There was a knock on Talon’s door. “Come in,” said Talon.
It was King Carlyle. “Good afternoon, Talon. I’ve been meaning to visit you for quite some time now?”
Talon raised his eyebrow. “Then why not just visit. We live in the same castle.”
“Yes, I know. I apologize. In the future, I’ll be over more, I promise. But, Talon, we’ve had another incident in which we need your help. My sister Catherine is back.”
“I thought I sensed her magic,” said Talon.
“You can sense these things?”
“Sometimes. When I’m trying to reach the other sorcerers, I’m very aware of when magic is used in the area. I thought I sensed a certain type of magic, that had a distinctively Catherine feel to it.”
“Yes, well, you know I’m usually reluctant to involve you in family matters, but…”
“The castle is protected from her magic.”
“Yes, but the outside isn’t. And we can’t very well stay in here forever.”
“Yes, of course. Well, as you know, there are two options. One is that someone attempts to negotiate with her. I can do that if you want me to, but when it comes to talking, there’s no reason why you couldn’t do that as well as me. The other option is for me to use my spells and magic against her, and attempt to defeat her in a magic battle. And as you also know, those magic battles can be very unpredictable. It could be bad for the whole forest.”
“There’s one other thing,” said King Carlyle. “She’s shrunk John--one of the boys who came with Robert.”
“I could perhaps unshrink him,” said Talon. “But it’s risky. I can’t just use any old unshrinking spell. In order to reverse her spell, I’d need to know exactly what spell she used, and then use the antidote to that specific spell. Where is John?”
“She lost him,” said King Carlyle. “He’s out in the forest somewhere. I told her if she found him again, I’d let her in the castle.”
“Why would you tell her that?” said Talon angrily. “All this work I do to protect the castle from outside magic, and you just let her in?”
“I needed something to bargain with,” said King Carlyle. “Anyway, I know you're busy, but I don’t suppose you could go out and try to help her find John? Midor is out there looking for John as well.”
“You know Midor has not forgiven me for banishing him to the realm of the monsters.”
“I expect the small talk will be awkward,” said King Carlyle. “But he won’t do violence against you if you don’t threaten him. You wouldn’t threaten him, would you?”
“Not unless you told me to.”
“You know I don’t like him, but I don’t want to take responsibility for any harm that happens to him. As long as you are in the employ of this castle, I forbid you from harming him.” King Carlyle paused for a minute, before adding, “but you don’t need to help him either. If Catherine gets him, don’t feel like you need to save him from her.”
“Understood,” said Talon. He stood up to leave, and then he paused, “It occurs to me…” he said.
“Yes?”
“It occurs to me that Catherine may be of some use to us. We need help reconstructing the spells to contain the monsters. She has training in the arts of magic.”
“Not as a sorcerer.”
“Yes, there will be some differences in the techniques, no doubt. But perhaps that will be for the best. She’ll be able to spot things I may not be able to.”
“I understand what you’re saying,” King Carlyle said, “But I’m not sure what you’re proposing. Catherine would never willingly agree to help us. Not unless we gave her back the throne. And I’m not about to do that.”
“If I could make a negotiation with her…”
“As far as I’m concerned, the best outcome I could hope for is for Catherine to leave here and return to the witches' coven in the mountain. That’s the outcome I want you to aim for if you encounter her. I understand that her magic may be useful, but I can’t trust her. And I don’t want people around that I can’t trust.”
“My King, in this very castle you have two former dragons and one general of an enemy army who are wandering around without any restrictions.”
“That doesn’t matter. I can control them. I mean to say, I don’t want anyone around who I can’t control. And Catherine is someone I can’t control. She’d turn me into a frog in my sleep if she got half-a-chance. I’d rather take my chances with the monsters.”
“Understood, my King.”
“If you can convince her to leave, then just do it. Don’t make any offers to her of a partnership.”
“As you wish my king.”
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