Saved by the Vampire

About an hour after the sun went down over an orange smoke-filled horizon, the vampire flew into the center of a small farming village and landed in the road. He was watched with fearful interest, the way that starving castaways on a desert island might watch a slaver's ship.

The reason for this was that the blukes were coming. The rear guard of the king's retreating army had passed through this morning, with the news that the blukes were less than two days behind them. The villagers had been left to their fate.

The visitor was the very model of an aristocratic vampire. His handsome face was as white as the moon, with long curly silky hair as dark as the sky. He flew in on huge batlike wings that folded up when he landed, taking the form of a fancy cloak, black on the outside and lined with red velvet on the inside.

He spoke with regal sibilant softness to the gathering crowd. "Doom is coming to you. I did not cause it. I can prevent it."

There was a murmur of interest among the villagers.

"My price is the traditional one. I want a maiden. If you deliver one to me, I will stop the blukes. It is a small price, really, to give one fair girl in exchange for all of your lives and homes. You have until tomorrow night to choose. I will come at dusk. If I see a suitable girl tied to a stake in the road, I will destroy the raiding force that threatens you."

With the speech delivered, he spread his great dark leathery wings and flew into the night.

The men of the village met in council. While a few of them wanted to refuse the vampire, they were quickly overruled by more calculating minds. The group began to decide which girl to sacrifice.

As soon as the vampire took wing and left, Irene had seen her fate sealed. She knew that the villagers would take the offer, and that she was the most likely choice. There were only a few girls who could honestly be described as a 'fair maiden', and a seventeen-year-old orphan barely scratching a living from a decaying farm would be seen as the most expendable one.

In addition to having no family to take her side, Irene was not liked. She kept to herself, did not join in shrine ceremonies, and had rejected several proposals from village boys, both decent and indecent ones. Nobody knew why, and Irene was not even sure. She only knew that she despised them all and the thought of being with any man disgusted her.

A few of the wilder gossips of the village rumored that she was in league with the mad witch of the forest, although the explanation of more reasonable people was that she was just a confused girl who had been driven mad by losing her parents to the Green Plague.

Irene decided to talk to the witch. She slipped out of town and took the secret forest paths to visit the cave of her old friend.

She returned to the village several hours later and got to her hovel shortly before the men came for her. She pretended to be asleep on her pile of straw and rags when they arrived, and pretended to fight a little as they grabbed her and tied her up. They took both of her knives, her one pottery bowl, and anything else that was sharp or could be broken into an edge. Then they nailed boards over the door and windows, and when they were done, they left the widow Chalmers to guard her.

Irene could have escaped easily enough. She only needed to quietly use her teeth to untie the knots, and then use a wooden plate to dig through one of the places where the wattle and daub was rotten. But she slept, as comfortably as she could.

Shortly before dusk on the next day, Chalmers bathed her, and dressed her in one of the clean silk shrine robes. Then the men took her and tied her to a stake in the center of the village. They were surprisingly gentle, and treated her better than they had ever treated her before.

Irene knew that this was nothing more than a desire not to harm the merchandise. If the vampire rejected her, then the villagers would have to fight the blukes themselves.

The vampire did not reject her. He seemed pleased as he sniffed her head and neck. Irene whispered to him, "If you will untie me now and let me watch you fight, I will embrace you willingly."

The vampire considered this. Finally, he agreed. It had been some time since he had a willing consort, and anyway there was too much of her spirit to eat all at once. Also, fighting just after feeding could be uncomfortable. He suppressed his hunger and walked calmly up the northern road to face the blukes just outside the village.

He smelled them coming. There were about fifty of them, and several of the larger beastfolk. There was also a gator-mage with a respectable aura. It was but a small fragment of the main force. The great horde had disbanded after defeating the king's army, spreading out and letting each warband take its own plunder.

They came over the hill, charging and screaming. Most of them were in a massed mob. This would be easy. The vampire reached into the energies of the darkest night to summon forth a cloud of inky, deadly smoke. It enveloped the charging force, and the vampire waited for the glorious sensation that accompanied mass death.

Death did not come. Something was wrong. The creature of the night focused on his adversaries, and then swore a blasphemy worthy of the deepest hells. Someone had warned them. Someone had told them to prepare for a vampire. They were all protected with runes and spells, which overlapped to encompass the whole group in potent wards.

The vampire knew that he must break their formation. He summoned magical balls of pure soul-stealing darkness and flung them at specific blukes. At the same time, he poured more and more of his soul into the death cloud.

Several blukes and a grizzly died from the concentrated missiles that passed right through shields and armor. Several more, at the edge of the crowd, finally fell to the death cloud. But by the time the blukes and their allies had reached the vampire, fully two thirds of their number were alive and ready to fight.

The low-ranked ones wielded wooden stakes infused with garlic. The veterans had silver weapons. A few of the captains had magic weapons, firebrands or thunder-blades that could strike down a vampire with ease.

The vampire drew his sword, a long thin thing made of a light black metal unknown to any mortal smith. He leapt into action, with the speed and unpredictability of a bat in flight.

But the raiders did not die easily. They already knew or guessed that the sword of blackest night could not be parried, but they ducked and dodged. This did not save them in the end, but it forced the vampire to take too much time to kill them, and often to throw himself off balance and vulnerable in order to do so.

The vampire knew that he would not win this fight with his blade. He was surrounded, and taking too much damage. For every one he killed, two or three would land blows, all hoping to claim his scalp. If he did not retreat, he would need to draw upon his deeper magic, making his location known to wizards and other vampires and telling them he was vulnerable.

The vampire howled, with an unearthly scream that made weak-minded mortals lose all sanity. The beastfolk went mad, but the blukes did not. However, they did back off and stumble, and in that split second of opportunity the vampire spread his wings and took flight. One of the blukes managed to gash a wing as he did, but he could still fly.

As soon as he cleared the circle, the vampire felt a horrible pain as something pierced his left lung. It was a crossbow bolt, fletched in the bluke style but with no metal head. It was an ash stake, and it burned with the fire of garlic. If it had landed a few inches higher, he would be dead.

More arrows shot up. They came from a group of bluke archers that had been hidden behind the hill. They were wielding semi-automatic repeating crossbows of antfolk design, and they filled the sky with a storm of wooden stakes. Most of them were aimed above his head, in the direction he was flying, and so he was forced to slow down and turn to avoid death. Even so, many arrows found him, ripping more holes in his wings that made fast flight impossible.

In desperation, the vampire surrounded himself with a cloud of living night, plunged straight down with telekinetic force, and levitated just above ground level with a flicker of speed, directly into the archers. He hoped to scatter them like leaves, but as he landed in their midst they dropped their bows and pulled wooden stakes from their belts.

They were not as good as the front-line fighters, and they fell before the dancing nightblade. But they had bought time. The original group of blukes had regrouped, and charged the vampire.

The vampire summoned another cloud of blackness in front of them, but this was not an attack. It was a portal. Creatures of the night issued forth, wolves and bats and stinging insects. They fell upon the blukes.

The blukes began to cut them down. But as they did, the vampire charged. In the confusion caused by his minions he began to turn the tide of battle, wielding both his blade and razor-sharp ribbons of solid black ink with great effect. But he still took damage. Several bones were broken, and he bled silvery blood from a dozen wounds. But he would win, and he would recover.

The ground shook with a fierce tremor, and the vampire saw and heard and felt great gouts of flame leap from cracks in the soil. The flames formed a circle of bright hot light around him, and their tall dancing flames leaned toward the inside of the circle, making a dome of flame in the night.

The gator-mage had joined the battle. With a grin, he strode into the dome of fire and cast a cloud-kill spell of its own. All of the bats and insects died, as the last wolf was struck down by a bluke.

The vampire looked into the grinning green face of the gator-mage and saw his death. He was out of tricks. All his spells were expended. And now the greatest warrior of the bluke horde stood before him.

The chieftain wielded a great obsidian club in each hand. These had enough magic to parry the nightblade, and their wielder had the speed and skill to use them well. In the vampire's weakened and broken state, he was no match for either the melee prowess or the magical skill of the leader of the blukes. The great dome of searing flame made escape impossible.

The vampire and gator-mage paused, and they stared at each other. The three remaining blukes took the advantage of this lull to flank the vampire. One of them dropped his wooden stake and picked up a flaming sword that had fallen to the ground with its former owner.

The gator-mage began to move, then, with grace and confidence. But suddenly, a bluke arrow appeared in its neck. It was not a very serious wound, but it stunned him for half a second. That was all the time that the vampire needed to summon one last burst of energy and leap forward, driving his sword with a lunge-thrust past the clubs and into his enemy's heart. The gator-mage reeled backward, and the vampire stabbed him again. Only after five stabs was the vampire confident enough to step closer, into the range of the clubs, and bring his sword around in a sweeping arc that took off the head of the gator-mage.

The blukes did not lose their valor even then. They charged as one, and the vampire nearly died. But somehow, he still had enough speed and magic to prevail, and though it cost him another dozen wounds he finally cut the last of them down.

The vampire fell to the ground, too weak even to move. He lay on his back, staring into the cloudy night sky, absorbing its power and slowly starting to heal.

Irene appeared in his field of vision. She held a bluke crossbow in her left hand for him to see. The vampire smiled at her, and she smiled at him. She dropped the crossbow and knelt down. "I made a promise, and I will keep it."

The vampire turned his head to her, ready to take just enough of her blood to give him the strength to fly. They would enjoy so much together, he felt. He might even allow her to become his equal, and they could fly the night together.

Irene held herself just out of reach. "Join me in spirit," she breathed softly. The vampire opened his mind to her, allowing her to feel the glory and power that he possessed. She would soon be drawn to him, drawn to his power, and then she would give her blood in exchange for that power. But she held back, almost drawing closer but not quite. The vampire opened more and more of himself to her to draw her in.

Irene hit the vampire in the face with the pommel of the silver dagger in her right hand. His mouth turned away from her, and he collapsed back, stunned. Then she slit his throat. As her left hand pressed his face into the ground, she slurped up the silvery blood that flowed freely from his neck.

Irene claimed and seized the power that the vampire had dangled tantalizingly of front her. But she did not stop there. The mind-link was still open, and Irene used it. She drank his soul as she drank his blood, holding him in the same embrace that he had used on so many mortals.

Most people will eat an apple from the side, taking the better bits from the outside and leaving the core behind. Irene did not do this. She started eating an apple at the bottom and worked up, eating the core and seeds and skin and fruit until there was nothing left but a stem. And then she chewed on the stem, fooling her body into believing that it had food, until the stem fell apart into tiny fibers, which she swallowed.

Irene ate the vampire's power more thoroughly than she ever ate an apple. She took all that was worth taking of him. Just before the end, he was revealed to be a vain and foolish youth, lured and trapped by promises made by another vampire countless centuries before. Irene released him from her embrace, throwing him contemptuously to the ground just before he turned to dust.

Irene rose as a creature of awful power, as much above the vampire as he had been above the villagers. The gifts that he had idly squandered in a life of decadence now lived inside a woman who had for years learned to wring every scrap of use from the resources she had available. She reached out her hand and lifted the sword off the ground with a thought. She made it hover in midair and inspected it. It was dull. She would have to find a way to sharpen it.

Now, Irene needed to practice using her newfound power of blackest night. A small test would help to become accustomed to her new life. She turned around. Yes, the destruction of the villagers who had tried to sacrifice her would be a good start. She took the scabbard off the ground, buckled it around her waist, and sheathed the sword.

She used all of the vampire's magical techniques, and invented a few new ones. The villagers cried in madness and agony as Irene killed them slowly. Soon the only human alive within miles was the witch who Irene had worked with to plot the encounter and warn the blukes. She had enjoyed the massacre almost as much as Irene. Now she scurried over to the battle site, to collect the totems and body parts of the gator mage and fallen bluke chieftans. Irene smiled. It was a great reward for her, but that power was nothing compared to what Irene now had.

As she had used her magic, Irene had become aware of a deep gnawing hunger. It was almost as bad as what she had felt last winter, after someone had stolen her barrel of dried peas. But she did not gorge herself on the ones she killed. Only a few of the peasants had anything in them that was worth consuming. There were a few strong souls, farmers and housewives. Irene took enough of them to satisfy hunger, but not so much that she took in anything weak.

