The tip of a strangely pointed and bent hat popped out from inside the bush and wagged from side to side. A series of unintelligible grunts intermixed with garbled profanities rumbled in time with the bouncing hat. The afternoon sunshine shone down through the ceiling of limbs made by the forest trees forming shafts of light that touched down randomly creating odd shadows.
A loud “Ah HAH! Got you!” suddenly erupted from the bush as it exploded in a shockwave of twigs and leaves. The old wizard belonging to the hat finally stood up with a large fluffy hare held securely by its ears.
“You little bastard. Thought you could get away from ol’ Hodge. Hah! I have a nice teleportation spell ready for you. All the way to the moon!” The old man cackled with glee.
“Not there! Oh please, sir! Have mercy!” the rabbit cried out, but the old man didn’t seem the least bit surprised.
“Mercy? After what you did to my crop? I’ll have to go into town now and buy food to replace what you ate! And you know how much I hate going into town!” The cranky old man turned and started stomping towards the edge of the forest. The hare struggled in vain to escape, but the wizard held him fast.
“Sir! Oh please sir! Don’t send me away!” The Hare actually began to cry.
“Waterworks ain’t changing this old man’s mind Hare,” the wizard said softly.
“Fine then! You force me to do something unkind, sir!” The Hare’s fur suddenly stood on end and crackled as if electrified. Hodge yelped in pain and instinctively dropped the hare. Immediately the hare ran for the protection of the woods, but Hodge was right behind.
“Stop you little thief! I won’t teleport you this time! I’ll wring your neck!” He charged through the underbrush catching all manner of thorn and bramble and worked himself into a rage. He let loose bolts of lightning from his finger sizzling the trees and ground moments after the Hare. “See how you like to be zapped, furball!” the old man shouted.
“Oh that will make me turn myself in for certain, Sir!” the Hare taunted and dashed for the safety of another tree.
“C’mere you!” screamed the old wizard.
The Hare led the old man through the forest until eventually they came out into a clearing. The woods opened into a small grassy valley. A dilapidated two room shack sat slanting on the edge of a stream that ran through the middle of the valley. The Hare poured on the speed making for the shack in the middle for cover expecting the lightning that strangely never came. The Hare slowed and looked back, but the wizard wasn’t there. “Hah, finally gave yourself a heart attack you old foo-YURK“
The Hare was stopped in mid sentence as he was yanked off the ground by his ears once more. The Wizard slammed him into a wooden cage and locked the lid.
“Hah! You stupid rabbit! You forgot I’m a Wizard! I can teleport! And this is my house numbskull. Try and zap me now!”
“Alright, Sir! I give! I give! You win. Again,” the rabbit said dejectedly.
“That’s right! What’s the score now, Hare? Five hundred wins?”
“And one loss,” Hare put in with pride.
“Oh. Yes. You cheated.”
“Did not, Sir!”
“You did! I clearly remember you pulling some sort of stunt that got me called to work.”
“Sir, it was not my fault the townsfolk needed help with a cockroach infestation.”
“Oh yes it is. You did something. I know it was you!
“Can’t be proved, Sir.”
Hodge started grumbling and opened the trap. Hare immediately hopped out and leapt to his usual spot wrapped around the brim of Hodge’s hat. “So, Sir, how much of your crop did I get this time before I was discovered?”
“Bloody well enough you little varmint. I didn’t even sense your presence until you were half way through the carrots.” The Hare laughed a small chuckle. “You’re getting better every year.”
“That, Sir, or you’re just getting older.”
“Meh,” grunted the old man. “Your tongue is getting sharper every year too. Anyway, I’m famished. Let’s get a bite to eat, yes?”
“Agreed, Sir.”
The hare and the wizard headed for the front door when they heard the rumble of thunder in the distance. Hodge stopped and looked towards the dark clouds.
“What is it, Sir?”
“Trouble. There’s always trouble with the first rain of summer. And this summer rain seems quite bad.”
*****
“Find her!” the wizard bellowed as he raised his hands. Six armored golems, looking like knights of the Realm but with blackened metallic armor and shadows where eyes should be materialized in front of the summoner. They turned and saluted.
“Find her! Immediately! And kill her! I want her head brought back to me!” The dread knights dropped the salute and faded into the darkness of the shadows. The summoner turned and looked at the only other living occupant of the dark throne room. The king, once a mighty man of honor, was sprawled over the steps leading to his throne, his back broken in three places and three of his limbs dismembered. The summoner was keeping the man alive and in agony by feeding a small bit of his energy into him.
“Well done. Well done indeed, Great King. I had not expected you to predict my plans and take action as quickly as you did. You’ve caused me a great amount of trouble on what should have been an easy conquest. And you are paying dearly for that. I imagine the sensation of your life blood seeping from your missing limbs is extraordinarily painful and sickening. But worse, I imagine, is the cold grasp of death tickling at you, and yet, not sweeping you away into bliss. Nor will I let Death have you until I deem you ready to depart, O Great King.” The usurper strolled around the throne room as he spoke, indulging in his monologue. The King could not master his lips to move, or his throat to speak, but his eyes spoke for him.
“Such hatred I see in those eyes, Great King. Be assured, it is well deserved. Soon, before I let you depart from this wretched world, you will see your last sight,” the summoner paused and looked with wicked satisfaction into the King’s eyes, “the sight of your beloved daughter’s head on a platter before you. She is a great accomplishment Dear King. Your Archmages toiled long and hard and finally produced a magnificent weapon against me. Too bad you did not have the time to use it.”
The King twitched slightly, the only motion he could manage as tears flooded down his cheeks. His alert eyes, the only sign of life left within the man, caught the flicker of shadow as a dread knight materialized and saluted the summoner. The dark wizard turned his back to the King and tilted his head towards the specter listening to the report. He obviously expected to hear something else for his entire body stiffened and he let out a maddening shriek of hatred and anger. He spun waving his hand angrily and the dread knight exploded against the far wall. He advanced menacingly to the broken King.
“You wretched human! Where did you send her?! Speak!!” spittle raining from every syllable. When the King said nothing, the dark wizard motioned with his left hand emitting a low growl. The King screamed out in pain. “Speak!”
“She’s…long gone…from here…bastard. You will…never…find…her…in time” the King grunted out. He smiled a vicious grin of triumph at the wizard. The summoner lost control and motioned towards the King like he was backhanding him. The King flew up the stairs and slammed into his stone throne cracking it. The King’s broken body struck the stone with a sickening thud that echoed across the chamber, and then fell lifeless to the floor.
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