Triss tried to scream, but the air in her mouth solidified, forming a solid gag. Her eyes bulged and her face turned purple as she tried desperately to force the air out.

“Do you have any special dietary requirements?” Reginald asked. The sharpening rod had been replaced by the wand. “Hmm. I would ask you not to scream when I remove the gag. Nod your head yes to indicate you understand please.

Triss blinked in confusion. She nodded, and the air in her mouth was no longer solid. She panted for several seconds, then looked up at Reginald. “What?”

“Do You Have Any Dietary Requirements?” He said, enunciating each word. “Do you eat meat? Dairy? Bread? You’re from a different world after all. I wouldn’t want to poison you accidentally.”

“You’re going to feed me?”

He indicated the room around them. “This is a kitchen. Where food is typically prepared.” he paused and considered. “Do you have kitchens? Do you eat prepared food? Goodness, so many potential differences to think about.”

“y-yes.” she stammered. “I eat cooked food. Meat, Bread, Milk, Cheese…” She trailed off as she was suddenly struck with a horrifying thought. “Please tell me you know what cheese is.”

“Yes, of course. We keep several varieties on hand.” He thought for a moment. “Would a plate of fruit, cheese and meat be an acceptable meal? Nice and simple? I would, of course, be happy to build up the fires and cook a meal for you if you would prefer.”

“Umm…yeah? I guess that’s fine?” Triss was only half listening to the lizard, her mind still processing the last couple of minutes.

“Excellent. I shall prepare it at once.” There were full height cupboards across the wall, and he began to go through them, pulling a plate out of one and then carefully slicing and arranging different cheeses, meats, and something that looked suspiciously like a banana.

Her chair was floated to sit in front of the table, and the restraints around her hands removed. Reginald placed a plate in front of her and then headed off to another part of the kitchen. She stared at the silver plate full of food, and suddenly wondered if it was poisonous for her. She stared at a piece of yellowish cheese, comparing it in her mind to earth cheese. It looked similar. She was just about to pick it up when she heard a new voice.

Cheese. Cheddar. Safe for consumption.

The voice was emotionless and quiet. It sounded sort of like an old man speaking. She looked around for the speaker for a moment, seeing no one. She frowned. "Who was that?"

"Who was who, miss?" Reginald said as he returned with a goblet full of a dark liquid. He set it down in front of her. "I believe this should also be safe for you."

Yellow Berry wine. Mildly alcoholic. Safe for consumption.

"There it is again!" Triss exclaimed.

Reginald shushed her. "Quiet down please miss."

"Sorry." She replied. "I just heard someone speaking."

Reginald pondered her words for a second. "What exactly did they say?"

"They said the cup had yellow Berry wine in it and was safe to drink."

Reginald chuckled. "Oh. That. Nothing to worry about miss. The spirit we installed to help you speak with us must be giving you some extra help is all."

"The what you what now? You put a spirit in me? Like a ghost? Am I possessed now?" Triss asked in a rising panic.

"Only a little possession." Reginald held up his hand with two thick scaly fingers held close together. "Just enough to help you speak and understand us. Enough to identify some things too I suppose."

"You have a spirit possessing me? What kind of spirit? Like a demon? Is it going to take me over completely?" Triss was completely panicked now.

"No, no. It won't take over. It's not powerful enough for that. And we didn't allow the entire spirit to enter. We basically sent over some knowledge without sending the whole person. It was the spirit of someone who used to work in the castle." Reginald thought for a second. "Actually, no. The worker was in the failed first attempt. Who did we use...." Reginald trailed off for a second. His eyes seemed to widen in surprise for the briefest of seconds before his expression switched back to reassuring. "Probably another of the old workers. Yes, I think it was." He said with a smile.

Triss eyed the lizard suspiciously. "I don't believe you."

"Doesn't really matter, does it. What's done is done." Reginald said with a shrug. He indicated the food. "If it's safe for you to eat you may as well start." He turned away and began cleaning up the tiny mess he'd made preparing the food.

