Mrs. Crass had grown to hate the fluffy black bozrac. She knew its lethality held the key to all her dreams. Her power had been stripped from her, but, if she could kill one person, she would gain back all that she had lost. If she failed to kill that person, however, the rest of her life would be that of a mindless zombie slave.
The creature seemed annoyingly happy to be out of imprisonment. It behaved just like an irrational, cute, fuzzy kitten. The only difference was that this kitten could consume souls.
Thirty years ago she had power, real power. She had been the first advisor to Solomon Glass, the dictator of Grandeur both then and now. Solomon became dictator because of his cunning, intellect, and morality. Mrs. Crass was promoted for her cunning, intellect, and lack of morality.
Grandeur did not have a mayor, like most other cities. As the capital of Tenland, the ruler of Grandeur also ruled as dictator of Tenland. Being a dictator provided power, but power brought enemies. Over time, other countries changed to monarchies, with kings and queens. Tenland did not.
Thirty years ago, the dictator at the time—DATT—who had initially hired Mrs. Crass had had an unfortunate accident. Accidents happened with great frequency to dictators, especially around Leynstra Crass. The replacement DATT, Solomon, continued where the previous had left off. Leynstra Crass remained a close advisor, as she had with the previous DATT. Through careful planning, tactful bribing, and a few discreet murders, she had climbed to First Advisor. She had a reputation, class, and her own fleet of servants. Not to mention power second only to that of the DATT. Life had been good, until Kafe Mean had appeared.
Solomon had invited all the royalty throughout the country to an elaborate party. The DATT had spared no expense. Thousands ate, drank, danced, and enjoyed the elaborate feast Solomon had provided. He had hired a storyteller by the name of Kafe Mean, who would be the pinnacle of the evening’s entertainment. The dictator insisted that everyone be present for Mean’s performance.
Leynstra knew little about the storyteller, which made her nervous. She knew that Kafe Mean had the DATT’s ear, and that was worrisome enough.
“You’ve made quite a nuisance of yourself, Kafe. I understand you are here as entertainment for the Wintertide Ball, but Solomon has other obligations beyond listening to your idle prattling,” Leynstra said.
Servants scattered as Leynstra entered the room, double-checking that everything in her presence was perfect.
“Leynstra, let the man finish his story,” said Solomon.
She had been known only as Leynstra, dropping the Crass last name. At the time, she enjoyed the anonymity and uniqueness of having the single sinister name. Leynstra demanded respect. Leynstra had great magic and powerful friends. Leynstra could make your dreams—or your nightmares—come true.
“No worries, Your Grace. First Advisor worries that I command more of your ear than she does,” said Kafe Mean.
Leynstra would never admit it, but his statement held more than a sliver of truth.
“Save your stories for the festival tonight, jester. Solomon and I have business to attend to.”
“With your permission, sir,” said the storyteller, bowing to Solomon.
“I await tonight’s tale with great excitement.”
“I guarantee I will not disappoint. Your Grace, Leynstra,” Kafe Mean said, briefly bowing to both and leaving the room.
“I don’t trust that man,” said Leynstra.
“I do. That’s all that matters,” said Solomon.
Solomon never showed fear. Leynstra found it annoying, considering everyone else in the city feared her. She assumed his lunacy kept him free of fear. They had heated arguments, sometimes ending with her yelling that she should just turn him into a snowflake and let him melt to nothing. With time she found herself agreeing with his points of view more. This bothered her.
“We need to readdress the problem with the hundreds of lazy—”
“Yes, yes, Leynstra. I know how you feel about the homeless in Grandeur. We have been over this before,” Solomon said.
“If you would just be firm, we could have already eliminated this problem,” she answered.
“Seeing people as a problem is your problem.”
“Not seeing them as a problem is your weakness. They are using you. They are wasting money and resources. How can you not see this? I have many ideas on how to not only fix these drains on society and use them for something that—”
“Enough! We’ve been over this, and I have given you my decision. Now, unless you plan to turn me into a newt, I do have other matters to attend to,” said Solomon.
Leynstra realized that he had not only changed the country, he had changed her as well. She did not know how he had altered what she wanted. She never used to discuss problems she saw with the country and her decisions. If she wanted something from the old DATT, she simply took it. Now she discussed and argued with Solomon about matters before acting. He took her advice into consideration but acted independently.
They regularly discussed the worthless peasants. The DATT was tough on the drunk and lazy, the unmotivated, and those who had been unemployed for long periods of time. But he continued to offer resources to help those who were willing to try. Leynstra knew such people for what they really were: hopeless. Wasting time, energy, and money on people like this would drain Tenland’s treasury, and those resources were better spent elsewhere.
Solomon sent the lazy to Frock, a small farming community too far away for them to cause trouble. Most sent to this place considered it a form of forced exile. Leynstra had seen people transform quickly from laziness to hard workers after being transported to Frock. If a person chose not to work in Frock, they would not eat. Some citizens in Grandeur improved out of fear of exile to Frock. What she mostly saw, however, were people avoiding work and sucking the life out of the country. If it were up to her, she would exile people by the thousands to a much harsher environment than a work community.
