A/N- This entry is dedicated to the charming woman on the news who complained that all the literature that her children had been reading was "either fantasy or smut!"
My father was rather alarmed when I stood up from my chair in the living room and started shouting at her.
-Mutters darkly- I happen to like fantasy, you foul loathsome little…
-Ahem-
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Now, on a less murderous note, a word to the lovely people that reviewed-
Fancy- SQUEE! I LOVE YOU! I love it when people point out particular quotes they liked. Why? I don't know. I just do. Thank you. I'm having some fun with Laina... I hope I can keep her as fun of a character. And I liked the 'mortals' thing, too… Even though it felt a little cheesy. Thanks for sticking around!
Anya Tempest- LOL. I find myself just calling him 'the rogue' while I'm writing so I don't have to type up Muireadhach again. I'm glad you liked the prayer; I had to revise it about six times. I'm still not ENTIRELY happy with it, but oh well. And you have nothing to pick on, too! So, um, yay. Great review. ;)
Smittened By Marauders- be patient! You'll find out. -sniggers- Dommy… he he he…
Half-demon Z- Yay! Thankies! Sorry the 'next chapter' took so long in coming… and sorry it's so short… lots of apologies here. I'm trying to pace myself as I try to decide what happens next. I'm slowing down the writing process as school approaches. -dun dun DUN-
Alteng- -snerk- Irving. Nice. As for the 'zap' thing, it's mainly a reminder to Dom that she can do something, even though she's choosing not to. It's not really in her character to be blatantly cruel… but a time may come when her character starts allowing for it. ;)
Para Noya- first off, love the screen name. The story's interesting –and- amusing? I win the writing game! ((dancey dancey)) Thanks for dropping in; I hope to see you around in later chapters!
Whoa- long intro. Onto chapter six, ho!
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"So," Dominik said with some effort, "What are we facing here? A handful of Heroes, an imbecilic god, and a magical device that won't work unless I'm dead?"
"Something along those lines," Muireadhach said. "Actually, there might be more Heroes coming than you may imagine."
"Why?" asked Dominik sharply.
"Well, when this plan first went underway, they split up in groups to go out and assassinate a bunch of evil-doers at once."
"But, now that I'm the last one-" continued the dark mage, putting it together.
"-And none of them have anything better to do-" added Muireadhach.
"-They're all coming for me," finished Dominik. He blew a strand of hair out of his face. "Well, That's just grand. Exactly how many are we figuring?"
The rogue wrinkled his brow in concentration. "Erm… thirty-ish, I'd say."
"Try sixty-ish," Laina supplied, sipping from a glass of wine Dominik distinctly recalled not offering her.
"Well, that's overdoing it just a little," Dominik observed, tugging on the braids in his beard again and overlooking the wine.
Muireadhach gaped at her. "Sixty? Where'd they get sixty?"
Laina let out a rather un-ladylike snort. "Propaganda- where else? The Heroes are spreading tales of their own heroic deeds; every boy of sixteen years and up is getting grand ideas. People have been joining up with them since the slaying of Ugbod the Ugly."
Dominik frowned. "I met him once. He tried to kill me."
"Imagine that," Laina said wryly.
"No, no," Dominik said, frowning even more. "What bothers me is that I was sure I sent Rolf to kill him back. I need to have a word with Rolf."
"Have a word with Rolf?" Muireadhach repeated.
"A strenuous word."
"Of course." Muireadhach sipped his drink. Dominik was sure he hadn't offered him one, either.
"So what's your plan?" asked Laina innocently.
Dominik snorted. "Plan? What plan? I just found out about all this six hours ago." He glared at Muireadhach, convinced it was somehow his fault.
"What would you suggest, Laina?" Muireadhach asked the goddess politely.
Laina stretched luxuriously, much like a cat. "Well," she said in a tone that seemed more suited for deciding what game to play next, "as Dyssus and the Heroes are less than a day's journey away, I'd suggest getting out of here. With Dyssus helping, they could probably break through your spells quite easily. Dyssus has never really been one for obeying the rules," she added as an afterthought.
"Less than a day's journey-" groaned Dominik, burying his head in his hands. "And what- I'm just supposed to pack up and leave?"
"Oh no," Laina said, her eyes wide. "I don't think you'll have time to pack. By 'less than a day's journey' I meant, 'within three hours of plunging their swords into your stomach.' You'll probably only have enough time to grab an extra cloak and a loaf or two of bread." She was examining her nails again. "I expect you'll want a bit of a lead on them."
Dominik uttered a very emphatic and rather impolite word. He glared at the rogue and the goddess, loathing seeping from every pore.
"Now really, we're just trying to help," Laina said loftily. She swept past him. "You have horses?"
Dominik felt a cynical eyebrow rise. He'd been lying low for the past five years after a brief reign of terror, slowly building up to make another shocking reappearance after everyone assumed him dead. He would never leave his Hidden Tower until the time was right for his next frightful appearance. So no, he did not have any horses. And besides, when he DID choose to leave his Hidden Tower, he would travel in much more style than just using boring, old-fashioned horses.
Dominik smiled indulgently. "Dear goddess, where would a man be without horses?"