Triss picked up the cheese and tried a tiny nibble. It was good, but definitely not cheddar. The flavor was strong with a slightly sour taste. "This isn't cheddar cheese. Why did the voice say it was?"

"The spirit is using your knowledge combined with his own. Cheddar must be the closest word he could find." Reginald said without looking up from his work.

That made some sense to Triss. She picked at the rest of the food, and tried a sip of the wine. The dried meat tasted slightly gamey, but the wine was excellent. The yellow banana like fruit tasted more like a strawberry, and she ended up eating all of it, washing down the last little bit with the last of the wine.

The second she pushed the plate away Reginald appeared at her side. "Finished?" He asked. "Not very hungry today it seems."

She shrugged. "It's been a stressful day. I actually thought you were going to eat me, not feed me."

Reginald put on an shocked expression that seemed a little exaggerated. "Why would I eat you? Percival said to take care of you."

"Yeah, but I thought he meant like, you know, 'take care of me'" she said, exaggerating the words. "Like he meant for you to kill me."

"That's a reasonable assumption. Likely that's what he meant. But what he SAID was to take care of you." A wicked grin stole across his face. "And I always make sure to obey my master exactly." He indicated the plate. "So I'm taking care of you."

Triss regarded the lizard creature for a moment. "You guys have a weird relationship. You know that, right?"

"One must find entertainment where one can."

"I guess." Triss thought for a moment. "Wait a minute. You knew he probably meant to kill me." She paused as the realization fully formed. "You scared me on purpose!" She exclaimed.

"One must find entertainment where one can." Reginald repeated.

"That's cruel."

"I work for a dark wizard."

"What exactly does that mean?" Triss asked. "Like, what does a dark wizard do? Other than kidnap people from different worlds and try to kill them of course." She said bitterly.

Reginald considered the question. "That's a complicated question. The simplest answer is that a dark wizard is someone that doesn't follow the silly rules of the wizard councils."

"Rules like no kidnapping?"

"Technically that would be covered by a kingdoms laws. Thalonia has no such laws."

"Isn't Percy the Lord of Thalonia?"

If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

"Percival." Reginald corrected. "And yes. That is why there is no such law. Thalonia only has one law."

"What's that?"

"No bothering the dark wizard."

"Kind of like an unwritten rule?"

"No, it's written down. The kingdom has an official law book kept in the town hall. That's the only law in it."

"That's ridiculous."

Reginald smiled. "I think you'll find most powerful wizards are ridiculous. A side effect of playing God all the time."

"Wonderful." Triss said. "Not just a dark wizard. A crazy dark wizard. Which you really haven't explained still. What rules do the wizard Councils make?"

Reginald sighed. "There are far too many to say, and they change all the time. There's big categorical ones, like no necromancy, and no plague magic. Then there's small foolish ones like you can't use the stem of a bruzlebush in a potion but.you can use the flowers. Anyone who doesn't follow their rules is labeled a dark wizard and is usually hunted down and killed."

Triss really wanted to ask what a bruzlebush was. And why the flowers were fine to use but the stem wasn't. And what sort of potion you would use it in. And about seven dozen other things about bruzlebush. She decided it best to stay on topic.

"If dark wizards are hunted, why would Percy say he was one? I mean, what if I escaped and told people who and where he was? Also what does a bruzlebush potion do and why can't you use the stem?"

"Percival. The councils know exactly who he is and where he is. It's easier to leave him alone than it is to deal with him." Reginald said.

"Why?"

"Because he's in an out of the way area of the world, he's not causing too much trouble, and it would take an army of wizards to even attempt to pry him from this castle." His voice took on a dark tone. "There would be... casualties."

The words hung heavy in the air. Triss's thought were filled with unwelcome imaginings of fireballs and lightning bolts violently tearing people apart. A deep silence grew in the room.

"It paralyzes you." Reginald's words broke through Triss's dark thoughts.

"What does?" She asked.