The biggest mistake that vampires made, Irene decided, was to eat weak little morsels of people, foolish sugary things that rotted the teeth and gave nothing of what was needed to build strong bones and muscles.

Irene would feed on the souls of bluke warriors. She had liked what she saw in the fight. There was strength and will there, and the ego and skill to defy the world and laugh at all the kings of men. She would ride with them and hunt with them and fight with them, and they would worship her. She would take a little bit from all of them; they were strong enough to support her and still fight well. In return, she would give them a tiny bit of the power of the night, and they would use those scraps of power to great effect, becoming even more fierce and terrible.

The first true Queen of the Night in over a millennium spread her wings. They were feathered and beautiful, like a great raven. She took off, heading for another band of blukes.

Erin of Calway 5

"Erin Lopez always knew that her father was a paladin. But now, she has just learned that her mother is an escapee from a line of sorceresses who jealously guard their secrets. The knowledge that she carries a heritage of forbidden power weighs heavily on Erin's mind, as she is asked to make a choice. Laurel Weaver, a visiting wizard, has asked her if she wants to study magic in Noks and risk being found by foreign assassins, or to stay in Calway and risk being destroyed by her own powers."

Horse and Rider

Erin considered Laurel's question. Finally, she shrugged, shook her head, and said, "I don't know enough to calculate the risks and the strategy here. You all can figure out what plan is most likely to leave me alive and healthy. But I will just say that, all things being equal, I would like to explore the world like my parents did."

Mei Lopez, who was sensitive to her daughter's moods, simply nodded. Laurel started to say something, but Erin waved her hand impatiently, as if brushing the words away. "I don't want to think about this anymore. I am going to ride." With that, she turned around and headed to the stables.

Laurel caught up with Erin as she was putting a saddle and bridle on an old but healthy mare. The horse was tan, with a white blaze on its face. Laurel didn't know much about horses, but it seemed like this one had spent most of its life pulling carts.

The wizard smiled, and asked, "What is your horse's name?"

Erin ignored her as she finished preparing the saddle. It was only after she had slung her hunting bow over her shoulders and jumped smoothly into the saddle that she said, "Her name is Horse."

Laurel scampered out of the way as Erin gently urged the mare out of the stables and onto the path that led out of the Lopez manor and onto the main Calway road. Horse moved surprisingly quickly, and it was only a few seconds before she had borne her rider to the gate. Erin turned Horse sideways, leaned down, and opened the gate with her left hand while holding the reins with her right. She then guided Horse through the gate, switched the reins to her left hand, and closed the gate again with her right hand. This maneuver was done with practiced ease on the part of both Horse and Erin.

Erin nudged her mount into a trot, and then quickly into a canter. Horse had a good canter, and it quickly took them out of the town and into the surrounding fields. The road ahead was clear, so Erin pushed Horse into a gallop. Horse was not very fast, but her gallop was smooth, and the speed was enough to make the wind brush past Erin's face.

Erin simply rode, letting her thoughts float away on the wind. All of her worries about the future, all of her doubts about her place in the world, and all of her memories of the last few days were forgotten, lost in the simple joy of movement.

After about a mile, she let Horse stop and get some water from the creek. Then she kept going along the road at a trot. She knew that she might need to be more alert as she went further from town, even though she was heading away from Bluke territory and toward Elit territory.

She reached their forest without incident. Moving beyond the hot, dusty, sunny farms and into the refreshingly cool shadows of South Calway Forest improved her attitude even more. It always seemed that there was something magical and special about Elit territory. Passage in their lands was a privilege only granted to members of her family.

And Linebarger.

Erin could not keep her thoughts away from the cheerful Litling merchant who had been killed in the recent Bluke raid. He had ridden into town, as always, on his signature giant shelled slug, but he would never ride out. He would be missed. The peddler had been an important lifeline for Calway, bringing in much needed cash and manufactured goods. Someone would have to replace him, but it would be hard to find a good trader willing to risk the wilds surrounding Calway.

Linebarger's slug was still contained in a warding circle in the middle of town, because nobody had figured out how to control it. Several of the villagers had started to complain about its presence, and it was the general expectation that the wizards would take it with them when they left. Unfortunately, both Laurel and Theodore seemed unwilling or unable to do this. Erin didn't see why they should be hesitant; the slug seemed like a nice and friendly beast whenever she had fed it.

Suddenly, Erin's thoughts were interrupted by a great explosion of noise and movement to the side of the road. A flood of adrenaline rushed through the paladin's daughter, sharpening her senses and making her heart beat faster. Erin's mind also sped up, so much so that the world seemed to be moving slowly. Horse's gallop felt more like slow rocking. Erin focused her eyes on the source of movement as she readied her bow and an arrow.

Erin immediately saw that she had flushed a covey of quail from the bushes beside the road. They were running away, scattering into the underbrush, but it seemed to Erin that they were running very slowly. Rather than wonder why this was happening, Erin simply released her arrow and shot at one. Her arrow pierced the bird directly in the breast, killing it instantly. Its momentum carried it along, but Erin did not follow its path. She drew another arrow and shot another slow-moving bird, and then a third. Each shot hit its mark. Erin drew and nocked a fourth arrow with the same speed as the previous three, but by then all of the remaining quail had vanished into the underbrush.

Erin forced herself to relax, and as she did do, it seemed to her that the whole world somehow ... snapped. Suddenly, everything was moving as fast as it should. The first bird that Erin had shot bounced and skidded to a stop in the forest floor. Erin discovered that she was hot, tired, and short of breath, as if she had done a great deal of exercise in a very short time.

Erin stopped Horse and turned her around. She felt dizzy and light-headed, so she started a deep breathing exercise her father had taught her. It seemed, somehow, more effective than usual. Her body cooled off, and her energy was restored. As this happened, she felt an odd sensation, a kind of tingle. She guessed that it had something to do with the newly active God's Blood in her body.

She dismounted, wrapped the reins around a tree branch, and went into the forest to collect the birds she had shot. She was not thinking of how she had possibly managed to shoot three running birds in such a short space of time. Instead, her thoughts touched briefly on "These are going to taste good!" before settling on "It's going to take me all afternoon to pluck and scald these things."

Point and Counterpoint

That night, after a dinner of roast quail that even Theodore Bassi found excellent, the two wizards were discussing Erin's future with her parents. Erin and her brother Andrew had excused themselves when the conversation started. Andrew naturally avoided confrontation, so his absence was no surprise. Erin should have been a part of this, however, and her absence worried her parents.

But then, perhaps it was for the best. Erin had no patience for the formality and deception required to keep Theodore, the senior wizard and representative of the Council, unaware of the Lopez family's connection to the Purple Roses. Aaron and Mei were insisting on keeping Erin at home. Their true motive was to protect her from discovery by that sinister organization, but they could not reveal this.

Theodore, who had a duty to ensure proper training of all powerful magic-users, could not allow Erin to remain at home. He knew the dangers of allowing untrained wizards to roam freely, and was growing increasingly impatient with Erin's family.

"The fact remains that you do not have the ability to teach your daughter the ways of magic and protect her as she learns." said the senior wizard.

"Now that she has been exposed to magical powers, she cannot be who she once was and she cannot remain as she is now. The only way for her to go is forward. You know that, in your heart." added Laurel.

"But why does she have to go somewhere else?" asked Mei. "She likes it here and we like her being here. We have Kantz and Yoder; they would be happy to help her and I still think that they can."

Theodore snorted. "Your daughter follows a path that is beyond their understanding. They will not be able to help her in the future any more than they have helped her the past few days."

"I just don't like the idea of my daughter in a court." Mei insisted. Her eyes lost focus as she gazed into her past. "I have seen what such places can do to people. The ones who rise to the top come out worse than the ones that are pushed to the bottom. She must not be subjected to that atmosphere. At least, not yet, not while she is still so young."

Theodore took offense at this. "The Council of Wizards is not a place of idle pleasure. It is a place of work and study."

Aaron finally spoke. "The same is true of a barracks. But there is still intrigue. I do not wish for Erin to be thrown in such an environment. She could not begin to understand it."

Theodore glared at them. "Given your history, I find it strange that you would not wish your daughter to leave her house.

"I grew up in a miserable slum," replied Aaron. "I had nothing to lose and nowhere to go but up. Mei was a slave in shackles when I found her. We worked very hard to get to where we are now, and I see no reason for Erin to lose all of that."

Laurel regarded this, and then quietly asked. "Do you believe that your daughter is weaker than you are?"

"No." said Aaron hastily. "But she does not have the preparation for city life. She has never needed to know how to manipulate others and avoid manipulation. And she is not yet powerful enough to survive as an honest person."

Theodore stood up, and declared, "Then it seems we are at an impasse. You cannot allow her to leave, and we cannot allow her to stay. This must be decided by the law. By the power vested in me by..."

Laurel grabbed his arm. "Please, stop. There is no reason to rush a decision. We can leave and rest and decide something in the morning, when we are all calmer."

Theodore looked down at her. "I see nothing to be gained by waiting. We can never abandon our duty."

Laurel was whispering now, "But time may help them come to realize that Erin must go. There is no reason for the separation to be filled with animosity. Think of how that could taint her training and growth."

Theodore sighed, "Very well, we can discuss this in the morning."

Dream and Plan

Outside, Erin had that attitude of resigned depression of one who knows she is being talked about and also knows that she can add nothing to the conversation. She was standing beside the slug's head and rapping her knuckles gently on its armor plating. The slug seemed, in some indefinable way, to be enjoying this.

Laurel walked up, as gently as the night breeze. "She likes you."

"Yes, I know." Erin paused. "I like her too."

Laurel stood quietly and looked at the stars.

Erin opened up. "In a strange way, we have a lot in common. We both had a nice life before now, but that life is over. She lost Linebarger, and I lost, well, I don't know exactly what I lost, but anyway we are both important nuisances now."

"Now, it's not exactly fair to... " Laurel began to protest.

"But it’s true!" Erin exploded. "You think about us both in the same way. 'What are we supposed to do with this slug now?' 'What are we supposed to do with Erin now?' I have become a duty and a responsibility, not a person."

Laurel had nothing to say to this.

Erin had nothing to say either, so she talked about something else. "You are a lot like my father, you know? You have all of these rules and duties and they make you do things and you really believe that you have to do them but really you care more about people than rules. I wish more wizards were like you but it seems that they are all like Yoder and Theodore, all high and mighty and cold."

Laurel did not react to this. Erin paused again, and then her mind bounced to a subject that was almost, but not quite, completely off topic. "I used to think that The Apprentice was a worthless clod. He said the stupidest things and he was always tripping over himself and everybody laughed at him but then he turned into a wizard and I realize now that he was a better person before. He never ever wanted to hurt anybody but he just didn't understand us. Now when he looks at us it feels funny, like he is mocking us all on the inside and he thinks he is better than us. Maybe he is and maybe he deserves to be better than us now but it just feels wrong."

"And then Theodore comes in and looks down on Yoder the way Yoder looks down on us, and he wants to take me away and make me like The Apprentice. I don't want that to happen. I don't want to turn mean and cold."

Tears started to well up in Erin's eyes. "I don't want to hurt anyone else." she sobbed.

Laurel moved closer and hugged Erin, calming and comforting her. Eventually Laurel said, "You can never truly become someone you do not want to be. If you focus your will, then you can always remain true to yourself."

Erin did not react well to this comment. Her face twisted up, and she pushed Laurel away. "The time I used magic is the only time in my life when I lost my will and lost myself. And you want me to do that more!"

Laurel was stern now. "The magic you used in that battle was exactly what we are trying to prevent. It was uncontrolled and violent. If you had the proper training from your youth, that would never have happened. If you do not receive proper training now, it will happen again. That is why Theodore and I cannot allow you to remain here unsupervised. We cannot allow such violent flashes of magic to continue. It will destroy you, and it will destroy this village."

The Slug shifted, and a groaning sound issued from somewhere in her bulk. Erin turned around and began to rap its shell again. "Now look, we went and made her upset." Erin started to tap the slug with both her knuckles and the base of her palm, drumming out a simple little tune. The slug relaxed, stopped moving around, and began to breathe in deep slow breaths.

