Chapter 14
Ahgur watched as his wife and daughter pulled into the castle courtyard. He was furious. He had searched for them for a full day before he found that they had been to Benjamin's estate. He would get to the bottom of this. If Benjamin had touched either of them he would regret it.
Ahgur waited until his wife and daughter went into the castle. The groom prepared to take the coach back to Benjamin's estate. The wizard quickly went to the groom before the man had a chance to climb back on the coach and took him by the arm and led the terrified man to his laboratory.
Ahgur pushed him into a chair and tied him to it. The terrified man tried to speak but no words would come out of his throat. The groom was sure that the wizard was going to turn him into a dog or cat. He feared the wild-eyed old man.
The wizard tied the groom's head to the chair so that the man could not move his head in the slightest. He made a great show of lining up several sharp knives. He tested each knife and went to the stone to touch up the edge on each one. He took a handful of the man's hair in his hand and looked at the man's head from every angle. He touched a knife to the man's head several times and each time the man swooned and almost lost consciousness.
Ahgur went behind the chair and pulled the bowl that was sitting on the table closer to him. The bowl contained the brains of a sheep.
"Now I am going to insert the brains of a sheep into your head and you will take on the ways of a sheep. You will eat grass and baa like a sheep. I might even make you a ewe. How would you like to mate with a ram? "
The groom fainted and Ahgur waited until he regained consciousness. The man was still too terrified to speak.
"If you will tell me what I want to know, I will leave your miserable brain where it is. If you tell me the slightest lie, I will insert the sheep brain into your head and I will turn your family into frogs."
The groom squeaked out an answer, "Please do not do this. I will tell you whatever you want to know."
"The Lady Nora and Lady Anne were at the estate of Benjamin Cashton for several days. Why? What did he do with them?"
The groom paled, "Please do not make me tell you. My master would kill me."
Ahgur reached for the sheep brains and held them in front of the man, liquid dripping on the man's clothes. The man tried to speak and it sounded like he would strangle.
"My master had his way with both of them. He bedded them both. Oh please do not tell my master that I told you this."
Ahgur started shaking and his rage grew until everything in his vision was red. He grabbed a knife, and without knowing what he was doing, plunged it into the groom's chest many times. He stopped when the knife broke off in the man's chest.
The wizard walked to his desk and sat down. His rage had not diminished in the least. He had to teach the young warrior a lesson. He reached for his book of spells and opened it. He searched the book for the proper spell for the next several days. Toward the back of the book he found a spell that he knew was perfect for Benjamin. Toward the end of the spell was a warning that the person who cast the spell on another would be bound to that person by the same spell. There was note that this spell was to be used only by the Master Of The Dark Shadows.
Ahgur spent the next a week getting the ingredients for the spell together. He became obsessed with the spell and worked many hours at a time, stopping to sleep for an hour or two when he had to. He made no attempt to remove the body of the groom and the stench of the decaying body was unbearable to all except the wizard. When he was satisfied that the spell was ready, he went to the King. The groom's body was still tied to the chair.
When the wizard passed people in the hallways they gave him a wide berth. He was covered in blood and had a vile stench about him. This was nothing new for the wizard and no one thought that anything was different this time. He knew that the King was in his chambers and he approached the door to the Kings chamber and knocked with his staff.
The wizard approached the King and bowed. The King put a scented handkerchief to his nose to ward off the vile odors coming from the old man.
"Sire, I have come with a great problem for the kingdom. It involves Benjamin. He has taken the virginity of my daughter after drugging her. I suspect that he has also drugged and had his way with my wife also."
Ahgur saw that the King was not overly impressed that Benjamin had bedded his two women, so he decided to add more color to the story.
"Benjamin has also suggested that he has had his way with the Queen and Lady Delphia. There is talk among the nobles that he plots to take the throne. He has friends among the nobles. He instills hatred for the throne and has convinced many that their taxes are too high. He has made secret trips to the tribes in the outlands and has made promises of land for his followers."
The King's thought for a minute and his rage grew, "What can we do? Benjamin is in Spain now on an urgent mission. When he returns we must take care of this rebel. Surely his father knows of this plot. Doubtless he is in on it with him."
