The last time I had seen Thalindra was right after the spell that had sent old Morth away, and plopped me into his gross and withered body. She had fled the throne room, opened his treasure room, and escaped with a voyager scroll. I had chased after her, but it was only with Lady Churl's help that I had also escaped from the same room.

Seraphina had gasped when I'd spoken Thalindra's name. Her eyes were fixed on the figure in the doorway.

"Who are you?" Thalindra squinted at me before her eyes landed on Seraphina. Then they widened as she realized what was lying on the ground near my feet.

I dove for Morthisal's staff and came up with it clutched tightly in my hands. Thalindra hadn't recognized me. But she sure as hell had recognized Morthisal's relic.

"Get out of here, or else," I said quietly and gestured toward her with the staff.

"Her!" Ophelia seethed. "Usurper—bitch!"

"What is that sound? A tinkling on the wind?" Thalindra grinned as she looked right at Ophelia's intangible form.

Ophelia lost her confidence as she shrank away from Thalindra.

I had to play this cool and get Thalindra out of here. I had no idea how powerful she was, or what she was capable of.

I gripped Morthisal's staff tightly and jabbed it at Thalindra. "I'm warning you," I growled, trying to sound more confident than I felt.

Thalindra's laughter echoed through the tavern, sending chills down my spine. "Oh, please." She sneered. "Do you even know what you're holding?"

I remained silent, my knuckles turning white as I clutched the staff. Just go the hell away, Thalindra! I have a really lovely life here!

"You have no idea how to use that staff, do you?" Thalindra taunted, her eyes gleaming with amusement.

"Does it matter? I've been led to understand it's a really powerful object. I can turn you to ash." I bluffed—desperately hoping we could resolve this without a fight. I was way out of my league here, and I knew it.

Suddenly, Seraphina slammed her own staff onto the floor. The tavern shook, and I nearly lost my balance. "Leave now," she warned Thalindra.

Thalindra seemed unimpressed and let out another laugh that made my skin crawl. "Oh, how adorable," she mocked.

Her eyes narrowed as she turned back to me. "How do you know my name?" she demanded. Then, mid-sentence, her expression changed. Realization dawned on her face, and a wicked smile spread across her lips.

"Is that you, Morthisal, my love?" she purred. "You took it, didn't you? The Heart of Shadows. I didn't have time after I fled the throne room. No matter, I'll take it from you now and depart. You can both live. I don’t care."

Behind Thalindra, Garin seethed with anger. His hand was on his sword, but he could not help me.

For a brief moment, I considered this. If I handed over the amulet, I would be stuck in Morthisal's withered body. Maybe the people of Everspring would understand. I had made friends here. I had Seraphina.

Thalindra snapped a few words in an unidentifiable language, gestured, and an electric shock raced through my body. I gasped, and it stopped. Then she did the same thing to Seraphina, who yelled in surprise, but her cries turned to those of pain.

"Stop it!" I yelled and stepped toward her, hand on The Heart of Shadows.

"Don't, Varix. She lies!" Seraphina cried.

Thalindra's eyes narrowed, and a smile touched her lips. She pointed her finger at me.

As I prepared for whatever spell she would unleash on me next, the electric shock suddenly departed my body. Thalindra gasped, spun, and screamed.

Behind her stood Lady Churl. She must have crept back after truffle hunting, snuck up behind Thalindra. There was a knife sticking out of her lower back.

"I'll burn you alive!" Thalindra yelled.

As she gathered power, I put the staff to good use. Clutching it tightly in both hands, I raced behind Thalindra, raised the staff high, and brought it down as hard as I could. Parts of the headpiece exploded around us as it impacted with the sorceress's head.

Thalindra groaned quietly and crumpled to the floor. Lady Churl's knife fell out of Thalindra's back and clattered across the floor. The goblin quickly snatched it up and wiped the blood on the dark sorceress's outer garb.

I stood over her, shaking, heart about to tear its way out of my chest, and snarled at the unconscious figure on the ground. "I figured out how to use the staff!"

Seraphina breathed a huge sigh of relief as whatever spell she'd been under was released.

I stared at the staff. "This piece of crap broke. I always thought magic items were indestructible. Like throw into lava indestructible."

"Good. Maybe hitting her destroyed its power forever."

"God, I hope so," I muttered.

Lady Churl stood over Thalindra, her little blade dripping blood. She was smiling from ear to ear.

"Lady Churl. You are my hero!" I exclaimed.

