by Billy Wong
"And what Sevrian lord will tell us-" Finn stopped. "I'm still not too keen on the whole 'death' idea, but it seems we do have an adventure waiting in the wings."
#
Sumafu shared stories of his country as Rose and Finn listened halfheartedly, anticipating the execution of their plan. They'd all had many a drink tonight; and Derrick and Loreen, who had come to visit at almost the same time as the Sevrian, now lay passed out among their friends. On the other hand, the lovers found themselves impressed with the nobleman's tolerance for strong drink; apparently, the duke was used to attending multiple parties in a day.
Still, the Sevrian was reeling long before either of them was close to tipsy, and Finn whispered to Rose, "Should we ask about the Brushknoll now, or do the honorable thing and get ourselves drunk too first?"
"Let's see which of us falls over first, and the one left will win asking rights."
Finn pretended to consider it, then said loudly, "You know what makes me mad? Those Sevrians killing our countrymen for nothing more than a bunch of dried-up plains. I bet they're just trying to rub their superiority in our face."
"No," Rose replied, "they know they're no match for us, why else would they pick our weakest province to attack? They couldn't muster the courage to do it until after we had a tough fight with Coblan, and still started by taking the territory we had just retrieved." She didn't feel too good about their plan, a little guilty about manipulating a friend. But Sumafu hadn't coughed up any information in the days they'd tried to coax it out of him, and Finn insisted on resorting to the less ethical approach they now attempted.
Now they watched Sumafu, who predictably grew angry over their comments. His voice was slurred as he argued, "Sevria does everything for a reason. We are no savages concerned only with violence and showing off our strength, but a people who act with reason and in the name of progress."
"Taking the Brushknoll at the cost of thousands of lives is progress?" Finn asked.
Sumafu glared at him. "The treasure we seek is what will better life for all Sevrians, and the rest of the world besides."
Rose scratched her hair as she said casually, "No such treasure exists, unless you speak of magic, and we know there isn't any of that in the Brushknoll."
"It does exist! It's just that nobody can take it, for it'd take vast resources to overcome its defenses. That's why we must conquer the place before we can get at the treasure—because there's no way our spies, or any small group, could get at it." Sumafu swayed like he would fall over soon, and the lovers knew they had to get the most important bit of information before the alcohol overcame him.
Finn rolled his eyes. "Yeah, and this treasure is under the college in Dunwal, right? Derrick will like hearing of this for sure." Though that piece of knowledge was made up, Rose thought if would be funny if it proved correct.
Sumafu shook his head, and Rose had to catch him to keep him from falling out of his seat. He was heedless of his drool as he said, "No, Verveem." With that, he slumped unconscious in her arms, and Finn and Rose stared disbelievingly at each other.
Finn was the first to speak. "It can't be. Verveem... everybody knows that old tower was emptied of anything valuable ages ago!"
"Maybe there's a hidden level? But for it to stay hidden for so long..." Rose laughed ironically, remembering something so insignificant from long ago, it made her wonder at the unpredictable workings of the human mind. "To think, poor Tom was right about what they all ridiculed him for! If only he'd been alive to hear this."
Finn shrugged. "Didn't he say something about defenses to test a nation, or something like that?"
"Heh, you actually worded it nicer than him. Yeah, something about vast resources being needed to get at the treasure, and if a Sevrian lord says 'vast,' he means it. As much as we have, our wealth is a drop in the bucket next to Sevria's ocean. But we did stop, what, three threats to the kingdom since meeting Derrick? Think we can do it?"
Finn gave her a sly look. "Only three? You're saying you didn't stop any when we were separated?"
She smiled enigmatically. "Did you? Anyway, I think we have a shot. Though the monster called it death for us, he also thought he'd be our death until we trounced him. So?"
Studying her confident face, he slowly grinned. "I'm the one of us who's known for his bravado. Would it befit me to say no? I'm not afraid to walk into the arms of death one more time with you at my side. After all, we have come back out each time so far."
