The Thief and the Talisman (Closed for myself and ERedBoyd)

[Nyte_mare]

Jenna had been a thief since she was all of 7 years old. Her mother, who happened to also be a pretty good thief in her own right, had seen her daughter's talent early on. Jenna was small, quick, slippery, and cunning. Even at 7. She could easily pick the gold pouch from the belt of a Nobleman, to snatching an apple off a merchant's cart.

When she turned 12, she began to actually enter people's residences. She was a quiet at a cat, could climb almost as well as a monkey when needed, and was, well, fearless for the most part. She would steal gold, jewels, coins. She could be in and out of the residence within just a few minutes, and almost always undetected.

When Jenna turned 14, her mother, an Elf, was caught when trying to lift the coin pouch from a visiting Prince to their home kingdom. The Prince was a particularly cruel man, and demanded her hands be severed in punishment. This was done right then and there, by his guards, and her mother, denied any medical treatment, bled out right there in the courtyard, with no one to help her. Thieves were frowned upon, sometimes even more so than killers.

Jenna had watched it all from the shadows, unable to help.

Her and her mother had always been outcasts, not just due to the fact they were thieves, but due to the fact that her mother was Elven, her father was Human. Being of mingled blood was seen as foul and impure by the elves, and seen as nothing more than a filthy half breed by the humans. Thieving was the only way they could and did survive.

That was 8 years ago. Jenna was now 22 summers in age. She was still a thief.. in fact, she was a master thief. She had perfected a life for herself, and often, when she stole, she now shared what she took. Gold, jewels, coin. She would keep what she needed, and share the rest. She had found, as she had grown and survived, that within her own home kingdom and the surrounding lands, there were many that were poor, barely able to survive. Most did not have her talent, and scraped by with what they could beg for or grow on their own. When a family in just that situation had deemed to help her back when she was younger, after her mother had died, she made a promise to herself to help others.

When she turned 18, she worked to fulfill that promise. Perhaps as a way to keep her mother alive in her heart. She wanted, no she needed, some "good" in her life. She did not want to just be a thief. Again, thieves were frowned upon, even moreso now than when her mother was alive. Punishment was often swift and sometimes deadly, as Jenna knew well. But Jenna was, cunning, smart, and so very good at what she did.

Word began to travel. Just as she did. She never stayed in one town, village, city, or kingdom for too long, moving between the many that dotted the countryside here in the south. She rarely ventured north. Altho word had indeed made it north as well. It was not to say she had never been north, she had, but south was her preferred stomping grounds...

The more she stole, the more her reputation grew. The more she stole, the more she was able to provide for those who could not.

The more she stole, the more the noblemen and the rich complained to the powers that be. Sheriff, Guard, Deacon, Priest, Prince, Princess, Queen, or King.

Suffice it to say, no one knew her name. She often covered her face when giving the poor what she could. She had learned from her mother to be as invisbible as possible. So when she was seen, she was just Jenna, a poor girl, in mostly rags, that lived day to day. None would ever think she was the Thief that had been roaming the lands for years now..

The Thief that had been given the name Catlyn Caress... Cat for short.... Cat for how quiet she seemed to be able to move. Caress for the mere fact she could steal the coin pouch from under a Nobleman's cloak with barely a touch.

But things were getting more, dicey these days for Cat... There were posters, advertising a hefty bounty, in gold, for any that could bring in the girl thief, dead or alive. Several of the Kings had pooled resources to produce the 10,000 gold coin bounty/reward. And within weeks, that had been upped to 25,000 gold coins...

Guards, bounty hunters, and others, were now on the lookout for the girl thief now known as Cat...

But as many as were looking for her, many others were willing to overlook what she had done and welcomed the thief into their midst. While none knew who she really was, there were many that were willing to keep her safe, and would not turn her in...

And Cat, was still doing what she had always done...

And it just so happened that, after a particularly successful theft at a local church, where the corrupt Priest had been hoarding gold and coin, Cat had heard talk of a Talisman. As she waited in the darkness of the rafters above the main sanctuary, she heard the Priest speaking to another about a Talisman that had been unearthed recently, and come into the possession of the King. A King she knew well, having stolen from him and his family and guards many times. She had even gotten into and out of the Castle on more than one occassion. This particular King had put up a good portion of the Bounty that was now on her head.