Leynstra realized that Solomon had to go, and she had carefully planned for his disposal at the Wintertide Festival. His beloved Kafe Mean would provide the entertainment, and, shortly after his grand tale, she would end Solomon’s reign as DATT.
Later that evening, with the grand ballroom full of nobility, Kafe Mean arrived at the ball. He entered the center of the enormous room, and the talking died down, as the man took the stage.
Storytellers were common for royal parties, and many present had favorite tales they enjoyed. Most wanted to hear “Revelc Sly, the Clever Fox,” but instead Kafe Mean told a lesser known tale, “The Story of Stanley, the Smiling Snake That Never Lied.” He told of a serpent that gained the trust of the other animals.
As the fable commenced, Leynstra could feel the web of magic being released, as Kafe Mean wove his story. Images appeared and disappeared in front of the giant crowd. Kafe’s magic flowed into the crowd. Smells of the forest and the sounds of the animals surrounded them all, as his story unfolded. Leynstra felt herself drawn in, just like the rest of the crowd.
His voice changed for each character, and soon the room became lost in a world of his creation. Everyone present hung on his every word, each magically enchanted in a story. His words were so wrapped with his magic that he hardly seemed to be talking; the crowd simply was watching it in front of them. By the time Kafe came to the end of his tale, all eyes in the room had become entranced by the vivid magical world Kafe had created.
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“Stanley the snake came to the forest as a small snake. He gained the trust of the animals, despite animals disappearing over time. Stanley planted seeds of doubt among the animals, causing the animals to distrust one another. Who could blame them? Stanley had been nothing but helpful. He had consoled those animals who had lost a friend or family member. Stanley the snake had led the group to search for the unknown entity and bring him/her to justice. Not only that but, as Stanley grew in size, he volunteered to move animals to a safe place he discovered. In this place Stanley guaranteed no animal would ever have to worry about disappearing again.
“As time passed, the amount of creatures in the forest declined. By now Stanley had become a very large snake. Finally Stanley called the remaining creatures together. At this meeting only one creature remained in each of the main six groups. Stanley said this was a very serious meeting, since he was to reveal what had caused all the disappearances. One mole, one rabbit, one bird, one squirrel, one mouse, and one rat were here, and none of these creatures trusted one another. Stanley dwarfed all the other creatures in size, but he smiled and welcomed them into his den.
“He advised the squirrel to block the outermost hole, so that none could get out. The squirrel did so dutifully. He then advised the rat to close all the innermost holes, so that none could easily escape this large den. He then asked the mole and bird to also create a barrier in front of all the escape routes, so that none could easily get out. All the creatures did so eagerly, since they wanted nothing more than to be sure that the fiend that had caused all the trouble would finally be caught.
“The last of these six creatures were in a circle. The snake then went to each creature and quietly asked a question, so that no other creature could hear it. Each creature answered the question by pointing to the creature to its right. The snake then went to that creature and asked another question, till the snake had made a full circle. All creatures had pointed to the animal on its right, making a full circle.
“The snake then stretched its long body, easily surrounding all the creatures in the room. Stanley addressed them all and hissed with a smile. ‘You are all correct.’ The creatures appeared confused. At first they squabbled among themselves, and then they realized something was very wrong. They looked at the snake and said, ‘You lied to us.’ The snake then smiled one last smile and said, ‘I never lied, but that does not mean I told you the truth.’ The snake then ate them all and slithered away, never to be seen again.”
Kafe Mean paused in his presentation. The crowd exploded into cheers and applause. The vivid images that he had created faded. The smells and sounds of the forest were replaced with the interior of the castle. He slowly looked around the audience, grinning broadly.
“So what was the question the snake asked the animals at the last meeting?” Kafe Mean asked his audience. “Stanley asked each animal the same question. He did always tell the truth, so what did he ask?” Kafe said.
Whispers in the crowd grew into murmurs, which ultimately found their way back to the storyteller. Kafe Mean grinned and allowed his control over the crowd to momentarily slip away, as the discussions became heated. Finally he clapped his hands three times and silence reclaimed the room, as if lightning had struck.
“I have heard many answers floating around the room,” said Kafe. “I have heard many of you say, ‘The snake asked each creature who they thought he should eat next.’ This seems a perfect question for the snake to ask, but it was not Stanley’s style. Stanley never even admitted he had eaten a single creature. Also how could he answer this with ‘You are correct?’ I have also heard it guessed that the snake asked each creature, ‘Which creature should go to the safe place next?’ Also a good answer, since, by this time, none of the creatures truly knew where this safe place was, and no one really wanted to go there. But, alas, this was not the question the snake asked either.”
Kafe paused, glancing in a long circle around the room, feeling their eyes begging him for the answer. “No, my friends, the snake asked a much simpler question. All he asked was ‘Who is responsible for the disappearances?’ Each creature pointed at the next in line in answer to the question. Thus, all the creatures were responsible. It is the responsibility of the whole to look out for one another. Sometimes a giant snake might be in the room, yet all we can do is blame one another and lay helpless as it slowly devours us all. Scary situation, no?”
The crowd shifted uncomfortably, but no one said a word.