Ahgur bowed, "Sire, if you will allow me to take care of this matter, I assure you that Benjamin will never set foot in England again. You will also be able to reclaim his lands and wealth."
The King smiled, his lands and wealth. He could even get Brian's land and fortune. This would work out fine. The old man might be incompetent as a wizard, but he was cunning. The King was grateful; he could not afford another war and he would have the lands and wealth of Brian and Benjamin.
"If you are sure that you can do it, go ahead. I warn you, if he ever sets foot in England again..."
Ahgur went back to his laboratory and gathered his potions and the spell that he had spent days preparing and went to make plans to travel to Spain. He knew that Benjamin was somewhere in Spain, he would just have to search for him.
Nora was preparing her bath when Ahgur walked in. She saw the rage in his face and she wondered if maybe he had somehow found out about the night Benjamin had shared her bed. The old man stopped in front of her and stared into her eyes for several minutes before speaking.
"How was Benjamin in bed? I saw you when I traveled through the air over his estate," he lied. "What do you have to say for yourself?"
His rage consumed him and he had the strength of several men. He grabbed Nora's neck before she had a chance to answer and held her by the neck with only her toes touching the ground. She struggled to break his grip on her throat. After a while, he tired of squeezing her neck and threw her across the room. She landed on her head and instantly snapped her neck.
The old man looked at her dispassionately for a moment and left the room. He would make Benjamin pay for her death. He walked quickly to Anne's room and threw open the door. Anne was looking out of the window when the door flew open. Ahgur walked to her and grabbed her throat. He did not squeeze her throat enough to cut off her air.
"So, You have decided that you like men. In one week you will wed Ronald, Duke of Weldon. I am sure that he has the experience to tame your urges."
He released her and stood before her waiting for her reply.
"I'll not marry him. I love Benjamin"
Ahgur grinned, "You will never see Benjamin again. He has been banished from the kingdom. The King has ordered that he be executed."
Anne's hand went to her mouth. Tears blinded her and she could not speak. Ronald was an old man. She would not marry him. How could her father do this to her? A vision flashed before her eyes and she saw the old Duke crawling over her naked body and forcing himself into her. Never would she take any man as her husband except her beloved Benjamin. If she could never see her beloved Benjamin again there was no reason to live. Without a sound she ran to the window and threw herself out of the window and she fell to the ground below. Ahgur walked to the window and looked down on the lifeless body of his daughter. He immediately put all thoughts out of his mind that he was, in any way, responsible for her death. He turned and walked out of the room. Another sin that Benjamin would have to pay for.
The wizard took the next ship sailing to Spain. He had only one thought in his mind, deal with Benjamin and make him pay for the deaths of his beautiful Nora and Anne. He stood on the deck for the entire voyage. He stood at the bow of the ship and searched the horizon for the first glimpse of the land that hid Benjamin. He planned many ways to kill the young warrior, each more horrible than the previous method. He decided to use the spell he had concocted instead of killing him. Death would be too good for this defiler of his daughter. How would he be able to cast the spell? Slowly a plan was born in that sick mind, one so horrible that the wizard feared that the Master Of The Dark Shadows would seek revenge on him. Such powers were reserved for the Master. The sailors were afraid to come near the vile smelling old man with the wild look in his eyes. After they were rescued and returned to England, the sailors told others that the wizard constantly talked to himself and to the sky and had not slept a minute the entire voyage.
The sailors started telling each other stories about how all of the
rats had jumped off of the ship in mid ocean and how the food became
contaminated with maggots in one day and how the winds would blow in
many directions at once and how ropes would break for no reason and
sails would be full but not catch the wind. There was always a foul
odor surrounding the ship and even strong winds did nothing to dispel
the horrible smell. By the time the ship neared Spain, the captain was
spending most of his time trying to prevent a mutiny. Several of the
crew went mad and had to be put in irons to prevent them from jumping
overboard. As they neared the coast, the ship hit a submerged rock, one
that had never been seen before or since, and started to sink. The
survivors told of a wizard with wild eyes floating through the air,
cursing the sky, and heading toward the Spanish coast. As such stories
do, it grew larger with each telling.