Erin, too, became calmer. She closed her eyes and lost herself in the simple music she was creating, burning away her stress and energy with the rapid controlled movement of her hands.

Laurel observed this silently for a time, and then said, "What you are doing now is good and proper magic. You are easing pain and keeping the world in harmony. You would learn things such as this, if you trained with us."

Erin laughed. "This can't be magic. It's just husbandry. This thing is just like a big horse."

Laurel smiled. "This creature is far more complex and alien than a horse. Kronak Shelled Slugs are notoriously difficult to tame and control. There are very few who can manage them, and none can do so without magic."

"What about Linebarger?"

"I suspect that his cane gave him the ability to control the slug."

Erin looked concerned. She turned to Laurel hopefully and said, "But surely you can control her?"

Laurel shook her head sadly. "No, I am afraid not. I can contain her in a warding circle, but I cannot control or direct her."

Erin looked very worried now. "So what will happen to her? If nobody can ride her like Linebarger, what will become of her? We cannot just let her loose; she would never survive alone in this environment."

Laurel's face mirrored Erin's worry. "I honestly do not know. Unless we can somehow find someone willing and able to direct her, the best we can hope for is a menagerie."

Erin seemed close to tears now. "That's horrible. She would hate being put in a cage, almost as much as I would." Erin looked up defiantly and screwed her face into a stern pout. "I wish that I could just ride her away and disappear!"

Laurel Weaver's eyes widened, and her face filled with liveliness and hope. "Maybe you can! I have an idea. I cannot promise that it will happen, but I will do my best to make it happen."

Wariness and excitement clashed within Erin. She trusted Laurel now, or thought she did, but still suspected a trick. "What is it?"

Laurel calmed herself down. "I must not be hasty. First, I have to know if you can guide and control the slug. If I dispel the warding circle, do you think that you can make her go to the Lopez Manor?"

"I think I can." Erin leaped nimbly onto the saddle on the slug's head, then nodded to Laurel. The Green Wizard waved her staff, and the glowing runes on the ground drifted away like feathers in the wind.

Then, Erin pressed her palms against the slug's shell and began drumming her fingers softly. The slug slowly lumbered forward.

Erin looked down at Laurel and called, "She is happier now that she is not caged. I think we can get along just fine."

Erin was able to guide the slug to the gate of the Lopez manor without any problems, but it took some effort to maneuver the slug's vast bulk through the gate into the yard. Erin winced as a fence post was bent sideways by one of the slug's spines, but they made it through without any major damage.

After Erin took the slug to the back pasture, she hopped off and walked over to Laurel, who had fixed the fence post and closed the gate. "Well, I got her in here, and I think that she will be content to stay the night. What is your big plan?"

Laurel's voice revealed her genuine excitement. "Simple. You and I can ride the slug on Linebarger's route while I teach you magic."

Erin beamed. "Really? You can do that?"

Laurel's tone became more serious as she calculated the possibilities in her head. "I think so. I may be able to convince Theodore to allow you to learn wizardry from a single teacher, like in the old days. It would be slower, but I can show him that you would enjoy it much more and be more successful."

Erin cut in with her own excited chatter. "Moving around would be so much better for so many reasons I would see a lot more than just Noks I would get to see everything that Linebarger talked about! And..." Erin glanced around, to see if Theodore was around. Then, she said more softly, "It will be much better for security. Nobody from the Purple Roses will have a chance to study me, and if anyone did detect my powers, we could run off to the next town. I think that my parents would like the fact that I was moving around."

Laurel nodded. "We must work together to convince them of this. Tomorrow morning, we must be ready to make our case to both my master and your parents.

Deed and Title

"So, what do you think, father?"

Aaron looked from Laurel's anxious face to his daughter's excited one. He nodded slowly. "I cannot say that I like it, but I understand that it is a good plan, certainly better than being trapped in the court."

He studied Erin. After about a second, his face melted into a warm smile. "Yes, I can see the desire for adventure in you. You are ready to explore the world, just as I was at your age."

Aaron turned to Laurel, and his smile faded into a wary gaze. "But there is still a question of trust and understanding. I must know that you will do the right thing for Erin. I must see how the two of you interact."

He paused, and looked at Erin again, then back at Laurel. "I, too, have reason to travel, at least for a short distance. I need to pay the Elit a diplomatic visit, and discuss with their chief the future of this valley after the recent disruption."

Erin knew what her father was about to say, and spoke up. "Linebarger always visited the Elit, and then he visited the Antfolk and came back here. You can come with us on that part of his trade route. That will take a couple weeks at least, so we can see how things are going before Laurel and I decide to head out for good."

Laurel looked up at Erin and smiled at her. "I like this idea. It will provide a helpful transition, allowing you to become accustomed to journeying and learning magic, while remaining in the comfortable presence of someone you trust.

"And I will get to see what and how you teach my daughter." Aaron added. "Now, we need to talk to your master."

After everyone finished explaining the idea to him, Theodore paused for a few seconds to consider the plan. Then, he said calmly, "You presume much, Laurel. You know that a wizard of the second rank does not have the right to take an apprentice. You also know that doing this would mean ending your studies under me. If I agree to this plan, I am forced to promote you now, before you have finished a full course of study."

Laurel met his gaze. "This is the only course of action that will result in Erin learning proper magic and being happy while doing so. If she stays here, her growth will be uncontrolled and dangerous. If you force her into the University, or give her to any other master, then her magic training will be tainted by anger, sorrow, and bitterness. You know what that leads to."

Theodore replied with a simple, "I know." Then, after a short pause, he continued. "I have seen and heard everything that you all have to say about this. Now, let me think."

Then, he sat silently, considering everything all of the information he had obtained. Minutes passed as he stared at every person in the room; Erin, Aaron and Mei, Laurel, and then Erin again. Then, he closed his eyes and began to mutter a divination spell. Several more minutes passed as his mind drifted free of his body and roamed the Etherweb.

Aaron, Mei, and Laurel waited patiently. But Erin felt like she would go crazy waiting for something, anything, to happen. She felt like she could deal with any answer, as long as she got one. The uncertainty chewed at her insides and clenched at her throat. She tried to calm herself with the meditation exercises that her father had taught her, but she could not get them to work. She sat down, then stood up, then sat down again, and finally began pacing around the room, her hands twitching with nervous energy.

The others, despite their more mature calmness, were beginning to be infected by Erin's nervousness when Theodore finally spoke. He looked at Laurel and said, "Linebarger's trade route is more perilous than you know."

Everyone looked like they wanted to respond to this, but before they could, Theodore continued. He looked at everyone in the room as he said, "However, all other paths are even more perilous. I have seen hints of dark powers chasing after this girl." He looked at the Lord and Lady Lopez. "I think you had some idea of this and that is why you wanted to keep her close. I can show the Council that the solution you have chosen is the best one."

Then, he looked directly at his pupil and said, "Laurel Weaver, step forward." She did, wordlessly.

Theodore's tone changed. Formerly, he had spoken in a voice that seemed vibrant, aware, and penetrating. Now, his words bore the intonation of a tired old ritual. "Laurel Weaver, Green Wizard of the Second Rank, do you declare, in the presence of these witnesses, that you wish to be promoted and released from the tutelage of your Master, Theodore Bassi, Red Wizard of the Seventh Rank?"

Laurel replied with a firm but polite "Yes, I do."

Theodore continued, he had a smile on his face as his voice reverted to his original, living, tone. "Laurel, you demonstrated a mastery of your studies in many ways. For five years now, you have been a good student, an invaluable assistant, and, most importantly, an excellent healer. In light of these accomplishments, I graduate you to the Third Rank and release you from my service."

Something happened then that Erin could see, but not understand. As Theodore said these words, Laurel seemed to become more vibrant, more alive, more powerful. And yet Theodore was not diminished in any way. Where had Laurel's power come from? Was it just a matter of psychology, or was there something deeper happening?

The older wizard now spoke in a lighter tone, interrupting Erin's thoughts. "Now, we are confronted with the matter of legal ownership of Linebarger's slug. This fine plan will come to nothing if all of his goods must be turned over to a relative. Do we know what his desires in this matter were?"

Laurel replied, "There is no will among Linebarger's personal papers."

Theodore considered this for several seconds, then said, "I will send a Message to the Council. I will inform them of these developments and have them search the records of the Noks court and the major temples for any will that Linebarger may have filed."

Aaron looked worried. "How long will that take?"

"I would estimate that a proper records and relatives search would take several weeks. In the interim, however, there is the matter of public interest. The Slug must be cared for and the trade route must be completed." Theodore smiled slightly and glanced at Aaron. "Therefore, it is up to the local authorities to appoint a temporary steward to care for the property."

Aaron nodded. "It has been shown that Erin Lopez is the only person in this locality who is capable of handling the property in question. Therefore, I appoint her to be the temporary steward of Linebarger's property, until the true owner is determined."

Theodore looked at Erin and asked, "Do you accept this responsibility?"

"Yes, of course!" Erin replied with excitement and a little confusion. "But what happens after the records are searched?"

Theodore leaned back in his chair. "If no will or heir is found, then all of Linebarger's possessions will be classified as abandoned property. By common law, ownership of such abandoned property reverts to the Lord of the territory it was found in. Therefore, Aaron can distribute it as he sees fit."

"And if you do find one?"

"Then, as steward, it will be your responsibility to deliver the property to that heir. Of course, if that heir is incapable of controlling the slug, you may be able to buy it for a fairly low sum."

"Oh, okay."

"In other words," said Theodore with a calculating smile, "Don't worry about it. The slug, and everything on it, is yours, and will stay yours for some time. I suggest that you become acquainted with your new possessions."

Silks and Daggers

Later that morning, Erin and Mei were happily rummaging through all of the bags, barrels, sacks, cartons, chests, trunks, amphorae, boxes, jars, and pouches that were attached to Erin's slug. As they did so, Mei gave a running commentary on the identity, quality, and likely trade value of each item and Erin was recording these values in a ledger. Most of the stuff was fairly boring, like the thousands of containers of ginseng that Linebarger had bought from the Calway villagers, but once every few minutes they would uncover something that made Erin's eyes sparkle.

They were looking through a bundle of clothing when Aaron walked up. He noticed that they had pulled out a collection of items and laid them out on a cloth on the ground. Aaron nodded approvingly at a quiver full of masterfully made arrows fletched with some kind of feather that reflected light in ever-shifting patterns. He grinned wryly at a jeweled ivory comb. He scowled doubtfully at beautiful saddle, carefully crafted from alligator skin. He glanced quizzically at a pile of eight identical throwing daggers. He shrugged idly at a large book entitled, "The Adventures of Sir Mightenright."

There was something else, a small strange garment made of silks and elastic and straps. Aaron poked it cautiously with his boot, as though it were a poisonous insect. He could feel that it was reinforced with a wire.

Mei noticed him, and saw what he was looking at. He was about to say something when his wife spoke up. "I know what you are thinking, dear. You have only seen such things on actresses and courtesans and other loose women. But there are a lot of women who have good, practical reasons to wear them under their clothing. Your daughter is one of them. This was always meant to be hers; I ordered it last year but I did not get a chance to get it from Linebarger on the day of the battle."

Aaron glanced down at the thing. He did not trust anything that looked like that, but he did trust his wife, and knew from her tone that she was serious. So he simply said, "Yes ma'am."

Aaron shifted his attention back to his daughter. She had found and untangled a series of black leather straps and dagger sheaths. After some experimentation, Erin attached one of the sheaths to her upper arm, concealed under her sleeve, and put one of the daggers she had collected into it.

Erin flexed her fingers, and then, in several swift motions, drew the dagger and threw it at a wooden chest. It embedded itself in the wood at an angle, the blade sunk in slightly.

Erin and Mei smiled, but Aaron did not. Erin sensed his mood, turned to him, and asked, "What's wrong? Do you think that this is a dishonorable weapon, that I shouldn't use it?"

Aaron paused for a moment, a faraway look in his eyes. "No, I think that you are not using it properly."

Erin had not been expecting this, but she recovered her poise quickly. "So, can you show me how to handle these right?"

"Yes." Aaron picked up one of the other holsters and started to attach it to his arm, guided by long-buried memories. "First, the holster needs to be set up like this. This allows you to grab the handle with..."