"He has found the Dragon Talisman. It is said, whoever possesses and wears the Talisman, will in turn possess the powerful magic within."

Powerful magic.

Powerful words to Cat. Powerful magic. In the hands of a cruel King who kept all wealth for himself with little regard for his people. That, was when the plan began to form in her mind. Surely he would keep such an item in his vault and only use when desired. He would be a target for every other King and their assassins if he chose to wear it all the time. She knew where his vault was. She knew she could get into his vault, even though he had heightened security. She... could steal that Talisman.... Not for herself. She had no use for magic, did not understand how it worked. But surely she could find one more worthy to possess such power. The Wizard Honrick from the small village further south came to mind. He was not a powerful wizard, using his powers mostly for healing. This Talisman could perhaps aide his healing. That would much more worthy a use of it....

That would be the plan.. Steal the Talisman, and bring it to the wizard Honrick....

 

[ERedBoyd]

"Sir! I ... I don't trust her! Please sir! Give me another 2 weeks. I can find her, we don't need that witch in here!" Commander Rourik Draenel growled into his King Philip Arnek's ear while the two men looked at the metal plated dark looking woman working at the central pedestal slumped over it adding something on top of it. The King noticed the woman hesitate but only a moment then return to her work at the pedestal.

Philip turned to his long time friend and said, "Come with me old friend. Let's let the Lady Recluse continue her work undisturbed." The sounds of metal clanking echoed in the hallowed vaults which was located in the very center of the castle. Once they were outside it, he turn and pushed his long time best friend and ally against the wall and had a dagger at his throat in one quick motion!

The Commander's eyes widened as he felt the blade press at his neck, a dribble of blood leaking down his neck. He stuttered, "M... my lord?"

"You have promised me the head of this thief they call Cat for nearly 2 years now and have failed to catch her! She has been in this castle, stolen directly from me, and from you! She has insulted my honor and puts into question my control over this realm! If a single woman, a WOMAN for Gods' sake, can slip into the castle and steal whatever she wants, whenever she wants, you have clearly FAILED ME!" Rage and anger grew as he kept that dagger pressed tight to his neck.

Four other men stood in the room just outside the vault. Two were his Majesty's guards, one was the King's aide Necrilious, and the last a lean man wearing a uniform much like Commander Draenel's, except with one stripe less on each sleeve, named Deputy Commander Roderick Creed. His eyes stayed locked on the Commander and knew no one would raise a hand to him one way or another. He was the King after all.

"P...Please sir. Give me one more chance!" The man managed to get out with great nervousness.

The King's response was fast as the knife buried itself straight into the neck of the leader of his military forces! The man tried to scream out but the King jerked his hand to the right, slicing the vocal chords and effectively severing his head from his spine. The body of the Commander fell limp as the head rolled off the blade, hit the floor and rolled towards one of the guards on the post.

The King knelt down and wiped the blood on his blade on the corpse and then stood up, stepping back from the growing pool of blood. His eyes turned to Deputy Commander Creed and said, "You are promoted and are now in charge. You have 2 weeks before this fate befalls you! I will not accept failures! Now go!"

The shaken Deputy Commander saluted the King and he spun around and headed out of the chamber back up onto the main floors barking orders before he reached the top of the stone stairs.

The King turned to his advisor and said, "See that this body is destroyed. His name is forbidden to speak in my kingdom! Punishable by 100 lashings! Go."

The Advisor nodded and glanced over at the woman who was just reaching the exit of the vault and looking down at the corpse on the ground. She spoke softly with a lisp saying, "He wassss alwaysss a fool of a man"

The King turned to his sorceress and glanced to the guards once before leading her back into the vault once more to see what services he had paid for. He looked at the pedestal from afar and the item on top of it. It was an obsidian talisman with an inlaid golden dragon connected with a obsidian beaded necklace. It hovered inside a magical field a few inches off the pedestal which was set up by the Lady Recluse herself. He didn't move any closer to it because he had insisted that magical traps be set all around it and the vault. In order to this plan to work, it had to be really difficult to get to and something only a master thief could get into.

He said, "Tell me about what you have done."

She smiled and said, "I have laid out a number of wards around it and the vault. The first is a heat detector. If any warm blooded person attempts to get within 6 feet of it, it will stun them and send up an alarm. Another is a motion ward, looking for any kind of motion which will result in sealing the entire vault in an unbreakable shield. You see those stones there." She waved her hand and a dozen of the stones in the floor lit up a moment then faded, "Should any of those stones, it will summon a few of my pets from the beyond."