"Did you just say, 'one more time?' Of all people, could you be thinking of retirement?"
"I'd hardly stop calling myself a fighter while I can still walk. But I've been thinking about what Derrick said. Maybe I do have a responsibility, as the first new magic user in ages, to develop its potential. Besides, you know me—I'd love everlasting fame as the reviver of magic!"
"But you can't actually teach your spells," Rose said doubtfully.
"I know. The vision isn't quite complete, obviously. Maybe we'll find something helpful where we're going next. If not, I'll just keep looking."
Rose snatched him into her arms and kissed him at once fiercely and tenderly. The delighted look she left in his eyes pleased her. "You've found your unique calling, Finn. I'm so glad for you. Maybe now, you can stop trying to one-up me all the time."
They laughed together, and Finn said, "Yeah, it never works out for me anyway. We both really know who's the more formidable warrior between us. I can be content with being our era's first mage."
"It's amazing to think I started this journey to protect people from magic, and now the man I love uses it. I guess it isn't a bad fit though. The more you know about something, the better you can defend against it." Then worry furrowed Rose's brow. "We'll still see each other, won't we? You'll never spend all your time hidden away in some study, away from me?"
"Of course not. I'll always take care of you. You're my treasure, my Iron Flower—our love is secondary to nothing. I'll even make you my first student, that is, if I ever can."
Her worry still nagged at her, but she pushed it aside and grinned mischievously. "Then how about you prove your love, right now?"
"Here?" Finn looked around. Sumafu was clearly out, and Derrick and Loreen had been long gone before him. "No problem. The floor or the table?"
"Table would break in half a second. But hey, the bed's right next door!" Rose broke into a run, and Finn chased her into their room.
#
They awakened early despite their long night, and Rose frowned as she remembered what they'd done. "I hope Sumafu doesn't remember telling us about Verveem while drunk. He surely wouldn't be happy about it."
Finn snorted. "If you're going to be so remorseful, why'd you agree to it in the first place? What's done is done. I'm sure he'd forgive you. Nobody expects us to be saints."
At his words, Rose lowered her gaze. "I know I'm not a saint. I've killed countless men, even former friends, but... to use trickery on a friend puts a bad taste in my mouth. It's just not something I think to do."
"Sumafu's a good man, and yes, a friend, but also an enemy in a way. Remember, he's a patriotic Sevrian."
"He's never raised a hand against us, but welcomed us with open arms. I wouldn't call that the actions of an enemy."
Finn lifted her chin and met her unhappy eyes. "I'll take the blame for it if he remembers—say you weren't in on it, but just responding to me. It was my idea, after all. I know it was 'wrong' to you, would it have been better to beat it out of some other Sevrian lord after killing his guard? Think of it as a small evil, to avert a bigger one."
She smiled gratefully as she hopped out of bed. "All right, Finn. Thank you."
He followed her up, reaching for his clothes. "What else is my thick skin for, but bearing the stings you won't?" He sounded pleased with the notion, and they left to make breakfast.
#
A few days later Sumafu made to leave, apparently oblivious to his drunken revelations. But at the last, Rose could not stand to hide
the truth anymore. As he made his way to the stables, she caught up to him.
"Sumafu, wait. I have to tell you something."
He stopped and gazed worriedly at her. "What's the matter? You look upset."
"I—we–made you tell us where the treasure Sevria seeks is, while you were drunk," Rose got out with difficulty. "I knew it was wrong, but we really needed to know. We couldn't let Sevria get such an advantage in the ongoing struggle. Sorry."
Sumafu's eyes darkened with anger. "You tricked me? And here I thought we were friends, and could trust one another. Your guile is a stain upon your noble soul."
"I know it was wrong. But we really needed the information, and you wouldn't tell us. Won't you accept my apology? The other options really weren't acceptable."
Anger continued to smother in his eyes, though Rose thought he understood her plight. "I hope what I said was worth it, because I can plainly see your guilt."