After over an hour of instruction, Erin could see how clumsy her first effort had been. She could now draw and throw any of six concealed daggers with a single fluid motion. These throws were not nearly as accurate or powerful as her well-practiced throws of hatchets and larger knives, but she felt that she would soon adjust to the balance of the smaller blades.

Mei had also been watching and learning along with her daughter. Although she had never practiced throwing weapons, and did not try to start now, she was very fast at drawing the knives. She was also better than her daughter, and even her husband, at concealing them.

Erin stopped practicing and looked at her father hesitantly. Aaron asked gently, "Is something troubling you?"

Erin glanced at the archery target they had been aiming at. Aaron's latest throw was sunk deeply into the bull's-eye. "How is it that you know how to handle these things so well? They are really not a paladin's weapon."

"I was many things before I was a paladin," Aaron replied soberly.

Erin twirled a dagger around in her hand. "I knew that you had a hard childhood but this knowledge scares me and I don't know why."

Aaron considered this. "For your entire life, you have known me as a person who confronts all challenges boldly and honestly. But these weapons are neither bold not honest. The knowledge that I use them skillfully causes you to question my past character and actions."

Erin did not confirm or deny this. Instead, she asked, "What about my character and actions? What does it say about me that I found them so appealing?"

"It says that you are smart. You are showing that you understand the value of a diverse set of skills and tools. You are heading out into a dangerous world, and you need all of the strength you can get."

Mei nodded. "I agree. Things can be very rough out there, especially for women."

Erin looked at her parents. "Do you really think that I should wear these all of the time? I never really considered that; I was just having some fun with them."

Aaron answered this question by pulling a dagger from his boot. It was not one of Linebarger's daggers. Almost before Erin could react, he slipped it back into its concealed holster.

Erin was stunned. "Oh."

Aaron looked his daughter in the eyes and said, "Honor is a matter what you do and how you act. It is true that many foul crimes have been committed with hidden daggers like this. But carrying them does not make you a criminal. A weapon is a weapon."

Erin was still unsure. "But isn't it like lying, to have a weapon when it looks like you don't?"

Mei answered this question. "If you meet anyone who cares or thinks about what weapons you may have, then you will need to have weapons to deal with that person."

Plants and Insects

Later that evening, Laurel and Kantz were enjoying an evening stroll through the church gardens. All of the patients in the church had been healed, and all of the conflicts had been resolved, so there was nothing to stop them from simply being together and talking. They talked about magical theory, ancient legends, current events, and, finally, each other.

"Oh, and congratulations on your promotion." Kantz smiled. "You certainly earned it."

Laurel smiled too, but not as widely. "Thank You."

Kantz looked at Laurel's staff, which was covered with live plants; moss, lichen, tiny flowers, and, nestled in a crook at the top, a bromeliad. Well, it was almost covered. "I notice that you are still missing a patch of moss. It looks like the one you used to heal Erin."

Laurel nodded, and Kantz continued, "I assume that you use those plants to store life energy, and then release it for monumental tasks."

"Yes, it is an old-fashioned technique that I adapted to life on the road."

"Will the moss grow back, or do you need to replace it?"

"It grows back, with time. The plant can be replaced, but finding the right kind of plant is very hard."

"Maybe I can help. Come, let me show you my greenhouse."

Kantz led Laurel off the path and through a cleverly concealed opening in an apparently solid wall of hedges. Laurel saw another garden area, and also a small structure nestled against the southern wall of the church. It was built with a metal frame and thousands of glass panels in various colors.

Laurel was impressed. "That is a nice structure. How did you get the resources to build it in such a rural area?"

Kantz shrugged modestly. "I had a talk with the local Antfolk tribe. They had to set up a glass workshop to meet my order for the church remodeling, so it was little trouble to keep making the glass for this. I repay them with a steady supply of healing potions. That reminds me; I will have to make some more. My supply has been exhausted by the recent crisis. Come on in."

Laurel hesitated. There was a ring of paving stones around the greenhouse, and the green wizard saw that each stone had a fairly powerful rune of warding on it. "What do you have in here that is so dangerous?"

"Nothing, why?" Kantz turned around, and then followed her gaze down. "Oh, those are there to hide this place from Red Oak Spirit. He wouldn't be too happy about a slice of foreign ecosystem in his domain."

The inside of the greenhouse was indeed a different environment. It felt like the southern coastal jungles. Exotic plants in pots were everywhere. They were sitting on shelves along the walls and hanging from the ceiling. They were obviously thriving, thanks to the hot, moist environment. But there was something more. Laurel could sense the handiwork of Mei Lopez in the design of the greenhouse. The design of the metal, glass, and stone-tiled floor worked, like the courtyard, to focus magical energies of life and health on the plants inside.

As Laurel looked around, Kantz said, "If you find anything here that you can use, help yourself."

"No, I couldn't. I can see that you have put so much care into these plants; you must need them for your own spells and potions."

"That is why I think one of them may be useful to you. These plants have been carefully grown, in a controlled and magical atmosphere, by a healer, for the purpose of aiding in healing. They, more than anything else, would be suitable for accepting and storing your healing power."

Laurel started to protest again, but Kantz was insistent. "You expended a very valuable part of your wizard's staff to aid a member of my congregation that I could not cure. Honor demands that I repay that as best as I can. But more than that, I want to give you something, as a friend."

Laurel nodded, assenting. "Thank You."

As the Green wizard began to carefully examine the plants, Kantz went to the northern wall of the greenhouse, which was simply the outside stone wall of the chapel. There were shelves against this wall as well, but these shelves did not have many plants. They contained a wide variety of fungi, as well as several clay pots and glass jars full of insects, arachnids, and scorpions.

Kantz took a big pot with seven large black scorpions off the shelf and took it to a work table in the middle of the greenhouse. When Laurel saw him do this, she came over to watch. "I remember milking scorpions and spiders at the University. All of the younger students would have to manipulate them into striking a tube or cup to collect the venom for potions."

Kantz smiled and said, "We had to do the same thing at the temple. The problem was, I was never any good at it."

"Would you like some help?"

"Thanks, but that will not be necessary. Look at these." Kantz reached over and took another pot off the shelf. Laurel noticed that the pot had been sitting on a hibernation rune. Kantz took the lid off the pot and let Laurel peek inside. She saw what appeared to be a brood of several dozen cockroaches. They even had the magical energy signature of a cockroach soul. But when she looked closer, she saw that the insects were actually made out of rubber.

Kantz took one of these out of the jar with a pair of long tweezers. He held it out for Laurel to get a closer look. The rubber insect writhed the same way that a real one would, but Laurel could see that the abdomen was a hollow rubber bulb.

Kantz tossed the insect into the scorpion jar. It landed on its feet and tried to run, but one of the black scorpions reacted to this movement by stinging it. The stinger pierced the rubber insect's abdomen, presumably injecting poison. The scorpion then backed up, waiting for the venom to liquefy the innards of its prey.

But the rubber roach was not affected. It continued to run around the jar looking for shelter. One of the other scorpions struck it, again to no effect. Kantz allowed this spectacle to continue for several minutes, as the scorpions continued to try to kill the thing that all of their senses said was a tasty cockroach.

Laurel almost felt sorry for the scorpions, but she immediately saw that this was a much more effective way of collecting venom than milking the scorpions by hand. The rubber roach had collected so much poison that its abdomen was beginning to bulge.

Kantz saw this too, and extracted the rubber roach from the scorpion jar with the tweezers. He then pulled the legs and head off of the insect, leaving a rubber bulb full of scorpion venom. He put this bulb on the worktable, and then tossed the other parts back into the jar of rubber roaches. Laurel watched, fascinated, as the remaining rubber insects devoured these pieces.

She turned to Kantz, who was tossing about a dozen real crickets into the scorpion jar. "What are these things?"

"I worked with Yoder to copy cockroach brains into a batch of carefully prepared rubber insects infused with God's Blood. It took a few dozen tries, but we finally got a race of constructs that can reproduce themselves. They are really easy to take care of; I just take them off the hibernation rune and toss random scraps of organic matter in there whenever I need more for venom collection."

Laurel looked worried now. "They sound dangerous. Are you worried that they will escape and cause an infestation?"

Kantz put the jar of happily feeding scorpions back on the shelf. "No, they require a high level of background magical energy to move around. If I took them out of this greenhouse, they would just sit motionless. Even inside the greenhouse, an infestation would be easy to contain. It takes very little effort to deglamer them. Watch."

Kantz reached into the cockroach jar with the tweezers and flipped one of the rubber insects onto the floor of the greenhouse. It started to scurry away, and Kantz watched it for about a second before snapping his fingers. There was the slightest whisper of magic, and the rubber roach simply stopped moving.

Kantz picked it up and handed it to Laurel. "See, the animating mind has been erased. It is just dead rubber now."

Laurel investigated the insect. She could, indeed, sense no trace of magical energy or active God's Blood at all. But still, the construct felt strange and troubling. She looked at Kantz and asked, "Can I take this one to study?"

"Sure, no problem. In fact, I'll give you some live ones." Kantz picked up a small, round clay jar with hibernation runes on it and began to put rubber insects in it. When there were six of them, he sealed the jar with a clay stopper that also had runes inked on it. Kantz then put this sealed clay jar in a wooden case lined with fabric and handed the box to Laurel.

"This will hold them for your trip. The specimen jar will keep them dormant, and even if the magic fails for some reason they won't be able to eat their way out of the clay. The box will protect the jar from being broken."

Laurel accepted the box. "Thank you. I will make sure to give these to the wizards in the lab when I pass through Noks."

Kantz waited for Laurel to secure the box in a pocket inside her robe, and then said, "I have enough venom here to make seven or eight healing potions. I would like to have them ready before you and Erin leave tomorrow, so that you can deliver them to the Antfolk."

Laurel smiled. "Would you like me to help?"

Kantz smiled back. "I was hoping you would say that."

Marbles and Mourning

The next morning, Laurel left Calway Chapel for a final early morning stroll around the town. At Aaron's instruction, Friar Kantz had told the Elit to expect them in four days. That was the time it would take the slug to carry them to the forest village, if they left around midday. This would leave the travelers enough time to make final preparations for the trip.

Before she got very far, however, Laurel saw that she was not the only person in the churchyard. There was someone in the cemetery, standing over one of the new graves. It was Erin.

Laurel walked up reverently and looked at the tombstone. It said:

Thomas Lail
1533 - 1549
Died defending his home.

Erin was just standing there, seemingly lost in thought. She was not crying, but looked as if she might start.

Laurel hazarded a question. "Was he someone special?"

Erin sighed. "I don't really know. When I first learned the names of the fallen, Tommy seemed like one of twenty-seven tragedies, each one as heartbreaking. But now, he's the only one I think about."

Laurel nodded. "What was he like?"

Erin considered this, then finally said, "Tommy was strong and smart and quick, very active and curious. He was my age, and came from a prosperous farm family. He wasn't intimidated by my station or my strength, which made him different than a lot of other children."

"Tommy and I did a lot of things together, but we were rivals in just as many things. We were always competing on things like who could catch the most fish or run the fastest. He was the only one who could challenge me at sports or weapons training or wrestling. He had a horse too, and we practiced riding together."

"I could always trust Tommy to look out for me, and I would always take care of him. He carried me all the way home the time I broke my ankle, and I scared off a bear that was about to maul him."

"But of all that, it is the silly childish things I miss the most. Because Tommy and I came from richer families, we were allowed to play more than the others. Sometimes we would just walk through the woods, pretending to be great explorers. And we both loved to play marbles. That was one of our longest-running contests. We were always trying to win marbles from each other. Sometimes our games got so intense that we scared the little kids."

Erin lifted a bag that had been hanging from her belt. She opened it, revealing a pile of beautiful glass marbles. Some of them were obviously magical, with exquisite designs or figurines inside the clear glass spheres.

Erin took out two of the shooters and started rolling them around in a circle in her right hand, like medicine balls. One of the large marbles had a hawk inside it, and the other had a butterfly. They flapped their wings when the marbles moved, so it looked like they were chasing each other in a circle.

"Two days before the battle, I did really good and won most of Tommy's marbles. He vowed to get them back from me. That was the last I ever spoke to him."

