by Billy Wong
"Then how about for this?" He picked up a piece of broken mast and lifted it over his head. Walking in their direction, he threatened to hurl it through their lifeboat and sink it, but Rose stopped him.
"Don't!" she said. "They were afraid for their lives. They don't deserve to die because of the decision they made."
Finn relented, but it looked like nature would dole out the punishment he abstained from when the vessel soon capsized, dumping those within into the sea. Rose still stepped towards the railing as if thinking to dive in and try to save someone, but stopped and stood there with a frown. She must have realized that with the waters so dark and the boat so far away, it was already too late.
Speaking of which, though... "Will your wounds let you swim?" Finn asked his love.
Though she had trouble even staying on her feet on the rolling deck, Rose grinned. "I was fighting with these wounds freshly received when I had to, and it certainly looks like I'll have to swim. Can you see land?"
He couldn't see much of anything in the driving rain. "This is one powerful storm. Was your last one this bad?"
"Almost. But I picked a better ship than you! I guess we could try swimming back towards Terlon, but that would be kind of awkward, and far... Hey, is that an island I see over there?" She pointed.
Squinting, he did see what looked like some kind of land mass. "I think so. You want to go now, or wait until the ship's totally done?"
"Let's wait. The less swimming I have to do during the storm, the better!"
#
The ship lasted only a few minutes more, not nearly until the end of the storm. So they swam for the distant shape which promised salvation, and though they found it farther away than they'd initially guessed, twelve hours later Finn crawled onto the beach of the lush little isle. He and Rose had almost made it to shore when a particularly huge wave separated them, and sitting up he turned to yell worriedly at the sea, "Rose! Rose! Where are you?!"
"Right here!" came her reply from his left. He looked to see her trudging onto the beach a few hundred feet from him, dragging her pack after her like he had. Most people wouldn't have been able to swim at all pulling along over a hundred pounds of gear, much less for dozens of miles in a storm, but they were the strongest of the strong, slayers of armies, epic heroes and all. Tired ones. As he ran to her, she stumbled and fell into his arms.
He looked down at her smiling face and laughed. "Stop faking, you faker."
Rose turned her head this way and that to regard her surroundings, which beyond the beach consisted of dense green forest. "Where are we?"
"We didn't go that far off course, I don't think. Somewhere between Terlon and Kayland, I imagine. What do you want to do?"
This kind of situation wasn't so unfamiliar to either of them, and Rose suggested, "Let's look to see if there are any people around. If there aren't, which isn't unlikely, we can just make our own boat and finish the trip home."
"Okay, I'll go find us some food. You look for signs of civilization."
"See you back here when I've had my fill of looking?"
"Yeah. In case there's a choice, you want meat or fish?"
Rose shrugged. "Depends on what kind of each. I've still got spices left."
"How..?"
She grinned. "Got a refill in Terlon. Glad I did, too."
Finn gave her an appreciative hug and let her go. Smiling, the couple parted to do what they had to do.
#
Though Rose didn't find any signs of human activity, neither of them was too disappointed considering they hadn't really expected to find people here, and Finn even mildly impressed Rose with the size of the deer he'd killed. Before they could cook their meal, a heavy rain began to fall. They made their way to a cave Rose had seen earlier in the day, and started a fire inside with which to warm up and roast their meat. Seeing the crystalline cave walls revealed in the light of the flames made Rose blink with wonder. An image was reflected on every individual pane of shiny rock, and when she walked closer, a multitude of her own faces stared back at her.
A high male voice from farther within the cavern surprised them. "Who comes to visit me? What knowledge do you seek, travelers?"
"Who are you, and where are we?" Finn asked in return.
A lean man in his thirties wearing a simple white tunic walked out of the depths of the cave. His face was well lined for his age, but in a pleasant way; Rose figured he must smile a lot. Looking from Finn to her and back, he said, "Boy, are you big folks. If I'm not mistaken, you must be Rose the Iron Flower and her husband, Finn Nost?"
