ã€ŠSword, Staff, and Crownã€‹


 Round and Round Again

    Raeca considered the unconscious man on her floor. He had stumbled in the door, pale and dizzy, and promptly fallen over into a pile of armor, weapons, and wet wool. He was heavily armed and armored, and there was a good bit of muscle underneath. There was also quite a lot of blood on both sword and armor, and she was willing to bet not all of it was his. She was still trying to figure out whether he was going to be trouble.

    On the one hand, he was unconscious, and she was a healer. Helping people was usually what she did.

    On the other hand unconscious men on the floor usually weren¡¯t a sign of anything good.

    He didn¡¯t look like a bandit.

    That was a lot of blood.

    ¡°Raeca? I heard a crash.¡±

    Mitso came in the door at about the same time as she decided to try and get the man onto a cot so she could figure out why he was unconscious. The sight of her mentor was a relief and Raeca smiled wanly at him, glad he was there.

    ¡°He needs help,¡± she said, and gestured somewhat helplessly at the warrior on the floor. He was bigger than she could manage alone. Mitso had good timing.

    His reaction, however, was not one she expected.

    ¡°Brendis!¡± he exclaimed, and hurried to the man¡¯s side. ¡°Raeca, put water on and pull out the supplies. I¡¯ll get him on a cot and find out how hurt he is.¡±

    Raeca ran to follow how orders as her mentor knelt and hoisted the man off the floor with the ease of long practice. It was only a few steps to the cot, and he got the man settled. Mitso was a soldier before he was a healer, and he began to strip off the man¡¯s armor even as Raeca pulled their ever-boiling kettle off the fire with a pair of heavy mitts.

    ¡°Who is he?¡± she asked when she came to her mentor¡¯s side with their basket of remedies and a bowl of steaming water. ¡°He fell in the door and collapsed at my feet.¡±

    ¡°His name is Brendis,¡± Mitso said and showed her how the complicated armor came apart so she could help him. ¡°You know those rumors that have been going around? About a hero rising at the Queen¡¯s behest to fight the Dark Sword?¡±

    ¡°This is him?¡± Raeca said, and struggled to lift away the heavy breastplate. It was slick with blood and she was careful not to drop it. When they bared the man¡¯s chest, his skin was riddled with half-healed cuts and deep scars. ¡°He seems very young.¡±

    No older than her, in fact. His face was stern and tired even unconscious, and his brown hair was filthy with blood and dust. His weapons and armor were the finest quality, but his clothing was simple, serviceable, and plain. This was not a man wo worried about his appearance when he had more important things to do.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

    ¡°He¡¯s much older than he looks,¡± Mitso told her and cursed when a new wash of blood met his questing fingers. ¡°This is deeper than I thought. Switch places with me and keep him from bleeding out.¡±

    Her gift was only just beginning to wake, but Mitso was sure she would be more powerful than him with a little training. Until then, it was a gamble. Sometimes her gift woke at full power and sometimes not, but it was rarely her choice which.

    Fortunately for the dying warrior under her hands, this time her gift chose to cooperate. Green light gathered around her fingers and she directed it into the deep wound that had barely missed his heart. It was careful, slow, going. By the time she managed to close the wound, Mitso was nearly done bandaging the worst of the warrior¡¯s hurts and had started cleaning him up.

    ¡°You can breathe,¡± Mitso told her when she sat back on her heels and went for bandages. His hands moved quickly, but his face was smooth and calm. ¡°If he hasn¡¯t died by now, he isn¡¯t going to. Brendis has some skills of his own. When he wakes, he¡¯ll heal himself up.¡±

    ¡°Why did he come here?¡± Raeca wondered, and traded bandages for a soft, wet cloth. Dried blood would do nobody good, even if the warrior was out of danger. ¡°I¡¯ve never met him, have I?¡±

    ¡°Probably he was looking for me,¡± Mitso admitted with a sigh and dabbed salve over a nasty abrasion. ¡°We met a long time ago. I didn¡¯t know he was back.¡±

    ¡°Back?¡±

    ¡°From the dead. He reincarnates every eighty years or so.¡±

    That was new to her, but Mitso didn¡¯t seem overly concerned about it. Probably he heard all about it the last time he healed Brendis.