She waved me off. "Nah. Just doing what I always wanted to. Stabbed the bitch right in the back, I did." She chuckled.

"I could hug you right now," I said.

"Same goes for me," Serarphina added. "She was so strong. I had no chance at fighting her once she began casting spells."

My head shot around toward the back entrance. "The orcs!'

I stepped over Thalindra and looked outside. Urzan groaned on the ground, pushed himself up, and then went to check on Moktar.

"Hey! Are you guys okay?" I asked Urzan.

He groaned and nodded.

"Here now!" a familiar voice bellowed from down the street.

Doan!

He rushed toward the tavern and the injured orcs. Hot on his heels was Caden. They were both dressed in work clothes, but Caden carried a knife, which he pulled as he raced toward us.

Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

"Shit!" I said and raced back inside.

"Lady Churl, quick. Do we have any rope?"

"Yeah, boss. Got it," she said, and rushed into the kitchen. Boxes shifted as she looked.

I was still carrying the broken staff. I considered it, hurried to the pile of broken furniture, and tossed it behind the mass. The top was cracked and broken, and fit in quite nicely with the other junk. I shoved a couple of chunks of wood around to hide it. Thinking fast, I pulled a broken barstool toward Thalindra's unconscious body.

Seraphina ripped off her belt, tore a sleeve piece off her shirt, and rolled Thalindra over. The dark sorceress groaned.

"What happened here?" Doan yelled.

"Orc surprised by attack!" Urzan bellowed from outside.

Caden appeared in the doorway as I raced back to Seraphina's side.

Seraphina stuffed the piece of cloth inside Thalindra's mouth and cinched it tight with the thin leather belt she’d worn, effectively gagging the sorceress.

"What's happened?" Caden asked excitedly.

"Who tossed these orcs around like they were nothing?" Doan barged in past him.

Lady Churl tossed the rope at me while my mind raced, trying to think up a cover story.

"Uh. Hold on, guys."

I snaked the rope under Thalindra, and with Seraphina's help, we tied the woman's arms against her side. Bound and gagged, I hoped like hell she was no longer a threat.

"Evil! That elf evil sorceress!" Urzan yelled as he barged into the tavern.

"Yes, she is." Seraphina stood, picked up her staff, and held it at her side. "She barged in here, yelling at us. She wanted this," Seraphina said, wiggling the staff. "This staff holds a Star of Luminas. It's a powerful catalyst. How she sensed it and sought it out here, of all places, is a mystery."

"Who in the world is she?" Caden asked as he dropped to his knees and studied the figure on the ground.

Thanlindra writhed in pain. The wound in her lower back dripped blood, and her head was turning red where I had whacked the shit out of her.

"Evil! Sorceress Thalindra!" Urzan said.

Caden and Doan looked between me, Seraphina, and the orcs, and blinked. "I'm sorry? Are you saying the dark sorceress Thalindra Sanguinara, Weaver of Shadows, Vice-Regent of Morthisal, she who was foretold to be The Second Harbinger, is here, in Everspring, in your tavern? Tied up and bleeding on your floor?"

"I guess," I said lamely. "How do you know all her titles?"

"Because she was one of our targets. We all knew Morthisal's leaders, top staff, and lieutenants."

"Yeah! That Thalindra! Yell at us! Blast us with spell. Orc hate stinking magic!"

"Glad you're okay, Urzan," I told my orc pal.

Urzan straightened, shook his head, and said, "Only catch by surprise. Urzan and Moktar also could have subdued her!"

"What should we do with her?" Doan asked, hands on his hips as he stared at Thalindra.

"We must send her to the capitol to face justice," Seraphina said.

"Aye." Caden nodded. "If she is so secure until she is turned over this sorceress should be no threat to us or the village."

Alic arrived, probably alerted by the commotion. He was dressed in his typical garb, light brown and black leather armor, with a gold star on his chest denoting his station as the town guard. He carried a sword in his right hand while his left hovered over his shoulder, reaching for his shield.

"Hey, Alic!" I yelled and motioned for him to join us.

He eyed the orcs suspiciously. Moktar sat against the wall, his head bleeding.

"Do you need help?"

Moktar touched his head, and his finger came away with blood. He shrugged. "Only flesh wound!"

Caden and Doan gave a quick rundown of what had transpired, with a few words tossed in by Urzan. They described how Thalindra had burst into the tavern, demanding some object, and attacked the orcs with her magic. I kept my mouth shut, not wanting to draw attention to myself or reveal any information that might implicate me. However, I couldn't help but glance nervously at the pile of broken furniture in the corner, knowing that the remnants of Morthisal's staff lay hidden beneath the debris.