"Yeah, " Finn said. "Now that I've answered one of your questions, why don't you answer one of mine. You are?"
He seemed surprised at their ignorance. "Evan, Seer of Infinity."
Rose's eyes narrowed. "So you told Julian that Sean was going to kill his god. Your lie cost me a friend, and Sean his adoptive father."
"It's sad people had to suffer for my words. But I didn't lie."
"Excuse me, but Deathend isn't going to be killed. He's already dead!"
"Julian took my words one way. That doesn't mean it was the correct interpretation."
"I hate people being cryptic for no good reason," Finn remarked.
Rose nodded in agreement. "What exactly did you say would happen, mighty seer?"
"Fanteian man-youth, neck-axed with crimson flame, shall find his truth, and end war's reign."
Despite herself, Rose couldn't help a smile. "Maybe all that refers to is Sean's discovery of his royal blood, and how he'll bring peace to his land. That'd be nice."
Finn crossed his arms over his chest and frowned. "And did you make that up yourself?"
"No, it came to me in a dream."
"Somebody speaks rhymes to you in your sleep?"
Evan laughed. "I admire your curiosity. Most people don't ask me much about my presentation. No, the rhymes are my own invention. I just have visions, and describe what I see and learn in rhyme. Don't worry, I think I get it pretty accurate."
"Would it be too much to ask you to describe those images in normal speech?"
He raised his hands in a submissive gesture. "All right, all right. I saw a young man from behind, with an axe-shaped red mark on his neck. He was holding a sword of flame, but cowering, in front of a huge horned being that somehow, I knew was the embodiment of war. The young man felt inside himself and discovered some hidden quality—I wasn't sure what—that allowed him to shake off his fear and stabbed the being, dispersing it."
"I guess your rhymes aren't that bad at conveying what you saw," Finn gruffly admitted. "Of course, we still don't know how literal your vision was—or how accurate."
"My visions always come true in some form. That's why I'm considered a great seer."
"What are you doing here on this island?" Rose asked. "Are there other people hiding somewhere?"
"I'm alone. I've been here since I discovered my gift for prophecy when we were shipwrecked, actually. I was just a teenager then, but my father insisted I had to stay, because it seems I'm only able to get my visions on this island for whatever reason. After we left, I didn't have any more. So he made me come back."
Rose was taken aback. "He left you alone? How could your father do such a terrible thing to you, and how did you survive?"
"He didn't just leave me, he did teach me what I needed to survive before going. He wanted me to make him money by selling prophecies to people, not die here. Every so often, he stops by to pick up the profits. But he never did like me. Thought I was a burden on his time, and blamed me for making my mother run away."
"Your mother ran away from you?"
"No. My father beat her, and used me as the excuse when she finally left him."
"What a bastard."
Finn interrupted. "But it's obvious you have contact with other people. Why don't you get off this island, if you don't want to be here?"
"I didn't like it at first, but I've gotten used to it. It's nice and quiet. Besides, it makes me fee
l important to have people go to such lengths to come talk to me, and after all this time I'm not sure I could feel fulfilled doing something else."
"Is it really that hard to get here?"
His eyes widening, Evan asked, "You didn't know?"
Rose laughed. "We swam here after getting shipwrecked about half a day's swim away. That was certainly tough, but we have no idea what taking a ship here in normal weather would be like. Seems like it shouldn't be too much trouble."
"Ships can't get here," the seer informed them. "There's a huge reef all around the isle which'll tear any large vessel to pieces before they even come close. You have to dare either taking a rowboat... or swimming. Though I've never heard of anyone doing the latter before. Gods, the waves should have bludgeoned you to pulp!"
"We're tougher than most."
He nodded. "That's obvious from your looks alone, never mind your reputations. But what information did you come here for?"
They hadn't really come to talk to Evan, though the prophet didn't seem to have the vision to see that. But Rose supposed it might be fun to inspire one of his visions, even if it didn't come true or was too cryptic to figure out. She grinned. "Let's ask what my destiny is!"