    ¡°Ah,¡± she said not sure how to reply. Reincarnation? Sure there were always a few heroes around who were hard, or impossible, to kill. That was just a part of the world they lived in. ¡°Do you know why? How did you meet?¡±

    ¡°We met when I was a boy,¡± Mitso explained, and started getting the rest of the warrior¡¯s armor off now that the worst of his injuries were dealt with. ¡°During his last life, I assume. He does age like anyone else.¡±

    ¡°He looks my age.¡±

    ¡°Technically he is your age,¡± Mitso pointed out, and shook his head when he discovered that his old friend had broken fingers hidden inside his dark gloves. ¡°he doesn¡¯t remember a lot from his previous lives. Or rather, his timeline is confused. He doesn¡¯t always remember when he met people. Probably he came here because our village hasn¡¯t changed much in the last three hundred years, and this house traditionally belongs to the healer and their apprentices.¡±

    ¡°Why does he keep coming back?¡± Raeca asked, and leaned over, magic cool on her palms. She wasn¡¯t tired yet, and this man deserved to wake up as pain-free as she could manage. ¡±That¡¯s different. Usually heroes die and resurrect or become immortal.¡±

    Mitso finished his work and shook his head sadly. ¡°There¡¯s a prophesy. Isn¡¯t there always, right? He¡¯s bound to the Queen, and the Dark Sword. You know, that warlord who nearly burned the whole Southhold about fifty years back? One of them kills the other, or they both die in the battle. As soon as all three of them have passed, they all come back, and the cycle starts again.¡±

    ¡°It sounds exhausting,¡±¡¯ Raeca murmured, and set her cloth back in the bowl. ¡°Help me get him up the stairs. He can stay in the guest room until he¡¯s strong enough to leave on his own.¡±

    ¡°Good girl,¡± Mitso said approvingly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, he isn¡¯t as heavy without all the armor.¡±

    ¡°Glad to hear it. Let¡¯s go. He¡¯ll heal better for a proper bed.¡±

 Mistaken Step

    ¡°Your name is Raeca, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    The voice was male, with an oddly archaic accent that lilted of nobility and farmhand together.

    Raeca blinked and looked up from the herbs she was slowly crushing into sweet-scented oil. Beeswax simmered over a low flame beside her, ready to be stirred into the oil when it was ready.

    Brendis stood in the doorway, white bandages showing where his sleeves ended, and under the open collar of his shirt. He was still moving like he hurt, but not like it was the kind of hurt she needed to worry about.

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right,¡± she confirmed, and nodded to a stool nearby. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be up yet, but if you must be out of bed, at least sit down.¡±

    That made him smile, and he obediently took the seat. When he was settled, she went back to what she was doing. If she wasn¡¯t careful, it would burn and be useless, and that was no good.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± he said after watching her screw a lid onto the herbed oil and reach for another that had been soaking for weeks. ¡°You and Mitso saved my life. I appreciate it.¡±

    ¡°Well, you did sort of fall at my feet,¡± she pointed out, and flashed him a quick smile to take the sting out of her words. ¡°It was very dramatic you know.¡±

    ¡°Sorry about that,¡± Brendis took the teasing and chuckled wryly. ¡°I didn¡¯t- did Mitso tell you the what of me?¡±

    ¡°Only a little,¡± Raeca told him as she poured the oil through layers of cheesecloth and into a large mixing bowl. Once the jar was empty, she started squeezing the rest of the oil out of the herbs. ¡°Something about a prophesy, and that you reincarnate.¡±

    He smiled and watched as she set the cheesecloth aside and poured her melted wax into the oil. As soon as it was in, she began whipping it furiously with a spoon to make sure it combined properly. ¡°Did he tell you anything else?¡±

    ¡°That it has to do with the Queen and the Dark Sword,¡± she said breathlessly, still mostly focused on her work. ¡°That the three of you are bound.¡±

    ¡°Did he tell you that I don¡¯t always remember people correctly?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± she shrugged, and eyed the balm, before waking her magic. For this, at least, it was usually reliable. She was good at Green Magic and the little spells that came with potion-making. ¡°He said you don¡¯t always know who is when.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s right,¡± Brendis admitted, and leaned forward as she stirred slowly, and left trails of soft green magic in the quickly-cooling balm. ¡°I knew there were healers here. I hoped¡­ well, generally if you collapse in a Healer¡¯s house, they patch you up before yelling about the blood on the floor.¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    ¡°Mitso doesn¡¯t have much of a temper, but he really doesn¡¯t like blood everywhere.¡±

    Not that it happened often, but Mitso had been to war long ago, and he had strong feelings about heroes, blood, cleanliness, and dramatics. Raeca didn¡¯t envy Brendis at all. He probably got an earful.

