the Things the Marsh Remembers ((Closed to Archanex))

[DarkDelights]

She held out her dainty limb to receive treatment. No infection would set in, it was certain, but one had to keep up appearances. The old mage tended her wound carefully and she put on a mask of gratitude.

“Pay me? You must be joking, kind sir. After all you have done for me already?”

She listened eagerly to his tale but sensed he was deliberately not being very forthcoming with information. Still, what little he presented she accepted at face value.

“It sounds like you put yourself at great risk for this... temple you serve.” It seemed odd that there was no deity tied to the temple he mentioned. It must have been something quite secret indeed, as most clerics would not miss a chance to boast their god's name. Still, she was glad he hadn't said anything of the sort. She found waxing religious to be the most boring form of conversation and took great pains to avoid it. There were no further questions about the nature of the temple the Overmage served.

“Say, to pass the time, why don't we play a game! Its so rare for me to entertain guests, I absolutely must take advantage! Hmm, but what game shall we play? That's the question! Hmm, how about... I spy?” she looked about, adjusting the flower in her hair as her large, almond-shaped eyes scanned the marshland.

The causeway that they followed was of packed earth that rose up several feet above the swamp which ran parallel to the road, and stretched out in either direction as far as the eye could see. A yellow and purple dragonfly flitted about close by, landing on lily pads from time to time in its search for something to eat. The air was alive with the ambient noise of such creatures, with the occasional crash and splash of something larger in the distance. The trees had diversified from the road, although willows were still a common sight. More commonplace than trees though, were the thorny tangles of briars that often crept along the slope of the road. They rustled occasionally, as all manner of creature sought safety under the barbed vines. Flowers bloomed here and there, but the witch knew that deeper in, traces of color would start to dull in favor of shades of pale green, brown, and grey. She smiled at the thought.

“No no, that won't do at all. Such games would hardly challenge a man of your advanced wisdom,” she mused, tapping her index finger on her chin as the duo resumed travelling. “How about... truth or dare?” she said, smiling, guessing that she had probably just grabbed the gentleman's attention.

The young woman arched her eyebrows, looking side-long at the spellcaster. He was not so bad looking... for a human male. She felt the stirrings of cruel impulses, but quickly pushed them back down. It was still early in the morning, and far too soon for such often-bloody activity.

“No, no, that won't do either,” she said, playing the tease. “A man of your stature must be stimulated intellectually! How childish of me,” she said, jokingly bowing her head in shame. She looked down at her black slippers, picking her path gracefully over the somewhat uneven ground. The two were silent for a short time. A black beetle with dangerous looking pincers crawled up one side of the embankment, and the witch trod on it with a crunch. No beetle goo stuck to her clean black slippers, but past the illusion, she felt every delightful crack of the mindless insect's carapace shattering and its vitals being forced out between the breaks. Its slime and sharp shards of exoskeleton clung to her bare heel, but the glamor kept it secret, like the thrill of not wearing any underwear.

“Aha! I know!” she proclaimed, breaking the silence excitedly. The witch spun on her heel, turning to face the mage, and further mushing the innards plastered to her heel. “We shall play, two truths, and a lie! A game I played once or twice as a child, but should still pose a challenge to your perception. Its really simple! I am going to make three statements about myself . As per the title of the game, two of them will be very much the truth! One of them will be, naturally, a lie. It is up to you to determine which of them is the lie!” she clapped her hands delightedly. “This will be so much fun!” She bounced on her toes which made her endowments heave in a way known to catch the male eye.

“Okay, I've got it. The first statement,” she paused for dramatic effect. “In my youth, I... was a ballerina! I practiced hard, morning, noon, and night, and I was quite good at it, I don't mind saying!”

She took Archanex's arm affectionately. It was nearly a shame that her companion was doomed to die screaming in the marsh. The witch was enjoying herself.

“The second. I come from a wealthy family! My father was one of the greatest lawyers money could buy. My mother purchased wonderous treasures from far away cultures, and sold them at auction for profit. I had the finest education, and servants to meet my every whim!”

She looked sidelong again, and up, seeking out the mage's eyes with her own. She wondered which he would guess.

“The third... I have three fathers, when most only have one! Can you believe that I have three, and not one!? Well! What is your guess, Sir Mage? Oh please, I'm just dying to know! If you choose correctly,” she paused again, considering, with her typical chin-tapping gesture, “Oh, I know! If you choose correctly, I will sing you a song! One very dear to my heart!” If anything, that was the lie. Nothing was dear to her heart. “If you guess incorrectly... Hmm...” She pondered again. “Well, then you must tell me a secret! One that you have never told another! We all have such a secret Sir Mage, after all.”

The hikers travelled on, putting the morning behind them. The seemingly vibrant girl looked over and up once again, not sidelong, but directly this time, meeting the much larger mans eyes squarely and devoid of any reservations.

“Well, what's your guess!?”