"Yes, I feel terrible. But what we learned, could bring about a new age of progress for mankind."
"For mankind, or Kayland?"
A bit shaken by the question, she steadied her voice and replied, "Both, I suppose. Although I know you'd say the magic would do more good in the hands of your people with all their knowledge, I don't see it that way. Sevria continues to try and conquer other nations, and Kayland hasn't in ages."
"You took Coblan back, didn't you?"
"They attacked us first and lost their leader. Would their people have been better off having a war amongst themselves for control? Besides, they used to be part of Kayland."
They reached the stables, and the duke did not look at her as he mounted his horse. "Rose, at least promise that if you do find the magic, you'll put it to good use and not let it be abused."
"Of course. I'll do all I can to ensure it's used with proper care."
He rode out of the stables, looked back and said, "Thank you." And he was gone.
Finn met her on her way back to the house. "You told him, didn't you? You never can keep a secret. So how did he react?"
Her answer was bittersweet. "He was angry, of course. I don't know when or if he'll forgive me—us. But I had to do it. My heart feels calmer, now that's it's been relieved of its burden."
He put a hand on her shoulder and said with a smile, "He'll forgive you. You're too good to hate."
"I don't know. I'm afraid I've lost another friend."
Finn's voice grew exasperated. "Now you regret telling him the truth? You can be so flaky at times."
"I know I did the right thing, if only in response to doing something wrong. It's just that it hurts to bear the anger of others. But I'm okay, I just needed to talk about it. Thanks for listening." Rose gave his gut a soft squeeze, and he relaxed considerably.
"So Rose," he asked after a time, "when do we go?"
Her mind focused again on the task at hand. "Soon. Let me tell Loreen where we're going first."
"Want me to come with you?" the one-armed woman asked after Rose told all to her.
Rose was thankful for the offer, but warned, "It'll be very dangerous, I'm sure. An archmage did name it our death. Your brothers need you; I'm not sure you should take the risk."
"I did go with you to face Wilner and fought the greatest warrior himself, remember? That was just for my own personal grudge, but this is an even worthier cause. Besides, your company's a joy, even in the clutches of peril. I'll come, if you'll have me."
Rose still worried that Loreen's handicap would make the danger she faced too great, but then realized the veteran was more competent than Derrick in a fight and she never thought to deny the scholar the trip. She really had no excuse to refuse her help. "Then you're welcome to do so. Just be careful, okay?"
"I'm always careful. I didn't survive this long by overestimating myself. What do you think is really there, at Verveem? I know you said magic, but of what sort?"
"Finn thinks it might be the key to bring back the lost art of spellcasting. At least, that's what he hopes."
Loreen blinked. "Aren't you afraid of the consequences of making magic widespread again? It seems most of your encounters with the arcane have been painful ones."
"My experience with Finn as a mage carries more weight in my mind than all the evils of the Old World I've faced. Through him, I've learned that magic is simply a tool, if a powerful one, and it's only the evil of men which leads it to do harm."
Loreen looked wistfully into space. "It'd love it if magic could restore my arm—or make my brothers smarter."
The thought alarmed Rose. "Loreen, one thing that shouldn't be tampered with is the mind. I've learned that lesson through harsh experience, remember? There are some things you really can't play with."
"It was just a hasty thought. I know abuses of magic were abundant at its height. I suppose we'll have to be more careful, won't we?"
Rose smiled warmly at her friend. "We all have dangerous thoughts at times, and it'd be strange if we didn't. But I doubt we'll be creating any great troubles with magic ourselves anytime soon. For now, let's worry about rediscovering the tool before fearing its creations."
The women stopped discussing magic and chatted about other things for hours, casual talk of the people in their lives, their dreams for the future, and the beauty of love. But by the time Derrick interrupted them, their conversation had turned to girls and their toys.
"I've always wondered what it'd be like to have a mythril sword," Loreen said dreamily. "I've read such a blade is lighter yet stronger than steel."