    ¡°Yes, he told me at length,¡± Brendis admitted wryly. ¡°But he also told me that you saved my life. Thank you.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± Raeca said. The balm was cooling, and she spooned it into jars and labeled them. ¡°What happened to you, anyway?¡±

    ¡°Sheer bad luck, for once,¡± he said, and began capping jars when she pointed at them meaningfully. If he could talk, he could put lids on. ¡°I heard there was goblin pack nearby and thought I would clear them out. I was passing through anyway.¡±

    ¡°Goblins did that to you?¡± Raeca was going to be much less impressed with him if he ended up half-dead because of a few goblins.

    Her three-year-old niece had beaned a goblin with a pot lid the last time they came through to steal things. A well-armed hero was more than able to face down a pack, even alone.

    ¡°No,¡± he chuckled, and rubbed his chest in memory. ¡°No, it turned out that they were working for a necromancer up north. He¡¯s not a bad sort if you don¡¯t mind the necromancy.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± Raeca was beginning to get confused. ¡°So not the goblins, and not the necromancer. Something stabbed you proper, and close enough for you to get here without dying.¡±

    ¡°There are some ruins up the mountain from here,¡± he told her sheepishly and rubbed a hand through his hair. It was wet, and he must have taken time to wash before coming to see her. ¡°The necromancer told me there was some interesting old magic. Magic that may even predate me. So I went to look and¡­ I may have misjudged slightly when I decided to try the stairs.¡±

    It was so absurd that Raeca stopped to stare at him in disbelief. ¡°You got stabbed, almost through the heart, by stairs?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± he said uncomfortably. ¡°I can heal from a fall, and generally stairs don¡¯t stab me, no matter how old they are. No, I fell onto some old metal. The most ignoble stabbing I¡¯ve ever had.¡±

    Raeca had to laugh, and he chuckled along with her, so he probably wasn¡¯t offended. ¡°You got stabbed by stairs.¡±

    ¡°I got stabbed by stairs,¡± he said with a grin, and leaned back on his stool, a row of neatly-capped jars of balm on the counter beside him. ¡°It was sheer bad luck and my own poor judgement. Frankly, it was nice not to get stabbed by someone for once.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think stabbing is ever nice,¡± Raeca said dryly and wiped her hands before gathering the jars into a basket for the market later. ¡°But I suppose I haven¡¯t been stabbed all that much.¡±

    ¡°I have. This wasn¡¯t my favorite, but it was better than having to keep fighting after.¡±

    That¡­ that was sort of heartbreaking. There was a distant look in his eyes that spoke of horrors that had survived¡­ or worse, hadn¡¯t survived.

    The memories lingered, even if death wasn¡¯t permanent.

    ¡°Well,¡± Raeca said, and braced her basket on her hip. ¡°As your healer, I¡¯m going to have to insist you keep the stabbing to a minimum.¡±

    ¡°Well, if my healer insists,¡± he laughed, and the old memories drifted back to the shadows where they belonged. Carefully, he leveraged himself to his feet. ¡°Can I go to the market with you, or am I confined to the house?¡±

    He should probably go lay down, but Raeca doubted he actually would, and it would probably be better to keep him under her eye.

    ¡°You are not carrying anything,¡± she pointed a finger at him meaningfully. He blinked and eyed her menacing finger like it might actually be dangerous. ¡°Not one single thing.¡±

    ¡°As my healer commands,¡± he agreed, and held up his hands peaceably. ¡°Lead the way.¡±

 Spinning Wheel

    ¡°Are you the healer here?¡±

    Raeca stilled her spinning wheel with a careful hand and looked up to see a beautiful, stately woman before her. Gold embroidery gleamed on her hems, throat, and ears, and her silken dress was perfectly fitted.

    It wasn¡¯t until she saw the slim coronet, that was almost the same color as the woman¡¯s hair, that Raeca realized who this must be.