She laughed a weazing laugh before saying, "Once this door is closed, I will seal it with a sleep spell which would cause all in the room to fall into a dreamless sleep till they are woken by me directly. Finally, this is yours..." She reached into her pouch and pulled out an obsidian ring with a matching dragon symbol on it as well. She handed it to him and he slid it into his pocket saying, "If your thief gets through it all and out, the ring will grow warm on your finger. If she puts the talisman on, my final trap and your special... requesssssst shall happen."

The King nodded and said, "Yes, perfect. You have done well. Thank you. Let's get out of the vault and set that last trap."

The King watched as the vault was sealed and the last ward was set. He then turned and said, "You have done well. You have kept your end of the bargain and now I shall keep mine. I will bring you what you require in 1 week's time."

As the King left, he never heard the Sorceress smile darkly at him. There was one more little trick she intentionally didn't tell him.

The King returned to his war room to continue working on his plans for the invasion of the North Plains of Shaloose.

 

[Nyte_mare]

Stealing the Talisman was not something Cat could, or would, do on a whim. If this item was as magical, and powerful as she was now hearing, then surely it would be heavily guarded. The human guards did not concern Cat. She could, and would, easily get around them. She knew the castle and the vault well, she had made a point to learn and observe during her other forays into the vault. She knew where the guards would be, when the guards would change. She even knew which guards tended to fall asleep on the job, and others that could be... tempted... by a well paid palace concubine. The King did keep a stable of concubines, not for himself, but for his guards. It was an effective way to keep control. But the girls were not exactly brilliant and easy to bribe with a copper piece.

No, the guards were of no concern. But Cat knew, if this Talisman were that powerful, surely he would have traps set. Magical spells in place. She would have to think on that.

If she were the King, what would she use for protection. What spells would work against a thief if said thief got past the guards?

Motion.. that was the first thing that came to mind. Surely there would be a spell or a trap to detect motion... Surely that motion would be pressure related, steps upon the floor. She could work around that.. she thought, her fingers tickling along the length of rope that lay close by.

What else? Cat sipped a cup of tea as she pondered. Currently, she was residing in a small room above the local tavern. The Tavern Owner, a gruff looking older man, usually reserved these rooms for his own ladies of the night, who would entertain men, mostly travelers, for coin, with him getting 2/3's of what the girls made. But he had taken a shine to Cat, she reminded him of his own daughter who had passed not that long ago. Where in most circumstances he may have demanded his own pleasure from one asking to rent a room, it was that resemblance that got Cat in without having to... indulge... the Tavern Owner.. which was a good thing. Cat had managed to not indulge anyone in a carnal fashion. Her mother had taught her that sex came only with love. And Cat had not found love with anyone... so she remained... a virgin....

She could hear the music down in the main hall, and the laughter of men and ladies. Every once in a while, she heard the bootsteps of a man along with the giggle of lady, heading to one of the other rooms. And shortly there after, if she listened hard enough and the music downstairs let up just a bit, she would hear the cries from that lady along with the grunts from the man, never mind the heavy squeak of the bed springs...

Never mind that Cat... she thought to herself.. concentrate... What else..??

Motion... yes...

Sound? But that would be hard to control as sound could penetrate from the outside. The Vault was not sound proofed. A crack of thunder could set of a trap, so she did not think that sound would play into this...

Heat? Bodies, people, produced heat... Heat sensing was a powerful trap, used often, along with motion... How could she work around that? One thing about heat was that it was not immediate. It would take a bit of time, perhaps several minutes, for the room to register a change in heat that a body would add. If she could get in and out quickly, very quickly, she may be able to circumvent the heat aspect, if there was one. She would have to work on the assumption that there would be.

Heat and Motion, those would be the most dangerous of traps, and surely he would have those in place. Both would be magic based. Cat was not versed in Magic. She did not deal in Magic.. But Honrick did.

Honrick was a wizard that lived in the port city of Larthrop. He was older than Cat, by several years, but in the wizard grand scheme of things, where most were so much older, he was young. His specialty was healing, as had been his mother's, a very talented healing witch. Cat had met him by chance, when she had attempted to steal coin and jewels from a traveling nobleman and his wife on the road leading to the larger port city. The traveler had stopped for the night, and set up camp, the city another day's ride, and while he and his wife slept, Cat had struck. But, she made a very rare mistake.

