The End of Zohak

Oops.  Forgot to finish this one.  Anybody still hanging, or have you googled it already?
The book’s unavailable, so this ending will have to be all my words (and month-old memory).

As you may recall, when we last saw Zohak he was in a state of fearful anticipation, having created (in his attempt to protect his future) the man who would make it his life’s work to destroy Zohak.

Kava, for all that he gave the first 17 of his 18 sons to be the brainfood of Zahok’s shoulder serpents, had known for many years without telling that secret which Zohak wanted most to know: the location of the young warrior Feridun.

With his leather-apron banner and all who would join him in resisting Zohak following, Kava led the way to the hidden fortress.  Feridun saw the eager men before him and decided the time was right.  Leading the way he began the desperate advance: expecting to be confronted at many points along the way, but meeting no one who would stand against them.  Even as he reached the gates of Zohak’s city, where he expected the fiercest resistance and Zohak himself, he found instead the gates open to him, for Zohak was away, collecting more oathtakers in his growing fear.

The chamberlain left in charge (“who wished to retain his post, no matter who wore the crown”) did all blandly to make the young conqueror comfortable before slipping away to inform Zohak of the new state of things.

So great was Zohak’s fear of the young man’s coming, he did not at first seek to return and set things to right.  The chamberlain gave an account of all Feridun had done: Set himself on Zohak’s grand throne, killed Zohak’s elite demon guards, set Zohak’s great crown upon his own head.

Each time Zohak merely laughed and said that it was the duty of a good host to put up with much folly and foolishness from one’s guests.

“Even when the guest enters the women’s quarters and takes the daughters of [the king you defeated] into his own arms?”

And this, at last, was enough to rouse Zohak’s anger: that his unwilling wives would welcome the arrival of a strange man and call him husband.  He was near insanity in his fury, and went alone to his palace, scaling the wall to his garden and looking into it, planning with what subterfuge he would retake his city.  But there, when he saw his younger wife sitting in the garden with Feridun, the hotness of his rage overwhelmed his plans and he rushed the intruder with sword and snakes.

But Feridun overcame him and was about to slay him when a messenger from the source of all that is good came and made it know Zohak was not to die.  Ever.  He would be bound, and left for all eternity in a forgotten cave with only his serpents.

This as a reminder to all of the reward of wickedness.

This entry was posted in Stories.

2 thoughts on “The End of Zohak

  1. I forgot that you didn’t finish this story. The quilts look nice by the way. How was Thanksgiving?

  2. Okay, but not great.
    No one was unkind, but I was asked maybe two questions in 3+ hours, and other than reading aloud to the children I probably spoke less than 5 minutes all together.

    I didn’t have the energy in put myself into the action, so I mostly watched everyoe else interact.
    It was okay, but if would have been very hard if it was my only interaction of the day.

    It was a good reminder to pay attention to all your guests. I hope I can remember this sort of thing when I’m in the other position.

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