    Calliope Ro Fatine, Queen of the Golden Citadel, and all of Dehelm.

    Raeca tried to stand, and curtsey, but instead, the queen raised an elegant hand and took a seat on the bench across from her.

    ¡°I hear it is bad luck to interrupt a spinner at her task,¡± the queen said gently. Her eyes were very wise. ¡°Please, I only wish a few words, and we can certainly share those while you work.¡±

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t,¡± Raeca protested shyly, and only now did she notice the pair of armored soldiers who lingered almost out of sight, protecting their queen. ¡°How can I serve you, Majesty?¡±

    ¡°By not letting me interrupt,¡± Queen Calliope said, and proved her words by stealing Raeca¡¯s carding brushes. Raeca blinked, but the queen seemed to know what she was doing, and began smoothing the wool into usable little clouds. ¡°You saved Brendis a few weeks ago. I wanted to thank you myself.¡±

    ¡°He needed help, Majesty,¡± Raeca replied. When the queen gave no sign of stopping, she got her spinning wheel moving again and resumed the careful work of spinning thread fine enough to sew wounds. ¡°It¡¯s a miracle he made it to us at all.¡±

    ¡°Brendis has always been surprising,¡± the queen said, and caught Raeca watching her out of the corner of her eye. ¡°And please, my name is Calliope. Anyone who saved my love has more than earned the right to use it.¡±

    Raeca almost lost her grip on the thread, and scrambled to keep it smooth. ¡°I couldn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°You could, and I hope you will. Now tell me, how did he seem to you while he was here?¡± The queen set another bit of wool in the basket and helped herself to more. Her blue eyes drifted between her work and the spinning wheel. ¡°He said he stayed with you a bit while he healed.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s the worst patient I¡¯ve ever had,¡± Raeca admitted with a hesitant smile. The queen burst out laughing. Heartened by the reaction, Raeca began to relax. ¡°Does he ever sit still? I caught him outside trying to chop wood for us with a half-healed chest wound.¡±

    ¡°I wish I could say I¡¯m surprised,¡± Calliope laughed with an air of one who had seen that very behavior for herself. ¡°He loves to help people. I think it was written on his soul, even before the prophesy turned us into what we are now.¡±

    Right. The queen was tied into the same prophesy that kept Brendis, and his ancient enemy, locked into reincarnation. Her eyes were wise because she had a dozen lifetimes or more to learn. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

    ¡°Has he always been like that?¡± Raeca couldn¡¯t help the question. Calliope finished another few bits of wool before she answered.

    ¡°He was less serious, in the beginning,¡± she said softly, and tangled a hank of creamy white wool around her fingers. ¡°Oh, he was always driven, but he took the time to laugh. Once the Dark Sword turned on us¡­ well, there just wasn¡¯t time anymore.¡±

    ¡°Brendis didn¡¯t tell us much about that,¡± Raeca said, the healer in her pushing to help ease the old pain that lingered around her queen. ¡°About the Dark Sword, or how everything started.¡±

    Calliope smiled sadly and kept her hands busy. Raeca approved. She was doing a decent job with the wool, but more importantly, sometimes it helped to have something to fidget with.

    ¡°I was a princess, when we first met,¡± she said at last. ¡°Brendis and the Dark Sword were¡­ Brendis was a squire. The son of a duke, and a likely candidate to wed me. The Dark Sword, he was a mage-student from the desert, and a prince in his own right.¡±

    ¡°How did you all meet?¡± Raeca couldn¡¯t help her curiosity. There were a few songs around about the fated Three, but not much of that was reliable, and her little village wasn¡¯t home to a great store of knowledge.

    ¡°Brendis and the Dark Sword were friends from childhood,¡± Calliope explained, and shifted in her seat. ¡°I met them on the same day, when they were presented at court. Brendis was so quiet, but they brought me into their circle, and suddenly we were three.¡±

    ¡°And then there was a prophesy?¡±

    That part was easy enough to figure out from the clues here and there.

    ¡°Three Stand Always as Three,¡± Calliope murmured, the words so familiar that she could have said them in her sleep. ¡°One shall turn, and Two will Stand Together to face the One, and the Darkness will break against their Will, and the Circle will finally be Broken.¡±

    Well, that was clear as mud. Prophesy was always tricky, but they weren¡¯t usually that bad.