Erin lapsed into silence as she continued to swirl the marbles around in her hand. Laurel could feel the emotional tension building, like gray winter storm clouds rolling in over the horizon. She also knew that it would be best not to interfere with whatever happened. Still, she raised magical shields to prepare for the worst.

Erin stared at the marbles as she spoke again. "Shooting marbles. That was my idea of challenge and conflict. That was the life that was ripped from me."

There was a brief surge of magic. Laurel felt a blast of cold air and briefly saw ice crystals form on the two large glass marbles before Erin closed her hand around them. With no apparent effort, Erin crushed the marbles in her fist, grinding them down into slivers of glass.

Erin held her hand over the grave, and released the remains of the marbles. The glass fragments glittered in the morning sunlight as they drifted down to cover the final resting place of Tommy Lail.

Erin pulled another marble from the bag. This one was a small marble. Erin held it between her thumb and forefinger and then crushed it, using the same combination of magic and physical force as before. The shards of the marble fell down to join the others.

Laurel watched, speechless, as Erin methodically destroyed the entire bag of marbles. Sometimes Erin would crush one at a time, gazing at it fondly before freezing it and crushing it between her fingers. Sometimes Erin would crush a large handful all at once with a great icy grinding clench of her fist.

When Erin was done, the grave of Thomas Lail was covered with a fine coating of glass slivers, the remains of the marbles that he and Erin had desired and treasured and fought over for so many years.

Erin looked down and whispered, "Goodbye, Tommy." Then she looked over at Laurel and said, in a calm tone of voice, "Come on, we need to get the slug set up."

Laurel lowered her shields. The storm had passed.

Trading and Leaving

Aaron Lopez exited the bedroom of the manor house wearing his well-worn but sturdy traveler's outfit. This outfit was, in many ways, a summary of the life he had created for himself in the wilderness at the base of the Gray Ridge Mountains. The shirts and pants were made by the Calway villagers. The great steel-toed hiking boots were a gift from the Antfolk. The all-weather green cloak was a gift from the Elit. The wide-brimmed hat was made out of the hides of diamondback rattlesnakes that Aaron had killed himself.

Aaron wore, on his back, an old army rucksack that was surprisingly small for the estimated three-week journey. Its efficient packing represented the accumulated wisdom of over a dozen years of campaigning.

The manor house was deserted. Aaron knew that his son Andrew was still patrolling the fields for Blukes, though none had been seen since the attack. He also knew that Erin had finished packing before breakfast, and was in the town saying goodbye to everyone. Mei was with Erin, seeing her off. Aaron left his house, closed the door, and entered the town of Calway.

Before long, Aaron became aware of activity in the town square. Several dozen people were milling about and talking. As Aaron walked closer, he saw that his daughter had unpacked the trade goods on the slug and was holding shop, assisted by Laurel. It was the proper thing to do; the Bluke attack had caused Linebarger's trading to be cut short.

Aaron decided to watch from a distance. He turned into The Granary and climbed the stairs up to the top of the castle-like structure. When he reached the roof, he saw that Mei was already there, watching Erin.

He glanced at his wife, then looked down at his daighter. "I thought you would be down there helping her with the books."

"I spent all day yesterday, and most of the night, teaching her the basics of accounting. When she comes back from this little trip, I will go over the books with her and do another inventory. There will be discrepancies, but it will be a good lesson. I will finish her training then, once she realizes the need for care and precision."

Aaron nodded, giving silent approval to this plan. Husband and wife shared a quiet moment watching their daughter in the bustling square below. Erin was doing a lot of business, and she seemed to be managing both the crowd and her stock fairly well. She projected an aura of calm competence that encouraged a businesslike atmosphere. Thanks to the time with her mother the day before, she seemed to know all of the trade goods on the slug by heart. Often, Erin would direct Laurel to some unopened container in order to dig out something for one of the townsfolk.

As the morning progressed, Aaron and Mei talked deeply and at length. They shared their memories of the fateful days that had just passed, and they discussed their hopes and fears and plans for the future. Mei faced the toughest separation; she would not get the chance to accompany Erin during the first part of the journey. She would also face the responsibility of governing a population that would still be nervous about attack, and made more nervous by the absence of their most powerful defender.

But they both know that Aaron had a duty to make the journey, and that Mei was strong enough to handle her challenges. When they had finished talking of these things and comforting each other, they turned their attention back to the town square below.

Aaron noted with some unease that his daughter was moving a lot of Linebarger's fancy clothing. Linebarger had never offered such things to the villagers, for fear of running afoul of the sumptuary laws. Aaron had no intention of strictly enforcing these arbitrary decrees, but he was slightly unhappy that his daughter took this for granted.

The Lord of Calway watched closely as his daughter concluded a large trade with Mr. Bolch, the blacksmith. She had given him a large pile of nice clothes and other city goods in exchange for a rather larger pile of cleaned, sharpened, and refurbished Bluke weapons and armor.

As Mr. Bolch helped Erin and Laurel load the battlefield spoils onto the slug, Aaron mused that his daughter had solved one of his main problems for him. The laws against the common folk owning implements of war were more severe than any sumptuary law, and Aaron could get in serious trouble for not enforcing them. He had been worried about what Theodore might say and do about that kind of thing.

Where was the Red Wizard, anyway? Aaron had not seen Theodore since the night of Laurel's promotion. The paladin had assumed that the elder magus was still in the Tower of Art, lording it over Yoder and The Apprentice. But surely he would show up to see Erin and Laurel leave town.

Shortly before midday, Theodore did appear. From his vantage point, Aaron saw the wizard leave the Tower of Art and head for the town square. The paladin knew that he needed to be down there was well, both in his official capacity and to see what the wizard would say to his daughter.

Aaron kissed his wife goodbye. It was the lingering, silent embrace of one who is called away from a deep love by an even deeper duty. It seemed that they could stay there forever on the tower roof, and it was all too tempting to try, but Aaron forced himself to leave and go down to the town square.

The paladin reached his daughter at the same time that Theodore arrived at the town square. The wizard was followed by The Apprentice, who was carrying a large glass jar full of some kind of clear liquid. Theodore and The Apprentice went over to Theodore's wizard-cart, and the old wizard opened a little hatch on the side, unscrewed some kind of plug, and put a funnel in the hatch. He then ordered The Apprentice to start pouring the contents of the jar down the funnel, and watched the process very carefully. When the jar was empty, he removed the funnel, closed everything up, and dismissed The Apprentice.

The wizard's timing was excellent; Erin had finished all of her trading and was in the middle of packing up everything for the journey. Theodore turned his attention to her. He wasted no time in greetings but immediately spoke in his ceremonial voice. "Erin Lopez, daughter of Aaron Lopez, Lord of Calway, do you wish to become a wizard's apprentice?"

Erin nodded. "Yes, I do."

Theodore waved at the attentive crowd. "Then, in the presence of these witnesses, I do declare that you are now a wizard's apprentice, training under Laurel Weaver, Green Wizard of the Third Rank. You are bound to follow her guidance in all matters of wizardry. Do you understand?"

Erin nodded again. "Yes, sir."

Theodore nodded. "Very well then. I return to Noks to inform the Council what has happened."

The Red Wizard walked slowly and grandly to the wizard-cart and climbed into the driver's seat. He pulled a key from inside of his robes, put it into a keyhole on the cart, and then, with a series of complicated gestures and procedures, made the thing roar to life. It backed up and turned around. Then it stopped and, after another grand gesture, lurched forward. There was a loud bang, and a cloud of black smoke erupted from the back of the metal beast as Theodore clattered off on the old road out of town.

Erin and the assembled villagers had stared at this in awe, but Aaron and Laurel were not impressed. They busied themselves by securing their luggage to the slug, making a show of their calm deliberation while the commotion died down.

"Well, I guess we're all ready to go." announced Erin after the dust had all cleared away. "Have we forgotten anything?"

"Indeed we have." replied her father. "We have forgotten to give our mount a proper name."

"Of course!" agreed Erin. She leaned over and pressed her cheek against the plate that covered the slug's head and started murmuring. "We can't just keep calling you 'slug'. That is so rude and boring. What would you like to be called?"

Erin closed her eyes and concentrated for a few seconds. Then she snapped them open. "Rose. Her name is Rose."

Laurel smiled. "That is a lovely name."

"And fairly accurate, too." agreed Lord Lopez as he grabbed one of the spines protruding from the slug's shell and used it to hoist himself up. He climbed up until he was standing on a crate on top of the slug's shell, a good ten feet above the ground. From that vantage point, he addressed the crowd of well-wishers.

"As you all know, we are leaving to visit the Elit and Antfolk. This is a trip of education and diplomacy. I must talk with their leaders about the battle and what it means for the future of the valley. We expect to return in three weeks. During that time, my wife and son will handle my affairs. I have faith in you all. Take care of yourselves and take care of each other."

With that, Erin guided Rose forward, and the slug began to lurch down the road at the pace of an oxcart. Aaron maintained his footing effortlessly, saluting the crowd and looking regal until the slug was outside the town.

Erin of Calway 4

"Erin has been healed of her affliction; the spirit that lived within her has been removed. She seems to have recovered fully, but this recovery brings new problems to the surface. Erin and her family must now confront the reality of what she has become, and decide the course of her future:"

Memories

The formal hall in the manor house of Aaron Lopez, Lord of Calway, was being used for the first time in several months. Aaron was seated at the head of the table. His wife Mei was seated on his left. Their firstborn son Andrew was on her left, and their younger daughter Erin was at his left, near the foot of the table, as protocol demanded.

Normally the family would eat in the kitchen, but the presence of guests merited special treatment, and the kitchen was too small in any case. At Aaron's right sat Theodore Bassi, a Red Wizard with a seat on The Council. His eyes darted around the room with an aloof and imperious gaze.

On Theodore's right sat his student Laurel Weaver, a Green wizard. Her eyes were not moving. They stared off, unfocused, into the distance. Laurel was silent and moved little; she had seemingly withdrawn into her own mind. Moreover, her face was slightly pale, and her left hand shook ever so slightly as she ate her breakfast.

Laurel did not usually act this way. She was normally a strong, active, and cheerful person. A casual observer would have assumed that this was a temporary fatigue, due to the fact that she had recently passed out in the process of magically healing a great wound in Erin's chest.

Andrew Lopez, who was seated across from Laurel, was one such casual observer. He was talking to Laurel cheerfully, encouraging her to eat more of the good food that he had prepared. But his mother Mei could see deeper into the minds of men and women. She saw a deeper worry in Laurel, an anticipation of more troubles to come.

Friar Kantz, the head of the local Calway Chapel, was seated on Laurel's right. He also sensed the unease in Laurel, and he knew that it was more than weakness. Kantz knew Laurel's condition better than anyone; he had been the one who restored the Green Wizard's spirit and guided her back to consciousness after her monumental undertaking.

Kantz was gently holding Laurel's right hand under the table with his left hand. She was squeezing his hand tightly, grateful for the support and comfort. She could feel his compassion and integrity, as he could feel her logic and strength. They each knew that, whatever might happen next, they could trust each other to be kind and honest.

For some time, everyone simply ate in silence. Erin was too busy eating to talk, and everyone else was too busy watching her eat. All of the people at the table seemed disengaged, focused on their own private thoughts. Nobody wanted to be the first to speak, in part because of the uncertain formality of the occasion.

Finally, Laurel could take it no longer. She focused her attention on the daughter of Calway. "What do you remember of the battle and your magic, Erin? Please tell us what happened, from the time that the skirmishers came over the rooftops."

Erin paused in mid-chew. Then, she swallowed the rest of the sausage and washed it down with her tomato juice as she collected her thoughts.

Everyone at the table was watching her intently now. Andrew simply wanted to hear her story, but everyone else also interested in observing how she would react to the memories of the event. It was obvious to them that Erin had, until this point, been focused entirely on what was happening now, not what had happened in the past.

Theodore and Laurel had assumed that this was mainly the result of the hunger of three days of coma combined with blood loss from heart surgery. Such conditions tended, at the very least, to dampen abstract thought. They were surprised that Erin was even able to move around and form coherent sentences at this point.

This analysis was partly true, but it was not the full story. Aaron, Mei, and Kantz knew Erin's character. They knew that she tended to focus on her immediate situation. Retrospective contemplation did not come naturally to her. This could be very useful, as she had demonstrated in the battle, but it had caused many headaches during her upbringing.