Finn bit his lip as if the idea scared him a bit. "What if you don't like it?"
"I'll just try and change it, of course. I don't believe our fate is set in stone. But it'll be interesting just to try interpreting it, I'm sure."
"Wait a second. I want to ask him something first." Finn turned back to Evan. "So how many questions can we ask you?"
"One per party per visit is usual." He smiled. "But considering you swam here, I'll be generous and give you one each."
Rose didn't think long about how to word her question. "Okay, so what am I destined for?"
It seemed like Finn wanted to be a little more serious about the question he was going to ask. "I'll think about mine a bit first. So Evan—not the destiny question—how often do you get visitors? I'm thinking maybe we could catch a ride back to Kayland."
"Not too often, unfortunately. It does get lonely around here, even if you're used to it."
Finn grunted his disappointment. "So how long will it take for your vision about Rose's question?"
"I'll think about the subject before going to bed, and probably have a vision during my sleep. Actually, I'm going to go now. See you soon." Evan walked off.
#
"Weird guy, huh?" Rose said cheerfully after the seer had gone.
Finn nodded, though the situation unnerved him more than he'd expect for some reason. Maybe it was just the strangeness of it. "What do you think he'll see in your future?"
"Hopefully he sees our children growing up healthy and strong, and our center flourishing around the world. Then again, it'll probably be something much gloomier, knowing prophets and their tales of dread woe. So what about you? Why are you giving this so much thought?"
"There's always been a bunch of questions I wanted to ask a higher power, if I ever met such a being. Now, this guy may not be much of one, but still... I don't want to waste the opportunity, if he's for real."
Rose chuckled. "I never knew you were such a thinker, Finn. You must be getting smart in your old age!" Though she jested, and he wasn't that old at thirty-one, Finn inwardly groaned. He did have eight years on his wife, and sometimes, when he grew tired while she showed little sign of fatigue from the same activities, he imagined himself an old man. Of course, she'd had the same advantage in endurance when they first met long ago, and he knew in his heart that while age made a convenient excuse, in truth Rose simply always had more stamina. Even so soon after receiving terrible injuries, she'd still had an easier time swimming to shore than him.
Early on in their relationship, he'd felt threatened by Rose's prowess, and striven constantly to prove himself her better to no avail. Now he accepted that his wife was the better warrior, faster, more skilled, and much more resilient than him, and just as strong despite his massive size advantage. But though he didn't begrudge Rose her strength, at times he still bemoaned his own inadequacy as her husband.
He was rarely able to save her from grievous hurt in her worst battles, and such harm to his love pained him to no end. Finn knew Rose herself didn't fault him, and took her wounds in stride without blame except for the actual enemies who inflicted them. She took everything in stride. Even after over five years together, Finn often marveled at just how strong she was, not only physically, but emotionally too. She had suffered the loss of so many people she cared about, and often blamed herself, yet it'd never broken her or kept her from doing what she had to do. No matter how much pain she suffered from within and without, she somehow never lost the optimism he'd fallen in love with sometime after they met and fought. Truly, he'd married the greatest of souls, kind and sweet, but unmatched in strength and courage as well.
It was good that they'd had kids together, for more than the obvious reasons. Though Finn loved Rose a great deal, and being around her certainly made him feel adored and cherished, it didn't make him feel strong, like a protector. Like a man. Around most people, he felt powerful, dominant. But among the two of them, Rose had always been the stronger. With their children, though, he could be the protector.
Hugging her, Finn replied, "I just wish I could get smart and strong enough to protect you."
"You're doing just fine."
"I love you."
She took the piece of deer meat off the fire. "Love you too. Now let's eat."
They enjoyed their tastily seasoned dinner and went to sleep. Shortly after they awakened early in the morning, Evan returned to their side. "You got an answer to Rose's question?" Finn asked.