    ¡°What does it mean?¡±

    ¡°As near as we can tell,¡± she queen finished with Raeca¡¯s wool and tucked the brushes back into the basket out of the way. Tears pooled in the corner of her eyes and she held them back with masterful control. ¡°The three of us are tied together until the prophesy is completed. Until the Darkness is broken. Brendis and I have fought him. Some lives, he wins, and others, no one does, but it is never enough.¡±

    The hopelessness in her eyes broke Raeca¡¯s heart, and she stopped her spinning wheel so she could give her queen a tight hug. The soldiers took a step towards them, and seemed to realize what was happening before they stepped back again.

    Raeca ignored them as Calliope¡¯s arms came around her hesitantly.

    ¡°Everyone needs a hug sometimes, Majesty,¡± Raeca said into her ear, and felt Calliope laugh wetly into her shoulder. ¡°And it¡¯s alright to cry when things are bad.¡±

    They stayed like that for a while until Calliope pulled away and pulled a plane cotton kerchief out of her pocket to dry her eyes.

    ¡°I see now why Brendis spoke so highly of you,¡± she said when she had herself under control again. ¡°And why, after so long, he seemed just a little better for the first time in years.¡±

    ¡°Healing is what we do here,¡± Raeca said gently, and watched her queen with a knowing gaze. ¡°Majesty, you asked me to call you by your name.¡±

    ¡°I did,¡± Calliope said, and tilted her head. ¡°You aren¡¯t trying to bargain with me, are you ?¡±

    ¡°I certainly am,¡± Raeca told her brightly. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you what. I will use your name, as long as you make time to come here and find some quiet every now and then.¡±

    ¡°You drive a hard bargain,¡± Calliope said, but she was smiling, and offered a hand across the wool and spinning wheel. ¡°But it¡¯s a deal¡­ and thank you.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Race said, and started up her wheel again. ¡°Now, I won¡¯t understand most of it, but tell me about whatever bothers you most at Court.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°because friends listen to friends when they are frustrated,¡± Raeca said firmly, with a smile and a wink. ¡°Now, do you know how to spin, and if you don¡¯t, do you want to learn?¡±

 Stronger Together

    ¡°Are you the healer here?¡±

    Not uncommon words in Raeca¡¯s life, and she stifled both alarm and annoyance when she looked up. Brendis was at her door again, covered in his own blood, unconscious, and mostly carried by another man.

    ¡°Bring him to the bed,¡± she replied and washed her hands of salve before following. Since their first meeting, Brenda¡¯s had been in and out of her home every week or so. Usually he brought her herbs and ingredients from his travels in exchange for a bath and a real bed for the night.

    Sometimes, like today, his travels had gotten the best of him.

    Races had gotten very used to patching this man up, but there was little more she could do than give him a safe haven while he fought to protect them all.

    ¡°He was ambushed,¡± the man said as he helped her get Brendis¡¯ tunic off. ¡°Assassins. He got a few of them, but no one can take on ten and come out unscathed.¡±

    ¡°I wish I could say this is the first time,¡± Raeca replied distantly, and cursed when her fingertips came up wet with blood and grease. ¡°Poison. I don¡¯t know poisons.¡±

    ¡°I do,¡± the man said, and checked the wounds with well-disguised worry. ¡°Tell me you have the power to burn out Tighe?¡±

    One of th most lethal poisons in their world. Raeca knew the name, and enough to be frightened.

    ¡°No,¡± she said tightly, and got to cleaning blood of Brendis¡¯ tanned skin. ¡°The best I can do is try and keep his heart beating. If he lasts the night, he might live.¡±

    ¡°He won¡¯t. Not with this much in his body,¡± the man cut her off, and looked down at the unconscious warrior under their hands. ¡°Can you use another magic-user for a focus? Borrow power from another?¡±

    ¡°Maybe?¡± Raeca shoved her fear down into a cold knot in the pit of her stomach. ¡°I¡¯ve never done it. I know Mitso can¡¯t. We tried.¡±

    Tried and failed, and it cost the life of a man they could have saved if she was just a little more powerful. He died, and the only thing Raeca could do was give him the mercy of unconsciousness while his life slipped away.

    ¡°Do you know how?¡±

    ¡°No. I¡¯m not a master healer yet.¡±

    A fact that might just cost Brendis his life, curse it all.

