 | I CREATED THE SOUND OF MADNESS WROTE THE BOOK ON PAIN SOMEHOW I'M STILL HERE TO EXPLAIN --- THAT THE DARKEST HOUR NEVER COMES IN THE NIGHT --- |
It was finally time.
Thana knew that she didn’t need to make any more moves at this point. The board had been set, the pieces in place, each moving of their own accord on a path that seemed random but was in fact predetermined. Though in truth, even she didn’t know what awaited her at the close of this chapter. She had wondered for so long about what would await her beyond the veil of death, and today, at long last, she would finally sate her curiosity… but first, there were a few other things that needed to be taken care of.
Mythal was the first to arrive after the notice had been sent of her return, the director accompanied by Lux and another figure. Thana’s amber gaze peered curiously in the specter’s direction, though it was unclear if she could actually see him or if she simply could sense his presence in some way. Either way, she at least knew it was more than just the two of them, the Warlord looking at Quentin with a hungry smile that was laced with an unnerving emptiness. She said nothing, however, only turning her attention to the other two as they argued over what Mythal was planning. Clearly Lux wasn’t a fan of it, the seal insisting that there were other options. The mortal chirped back with a firm apology, insisting this was their only course of action before sending another guard to fetch Nathaniel.
And somehow, miraculously, Thana continued to remain uncharacteristically silent. She merely sat there calmly, patiently waiting for gods only knew what, and leaving everyone on edge as a result. Nat arrived next, bound and very much still a prisoner himself, if one that was occasionally allowed to vacate his cage under a watchful eye. Her smirk deepened a bit upon seeing him, the dark mage all the more eager for this long awaited moment… yet again, she said nothing. She made no attempt to antagonize, no moves to draw attention to herself or invite suspicion. Or at least, more suspicion than she invited naturally. She only continued to wait for the final pieces to set themselves.
It was only a few minutes later when Serilda strolled into the hall with Vandrad at her side. The field marshal carried herself as she always did when in the line of duty, with a confident gait that was neither sluggish nor in a hurry, her clothing crisp and her posture straight, her hands clasped behind her back. It was the first time that she herself had seen Thana in person, in any of her forms. There had been no reason for her to travel to the depths of the jail to study the triad of women on her own; Mythal was handling the case and she trusted him implicitly. She cast her cool icy gaze toward the prisoner with an unreadable, scrutinizing glance that lasted only a moment before also turning to take in Nathaniel with decidedly less judgment. The man had broken the law several times over and murdered a number of people, but she understood that he was as much a victim in all this as many others, that he had been manipulated and used by the woman before them.
The Voidwalker looked to her fiance. “Are you ready?” Presuming he was, she would finally approach the outside of Thana’s cage, peering down at the other woman with all the haughtiness one might expect from a noblewoman of her station. “I am Serilda Sinclair, field marshal of the Rune Knights. Normally I am rather strict in adhering to certain protocols and formalities when it comes to these procedures. However, given the circumstances I do not believe that is necessary, as for once myself, director Ragnos, and the Magic Council are all on the same page. You understand that willingly turning yourself in is not enough to absolve you of your numerous, horrific crimes, and that you are to be executed?”
“I do.” It was the first time Thana had spoken since reawakening, her tone even and unbothered.
“I trust I do not need to list the reasons for your sentence?”
Thana smirked. “I am well aware of everything that I have done, Lady Sinclair. I recall them all with a fondness that keeps me warm through the lonely nights in my drab little cell. Though if you wish to list my greatest hits, I am more than happy to–”
“That will not be necessary.” Serilda cut the woman off swiftly, not giving the Warlord any room to run her tongue and showing no interest in humoring her sick sense of charisma. “I have no interest in wasting more time on you than is necessary. The longer you breathe, the worse this world is for it, and I don’t care enough about you to turn this into some kind of court proceeding when your death warrant has already been signed and approved. We are gathered with the individuals you requested: Lord Vandrad du Wolff and ser Nathaniel Stratford. Director Ragnos will be facilitating your execution shortly, but before then I will allow you the single courtesy – as much as I am loath to do so – of any final words you wish to speak.”