"Bruzlebush stem." Reginald seemed slightly subdued, as though he too had been captured by black thoughts. He was looking at the floor. "The flowers can be used as a painkiller, but the stem causes complete paralysis. Even of the lungs."

"Seems like a good reason to have a rule against it." Triss answered softly.

"Yes. It seems like. " Reginald seemed to come back from whatever dark place he had been. He took a deep cleansing breathe. "It's been outlawed for years. There was one wizard, many years ago, who studied the stem. Even just that, just studying the stem was enough to have him listed as a dark wizard." He paused for a moment before continuing. "That wizard was brilliant. And at the same time, a downright fool."

"What happened to him?"

"Someone told the council about him. He was declared a dark wizard and a bounty was placed on him. The fool had no defences set up. He was far too focused on his research. He was on the cusp of creating a potion that would treat several debilitating conditions when they found him."

Triss didn't ask what happened next. She didn't have to. "You knew him, didn't you." She asked. When Reginald nodded, she continued. "A friend?" Nod.

"I'm sorry you lost your friend. And for such a stupid reason."

Neither spoke for a long moment, until finally Reginald took a deep breath. "Well. It's quite late and I'm sure you're tired. If I remove the restraints, can I trust you to follow me to your room?"

"Room? Wait, what time is is?" It had been early afternoon when she had been driving to her interview. It couldn't be more than an hour or so since she arrived, could it? "How long ago did I get here?"

Reginald seemed to consult some inner sense before responding. "You arrived shortly after full dark. That was around three hours ago, which means it's nearly midnight."

"Wow. That's much longer than I thought." She said. "Is it safe for me to stay here? Percy wants me dead. If he sees me he'll probably kill me."

"Percival. It's been at least three years since he's left his research tower. His rooms near there and he takes his meals in his room. As long as you avoid that area you're perfectly safe. Much safer than you would be on your own in an unfamiliar world."

She couldn't argue with that. "Ok. I guess I'll be staying here for a little while." The remaining restraints disappeared and she stood up, and then promptly sat back down, her head swimming. "One second." She gasped.

A restraint appeared around her waist, and then the chair began to float again. "It appears the evenings events have taken somewhat of a toll on you. Or else alcohol truly does not agree with you. Allow me." Reginald turned to leave, the chair following behind.

"Home, James." Triss said with a smile.

"Reginald. Not James. Are you ok miss?"

Triss chuckled. "I'm fine Reggie. Just a joke from home."

Reginald stopped walking and turned to face her. "It's Reginald. Not..." His face took on a disgusted look. "... Reggie." He nearly shuddered at saying the word.

"Uh...ok. Reginald. Always Reginald. Can do."

He seemed satisfied with her response, and soon they were winding their way through corridors and up stairwells. she much preferred going up the stairs to going down. They turned down a hallway with wooden doors on each side. Reginald stopped in front of one, opened it and they went inside.

The bedroom was huge, with vaulted ceilings that stretched high over head. There was an entrance room the size of Triss's bedroom back home, and a bedchamber the size of her small apartment. A tall stone archway separated the entrance from the bedroom. Orbs glowed in their holders throughout. There was a rich red curtain that covered nearly the entire wall opposite the entrance, and a massive four post bed sat with the head against the wall. That's not king size. It must be emperor size! She thought.

She had expected the room to be dirty, since there would have been no reason to clean an unused bedroom. Instead, every surface shone under the light of the orbs, and there wasn't a speck of dust to be seen.

"These rooms were prepared for the princess." Reginald said. Had he read her mind? "There is a washroom through that door." He indicated a small door she hadn't noticed near the bed. "Since this would have been one of the Royal guest quarters you'll find the facilities to be of the highest quality. There's even a self filling tub, with a heating spell."

"Oh, you guys have indoor plumbing too?"

"Plummin? Hmmm. It seems there is no comparable word in our language. What is this 'plummin'?"

"Like the self filling tub. I had a tub at home that had hot and cold water. In the kitchen too."