    ¡°I¡¯ll teach you,¡± the man sliced through her fear with practiced calm. ¡°Give me your hand and do whatever you normally do with the other.¡±

    Time was of the essence. Brendis was growing terribly still and was ashy under his tan. Raeca did as ordered, and let the man take her hand as she pressed the other to the worst and most dangerous of Brendis¡¯ injuries. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    ¡°You know how to draw power? Like you would from a leyline or a focus?¡±

    That she did know, thank the gods. ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Good. Now, I¡¯m going to throw you a line of power. I¡¯m a dark-path, so you¡¯re going to have to filter the magic through your core before it will work for healing.¡±

    Magic theory. She could work with magic theory. Also, his man, she supposed he was a mage, and a good one to know about Magic¡¯s he couldn¡¯t do himself, was clearly a mastermage.

    If she had to learn a whole new magic to save her friend¡¯s life, we¡¯ll, that could be done.

    It took them two tries to link up properly. Light-path magic absolutely did not want to be mixed with dark-path. Still, magic answered to will, and Raeca was unwilling to fail now that there was a chance.

    When they managed to connect, Raeca felt like she had stepped into the heart of a focus crystal. Power thrummed between them, held in check by the mage, and completely at her disposal.

    After that, healing seemed very easy.

    Poison flowed through Brendis like a red-black mist that Raeca could only see with the healer¡¯s vision that came with her gift.

    With so much power coursing through her, burning the poison out was the work of a thought, and she sent their shared magic into every inch of the warrior, seeking out poison and wound until nothing marred his skin except grease and old scars.

    With a final thought, she sent him into a deep sleep.

    Much as she liked Brendis, he was not a good patient. It would be better if he slept off the worst of the healing-aftershocks.

    Detangling her power from the mage¡¯s was as difficult as linking up had been. Like water, magic liked to stay together once it was mixed.

    ¡°Not bad for a first go,¡± the mage said approvingly when they were finally separated again. Raeca felt like she had been trampled by horses, but he had barely a hair out of place. She tried not to resent him for it. ¡°Not bad at all. He will live? He is not awake.¡±

    ¡°I put him under,¡± Raeca said tiredly, and got to her feet her hands were covered in blood and poison. She went to wash them at her little basin. It would be no good to spend so much power healing him only to poison herself or someone else because she was careless. ¡°If I hadn¡¯t, he would be up in an hour.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s always been a difficult patient,¡± the man laughed with the ring of experience in his voice. He stood and shook out his robes, which were in the desert style and shimmered with golden embroidery against heavy crimson silk. ¡°Thank you. There was nowhere else I could take him.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a friend of his?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve known him for many years,¡± the man smiled wryly, and looked up at her with a knowing glint in his eyes. ¡°And yes, I know the what of him. Better than most, in honesty.¡±

    That was not the same thing as being friends, but Raeca didn¡¯t think it would be wise to point that out.

    She was a village healer. This man, with his black hair, tawny skin, and expensive clothes, was a mastermage. One so powerful that even a major healing hadn¡¯t left a mark on his power.

    The man seemed to follow her thought, maybe was reading them, and sighed as he got to his feet.

    ¡°For your trouble,¡± he said, and pressed a college act gold coin into her hands and curled her fingers around it before she could refuse. ¡°No, take it. I know how he eats.¡±

    That made her laugh, and he winked before turning purposefully for the door. Right at the thread hold, he paused.

    ¡°Healer,¡± he said quietly, and she looked up from where she was setting aside Brendis¡¯ stained clothing. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Raeca gave him a smile. ¡°Anything for our hero.¡±

    The mage smiled back, the barest flash of white teeth against tawny skin, and he was gone in a puff of sulfur-scented smoke.

    It wasn¡¯t until he was gone that Raeca realized she had no idea who he was.

 Tea and History

    ¡°You know, you don¡¯t have to leave.¡±

    Raeca finished tucking Brendis into bed. The Hero has, yet again, badly won a fight. This time with a stone giant, if his mage friend was to be believed. It was nearly a year since her first encounter with the hero, and she was more than used to his ways by now.

    If there was some terrible monster menacing a village somewhere, Brendis felt it was his duty as their Hero to deal with it.