Cat favored necklaces, she always found them to be irresistible. And the wife was wearing a sparkling silver chain with a iridescent blue sapphire adorned upon it. Cat had attempted to remove the chain from around the neck of the sleeping wife and inadvertently awakened her. Her scream alerted her husband, of course, and he attacked with his dagger, catching Cat across her hip as she turned to run.

She had managed to disappear into the darkness of the woods before he could pursue, but she was injured and bleeding. She made her way to the port city and there, she met Honrick, the healing wizard. After spending several days in his care, she recovered. And a friendship began. Truth be told, Honrick had a bit of a crush on Cat, but she did not see it nor return it. She saw him as a friend, and that was it. She had so very few....

She would talk to Honrick about what traps, wards and magic may surround the vault. He did not know she was the thief known as Cat, he knew her as Jenna. But she knew she could get him talking about magic, and maybe even the Talisman, and could get any information she needed that way, without revealing her true intentions...

To be continued.....

 

[Nyte_mare]

Honrick was more than happy to discuss magic and magic use with Jenna/Cat. He always enjoyed this kind of discussion. Magic to him was fascinating and he enjoyed teaching others. Magic, of course, the ability to use magic, was an inherited trait. Not everyone could conjur spells or manipulate weather, or move objects, whatever the case may be. But there were some simple "tricks" that the non-magical could use. Most were harmless, conjuring smoke to hide one's exit for example. Others were tricks that helped to circumvent real magic spells.

It was these tricks that Jenna/Cat was most interested in. And given that Honrick was smitten with her, the information was easy. He even gave her several items to "play" with. One was an herbal tea that when brewed and drank, would lower your body temperature for a brief amount of time, with no after effects. It was often used in healing with one was displaying a higher than normal temperature, but could be used as a "practical joke" as well as it was harmless otherwise.

Another was a trick, along with a item, to keep her awake. She had not thought she would need this, but in her mind, if it took some time to get into the castle and the vault and she may have to lay in wait for several hours, she did not want to get sleepy or fall asleep. She had to be alert. Telling Honrick about a hunting trip where she needed to stay awake was enough of a fib to get him to give her the easy spell and the ward to be used, nothing more than a crystal that would catch the sun's light and when used with the spell would allow her to stay awake for 48 hours with no ill effects.

So, in her mind, she was ready. The motion part was easy, if there was a motion alarm, as she intended to never touch the ground and she doubted that anyone would consider her being airborne. But that was what the rope was for... Any body heat traps would hopefully be circumvented with the herbs Honrick had given her to lower her body temperature.. and lastly, she could and would stay awake, because more than likely she was going to have to hide out in the rafters from some time before making her move.

The castle, and the people within, including the King, were the least active on Sundays, thanks to the church and priest and the demands to be present at service. And luckily the services were held in the large sanctuary at the far end of the grounds, well away from the vault and the talisman. And given that usually Saturday evenings were for larger, formal dinners, Sunday morning at the service, most were a bit, out of it, to say the least... More than likely, the theft would not even be discovered until Monday...

So Saturday Night/Sunday morning it would be. Three days to get her plan down in her head. Three days to think of anything that could go wrong.

It would be overnight Saturday night into Sunday morning when she would sneak into the Castle itself. After the usual formal dinner the King had with his Noblemen and Dignitaries. And by chance, this particular Saturday evening, a visiting Royal was presenting the King, who had yet to select a wife, with a possible candidate in his daughter, a Princess. Cat knew that when these kinds of dinners were planned, it meant the King would be "sampling" the Princess in his chambers. That always worked out well for her. The last 2 times she had snuck into the Castle had been on just such a dinner occasion. The King would be busy and the guards would be occupied with the guests, not HER in the rafters...

**********************************************************

It could not have been a more perfect night for her plan. The night was moonless, so the darkness was absolute. The day had been bright and sunny, allowing Cat to charge the stone she had gotten from Honrick and utter the spell to keep her awake. She had drank the herbs that Honrick had given her in a tea. She felt alive, as if nothing could go wrong. And the fact that the night ended up being moonless, and the King had imbibed a bit more than usual in anticipation of a night in his chambers with a beautiful princess, yes, the night could not have been more perfect.

