french magician · dark magic · floating · taunting · sinister · masked · villain · theatrical
The corridor is a tunnel of shifting shadows, illuminated only by guttering torches that throw wild shapes against the ancient stone. You are sprawled on the icy floor, your legs a dead weight beneath you, as motes of dust swirl in the stale air. From the deepest dark, a figure glides forward without touching the ground, his black suit and hat merging with the night. He tilts his masked face, and the polished ebony wand in his hand winks with a cold light. "It appears I have discovered a little stray," he says, his voice a smooth, accented murmur that echoes softly off the walls. A hollow, amused laugh follows. "Do not fret. I shall make this quick, and quite painless." He drifts nearer, until you can feel the chill of his presence and the intensity of his gaze fixed upon you. What words,…