The Warlord had obviously asked for the presence of these two men for a reason, and while neither her nor Mythal enjoyed playing into Thana’s game, they wouldn’t know what she was hiding unless they did. As far as she could tell, the only reason Thana had wanted Nathaniel there was simply to rub salt in his wounds, revealing the sordid truth of her connection to the woman he loved. Vandrad, though.. It was curious that she had asked for the former prince. They had never crossed paths before, though Vandrad held a deep seeded hatred for Thana’s involvement in Mercury’s kidnapping. Serilda was anxious about what message it was that the Warlord had for her future brother-in-law, knowing that anything Thana was involved in couldn’t be good, and was sure to turn this entire situation on its head… but they wouldn’t know until they reached that point and it was too late to turn back.
Thana was silent for a beat or two before she turned first to Nathaniel. “I truthfully have very little to say to you. You were a tool to harm and confuse Trinity, nothing more, and one that was quite easy to manipulate. I do admire you, however. Your work in the name of justice was quite beautiful to behold. For all your hatred of me, you and I are not so different – I merely don’t lie to myself about who I am.”
Letting those stinging words linger, she shifted to face the former Bellum noble, her smile deepening. “Vandrad du Wolff. It is quite a pleasure to finally meet you.” Thana eyed him over slowly, clearly appreciating what she saw. “I have a gift for you; a gift of knowledge, the answer to a question that you have been asking for some time but been unable, or unwilling, to attain. But first, I wished to tell you that Khelben truly was not aware of who I was when he enlisted my help. I am sure that does little to soften the blow of his actions, but it is the truth nonetheless, and I simply wish you to understand that I held no influence over the choices and the actions he took, both those you know about and those you do not… which brings me to my gift.”
“Khelben has been hiding something from you, burying a dark truth even as he lives a life of liberation among you and your family, one that I think you deserve to know… it’s only too bad that you didn’t heed the advice of your young protege.” Leaving that cryptic comment in the air regarding Saffron, Thana leaned forward a fixed Vandrad with a bright eyed excitement that would leave no doubt in anyone’s mind how much she was about to enjoy speaking the next words that were savored slowly by her smiling lips:
“He raped Mercury.”
Thana knew that she didn’t need to make any more moves at this point. The board had been set, the pieces in place, each moving of their own accord on a path that seemed random but was in fact predetermined. Though in truth, even she didn’t know what awaited her at the close of this chapter. She had wondered for so long about what would await her beyond the veil of death, and today, at long last, she would finally sate her curiosity… but first, there were a few other things that needed to be taken care of.
Mythal was the first to arrive after the notice had been sent of her return, the director accompanied by Lux and another figure. Thana’s amber gaze peered curiously in the specter’s direction, though it was unclear if she could actually see him or if she simply could sense his presence in some way. Either way, she at least knew it was more than just the two of them, the Warlord looking at Quentin with a hungry smile that was laced with an unnerving emptiness. She said nothing, however, only turning her attention to the other two as they argued over what Mythal was planning. Clearly Lux wasn’t a fan of it, the seal insisting that there were other options. The mortal chirped back with a firm apology, insisting this was their only course of action before sending another guard to fetch Nathaniel.
And somehow, miraculously, Thana continued to remain uncharacteristically silent. She merely sat there calmly, patiently waiting for gods only knew what, and leaving everyone on edge as a result. Nat arrived next, bound and very much still a prisoner himself, if one that was occasionally allowed to vacate his cage under a watchful eye. Her smirk deepened a bit upon seeing him, the dark mage all the more eager for this long awaited moment… yet again, she said nothing. She made no attempt to antagonize, no moves to draw attention to herself or invite suspicion. Or at least, more suspicion than she invited naturally. She only continued to wait for the final pieces to set themselves.
It was only a few minutes later when Serilda strolled into the hall with Vandrad at her side. The field marshal carried herself as she always did when in the line of duty, with a confident gait that was neither sluggish nor in a hurry, her clothing crisp and her posture straight, her hands clasped behind her back. It was the first time that she herself had seen Thana in person, in any of her forms. There had been no reason for her to travel to the depths of the jail to study the triad of women on her own; Mythal was handling the case and she trusted him implicitly. She cast her cool icy gaze toward the prisoner with an unreadable, scrutinizing glance that lasted only a moment before also turning to take in Nathaniel with decidedly less judgment. The man had broken the law several times over and murdered a number of people, but she understood that he was as much a victim in all this as many others, that he had been manipulated and used by the woman before them.