Perfect was exactly how it went. In fact, she actually paused, on the roof of the castle, to peer down thru the skylight at the dinner and festivities going on below.

The Princess was lovely, with flowing golden hair and ruby red lips. It was more than obvious to Cat that the girl so wanted to be Queen. The King was handsome, of course. But Cat had seen his cruelty, how he treated his people, cared only for his riches. How could one love a man like that? Why would one want to? She shrugged. Mattered not to her. There as nothing she could do about it beyond what she was doing now...

When the dinner finished and the King and the Princess retired to his chambers, that was when she struck. Sure, she could have watched the King fuck the Princess, he had a skylight as well, but watching him satisfy his carnal urges was not something she wanted to witness. She had her timeline, she wanted to get the Talisman and be out of the vault long before sunrise...

Her plan worked perfectly. As she climbed down the rope from the skylight above, again the King and others never considered someone getting to the roof, and even when he did after the last time she stole from him, having had bars installed on that very skylight, she was slippery enough and small slender enough to squeeze through and still get into the Vault. And the bars provided the perfect anchor for her to tie her rope to. It was all too perfect.

She was in the vault, had the lock picked to the safe that always held his valuable, and had the Talisman, within 15 minutes. "Just enough time for the King to get his rocks off" she thought with a chuckle to herself...

She left her signature calling card, a sprig of the local "pussy willow" plant where the Talisman had once lain, and she was gone...

 

[ERedBoyd]

King Arnek stood in the vault of his castle staring down at the pussy willow branch on the platform where his talisman had been sitting but the night before. Next to him, the Sorceress Lady Recluse stood next to him leaning in and staring at it as well. 6 guards stood around the vault as well looking incredibly nervous. No one knew of his plans with the talisman so all they saw was the vault had been broken into once more.

"Do you have the ring your highnesssssss?" She said with her usual raspy voice.

He reached into his tunic and felt a pocket on his left breast, then reached into it and pulled it out saying, "I have it here."

She looked at it and nodded and said, "Good. Do NOT put it on yet."

He studied the ring and then turned to the guards saying, "Clear the room. I must talk with my aide."

The guards all looked none too reserved to leave the room and when it was only the two remaining, he said, "Lady Recluse, the plan was for her to put it on right away. It would have hit her quickly. Will this work if she doesn't put it on or puts it on far away?"

She put a single finger on the ring and said, "This ring forms a bond with the talisman for which the one wearing the ring has control over the one wearing the talisman. When the wearer of the talisman puts it on, this ring will grow warm to the touch. Only when that happens, do you put the ring on and not before. The talisman will seal itself to the wearer and can only be opened by use of this ring."

The King growled, "I get all that. I know that. What I need to know is will it work if she has so far away? She could be out of the country by now... probably is by now."

"The bond knows no physical limit. The one wearing this can reach into the mind of the other, make them feel anything they want, hear anything you tell then through the bond. Communicating works both ways so the wearer can talk back. However, the sensations It only works on way, you give, the other receives. You will be able to sense which way she is and how far away, whether she draws close or farther away." She said as she looked back to the empty pedestal.

"And where is the real Dragon Talisman?" He said as he tucked the ring back into the pocket.

She gave a raspy laugh and said, "I will bring it to you sire." She turned and walked to the wall and began to utter something. She then reached her hand into the wall, phasing through it as if it didn't exist, reach for something and pulled it out. The real Dragon's Talisman came out of the pocket in space. She walked over to the pedestal and started to set it on it when the King said, "Nope... I think I will hold onto it now. It is clear the vault is no longer safe." He reached to the pendant and pulled it into his pocket.

Just then, the ring suddenly began to grow warm to his body! His eyes widened and pulled it out. The ring glowed softly and he said, "The talisman has been put on." He moved the ring to his finger and said, "Here we go." He slid the ring on.

Power surged through him and he felt the most peculiar headache hit him as the ring did what it needed to do. As the power he felt subsided, he realized he was feeling something new and different in his mind. A piece of his mind which seemed alien to him... holding emotions and feelings that were not his own. He smiled and touched the ring saying, "That talisman belongs to me." Fear, shock and horror filled that pocket of ... sensations and he knew it was the wearer...

 

[Nyte_mare]

It had not been the easiest theft Cat had ever pulled off. But she was most proud of this one.