    Frequently that landed him with the healers, recovering. He was an incredible warrior, and not a half-bad spellcaster himself, but he wasn¡¯t indestructible. More often than not, he came to her rather than go all the way to the castle.

    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t stay,¡± the man said reluctantly. He went to wash his hands at Raeca¡¯s sink. ¡°We are reluctant allies, on the best day. If he finds me here, he will be difficult and rip out his stitches.¡±

    ¡°He won¡¯t wake for hours,¡± Raeca promised. After months of dealing with Brendis, she was very familiar with how he took to Healing. ¡°This is the second time you¡¯ve brought him to me. Stay for tea and food, at least. I don¡¯t even know your name.¡±

    ¡°Haroun,¡± he said, and looked tempted despite himself. Raeca washed her own hands and went for the kettle. Either he would stay, or he wouldn¡¯t, and either way she needed something to soothe her nerves. ¡°I suppose I could spare a minute.¡±

    ¡°Good. What kind of tea do you want?¡±

    ¡°What do you have?¡±

    He came over to peruse her vast collection of herbs, and quickly mixed several together into the mug she handed him. While he was focused on the task, Raeca stole a moment to examine him carefully with a healer¡¯s eye.

    Haroun was a mastermage. That much was obvious. He shone like a small sun to her magical vision, even after helping her through a second powerful healing.

    He also looked tired. Or rather, worn to the bone from carrying some great weight. The healer in her screamed to help him, and Raeca was not in the habit of ignoring that sense.

    The first step, getting him to sit and have tea, was the hardest. Bribery helped.

    She set a little plate of honey cakes between them at the table and hid a smile when he eyed them suspiciously. There was no magic in them. Not even herbs to loosen the tongue or temper.

    Haroun might be a mastermage, but it took a strong will indeed to resist Mitso¡¯s honey cakes. He took several and Raeca let him eat through them and have some tea before speaking again.

    ¡°How did you meet him?¡± She asked quietly when he seemed to have unwound from his tensions somewhat. ¡°Brendis, I mean.¡±

    ¡°He comes through the desert sooner or later in every life,¡± Haroun shrugged casually. ¡°The third of his Prophecy is always born there, and Brendis cannot help but seek him out each time.¡±Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°So that¡¯s where you met him?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Haroun chuckled wryly and curled his fingers around his tea. ¡°We met as children. He was already the finest hand with a sword the Masters had ever seen, but the first time he became a hero was when he rescued a scrawny mage student who was hell-bent in fighting a fight he couldn¡¯t win.¡±

    Raeca smiled fondly at the sleeping warrior. That sounded like him all over. ¡°He doesn¡¯t know who he is until his teen years, yes? Queen Calliope said a little, but it makes her so sad to talk about it that I don¡¯t often ask.¡±

    The mention of the queen brought the slightest alarm to Haroun¡¯s eyes, although he hid it well. Raeca wondered about it, and also wondered if he would give her a straight answer if she asked.

    Probably not.

    ¡°Brendis is usually the last to remember, as near as I know,¡± Haroun said after a minute. ¡°As I said, we are not exactly friends these days, so this is mostly speculation. I don¡¯t know about the queen.¡±

    ¡°And the Dark Sword?¡±

    No one ever mentioned the evil warlord¡¯s name. It was like saying it aloud would summon him. Raeca hid a shiver. She couldn¡¯t do much if the Dark One came for Brendis while he was hurt.

    ¡°There are stories about him, among the desert folk,¡± Haroun said slowly. ¡°Mostly wildly embellished, although his journals, from every life, are kept at the great Mage School there. Interesting read. I assume Brendis doesn¡¯t know about them, and the Queen certainly doesn¡¯t, or she would try to destroy them.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Raeca wanted to know. This was more information than she had ever gotten about the Bound Three, and Haroun would certainly know. The Dark One was of his people. ¡°She always seems very kind, and very wise.

    ¡°You see her best side, I suppose,¡± Haroun said bitterly. ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate her. She¡¯s a ruler, born time and time again with the knowledge of past lives. Her ability to manipulate and twist the facts is legendary.¡±

    Raeca wanted to protest, but suddenly a memory came to her, of Calliope telling her about a young courtier who married a noble without royal permission. At first, it seemed like the couple brought their banishment and dishonor on themselves. Thinking it over again, they could never have been banished without Royal authority.

    Calliope¡¯s authority.