The Voidwalker looked to her fiance. “Are you ready?” Presuming he was, she would finally approach the outside of Thana’s cage, peering down at the other woman with all the haughtiness one might expect from a noblewoman of her station. “I am Serilda Sinclair, field marshal of the Rune Knights. Normally I am rather strict in adhering to certain protocols and formalities when it comes to these procedures. However, given the circumstances I do not believe that is necessary, as for once myself, director Ragnos, and the Magic Council are all on the same page. You understand that willingly turning yourself in is not enough to absolve you of your numerous, horrific crimes, and that you are to be executed?”
“I do.” It was the first time Thana had spoken since reawakening, her tone even and unbothered.
“I trust I do not need to list the reasons for your sentence?”
Thana smirked. “I am well aware of everything that I have done, Lady Sinclair. I recall them all with a fondness that keeps me warm through the lonely nights in my drab little cell. Though if you wish to list my greatest hits, I am more than happy to–”
“That will not be necessary.” Serilda cut the woman off swiftly, not giving the Warlord any room to run her tongue and showing no interest in humoring her sick sense of charisma. “I have no interest in wasting more time on you than is necessary. The longer you breathe, the worse this world is for it, and I don’t care enough about you to turn this into some kind of court proceeding when your death warrant has already been signed and approved. We are gathered with the individuals you requested: Lord Vandrad du Wolff and ser Nathaniel Stratford. Director Ragnos will be facilitating your execution shortly, but before then I will allow you the single courtesy – as much as I am loath to do so – of any final words you wish to speak.”
The Warlord had obviously asked for the presence of these two men for a reason, and while neither her nor Mythal enjoyed playing into Thana’s game, they wouldn’t know what she was hiding unless they did. As far as she could tell, the only reason Thana had wanted Nathaniel there was simply to rub salt in his wounds, revealing the sordid truth of her connection to the woman he loved. Vandrad, though.. It was curious that she had asked for the former prince. They had never crossed paths before, though Vandrad held a deep seeded hatred for Thana’s involvement in Mercury’s kidnapping. Serilda was anxious about what message it was that the Warlord had for her future brother-in-law, knowing that anything Thana was involved in couldn’t be good, and was sure to turn this entire situation on its head… but they wouldn’t know until they reached that point and it was too late to turn back.
Thana was silent for a beat or two before she turned first to Nathaniel. “I truthfully have very little to say to you. You were a tool to harm and confuse Trinity, nothing more, and one that was quite easy to manipulate. I do admire you, however. Your work in the name of justice was quite beautiful to behold. For all your hatred of me, you and I are not so different – I merely don’t lie to myself about who I am.”
Letting those stinging words linger, she shifted to face the former Bellum noble, her smile deepening. “Vandrad du Wolff. It is quite a pleasure to finally meet you.” Thana eyed him over slowly, clearly appreciating what she saw. “I have a gift for you; a gift of knowledge, the answer to a question that you have been asking for some time but been unable, or unwilling, to attain. But first, I wished to tell you that Khelben truly was not aware of who I was when he enlisted my help. I am sure that does little to soften the blow of his actions, but it is the truth nonetheless, and I simply wish you to understand that I held no influence over the choices and the actions he took, both those you know about and those you do not… which brings me to my gift.”
“Khelben has been hiding something from you, burying a dark truth even as he lives a life of liberation among you and your family, one that I think you deserve to know… it’s only too bad that you didn’t heed the advice of your young protege.” Leaving that cryptic comment in the air regarding Saffron, Thana leaned forward a fixed Vandrad with a bright eyed excitement that would leave no doubt in anyone’s mind how much she was about to enjoy speaking the next words that were savored slowly by her smiling lips:
“He raped Mercury.”
deltra of gangnam style
WORDS: 1357/7463 | TAGS: @Mythal Ragnos @Nathaniel Stratford 