The sun had risen and she sat in her small room above the still quiet tavern. She had the window open, so that she could appreciate the warmth and light that the sun provided and for a bit of time, she just sat and enjoyed.

The Talisman was nothing more than golden dragon pendant on an onyx black chain. It certainly was strikingly beautiful, Cat could not deny that. But she sensed no power from it. Should she? Would she? Something seemed off about it. Almost.. dark... almost... evil. That was what she sensed. Turning it over and over in her hand, she let her fingers slowly caress the surface. Hopefully Honrick would know, would be able to use whatever power or magic this strange thing held.

But it was so beautiful. She had always loved necklaces and pendants. Ever since her mother had given her a pretty butterfly wing encased in silver on a chain when she was all of 7 years old. She had worn that butterfly wing with the pretty silver chain until it was too small and tight to fit around her neck anymore. She still had it. She always kept it. Right now it sat safely in a small music box that Honrick had gifted to her. She had left it with him, with her nomadic life of moving around, it was safer. This way, she knew that gift from her mother would always be safe. She trusted Honrick that much at least.

She peered at the pendant, absentmindedly brushing a strand of her dark hair back behind one ear. The gold gleamed in the sunlight.

"I bet this looks spectacular when worn" she murmured to herself. What harm could it do... and with that thought, she slipped the chain around her throat... turning to look at herself in the small mirror that hung on the wall.

The Talisman began to glow, and Cat could feel a heat emanating from within it, slowly slithering from inside the golden dragon adorned on the surface and winding along her skin. What was happening? What.. kind of... magic... was this? She stepped back, reaching up to rip the chain off, but before she could, it began to tighten. The heat was nearly scalding as the chain and pendant changed, into a golden choker that claimed her throat in a tight embrace.

Cat began clawing at it, trying to get it off. What was happening? WHAT WAS HAPPENING?

Don't panic she tried to calm herself. Don't fucking panic.

Taking a deep breath, she stopped pulling at the now tight golden choker that lay around the column of her throat, culminating in a dragon head. It "looked" as if it could be unhooked in some fashion, but when she tried, she found it was fused solid.

She stood there, trying to calm her breathing, staring at the image of herself in the mirror and the golden collar that now encircled her throat. This had to be magical. There was no other way to explain it, and she knew, her only option would be to go to Honrick and hope he could get the thing off.

It was then she was hit with the pain. A sudden jolt that pierced her mind. It was a lightning strike that shot through her and she fell back onto her bed, reeling, quickly clamping her own hand over her mouth to silence the scream that almost tore free. Cat shook her head violently, trying to wrest free the sensation when she felt... something... different.. something... intrusive....

The pain subsided for a moment, consumed in this new.. sensation. It was as of another were in her mind, trying to gain access. What the FUCK? She shot the words out of her mind, as if flinging them at the intruder..

"That talisman belongs to me."

Her eyes widened, fear, near terror, and shock was the only other way to describe what she felt. Whose voice was that? Had she even heard it? Or was she imagining things? It was as if the collar around her throat was... talking????? to her?????

Again she clawed at the golden choker to no avail.

"What the HELL is going on" she screamed.. or did she? Had the words even come out of her mouth? Did her lips even move? Or had she merely thought the words. Was the choker alive? Was there a magic spirit within it that was trying to communicate?

"I have got see Honrick" she said to herself, this time she felt her lips move as she voiced the thought. But she had to calm down first. She had to get control of the fear. Wrapping her arms around herself, she desperately tried to stop shaking.......

 

[ERedBoyd]

"I have got see Honrick"

The King's eyes narrowed and his mind raced as he took his finger off the ring. He had seen heard that name before. 10 years ago, there had been a revolt that involved a core group of wizards and sorceress. They had taken over a few towns to the East and tried to overthrow him but his forces along with his own magical force had moved in and destroyed most of them rebels, killing all the magical kind. As a recourse, he required all magical entities to register with the local magistrates in order to track who has magical practices. This was one of the main requirements he forced the rebels to accept in order to avoid absolute destruction.

This forced every magical person, wizard, sorcerer, witch, or sorceress, regardless of what species to make a decision, which was either register and be allowed to own and operate their businesses or give up using magic. Further, those that did register where also allowed to conduct special services for the King for a nice purse and preferential status throughout the local towns they worked and lived in. If two healers wished to open a business within the local town and one was preferred over the other, the preferred would get the license and the other would be forced to move on.

