Top 5 Angsty Wizards
With great power comes great responsibility. No one understands that better than a wizard. With the right spell a wizard can do great good--or great evil. I've always had an admittedly unhealthy fascination with evil wizards. As much as I love a good hero's journey, I wonder about the bad guy. Protagonists do the right thing because it's the right thing to do, so why do antagonists do the wrong thing? What drives them to the dark side?
In The Sephra's Tear, Cordelia comes from a family of dark wizards that are like an unholy union of the Malfoys and the Corleones. Until now she has never crossed the line into dark magic, but the temptation of just one spell to finance her freedom is hard to resist. Is it bad to do the wrong thing for the right reasons?
Below I’ve picked five of my favorite troubled, power-hungry wizards. Who would you add to the list?
1. Loki (Marvel Cinematic Universe)
When Tom Hiddleston’s Loki demands that the people kneel in Avengers, legions of Hiddlesfans squeal “yes” (and I’m one of them). I love watching him in the first Thor movie because there are so many close-ups of him watching something and you can almost hear the plot wheels turning in his mind. Would we be better off under Loki’s rule? Oh hell no. But it’s fun to watch him try to take over the world. ;)
2. Ursula, the Sea Witch (Disney's "The Little Mermaid")
Where Loki sees ants, Ursula sees poor, unfortunate souls. The sea is a mess, and she just needs to rule it! If nothing else, she’s definitely a creative problem solver.
3. Raistlin Majere (Dragonlance Chronicles)
Oh man, I have so much inappropriate lust for the hourglass mage. And while I know that, much like Loki, Raistlin Majere would squish me like an insignificant ant beneath his boot, it doesn’t stop my obsession.
4. Anders (Dragon Age II)
Really Dragon Age II should be called, “Damn it, Anders!” He just wants freedom for mages! Even if it means blowing up an entire chantry in the process and starting a war between mages and templars. Sigh. He does have an interesting character arc though, watching him go from kitten-loving goofball in “Awakening” to vengeance-obsessed abomination.
5. Ravenna ("Snow White and the Huntsman")
Charlize Theron is made of awesome. I would watch her do anything (and mud-spattered Chris Hemsworth too), and really, if K-Stew is the only thing standing between you and ultimate power, wouldn’t you be all about cutting her heart out too? …okay, maybe not. But I did enjoy watching this take on the Snow White story.
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The
Sephra’s Tear
Just
One Spell
Book
One
Robyn
Bachar
Genre: Fantasy Romance
Publisher: Robyn Bachar
Date of Publication: 06/01/15
ISBN: Ebook 978-0-9963490-1-7
ISBN: Print 978-0-9963490-0-0
ASIN: B00YPRRYGM
Number of pages: 318
Word Count: 63,770
Cover Artist: Amygdala Design
Book Description:
Just one spell will change their
fates…
Cordelia is a pawn of House
Dorchada—a notorious noble family comprised of thieves, assassins and dark
wizards. Desperate to avoid their poisonous politics, Cordelia plotted her
escape for years, but her carefully laid plans are jeopardized when her father
commands her to marry an aged lord of Frostever.
With only a few short months left
before her wedding, Cordelia’s salvation hinges on creating a Sephra’s Tear—a
forbidden amulet that causes overwhelming lust in its victim. A black market
buyer promises a life-changing amount of coin as payment for the Tear, but
being caught creating it carries a death sentence.
Two wizards are needed to produce
the passion to fuel the erotic spell, so Cordelia recruits the aid of peasant
wizard Nathaniel Ravenwood. Nathaniel has long denied his desire for the
beautiful Cordelia. As a noblewoman and a Dorchada she is as dangerous to
Nathaniel as a viper, but the fortune she offers is a temptation he can't
refuse.
Dealing in dark magic comes with
a price, and Cordelia and Nathaniel risk losing their freedom—and their hearts.
Their fates depend on the one spell that will free them, or destroy them.
About
the Author
Robyn Bachar enjoys writing
stories with soul mates, swords, spaceships, vampires and gratuitous violence
against the kitchen sink. Her books have finaled twice in the PRISM Contest for
Published Authors, twice in the Passionate Plume Contest, and twice in the EPIC
eBook Awards. As a gamer, Robyn has spent many hours rolling dice, playing
rock-paper-scissors, and slaying creatures in mmorpgs.
You can find Robyn online at
www.robynbachar.com and on Twitter at @RobynBachar.
Excerpt
Nathaniel’s
study was located in the lower levels of the stronghold, carved out of the
stone the city was built upon, where the wizards of limited financial means
lived and trained. The décor changed with each floor she descended, the layers
of artistry and comfort stripped away until the walls and floor were bare gray
stone. Like everything in White Harbor, the lines dividing the wealthy and the
poor were clear. Cordelia enjoyed the tangible privileges of noble birth, but
she knew she wouldn’t have them for much longer. She’d gladly give up silk and
perfume for the freedom that wool and sweat would bring her.
When
she arrived at Nathaniel’s door she paused and inhaled a deep breath. Cordelia
had committed many small larcenies, and a Sephra’s Tear would be the boldest
sin she had ever attempted. Cordelia’s hand trembled as she raised it, and she
knocked and opened the door when she heard him bid her enter.
Seated
at the aged desk dominating the room, Nathaniel glanced up from the book he had
been reading. Surprise flickered across his face for a moment before he rose.
“Lady
Dorchada. I won’t have your money until the first of next month.”
“Yes,
I know.”
“Then
to what do I owe this honor?” Though the question was phrased respectfully, his
tone was suspicious. She couldn’t blame him—a Dorchada at one’s door was never
a harbinger of good news.
Cordelia
stepped into the tiny room and let the door shut behind her. He had a desk, a
small alchemy table and a stove for heat. There was one other chair, but it was
occupied by a tall stack of books. She glanced at it and gave Nathaniel a
pointed look. Rounding his desk, he cleared the books away and waved his guest
to take a seat.
“Thank
you.” The stiff chair was uncomfortable, but Cordelia sat in it primly. “I
apologize for the interruption. I will try not to keep you long. I have a new
business proposition.”
“You
have my attention.” Nathaniel returned to his seat and watched her with a
neutral expression. She hesitated as the well-rehearsed speech vanished from
her thoughts. Cordelia cleared her throat and tried to phrase her request as
politely as possible.
“I
need assistance with casting a somewhat difficult spell, and I hope that you
may be able to aid me.”
“What
sort of spell?” Nathaniel tended to be brusque, and his straightforwardness
added to the anxiety tying her stomach into knots.
“One
that would require discretion, should you choose to be involved.”
Nathaniel
sat back and folded his hands in his lap. “All of our dealings require
discretion, my lady. Thus far I’ve been impressed by your caution.”
Cordelia
nodded. “Thank you. It is a Sephra’s Tear. A potent Tear.”
The
wizard’s dark eyebrows rose to nearly his hairline. He raised his folded hands,
covering his mouth to hide his expression. She admired his composure in
response to such an unusual request—he probably didn’t often have women
arriving unannounced at his door to ask that he make love to them until they
both collapsed. Then again, he just might, considering how attractive he was.
Nathaniel was older than Cordelia, but not by much. Unbound, his long black
hair fell past his shoulders. As with most wizards Nathaniel’s hands were
slender, hinting at dexterity instead of strength, and he had high, sharp
cheekbones that most of the noble ladies in White Harbor would kill to be
graced with. His plain, charcoal robes were well made, but were durable instead
of fashionable. Cordelia found his eyes to be his most interesting feature;
pale, crystalline blue, Nathaniel’s eyes were mesmerizing, though they were
usually filled with suspicion when looking at her.
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