Reginald frowned. "Were you royalty to afford such luxury?"

"Nope. Everyone has hot and cold running water where I'm from."

"Hmm. Interesting. And without magic. You'll have to explain to me sometime how that works."

"I'll do my best." She promised. "If I can remember exactly how it works of course."

Reginald nodded. He parked her chair next to the bed and the restraint around her waist disappeared. He stepped past her and folded down the covers. "Do you require assistance getting in?"

"I think I can probably manage." She stood. Her head swam again, and she collapsed onto the bed. She rolled, shimmied and then pulled herself into position on the bed. Her head sank into the pillow. The bed was wonderfully comfortable. She kicked her sneakers onto the floor, then tried to sit up to grab the blanket. Her head spun faster and she had to lay back down quickly. Reginald picked her sneakers up, considered them for a moment, then arranged them neatly on the floor beside her. He pulled the blanket up over Triss and turned to leave.

"I don't get you."

Reginald paused. "I'm sorry miss?"

"You work for a dark wizard who kidnaps people and orders them killed if they aren't useful. You like to annoy that dangerous dark wizard. You like to scare people. People who haven't done anything to you. And you also feed those people and take care of them, even tucking them into bed. That doesn't make sense." Triss's eyes were closed as she spoke.

"No, I suppose to you it doesn't." Reginald said softly. There was a long pause, and Triss wondered if he had left the room. "We are what the past has made of us."

When Triss opened her eyes a minute later, Reginald was gone.

She closed her eyes again. She knew for her it was probably only six in the evening or so. Her body was exhausted, but her mind was still going over the events of the day. She thought about the ritual room, the strange creature called Reginald and the dark wizard. She thought about home, and what her family would think about her disappearance. She hoped they would be ok. She chuckled to herself. "Guess I'm not getting that job now." A sudden realization struck her. She sat bolt upright. "What happened to my car?" She cried, panicked at the thought of her driverless car careening into other cars.

That turned out to be a mistake. Her head spun and her stomach lurched. She just managed to turn over the side of the bed before throwing up. She moaned as she realized she had thrown up all over her shoes. She wiped her mouth off on her sleeve and laid back down. As the spinning finally wound down, she fell asleep.

***

Thomas Crest, high court wizard of Gastonia, ran his fingers over the blue and white Ford symbol on the front of the car. A thrill of excitement ran through him, and he smiled.

"So? Is it an attack? Some new form of magic?" King Fontaine demanded. "Do we need new defences?"

"No, my Liege. I don't believe it to be an attack." He replied.

"Not an attack? If my daughter had been in here she would have been crushed!" The king exclaimed. He gestured wildly at the car that had destroyed his daughter's bed. The four posts were all splayed out flat on the floor, with chunks and splinters of wood surrounding them. Fluffy down feathers covered every inch of the floor, floating up whenever someone moved.

"Yes, my Liege. But I do not believe this thing to be an attack. The wards I have created for you have done their job. I believe a summoning spell was attempted, and it failed because of the wards. This is a result of that attempt."

"If your wards allow dark wizards to drop giant...things on people then I don't think that counts as working!" The King was nearly purple with rage. "And it definitely counts as an attack!"

"It is impossible to block every spell. That is the genius of my wards. Instead of blocking the spell, it diverts it somewhere related to the target. If she had been her bed, then the spell would have been diverted to another. Likely her favourite spot in the garden or a similar location. Since the wards protect you and the rest of the nobility it wouldn't be anywhere it could harm you."

"Then I want this wizard found! I want him to spend the next year being skinned alive! And I want this thing out of my castle now!"

"I shall devote every effort to finding the wizard responsible." said Thomas as the King stormed out of the room.

Thomas ran his hands lovingly over the car. "I wonder..." He mused. He opened the drivers door and sat. He turned the key. The car refused to even turn over. "Ah. A shame. Still. This changes everything." He smiled darkly, then began to laugh loudly. The servants still in the room left quickly, the deranged laughter chasing them as it echoed down the hallways.