This pushed many of the non-preferred towards the outer reaches of the lands near the borders. The list of registered wasn't a particularly long one so he knew most of the names on their. One of those on that list was the Healer Honrick. He turned to the Lady Recluse and growled, "I need the magicals list. Look for a Honrick. I want the local magistrate to arrest him and bring him to me."

She nodded and turned to leave the room to do his bidding. He put his finger back on the ring that he wore on his other hand and could feel fear inside this person. There was a slight chance this person was not the thief, but someone the thief gave the item too but he doubted that to be who wore it. The woman seemed to be scrambling along running somewhere down in the South.

The King sat on his throne and just felt and listened to the new abilities he had. He could hear her thoughts, sense where she went, and he was curious what he could do to her that she could feel? He imagined a thorny briar bundle of switches and for a moment imagined them striking her bottom hard and waited for her reaction.

As Lady Recluse slid into her own studies and pulled up the list, she found the village and immediately walked to a faded brass disc which was inlined in the stone floor under a matching faded stone door way. She then muttered a charm and an faint blood red energy appeared within the archway. She stepped through it immediately.

A man in black armor with a red cloak stood nearby, helmet on his desk pouring up a glass of coffee. The smells of the coast filled the room. The man spun to see her and immediately set his drink down and slammed his helmet on saying, "Lady Recluse! May I be of service?"

"The Wizard Honrick, you know of him?" She said with a lisp.

"I do my lady." He said putting his hand on his sword.

"You will arrest him and bring him to me now. If he resists, kill him." She said with a lisp.

"My lady?" The magistrate said curiously, "On what charge? I am unaware of any charge."

"Conspiring to commit theft from the King. Now GO!" She said as her inner powers began to glow.

The magistrate stepped back, turned to the front of the officer where 4 more men dressed the same way waited. In minutes they were on their way to arrest the only healer of the town.

 

[Nyte_mare]

It would be a day and a half to maybe even 2 days walk to get to Honrick. She had to get moving. The sooner she got there, the sooner she was sure he would be able to get this.. thing.. off from around her neck. She tried again in vain to pull it off, but it was solid and not giving at all. Gods, what kind of trouble had she gotten herself into... She fought to keep her panic in check. Fought to stay calm.

She packed a small traveling bag that she could carry over her shoulder and set off. The sun was still high in the sky. She could get several miles behind her before she would have to bed down for the night. It was never very safe to travel this great a distance over uninhabited lands and woods during the night. She also made sure to dress a bit more.. masculine as well, pulling on riding pants and a overshirt with a belt. It was safer than a dress by a long shot.

She set off, staying off the main roads and traveling through the woods. Again, a female, traveling alone, on foot, would always attract unwanted attention and she did not want any kind of attention.

Her mind was racing. If Honrick could not get this thing off, what were her options? Get it cut off? Surely the fact that she had a pure gold piece of jewelry that was most likely worth a small fortune would raise red flags. She was not a Noblewoman and could not pull that off. Honrick really was her only hope. He would know. He was smart. He know his craft of magic well, even if he was only a healer. Cat spent most of that walk into the woods convincing herself of that...

Just as she stepped into the welcoming, albeit spooky, shadows of the woods, she felt it. It was as if she heard a hissing sound of something snaking through the air and then the pain of the strike across her ass. Hard, burning, sharp, the pain took her more by surprise than really hurting her. She jumped as she was hit, spinning around to see... nothing.. no one... She was all by herself... and it hit again, this time harder, the hissing sound more pronounced. The pain tore into her, as if slicing into her skin, sharp pain raking her backside. Yet again, no one was there. Another strike, and she fell forward to her hands and knees, biting her lower lip to keep from crying out. What the FUCK was going on????

It was then that she realized the golden choker was warm against her skin and felt as if it were... vibrating slightly.

"STOP IT" she screamed out, but the words never left her lips, instead the words ripped across her mind and outward...

"STOP IT"!!!!!!!

Panting, she stayed still, tensing, waiting for the next strike.. but it did not come. Whatever was happening had stopped. But that begged the question, was someone doing this to her? How? Obviously the Dragon Talisman now Golden Dragon Choker was, no.. IS... Magical. It had to be that. But who, how? What kind of magic was this?????