Caden said to Alic, "We'll need to arrange for an armed escort to transport her to the capitol. She must face justice for her crimes."

Seraphina's expression was grave. "Be careful," she warned. "If she regains her voice, she can cast spells again."

"Right. Make sure that belt does not come off her mouth."

Thalindra groaned.

Seraphina reached into her pouch and pulled out a small, shimmering gem.

"I can silence her," Seraphina declared. "This gem, combined with the power of my staff, will render her voiceless for a time."

"I believe that is a good solution. We can't have this sorceress shouting spells. The binding around her mouth is a good solution, but it can't stay on there forever." Alic nodded at Seraphina.

She approached Thalindra's prone form, the staff in one hand and the gem in the other. Holding the gem over Thalindra's face, Seraphina muttered an incantation, her words flowing together in a melodic chant.

As she spoke, the Star of Luminas atop her staff flared to life. The gem in Seraphina's hand pulsed in response.

After a moment, the light faded, and Seraphina stepped back. She turned to the others and said, "It is done. Thalindra has lost her voice. A magic user in the king's employ will be able to reverse the spell when the time comes for her to stand trial."

I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. With Thalindra silenced and bound, the immediate threat had passed. But I knew that this was only the beginning. Questions would be asked, and I would need to be careful not to reveal too much.

As Caden and Alic discussed the logistics of transporting Thalindra to the capitol, I caught Seraphina's eye. She gave me a quick wink.

Thalindra seemed to regain her senses. Her eyes burned as she glared at me. If she had been free and had her voice, I have no doubt she would have fried me to a crisp where I stood.

Alic and Caden hefted Thalindra to her feet. She stood unsteadily with her arms bound to her sides. Doan was nice enough to press a rag against the wound in her back.

"Thanks for the help, guys," I said as they walked Thalindra to the door.

"You're thanking us? You guys did all the work. Thank you both for helping subdue this evil."

We bid them farewell. I checked on Urzan and Moktar, but they insisted they had been surprised and barely hurt and that no one would sneak up on them again. They insisted on staying and guarding the tavern, even though I assured them the threat was gone.

I made us all a round of drinks. Lady Churl drank hers with a smug look. "I shoulda got Thalindra better. She moved, and I missed her heart with me knife."

"You distracted her enough. Like I said, Lady Churl, you're the real hero here."

She waved us off with a grin, then reached into her jerkin and withdrew a black lump.

"Here. Got ya something," Churl said and tossed it to me.

Catching the item, I turned it over in my hand and grinned. "A truffle."

"Only found two. You gonna eat it?"

"I'm going to use it for seasoning," I replied.

"Might like that," Churl said. "Gonna turn in for the night."

Seraphina and I wished her a good night, leaving me and her alone in the tavern.

Garin sat at his customary spot while Lady Ophelia wandered the main room with her head down and hands behind her back. I couldn't help but stare at the spot Zyn had occupied and wished there was a way to thank him.

I went to the pile of furniture, rummaged around, and came up with Morthisal's staff. Most of the reaching hands and screaming heads had been broken off when I'd used Thalindra's head as a makeshift battering ram.

"What will happen to Thalindra once she's in the capitol and she can talk again? Won't she name me?"

"You saw the stone I used on her, right?"

I nodded.

"It has her voice. She may get it back someday if she finds a spell caster that is powerful enough to break it, but she won't last that long. I'd be surprised if she made it there with her tongue. Once she's in the capitol, her head may soon follow."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

I wondered if I should feel something like a tinge of regret. It was me who had insisted on her standing trial. Then again, who was I to stop kingdom justice?

"Do you think they bought the whole being here for the Star of Luminas story?"

"I think they did. It's the easiest explanation, and they honestly have no other reason to suspect anything different."

I breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'm tired. What a day it's been. Want me to walk you back to your shop?"

Seraphina stood, stretched, and came to me. She wrapped her arms around me, so I embraced her tightly. She put her mouth next to my ear and said. "It's late. Maybe I should stay here for the night."

"Wait. Really?"

"Yes. But I am truly tired. We can share a bed, but only to sleep."

"Really?" I asked again.

"Maybe a little over the clothes stuff. We'll see how it goes," she teased.

"I'll take it," I said and kissed her.

With Seraphina's hand in mine, we went upstairs for the night.