Erin started to speak. "I was heading down the street to get Jimmy..." As Erin spoke the child's name, her countenance changed swiftly. With a rush, all of the stress and action of the battle came back to her. "Jimmy!" She turned to look at her father. "Is he okay?"

"Yes", Aaron replied. "You saved him."

"And what about..."

"Patience." Aaron interrupted his daughter. "We will tell you what happened. We will take you around the town. But first, you need to tell us what happened to you. Your memories must form the foundation for news of later events."

Erin nodded, and began to tell her story. She told how she had barely survived an attack from a Bluke huntress by grabbing Linebarger's cane to defend herself. She told how she saw the battle unfold and ran to try to help her father as he fought the Gator-mage. She spoke rapidly, almost impatiently, as if her tongue was having trouble keeping up with the flow of her memories.

"But then I saw a big ugly meaty Bluke with a huge horrible spear and at first I couldn't figure out what he was doing because there was nobody around but then I saw that he was looking down so then I looked where he was looking and I saw Jimmy Shuford laying there between the wood pile and the building and Jimmy was curled up in a ball and crying and the Bluke had this horrible evil grin and he lifted up the spear and aimed it at Jimmy and I saw that he meant to kill an innocent little boy and I thought, I felt..."

At this point, Erin halted. Everyone in the room, even Theodore, leaned forward, waiting for her to say what she was thinking at that crucial point. But Erin did not react to this anticipation. For several still seconds she sat quietly with her eyes downcast, studying her memories to the exclusion of all other distractions.

Finally, Erin took a deep breath and looked up and around the table at the breathless observers. She uttered one word with terrible finality.

"Hate."

Theodore nodded knowingly. Aaron nodded sadly. Everyone else seemed surprised by Erin's declaration.

Erin continued, somewhat more meekly. "I, I just wanted that Bluke to stop existing. More than anything else in the world, I wanted to destroy it. And it happened."

Nobody spoke. Erin looked down at the table and continued. "I really don't remember much after that. Everything turned into a weird dream. I was running around in the snow in our yard. Someone had built a lot of ugly little snowmen in the yard, and I was kicking and knocking them over, but then I got cold and collapsed. I remember my father carrying me back inside, and then I woke up in my parents' bedroom with everyone around me."

Theodore was the first to speak. He looked at Erin with a smile that seemed genuinely warm. "Based on those memories and my observations, I can definitely say that the power you manifested was your own, and not the cane's. While Linebarger's walking stick served as a trigger to bring your talent to the surface, you are the ultimate source. I would like to extend to you an official invitation to join the Wizard Council's Arcane University in Noks."

Laurel closed her eyes and took a deep breath. This was it. The conflict that she had sensed was about to begin. At least Theodore had brought up the issue with unusual tact.

Aaron, however, did not respond with equal tact. He declared, "That is not going to happen."

Laurel sensed complete support for this statement from Mei. But both Erin and Andrew were confused by their father's bold and contrary statement. They had responded to Theodore's offer with excitement.

Kantz's emotions were more difficult to decipher. Laurel sensed sympathy and understanding, but also a kind of hopeless resignation. She would have to talk with him, to figure out what he knew about the situation.

But now, Laurel spoke to the whole table. "Of course we will not take Erin away now, so soon after this trauma. But her future training must be considered, so that an incident like this does not happen again."

Friar Kantz glanced at Laurel, and then turned to Aaron and Mei. "I too recommend patience in this matter. We should all think things over carefully before speaking." He looked at Erin's confused face, and then back to her parents. I think that several private conversations could help matters."

Then, Kantz rose from the table. "And now, I must respectfully withdraw my presence. I have wounded people in the church to tend to."

Laurel also stood up, and turned to Theodore. "I wish to accompany him. I have a duty as a healer to help."

Theodore looked at her warily. "You cannot have any power left. You will need a full day and night of rest to recover your energy, and even then you will be weak for several days."

Laurel replied, "I know my limits. It is with knowledge, not raw power, that I will provide aid."

Theodore hesitated for a second. "Very well, you may go." He looked back to the Lopez family. "I, too, will take my leave. I must research Linebarger's dragon cane and its spirit. I will also give you the time to come to the understanding that Erin must be trained by wizards."

Nobody responded to this last comment. Theodore walked out of a room of hostile or confused people.

Perception

As soon as the guests had left, Erin and Andrew started to ask questions at once. As Erin was louder and more insistent, she made herself heard as Andrew lapsed into an attentive silence.

"What is going on here? Why did you turn him down without even asking me what I wanted?"

Aaron considered his energetic daughter. "I will tell you the reason now, if you really want to know. But I do not think that it would be a good thing, not yet. You have been through a lot, and you have many memories and much news to come to terms with. I do not want to burden you with your past and future until you are fully aware of the present."

Erin stopped to think about this, then said, "Ok then, we can deal with this later. What I really want anyway is to see the village and my friends, and talk to them about what happened in the battle."

Mei looked at Erin with some concern. "Are you sure that you want to leave the house? You have just been through a great deal of pain and disruption. It might be best for you to stay inside and rest."

Erin shrugged. "I feel fine. And I feel like I need to be outside."

Mei began to protest, but Aaron spoke up. He had a faraway look in his eyes as he remembered Erin's journey. He resolved the situation with a concise order. "Erin, clean yourself up before you go out."

After hearing this, Erin noticed that she still had her own dried blood under her shirt. Her mother had not been able to clean all of it off before she woke up. She rapidly excused herself from the table and went to the bathroom.

The Lopez manor was equipped with all the proper conveniences. A magic water tank on the roof of their house collected rain and water vapor from the atmosphere, stored it, and delivered it through pipes to where it was needed.

There was a secondary water tank built into the second story of the house, above the large fireplace in the kitchen. The chimney was constructed so that hot gases from the fire went through a flue and around this tank, so that the heat was not wasted. While it was possible to use magic to heat things, it took a massive amount of power and was amazingly expensive.

Because the breakfast cooking fire had been burning longer than usual, Erin's shower was nice and hot. She lingered longer than she should have, letting the water soothe her stiff muscles and joints as she cleaned herself off for the first time in four days.

As she took her shower, she finally realized the extent of her injury. She had to wash off a disturbing quantity of blood that her mother had not been able to mop up, and as she did, she noticed the huge green scar above her heart. The sight of this scar, and an understanding of what must have caused a wound that bad, put Erin in an unusually subdued mood.

Erin came out of the bathroom wearing clean clothes, and then went upstairs to put on her boots, belt, and knife. Her mother and father, who were washing dishes in the kitchen, heard her footsteps.

Mei murmured, "Her heart is heavy. I can feel it in her stride."

Aaron replied softly, "Yes. She has seen her own mortality. I wonder what she will see when she picks up her knife."

Mei nodded knowingly but sadly. "I do not know if I want her to have that gift and that knowledge. I have seen what it does to you."

Aaron replied without hesitation. "I believe that the Paladin's Sight is more of a blessing than a curse. The knowledge that it brings, especially an understanding of consequences of violence, is vital in developing a responsible use of magic."

Mei sidestepped this assertion by saying, "If the Sight does manifest, you should discuss it with her. It is a matter of your knowledge and heritage, not mine."

Aaron nodded. "We shall see."

Aaron and Mei continued scrubbing the pans and dishes, their keen ears following Erin's movements in the room upstairs. There was a slight scuffle, and then silence, as Erin pulled on her boots and laced them. This was followed by the loud sound of booted feet walking on floorboards, and then the soft click of a belt buckle.

Erin's parents held their breath, knowing what came next in their daughter's routine. She would pick up her knife in its scabbard from beside her bed and tie the scabbard to her belt. Normally, Erin cleaned, oiled, and sharpened her knife before she went to bed. But this time, Aaron had done this for her as she lay unconscious. He had recovered the knife after the battle, noting with grim foreboding that it was covered in dried blood. It had taken some time to clean properly, but he made sure that it was spotless, shining, and perfectly sharpened before he put it back in the sheath.

Erin screamed. It started as a short, sharp yell of surprise, but then faded away into a lingering quail of fear and doubt.

Aaron reacted with the speed of a concerned parent and the agility of a trained martial artist. He dropped the frying pan he was scrubbing, letting it fall into the washbasin. He then sidestepped his way through the kitchen door and into the hallway, ran to the stairs, and began to climb them four at a time. He was halfway to the second floor before the frying pan stopped clattering.

Mei closed her eyes and let her head sink. She sobbed once as tears flowed down her cheeks.

As Aaron bounded into Erin's room, he saw that she was holding her unsheathed knife in front of her face, staring at it in numb horror. She spoke softly, to herself, hardly noticing that her father was watching.

"No! Her blood is still on there."

Erin grabbed the polishing cloth from where Aaron had left it, and wiped the cloth over the clean, shiny blade. Nothing seemed to happen. Erin started to scrub the knife harder and more frantically, cutting the cloth in her haste.

Her voice rose in pitch and volume. "Why won't it leave?"

Aaron entered the room and spoke softly. "Calm yourself, my daughter. There is no blood on your knife, just the image of blood. You see with the eyes of a paladin now."

Erin collapsed to the floor and leaned against her bed. She still held her knife in front of her face. "I, I can see her soul in that blood."

Aaron nodded sadly. He reached down with his right hand and gently removed the knife from his daughter's unresisting fingers. Then he snapped the fingers of his left hand, and the scabbard jumped up from the floor where Erin had dropped it. The paladin sheathed the weapon and placed it back on Erin's nightstand.

Erin watched this without any apparent interest, but after the knife was put away she could contain herself no longer. She began to sob bitterly. Aaron sat down on the floor beside her and hugged her close. Tears were escaping his eyes as well. After some time, he said, "Talk. Just talk to me. It will help."

Erin paused and took a deep breath, then bawled, "She, she was a good person! She was so much like me! She was the chieftain's daughter! She was young, strong, energetic, and ..." Erin broke down again, crying with great gasping sobs.

Aaron moved his right hand over her chest and cast a spell to calm her breathing. Erin's body relaxed as she began to inhale and exhale properly. But her mind was as tormented as ever. Aaron could feel the chaos in his daughter's soul, as fear and remorse and doubt chased each other around in a jumbled mess of semi-coherent thought.

Aaron spoke now. "Listen to me, Erin. Listen." She looked over at him. "In war, the rules are different. You did what you had to do to protect yourself and the people you love. You did nothing wrong. Your actions during the battle were correct in every way. If, by some horrible chance, a similar situation comes up in the future, you should act the same way."

Erin nodded, and started to wipe her tears away. She looked intently at her father and asked, "But what will this do to me? What has happened to my soul? I am a killer now. How will that change me?"

Aaron smiled. "Your concern is wise. I am glad to hear that you are troubled by such things." His face grew serious again. "The way to guard your soul is to always be sensitive to the consequences of your actions. Do not forget this moment. Do not forget the horrible results of death and violence. Do not forget what it has done to you, to all of us."

Erin looked down and said, "But I should still fight, even with all that."

Aaron nodded. "Yes. You should always work to prevent violence. But if it does come to you, you have a right and a duty to win, and to win as quickly as possible."

Erin did not reply. Father and daughter sat there, considering their situation. Neither one knew what the future might hold, but they both had faith in each other.

After some time, Aaron said, "I think that you should go outside and talk with the people in the town. They wonder about your fate, as you wonder about theirs. Talking with them will also help ease your mind."

Erin nodded, and then rose to her feet. She turned toward the nightstand where her knife lay and reached for it. But then, she hesitated and withdrew her hand. She stood there, looking at the knife for several seconds. Then, she turned back toward Aaron.

"Does the blood ever go away?"

"Yes, with time. It goes away faster if you wear the weapon, take the weapon outside, or use it for peaceful purposes."

Erin nodded, and turned back to the knife. She reached out, hesitated for a second, and then squared her shoulders and quickly grabbed the knife and attached the sheath to her belt.

Wisdom

Erin went downstairs and into the kitchen. She hugged her mother for a few seconds, and then walked wordlessly out the back door. Aaron was close behind her. He saw her turn towards the stables, and then hesitate.

"Do you want to ride?"

Erin shook her head. "Not now. I'd rather walk."