"I did. Do you want to know what I saw?" Rose nodded, and he said, "Soul bright as a blazing sun, out your blood shall run, for you to lay evil to its rest, a wicked blade finds your flesh, cruel death seeks the valiant heart, life's house does metal part." He looked sadly at her. "Sorry."
"So what exactly did you see?" she asked.
He hesitated for a moment, then explained. "I saw you fight like a demon on a rooftop, defeating a black-clad king and his strongest champion, an unbelievable giant of a man. Then the king dishonorably stabbed you from behind and gave you a mortal wound, but you turned with your last strength and returned the favor. After that you fell off the roof, skewered with a sword between your breasts. But you got your enemy."
She laughed at the story, and after a moment Finn did too with relief. "Your vision's accurate, but it already happened!"
Evan stared. "Come again?"
"I already had that fight years ago, and survived. You just saw into the past, instead of the future."
The seer continued to gawk at her, clearly confused by the situation. "What could this mean? It's never happened before."
Rose frowned as if pondering what had happened, and after a while said, "Maybe you didn't see the future because I wasn't supposed to live past that fight... but I did, and I'm happy for it. There was a funeral and everything too, but I came out okay. Does that mean my endurance beat fate's decree?"
"That'd be something," Finn mused. "But it wouldn't surprise me that much. I mean, you should've been dead many times over if you followed other people's rules."
A new, familiar voice spoke from the cave's entrance. "So you're still alive somehow, Rose?" Julian stood there with one of the tallest men Finn had ever seen. "How could you not die from what Regis and I did to you? Ironic that I'd find you here."
"Maybe it's fated," Evan said. "I assume you know each other?"
Rose drew her sword, and Finn followed suit with his mace. He told the seer, "We're about to kill each other."
"Let Trevor the Tree show these peons his strength!" the tall Fanteian yelled.
Julian must have had less confidence in their ability to overcome the couple than his companion, for he said, "Wait! If you kill me, who will stop Deathend from returning to impose his will upon the world? If we do not find the specific means to defe
at him, normal methods will not suffice!"
Finn wondered why Julian would turn on Deathend. He must expect to be punished for his repeated failures, and seek to preserve himself. Finn thought about telling him the truth about his god, but looking at Rose realized she hadn't spoken of it for a reason. If Julian knew Deathend was merely his own delusion, he would look again towards the conquest of Terlon, no longer fixated on saving himself from the war god's wrath. Seeing that Rose didn't attack, he figured she must believe it would not be in their best interests to kill Julian now either and tried to puzzle out why. If the emperor died, he thought, a new ruler would arise in Fanteia sooner or later who would not be similarly preoccupied. As long as Julian's primary goal was to stop Deathend, then cruel though he might be, it was best to leave him alive.
"So what do you want here?" Finn demanded warily.
"Isn't it obvious?!" Julian snapped. "I need to know how to defeat Deathend!"
Without warning, Rose grabbed Finn's arm and said, "Let's go."
"What?"
"Just come on! There's no reason for us to stay here with our enemies." She winked, and trusting she had something up her sleeve, he followed her without further argument. They moved carefully past Julian and his companion, watching for any attempt to attack on their part, and exited without incident. When a good distance had been put between them and the cave, Rose said, "Let's go look for their boat."
Finn smiled as he realized what she planned. "You want to steal that boat, huh?"
"Of course. Just because I'm not ready to kill him, doesn't mean I'm above giving him a bunch of trouble. The longer he's stranded away from his country and the more time Terlon gets to recover, the better. Besides, we do need a ride."
"I'm not against giving the guy who stabbed my lovely wife some hefty setbacks. But I'm not sure it'll be that easy to find the boat."
"Why not? It's not they were expecting us." Rose turned out to be right, for they soon found a rowboat on the eastern beach of the island, the side closest to Fanteia. "See? They didn't take any precautions against thieves."
Finn laughed. "I wonder if they have any idea what we're doing?"