“But what were the animals to do? In truth, at the final meeting, there was nothing they could do. By that time it was far too late. The snake had grown too large, too powerful, and knew too much to be stopped. By that time the snake could destroy any of them at a whim. None of them had a chance. The animals had stopped trusting each other. Not only that, the one they did trust was the creature that should have been avoided. Stanley said it himself, ‘I never lied, but that does not mean I told you the truth.’
“What did the snake mean by this? I’ll tell you. We see what we want to see. The one that deceives us easiest is ourselves. It is this, and not the obvious thieves and scoundrels out there, that is truly dangerous. It is the snake that tricks us into ruining ourselves for their benefit that scares me the most.
“Stanley the snake could have been stopped. But the only way was for someone to say from the very beginning that something was wrong. The creatures pretended nothing was happening. They ignored the problem and hoped it would go away. But what happened? The problem, the snake, continued to grow in size, influence, and power. Creatures disappeared until it was too late to stop him. So how could you stop a snake like Stanley? The trickiest and most evil creatures like this can only be stopped before they get started, before it grows too powerful.”
The crowd continued to yearn for his every word. He turned, looked straight at Leynstra, gestured with a grand wave, and said, “I give you, your snake.”
The crowd gasped, unsure of how to react. Guards appeared on all sides of her. Leynstra worked a few spells, but the DATT had many wizards on his security force that squelched the effort before she had a chance. A truth enchantment was cast, and her confession followed shortly thereafter. She admitted to the plans of slavery, deceit, and even to the backup plans to kill the DATT. She admitted to all the people she had killed on her road to the top. She admitted to all her actions to maintain her appearance of innocence. Nothing was left behind. After the whole confession was out, Leynstra was stripped of her titles and political power. From then on she was only known as Mrs. Crass.
Kafe Mean suggested her punishment, and the DATT agreed. Several wizards working together removed all her magical power. She had brimmed with natural magic, but, after the spell took hold, she could only feel the faintest hint of magic. She had just enough to remind her of all that she had lost. Only by luck did Mrs. Crass manage to escape without being executed. She had hidden hundreds of gold coins, which she exchanged for her freedom with her jailer. The act lacked her normal level of intrigue and class, but bribery for freedom saved her from an ax to the neck.
Her exile and fall from greatness fueled her lust for revenge. But, despite her multiple attempts to find and destroy Kafe Mean, she never succeeded. After a decade of plotting revenge, she looked for answers in darker corners.
Mrs. Crass had turned to the Dark King, Zolf Heller.
Zolf Heller ruled Zantia, the country to the south of Tenland. He had gained power over the centuries. No one knew his age, only that he had a one-track mind of taking over the world. He was fearless, and either ignored or killed all who disagreed with him.
The Dark King surrounded himself with the strongest and smartest in the land. If he had one flaw, it would be that he loved taking chances. He loved any form of gambling, and the higher the stakes, the better. He often gambled with lives, though never his own of course. He also hated losing; thus, the odds, more often than not, were stacked in his favor. Countless people had been enslaved to King Zolf after a wager that went awry.
“I know this storyteller,” said Zolf Heller.
“How?” replied Leynstra.
“This man has traveled the world and used his gifts to hide any children with ample Talent from my agents. He has many names. I know him as the Great Traveler, but I am sure he is the same man. So far his efforts have accomplished nothing, but I think our goals are similar enough for me to propose a wager to you,” said Zolf.
The king offered to return half of her power immediately. All her power would return if she succeeded in her revenge. If she failed with her one chance to kill Kafe Mean, her free will, her freedom, and her very soul would belong to Zolf. But, if she won, when she won, all her power would return and her obligation to Zolf would end. A small gamble for the king, but Leynstra Crass’s entire life depended on her success. She signed the blood-bound contract, and the necromancer performed the ritual on her. She could feel the weight of the spell to her core.
Years later she returned to Grandeur, still never locating Kafe Mean. She had aged horribly. No one recognized the once proud Leynstra as the decrepit Mrs. Crass. She was still no closer to killing the man who had destroyed her life. But now, by obtaining the demonic black kittenlike bozrac, she had acquired the means to do so with ease.
Mrs. Crass woke from her reminiscing.
Her shirt was damp with tears, even after all her years of exile. She cried for her loss of power and reputation. She cried for the decades lost to anger and bitterness. She cried because the chance to destroy the man responsible had arrived, and she was scared.
She had plotted to kill Kafe Mean for years. He had tricked her years ago and had made her an embarrassment in front of the entire country. Since then, she lived only for revenge. Yet he continued to elude her.
Finneus, the bozrac, lapped some spilled wine. She called the creature, and it bounced over to her.
She did not even know if Kafe Mean still lived. If he had already died, then she would get her powers back and her freedom. If he lived, not even his most powerful spells could save him from a bozrac. Kafe Mean was a storyteller with a great deal of magic. A man who, according to King Zolf, traveled around the world putting spells on children to protect possible Chosen from harm, was about to die.
She had to have her vengeance; her very soul depended on it. She swore to the Dark King that she would kill Kafe Mean. That time had finally arrived.
“Finneus, go kill Kafe Mean.”