or off something he was wearing," I said frowning. It was mostly a blur now.
"Yes, we found a his amulet. It was a powerful general-purpose counter charm. It was very powerful, indeed. However, its makers could not envision protecting the wearer from dragon fire," she said with a grim smile.
"Also, the Drebasty have much to answer for. While I am sure they did not conspire with the assassin, I feel we will be able to wring concessions from them," she said with satisfaction.
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