Razja shook her head, then reached to the satchel on her side and opened it, revealing the red, blue, and green lights of the jewels. “We cannot afford to wait. The Tears of Eternity must be taken care of.”
“I still say we sell the damned things,” Jasper grumbled.
“You know that we can’t do that,” Razja replied. “We need to make sure that they never fall into the wrong hands again. Each one is dangerous on its own, but combined they present a grave threat to world peace. This,” she said, gesturing at the open satchel, “needs to be our final mission.”
Scratching thoughtfully at his beard, Camdyn asked, “What do you suggest we do then?”
“It’s simple,” she answered. “There are three stones, and there are three of us. Each of us needs to take one and go our separate ways. Camdyn, you will go west. Jasper, you will go south. I will go east. We cannot destroy the Tears, but we can dispose of them. For our final quest, we need to hide them so that they can never be recovered.”
“Another job without payment?” Jasper asked, arching an eyebrow.
Razja nodded solemnly. “Think of it as your final debt – a way to make up for all the innocent lives you’ve taken.”
The assassin smirked but did not reply. He gave her a skeptical look.
Camdyn heaved a large sigh, his face even grimmer than usual. “You’re right, of course,” he said at length. “We need to hide those blasted things so that no curious mage can turn himself into a god. I doubt I’ll ever forget the sight of you beating up that dragon.” He shuddered visibly. “No man can be trusted with that much power.”
Jasper’s expression softened as he looked at Razja. “Which is why you are so exceptional, sorceress. I doubt many could have set aside such a gift, myself included.”
Camdyn smiled at her. “You’re an amazing woman, Razja Kadir.”
Razja could not hold back the tears any longer. They flowed freely, cascading unchecked down her face. She stepped forward and warmly embraced her companions, squeezing them like the brothers she had never had. “Thank you,” she said, quietly weeping. “For everything. The two of you saved my life.”
“No, Razja,” Camdyn replied, wiping away a tear of his own. “You saved all of ours.”
The trio said their goodbyes and mounted up, each taking with them one of the Tears of Eternity. Camdyn took the emerald he had delivered to the Wanderer, and Jasper the sapphire, grudgingly promising not to sell it. Razja took the ruby she had stolen from the tunnels beneath Amun’Dar, feeling a strange sense of completion as she pocketed it and turned her attention east. Perhaps I will return to the tower, she thought, nudging her horse forward. With the abjurers dead, the magi could probably use someone level-headed in their ranks. Still, the thought of returning to Kaarna made her uneasy. When she had left, she had never expected to return. The elves were said to have an exotic and sprawling empire on the edge of the world – perhaps she could make her way there and learn what she could from their magic users.
Regardless of what path she chose, she knew that first she needed to dispose of the ruby. She liked the idea of locking it in a stone box and throwing it into the depths of the far eastern ocean.
Smiling sadly to herself, she glanced over her shoulder to catch a glimpse at her companions as they departed.
Camdyn Taurus, with his heavy shoulders and long bastard sword, plodded slowly to his home in Thaynia. She hoped that he would be able to find some peace, perhaps even a wife and a farm some place green.
Jasper Aurelio turned his horse to the south, his pace much quicker and more eager than the others. She hoped that he would be able to put his life of violence behind him and turn his skills toward a more honest profession. She doubted he would ever settle down, but the thought of him perhaps using his abilities for good made her smile.
Finally, she turned her gaze to the east and the wide world ahead of her. She was not sure what fate had in store for her, but she had an abiding sense of hope for good things to come.
With one grand adventure behind her, she was ready to embark on the next one.
THE END
THANK YOU FOR READING my book. Please leave me a review on Goodreads or Amazon (or both!). I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks!
-Blake Arthur Peel
Also by Blake Arthur Peel
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About the Author
Blake Arthur Peel is a fantasy junkie, and has been since his youth. Growing up on a consistent diet of video games, cartoons, and fantasy novels, he has always created worlds and stories in his head. Now, he finally has the opportunity to give life to those worlds by publishing his own novels.
Nowadays, Blake lives in Tennessee with his wife and two boys, who are well on their way to becoming nerds just like him.
Follow him on Instagram @blakearthurpeel, or on Facebook at facebook.com/blakearthurpeel.
Read more at Blake Arthur Peel’s site.
Tears of Eternity Page 17