"Who do you want to talk to first?"

"I don't want to talk to anyone yet. I want to go to the cemetery, and I want you to tell me who died and how they died. That way I won't say anything stupid when I talk to everyone."

Aaron nodded. "That is a wise choice, though it will be painful."

They walked down the dirt path to the road, and then turned toward the Chapel. It was late morning, and the sun was shining brightly on deserted streets. The farmers were at work tending or harvesting crops, while the craftspeople worked in the stifling closeness of their shops.

But once Erin and Aaron went through the iron gate in the fence around the churchyard, they felt the heat melt away, to be replaced by a light breeze and a refreshing coolness. This was partly explained by the fact that they were now in the shade of large red oak trees, but the gentle magic of the church also played a part.

Father and daughter turned left and saw the cemetery. Erin looked at the new headstones and gave a short gasp of astonishment and horror. "Twenty-seven! No!" She looked like she was going to sink to her knees, and Aaron was about to steady her when she collected her strength and stood up straight. But her head was still downcast and she said softly, "I never thought that there would be so many."

Aaron replied somberly. "Things were going badly, near the end. These are not the only casualties. When I last talked to Kantz, there were nearly two dozen critically injured people in the church."

Erin felt a sudden rush of self-conscious shame. It was a strange awareness that seemed, somehow, to flow from the walls of the church. She turned to her father and almost yelled, "So why did you spend so much time healing me? You and those wizards could have healed all of the people in there for the effort you spent saving me!"

Aaron did nothing but gaze at his daughter. He did not rebuke her for raising her voice in a cemetery. He did not rebuke her for scolding her father. He did not dispute her allegation. Finally, he said, "You are my daughter. You are more important than my position and my duties."

Erin was not mollified. "Well, that needs to stop now. They have families too, and their families need them as much as you need me. I am going in there to help. I think that you should join me."

With that, she turned her back to her father and strode away toward the church entrance. Aaron almost got angry at this, but he controlled his emotions with the realization that his daughter spoke the truth. He called out, "Please stop."

Erin turned around impatiently. Aaron walked towards her, and then said, "You are right. I do have duties that I must consider. Now that you are safe, I will resume my role as the Lord of this town. But healing is not my most urgent task. I must join Andrew in his patrol of the outlying farms, and show the people that I am protecting them from any future attack. I think that you and Laurel can give Kantz all the help he needs."

Erin was more subdued now. She nodded, and watched her father as he walked toward the main road. When he was almost to the gate, she called out "I'm sorry!"

Aaron stopped and turned around. Erin ran to him and grabbed him in a hug that almost knocked the old warrior over. She repeated, "I'm sorry I was so mean to you."

Thoughts raced through Aaron's mind as he held his daughter close. He remembered himself as a teenager, when he had begun to develop his Paladin powers. He remembered his flashes of anger at the unfairness and folly of the world and the individuals in it. He wanted to tell his daughter that her loud condemnation was a manifestation of both her new powers and her innate sense of morality, and that he was as proud of her as he was ashamed of his own failures.

But he did not know how to say all of that. Instead, he said, "I forgive you." He pushed Erin away gently, looked up at his daughter's face, smiled gently, patted her on the shoulder, and said, "Now go, and heal."

Erin smiled, too, and turned to go into the church. Aaron walked out into the town of Calway.

Mercy

After Kantz and Laurel had excused themselves from breakfast, they walked silently from the Lopez manor to the church. They were side by side, close but not too close. It had still been midmorning then, and the day had not heated up so much. They both found the short walk through Calway very pleasant.

Inside The Chapel, it was cool and comfortable. Laurel easily saw that this had more to do with magic than the stone walls. As Kantz led Laurel through the atrium and into the main sanctuary, the Green Wizard paid close attention to the structure of Calway's only church.

The chapel was surprisingly light and airy. Someone had added modern glass windows to the clever old Selurian architecture to create a very pleasant feeling of space. Some of the glass panes were stained, but most were clear, so that plenty of sunlight illuminated the inside.

The sunlight shone on dozens of statues and icons along each wall. All of them were clean, polished, and well-maintained. None were given any special treatment. The statue of Crystal Angel was no better or more prominent than any others, even though the Lord of the town was a Crystal Angel Paladin.

Laurel recognized the likenesses or holy symbols of all the major gods of the Selurian Orthodox religion, and there were several that she did not know. Some of the unknown idols were fairly crude, and likely to be of local demigods. Others were old, possibly even older than the building itself. Laurel assumed that they were Old Order Selurian or even Nemean, tired old gods from forgotten and displaced pantheons that nobody had bothered to clear out in the past millennium.

And yet, there were odd stirrings of energy in these ancient statues. Somehow, they seemed strangely alive, as if there were still people in this remote corner of the Duchy that held on to ancient memories and traditions.

Laurel's musings were cut short by the arrival of an old woman who greeted her politely and then began to give Kantz a very detailed report on the state of the various patients. Laurel paid very close attention to this, noting names, conditions, and symptoms.

After the woman had finished her report, Kantz said, "Thank you so much for your vigilance, Mrs. Gladden. We all owe you a great debt for your faithful care."

Mrs. Gladden smiled warmly and replied with, "May Iresos guide us all as we heal the injured."

Laurel could not help but smile. She watched the old woman leave, turned to Kantz with a sly grin on her face, and asked "Iresos?"

Kantz was obviously embarrassed by this. He briefly glanced up to the ivory statue of a beautiful nude woman that was nestled in a high alcove. He then looked directly in Laurel's face and said, "I know what you are thinking, but I don't do fertility rites."

Laurel kept smiling. She was about to take advantage of the priest by saying something cruel, but then she stopped herself. She thought, "Why am I teasing him like this? I don't do this to people."

So instead she forced her face into a neutral expression and said, "I meant no disrespect. I just found it unusual that a kind, careful old woman would worship the Goddess of Love."

Kantz looked at her sternly. "There are many differences between the city and the country. Here, Iresos is known as the Goddess of Fertility, giver of life and health, and her worship is tied to the cycles of the earth.

But then Kantz relaxed and smiled, making the tension melt away. "Still, the worship of Iresos is fairly rare here. Mrs. Gladden is her only truly devout follower. Most people put more faith in Red Oak Spirit."

Kantz paused, deciding if he should say something. Then, he admitted, "However, it is an undeniable fact that Mrs. Gladden has twenty-seven grandchildren, most of them healthy."

Laurel looked up at Iresos's statue as she considered this silently. But then, she looked away. She thought of her lonely monastic lifestyle, and had the uncomfortable feeling that the goddess was mocking her, just as she had mocked the goddess.

Kantz sensed her unease, took her arm gently, and spoke to her softly. "Come on, we have work to do. We should look at Mr. Burgess first. He has worsened over the night and I would like a second opinion on his condition."

Kantz and Laurel soon learned that they made a very good team. The skills of the two trained healers complemented each other perfectly. But more than that, they found that they enjoyed each other's company very much.

After they had been working for about an hour and a half, they saw Erin come into the church. Those patients who were aware of their surroundings also noticed, and there were responses ranging from murmurs to hearty cheers.

Kantz guessed what Erin was here for, but he asked anyway. "Hello again, Erin. What brings you to this house of healing?"

Erin looked around at the townspeople with an unreadable expression, then turned to Kantz and replied, "I want to help."

Kantz nodded. "Do you remember what I taught you this winter?"

"Of course I do," Erin replied confidently.

"Well then, go and scrub up. The gloves, gown, and hairnet that fit you are still in the autoclave. Mrs. Gladden used them last night, but the sterilization cycle should be complete by now."

Laurel watched her go to the back of the church, then said to Kantz, "Erin truly is remarkable. She has her own pain and weakness to deal with, yet she still concerns herself with helping others."

Erin's presence turned out to be a big help, even if she did not have the knowledge and skills of the two doctors. She concerned herself with the people who were conscious and on the mend, talking to them and cheering them up in a way that the reserved Laurel and Kantz did not.

Erin also got the people to talk and share their stories. She learned about everything from the most horrible parts of the battle to the most trivial village gossip. By the end of the day, Erin had learned all about what happened while she was unconscious, and knew as much about the state of the village as anybody.

Over the course of the day, the efforts of Laurel, Erin, and Kantz resulted in eight of the nineteen patients walking out unaided. These townsfolk thanked both their old friends and the mysterious stranger.

Around nine in the evening, Erin stood up and announced, "I am getting tired. I am not fit to be working here now. I am going to go visit friends in the village."

As Erin went back to return her gear to the sterilization oven, Laurel smiled at this surprising candor. The girl truly had the character and potential to be a first-class wizard. But why was her family so against the idea?

Not long after Erin left, Mrs. Gladden arrived again to tend the remaining patients during the night. When she did, Kantz and Laurel realized that they, too, were very tired. After giving the old woman her instructions, Kantz invited Laurel outside to the church gardens.

The two healers walked silently through the winding paths for some time, enjoying the cool, quiet night air. They still enjoyed each other's company, but in the absence of constant work there was an undercurrent of hesitant expectancy. Finally, Kantz said, "Something troubles your heart."

Laurel nodded. "Erin."

"I thought so. You and Theodore mean to take her, while Aaron and Mei mean to keep her. You have seen this conflict since before Erin awoke, and it disturbs you."

"Yes." Laurel replied sadly. "Why must they resist the law of the land and their daughter's education? It seems to me that both of them have bettered their lives through adventure, and that it is folly to deny their daughter that same chance."

Kantz paused, and then spoke carefully. "It may seem that their motives are selfish, but this is not the case. Know that it is not mere jealousy that drives their actions. They are good people, and they have made a careful decision, and they truly wish the best for Erin."

Laurel considered the village priest. "You know more than you can say about this matter."

"Yes, I have given my promise that I will reveal nothing of their secrets. As much as I trust you, I do not have the right to put their lives in your hands. Only they can make that choice."

Laurel nodded. "I understand. I will bother you no more with this. Let us enjoy the rest of the night." She turned and looked to the ground as something caught her eye. "Is that an Elit moon lily?"

Kantz smiled, grateful for the change in subject "Indeed. It took me some time to learn how to cultivate them properly. The secret is to take the roots of the new shoots and..."

Agility

Early the next morning, as Aaron was meditating, he became aware of the distinctive sounds of archery practice in the back field of the Lopez manor.

Creaaak...FooshThunk. Creaak....SwishThud. Creak..SwooshThunk.

It had to be Erin. Andrew had never taken up archery, and Mei's bow sounded different than a normal hand-pulled bow. The rhythmic sounds of arrow shots hitting the target served as a nice meditative focus for Aaron as he allowed his mind to become one with his environment.

Creaaaaak....FwooshCrack!

Aaron opened his eyes at that sound. He got up from his place in the courtyard and surveyed the back pasture. There was the archery target, attached to the back wall. It had over a dozen arrows in it, all clustered tightly around the bulls-eye. One of these arrows, the one at the very center of the target, had been split in half by another arrow.

Erin was walking toward the target with her quiver. Aaron could see from where she had dropped her bow that she had been shooting from over a hundred yards away from the target. So, the Paladin's Eye was manifesting itself in more ways than one. Aaron smiled at the thought of his daughter becoming a weapons master.

He continued to the target, where Erin was pulling out the arrows. They had been driven deeply into the wood, indicating that Erin was developing strength as well as accuracy. It would seem that, aside from her initial burst of energy in the battle, Erin was developing Paladin powers rather than wizardly ones.

Erin smiled at her father as he approached, and paused in the gathering of arrows to greet him. "Good morning!"

"And a good morning to you, my daughter." Aaron glanced at the target. "I see that your skills have improved greatly."

Erin look somewhat worried. "This is magic, isn't it?"

"Yes. You are doing well to practice like this. It will help you to understand your powers, to channel and control them."

"It feels different than before, a lot different."

"Yes. It is a different kind of magic."

Erin considered this. "I understand this kind of magic. It is just like what you have been teaching Andrew and me all of our lives. It is what you do when you fight. But this is not the kind of magic that the wizards care about. This is not the kind of magic that I used in the battle."

Erin Lopez looked into her father's eyes and said, "I would like to know everything now."

Aaron nodded. "You are ready. Come, sit down, and hear the full story of your mother and how we met."