"Bah. The reason it's called mythril is because it only exists in myths. Besides, I've never had a need for a lighter blade. Quite the opposite, in fact."
Derrick burst into the conversation as he entered the room. "What I'd like to know is why some people choose to use throwing hammers. Aren't axes and javelins much better for that kind of thing?"
His troubled face told Rose he wasn't really here to talk weaponry. "What's up?"
"The Sevrian army is on the verge of attacking the Brushknoll and driving forth into the province. If we go now, they might catch us there. What will we do?"
She called for Finn, and the four pondered their dilemma. Little discouraged, Finn said, "We can move faster than a whole army, and I'm definitely against giving up. We're not going to let the Sevrians profit off our land, are we?"
Rose frowned. "I know you really want to bring magic back to the world. But if we're unlucky, it'll be the four of us against a whole army of Sevrians. Thousands upon thousands of them, Finn. Even we can't handle that. And in the worst case scenario, we'll have led Derrick and Loreen to their doom as well. It seems all too risky to me. I want to live, and enjoy it. Is the pursuit of any treasure worth our lives?"
"But they haven't even defeated our countrymen yet," Finn argued. "Who knows, maybe our forces will rally and hold them off long enough. Anyway, if Kayland is bound to lose the Brushknoll, it'd be best for us to go as soon as possible. Come on, Rose, you've never allowed yourself to be discouraged by unfavorable odds."
She heard the truth in his words, but in her heart she feared losing him even if they had a successful journey, losing him to his drive to master the magic they found. "I usually haven't, but this is different. Besides the threat of the Sevrians, we don't even know what we'll face in the Tower itself. It's too much of a risk."
Derrick's response surprised her, as she had expected him to side with Finn. "Rose is right. We can't even make an educated guess about what's down there. Surely you can't think it's reasonable to go uninformed into such danger?"
Finn refused to give up his newfound dream. "We should be able to handle whatever we find in Verveem. If the Sevrian army does arrive, we could surrender and figure out some way to escape later. Sevrians are fairly lenient in the way they treat prisoners, I've heard."
"If we die or become prisoners, who will take care of my brothers?" When Loreen spoke, Rose could see her love was alone in his resolve. "I know there were considerable risks even without the Se
vrian army involved, but this is too much!"
Refusing to give up, Finn pleaded desperately, "Please, Rose, help me. Lend me your great strength and courage once again. I know this is what I'm meant to do, but I can't do it alone. Even if we do step into unknown dangers, can't we trust in one another to see us through?"
Rose's heart was stirred by the emotion in his voice, but she told herself that if they died, none of it would mean anything. She put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "There will be other chances, Finn. But not if this is our last adventure."
"All right," he said at last. "If the Sevrians do find the treasure, and it's the knowledge of spellcasting as I'd hoped, magic will be back in the world anyway. Just not in our hands. So maybe it's okay, fame and country aside." But Rose recognized the insincerity of his words, and was unsurprised when she awakened the next day to find him gone.
#
"Finn, please stop," Rose begged as she caught up to him on horseback. "It's not useful to anybody to die in vain, throwing yourself into danger you don't even understand."
"That's never stopped you before," he reminded her. "Physical danger isn't what's stopping you, you who are the boldest of warriors. What's really wrong?"
She looked into his eyes, unable to speak for a moment. Then, she said, "You know me too well. I'm scared you'll drift away from me, having a new priority in life. For so long, all we had was each other and the fight. You've already been spending less time with me learning magic—what will happen to us when you teach it?"
"You're being silly, Rose. Just because I've got something new to do, our love won't suffer. You'll always be my first priority... and besides, you can help me."
She could. Though she still worried, she decided that the least she could do was give him a chance. After all they'd been through, their love warranted more faith than she gave it. "All right. You can go and seek your magic. But I'm coming with you!"
Patting her back, he smiled approvingly. "I knew you weren't so easily cowed by danger. Let's go. Surely, the two mightiest warriors of Kayland won't let their country down."
