Ruffians And Roughnecks: The Villain—Or In This Case, Villainess
Currently, I’m taking a word that means either a “bad guy”, e.g. ruffian or rogue, or a “rough diamond”, such as a roughneck, and matching it with a character from my novels.
As in the A Geography Of Haarth series, each entry is accompanied by a relevant passage from the books, which could be drawn from one of the two Wall Of Night series novels currently published, or my Kids/YA standalone, Thornspell.
The definitions are taken from Merriam Webster Online, my current go-to dictionary when writing
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Villain: a deliberate evildoer or criminal
Where would stories be without the villains of the piece, those cruel or malicious persons either involved in and/or devoted to wickedness or crime—or in today’s case, Thornspell’s arch-villain(ess), the:
Margravine zu Malvolin
“The Margravine took a step closer, and he saw that her blue eyes had turned so dark they were black hollows in her face. “Clever,” she repeated, still smiling, “but discourteous to abandon my hospitality when we still have business to discuss.”
“I have nothing to discuss with anyone who traps and then imprisons me,” Sigismund said, his voice rusted metal against her sweetness.
She widened her eyes at him, stepping forward again. “So hasty—but can you be sure of that? What if I offered you peace in your father’s kingdom, an end to the wars in the south?”
Sigismund stared at her, thinking how long those wars had bled his country dry, absorbing the energy of its kings. “In exchange for what?” he asked slowly.
Her smile deepened. “So you are interested,” she murmured. “I thought you might be. And the exchange I ask is such a little thing.” She was watching him closely, and her voice crooned on a singsong note when she spoke again. “Such a little thing.”
She was very close to him now, her perfume delicate yet dizzying, and Sigismund could feel the weave of illusion and magic. He blinked hard, trying to clear his mind. “Then ask it,” he said, his voice hard, and something dangerous flared in the hollowed eyes—but was as quickly gone.”
~ from © Thornspell, Chapter 9 — Substance and Shadow
I remember when, in character no less, you warned me about her evil ways. 🙂
As I recall, that was the Count who issued the warning, from Count to Prince… Count Basil is the Official Chronicler to the Princess Aurora Elisabeth Irina Anne of the Kingdom of the Wood
Yes! It was Count Basil. A well regarded and well appreciated warning, too.
“But” — I am not the Count! 😉
Understand the confusion of course. Superficially, much that is similar you know…
For instance, I and this author chappie are both noted wits and raconteurs…
But would have thought that the fact that I am, well, a chap, and the author chappie is not would have been a bit of clue.
Plus the fact that I am a “well made object wrought entirely in brass, desirable as both a companion and a curio” would have been a bit of a giveaway.
That telling fact is a much more perspicacious clue.