Secrets

Later that morning, Laurel also decided to approach the issue directly. She left the Chapel, went to the Lopez manor, and found Mei sitting on a wooden bench in the courtyard. She asked for, and was given, permission to sit down.

"You have managed this situation well. I know of no other woman in your position who could have handled herself with such grace and calmness. Neither the battle nor your daughter's condition have disrupted your inner peace."

Mei replied with a simple, polite "Thank you."

Laurel continued, knowing that she faced the difficult task of winning Mei's trust. "There is nothing to worry about now. Erin is recovering quickly. In a few days, her strength will return fully."

Mei said nothing, but simply stared at Laurel with her calm serene face. Laurel had no choice but to continue talking. "May I ask you about your past? It is important to understand Erin's heritage if we are to understand her future."

Mei paused, thinking of how to reply. But before she could, Erin hopped out from behind a masonry planter and said, "Are you talking about me?"

Laurel gasped in surprise, jumped up, and turned around to face Erin. "How did you do that?"

Erin shrugged. "Do what? I just walked over here."

"I could not sense your presence at all."

"Well, I was behind you. You were looking the other way."

Laurel could tell that that Erin was just playing dumb, and this caused her to become somewhat exasperated. "You should know by now that the awareness of a wizard transcends normal senses. I can always detect the presence and condition of living beings in my vicinity. But until you spoke, there was no hint of your presence."

Erin's only response was "Good."

Mei had been watching this with a bemused smile. Now, she said, "Yes, Erin, we were about to talk about you. And yes, you are welcome to join us. However, your father has already told you what Laurel is trying to extract from me."

Laurel did not react to this. Erin, sensing that she had the initiative, analyzed the situation by looking at Laurel and then back to her mother. Then, she said, "I would like to hear it again, from your point of view. I would also like to see how she reacts to the knowledge." With that comment, Erin leaned back against the planter, waiting and listening.

Mei nodded, and turned to Laurel. She said, "I do not know how much detail about my husband's Paladin powers you already know." She paused again, and then asked in a disapproving tone, "Have you read his military records?"

"Yes, I have," Laurel admitted. Erin leaned in with interest. Laurel glanced at her, then quickly looked back at Mei and added, "It was required of me; I had no desire to snoop."

"What did they say?" asked Mei in a simple serious voice.

Laurel smiled at the unexpected subtlety and wit of Mei. She belatedly remembered that military records were classified, and that neither Mei nor Erin would have access to them. Now, Laurel would have to pass on this information or risk losing their trust.

Laurel took a deep breath and said, "They say that he was a decent paladin with no extraordinary power." She turned to look at Erin. "Given that nobody else in his family was known to have any power, the chances of bearing offspring with any Talent were listed as slim. When Andrew joined the army, his physical included a test for powers. None were found."

Erin nodded knowingly while Mei's face remained expressionless. Mei asked, "What does it say about me, and how I met Aaron?"

Laurel began to summarize what she read. "Aaron was part of a party of paladins and clergy sent on a diplomatic mission to the court of Calif. The mission failed, and they were returning through the Great Western Desert when they were ambushed by a gang of bandits. After the bandits were defeated, Aaron found you in their camp and the two of you eventually fell in love."

Laurel stopped, and then asked, "Is this correct?"

Mai replied flatly, "It is completely truthful." Erin's face also betrayed nothing.

Laurel considered this, then said knowingly, "But it omits certain details, like how you came to be a captive of the bandits. Who were you before you were captured by them?"

Mei sat, unmoving, for several seconds that stretched awkwardly. Finally, she looked at Laurel with a cold, serious gaze. "If the full details of my heritage become widely known, I and both of my children could die." She looked at Erin, and Laurel did likewise. Mei's daughter was stoic but defiant, the face of one who knew of a danger but was prepared to face it. This worried Mei but encouraged Laurel.

Finally, Mei looked back at Laurel and said, "I will not tell you anything unless I can trust you completely."

Laurel could tell that Mei was telling the truth, that she was completely serious and somewhat afraid. Her tone of voice was just as serious as she replied, "I solemnly promise that I will not tell anyone about you or your past. I will only relay my conclusions about Erin's potential power."

Mei considered this. "Not even Theodore must know."

Laurel's face was grim now. "You ask me to keep secrets from my master."

Mei nodded. "Yes. I know that you can."

Laurel's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "How can you possibly know that?"

"I have observed him, and I have observed you. Now, give me your oath."

Laurel took a deep breath, and then said, "By the Cycle of Life, I will not reveal what you share with me."

Mei considered this oath, then said slowly, "As you have suspected, most of Erin's powers come from me. Although I manifest no power, I carry the blood and knowledge of sorcerers."

Laurel nodded. Sensing Mei's hesitation, she worked to steer the conversation into more comfortable territory. "There is nothing unusual about the heredity; powers often skip a generation. It is your knowledge that intrigues me the most. That courtyard is a clever and subtle thing. At first, I thought that you had magical powers and an intuitive talent."

Mei smiled. "The people who sense the courtyard's power always assume that. It helps that the local Elit have similar arts." Then, lines of worry crossed her face. "Does Theodore suspect otherwise?"

Laurel shook her head. "No, he gave the matter no more thought after he blocked out its energies. But I let the energy flow into me, and so I felt its effect. When I did, I began to suspect and question. The arrangement was too ordered to be the result of wild talent or Elit whimsy. It had the feel of deep and well-practiced knowledge."

The Green Wizard paused. She could feel Erin's attention drilling into her, absorbing every word. She risked a glance in her direction. Erin was once again leaning casually against the planter. Her body language suggested that she was but a carefree teenager idly listening to harmless gossip. Her attitude invited good cheer and openness, even as her mind was as focused as a tiger stalking its prey. Laurel could tell that Erin had learned much from her mother.

Laurel turned back to Mei and continued telling of her perceptions. "Later, I looked at you closely and realized that you had no more innate magical vision or channeling skill than the average person. I realized that you could not have built this spontaneously, and I started to wonder what you knew and how you knew it."

Mei realized that it was her turn to say something. "Your realization makes you one of the few people in the world to know that I had magical training. Friar Kantz came to the same conclusion that you did, though it took him years. We took him into our confidence and told him some of the truth, although he does not know the worst."

"My husband, of course, knows everything that I do. He and I are the only ones who know the full depth of my knowledge, and the full potential of the heritage. The dangers of my past were one reason that Aaron moved out here, to the middle of nowhere."

She looked over at her daughter. "And, my husband told Erin this morning. Now she, too, knows why her heritage keeps us where we are." Erin nodded, but it seemed to Laurel that there was some hesitation in Erin's affirmation of Mei's belief.

Laurel asked soberly, "What kind of past could cast such a shadow over your lives?"

Mei responded with an equally sober question. "What do you know of the Purple Rose Sorceresses?"

Laurel shrugged. "I know that they exist. The ways of Western lands are hidden well, even from the Council."

Mei studied Laurel carefully as she said this. After satisfying herself that Laurel was telling the truth, she said, "The Purple Roses are a powerful, secretive, and brutal conclave of female wizards. They are patient, and make plans spanning centuries."

"They tolerate no dissention, and no competition. They are the only magic users in the land of my birth, and so can easily manipulate the imperial dynasties from the shadows. It was undoubtedly their influence that caused Aaron's diplomatic mission to be rebuffed so violently; they would never tolerate trade and contact with magical outsiders."

"Purple Rose magic is as diverse as it is powerful; they have the ability to manipulate every known type of God's Blood, in a variety of subtle ways. They are especially good at manipulating the bodies and minds of people and other living things. Students are expected to excel in everything. They would consider your specialization as weakness and folly."

The Green Wizard felt the need to lighten the conversation. She smiled and asked, "Do you think that of me?"

Mei answered with blunt honesty. "Weakness, yes. Folly, no. We both know that you could do more, if you pushed yourself harder. But you do what you like. You enjoy your magic as you enjoy life. A Purple Rose does not understand that concept."

Laurel sat quietly, digesting that candid appraisal of her life. Erin also sat quietly, like a sphinx, but her focus was outward rather than inward. She missed no opportunity to learn more about her mother, her guest, or the world outside Calway.

After some time, Mei continued. "Male children of Purple Roses never have power. I suspect that this is a result of deliberate breeding, but I cannot be sure. It is not surprising that Andrew should have no powers while Erin does."

"Some males born to Purple Roses are trained as spies and assassins to carry out the will of the sorceresses in secret. Others with lesser potential do menial labor in their secret ateliers and conclaves."

"All female children, on the other hand, are trained in the arts of sorcery from early childhood. They learn basic theory, and are taught how to use the magic in the world around them, even though they do not yet have magic of their own. The Purple Roses are so devoted to their craft that they do not want to waste any of the time or energy of a growing child."

"If a child develops power, then she becomes a full sorceress. If not, then she is kept locked inside somewhere, to assist in research and the construction of magic items. She is treated with pity at best and contempt at worst, as she toils away and watches her former friends rise to terrible heights of power.

"This was to be my fate. I was the only one in my class who did not develop the ability to see and channel magic."

Laurel spoke now. "But you changed your fate."

"Yes", answered Mei. "The details are not important, but I faked my death and vanished. You know what happened next. Nobody knows to look for me, but any agent of the Purple Roses would become suspicious if they saw me."

Laurel understood the significance of this last comment. "And presumably, they would also recognize the powers of your daughter."

"Exactly. Now you see why Aaron and I cannot let Erin go to such a crowded and cosmopolitan place as the court of Noks. The Purple Roses are probably keeping track of Noks, as they monitor all sources of power in the world. They could even have an agent posing as a pupil in your University. We will not risk the life of our daughter."

Laurel considered this for nearly a minute. "That is a very good reason to stay where you are. But it is not the only reason, is it? You are also worried about wizards closer to home."

"Yes." Mei admitted. "My knowledge is valuable. I am concerned about what would happen to me if these wizards knew what I could reveal."

Laurel finished the thought. "And if we did start to use Purple Rose secrets in our magic, they could probably sense it, even from the other end of the world. There would be no hope of any concealment, then."

The green wizard paused. "This is a horrible irony. Theodore believes that you are not capable of teaching your daughter proper magic, but you are better able to teach her than he is. However, if you do teach her your knowledge, then her use of that knowledge would destroy you all more surely than an education in Noks."

Mei looked over at her daughter again and said, "And yet, Erin, you must be trained somehow, or your powers will destroy you before the Purple Roses ever suspect your existence." Tears started to escape her eyes as she said, "It is a horrible trap we find ourselves in."

Erin jumped up with a gentle agility and embraced her mother. She tried to be strong and comforting, but she too began to cry as she absorbed her mother's hopeless sadness.

Laurel did not know how she could possibly to comfort Mei and Erin, so she sat back and stayed out of their way. She used some of her magic to radiate a subtle sensation of calmness and friendship. This worked, even though both Mei and Erin could recognize the spell for what it was. Even if they were too strong-willed to be swayed by the magic, they appreciated the gesture.

After some time, both Mei and Erin collected themselves and turned to Laurel, silently inviting her to say something. Laurel spoke to Erin. "If you were not endangered by her own powers, I would gladly leave you here with your family. But that simply is not possible. If your mother were to teach you Purple Rose magic, then your use of it would bring attention to Calway. But your father, Kantz, and Yoder do not have the ability teach you well enough to properly control your powers.

"Considering all of this, I believe that going to the University is your best option. Now that I know the risks, I can prepare for them. I can disguise and protect you. We will teach you Council magic, which will allow you to control your abilities and appear as a normal western wizard.

Laurel turned to Mei. "If you can tell us everything you know of Purple Rose operatives, we can try to track them down. This can be done carefully. From what I have seen of Theodore's doings, the Council is no stranger to intrigue."

Mei sat and considered this. Finally, she said, "I believe what you say. I believe that you mean the best for Erin, and that you will protect her to the best of your ability. But can you promise me that you will always be able to guard her? It seems that you must go wherever Theodore goes, and that he does not always remain in the university."

"You are correct." Laurel admitted. "But you and Aaron do not watch Erin constantly, even though Blukes and worse things roam these woods. Remember that nobody is hunting Erin; we simply need to disguise her heritage and make her appear as a normal student."

Mei turned to look at Erin. "What do you think?"