    ¡°Tell me more about the Dark One,¡± She said instead of sharing her thoughts. Something told her it would be important later. ¡°No one seems to know much about him, but if Brendis is here so much, the Dark One may turn his eyes on this place.¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± Haroun seemed easier with the change in topic, and his smile came back, although it was strange around the edges. ¡°Did you know he¡¯s the only one to ever have a family? In his twenty-second life, he won, and outlived the other two. Oh, he didn¡¯t make it more than ten years before the old curse came to take him, but he had a wife, and a daughter, and grandchildren later.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± To think, an evil man could love enough to have a family. Or maybe he just found a woman he liked and kept her. That seemed like the kind of thing a warlord would do. ¡°How do you know?¡±

    ¡°He wrote about it,¡± Haroun waved vaguely east towards the desert. ¡°Like I said, journals. Can you read?¡±

    ¡°Yes, by not quickly,¡± Raeca mumbled, taken aback by the sudden question and slightly embarrassed. ¡°There wasn¡¯t much chance to learn, here.¡±

    ¡°But you can, yes? In Common?¡±

    ¡°Well enough.¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± he stood abruptly and flashed a quick smile. ¡°I¡¯ll bring the first of the journals in a few days. Once Brendis leaves and I don¡¯t have to worry about being stabbed.¡±

    ¡°He would stab you?¡± That didn¡¯t seem like Brendis, but to be fair, she mostly saw him wounded and recovering.

    ¡°We aren¡¯t friends, healer,¡± Haroun reminded her gently, and winked. ¡°If you need help reading, I can teach you. Not much occupies my time at the moment.¡±

    And with that, he was gone in a puff of smoke, and Raeca stared at the place where he had been in faint astonishment.

    ¡°Your friend is a little odd,¡± she told the sleeping Brendis, and sighed, before getting up to wash out the vanished mage¡¯s cup. ¡°But I think I like him, even being odd.¡±

 Girl Talk

    ¡°It is very odd to discuss court matters with someone who knows none of the people I¡¯m talking about.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good though. It means you can say whatever you like without worrying about my telling them.¡±

    Queen Calliope was back at Raeca¡¯s little house, drinking tea and looking like she carried the world on her shoulders.

    Raeca was trying to help with that, one short visit at a time. On this occasion, it meant braiding the queen¡¯s hair out of her face and handing her a sweet-scented pot of herbs and clay to rub over her skin.

    Brendis slept, wounded yet again, in the next room over. Calliope arrived only hours after Raeca finished putting the hero back together for the seventh time in as many months.

    This time, apparently, he had found an ogre. Brendis was not having a particularly good winter.

    Raeca was beginning to seriously worry that he had some sort of bad luck spell on him. It was possible that Calliope did as well, considering the troubles she inevitably seemed to have with her Court.

    ¡°This looks like pond-scum,¡± Calliope told her with a wry smile on her lips as she eyed the ointment. Despite her words, she began smoothing the greyish mixture over her face. ¡°What is it for?¡±

    ¡°For relaxing you,¡± Raeca said with a smile as she tied off the simple braid with a bit of string. ¡°It will make your skin very soft, but also, you can¡¯t leave until it dries, and you wash it off.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a filthy cheater,¡± Calliope laughed, and handed the pot back. ¡°I do have to be back tonight. A number of problems have come up, and I suspect it will take royal authority to settle them.¡±

    That brought Raeca up short, although she hid it by rising to put away the little jar with the rest of her ointments.

    The journals Haroun brought her were¡­ interesting. The Dark Sword was a dedicated journalist who wrote down everything he experienced over a dozen lifetimes and more than a thousand years.

    His hatred for the queen knew no bounds. The woman in his journals was cruel and clever. She had lived as long as the other two, and perfected the art of ruling, and of manipulation. The few lives she wasn¡¯t born in the noble class, she quickly married, and murdered, her way back onto the throne.

    Brendis was another matter. Raeca was surprised to find that the Dark one seemed almost¡­ sad on the rare times he wrote of the hero who inevitably rose to challenge him. Like it hurt to have to fight his former friend, over and over.

    ¡°What sort of problems?¡± she asked, burying her thoughts for now. It was impossible to take the Dark Sword¡¯s journals as the unvarnished truth, but at the same time, they were what he saw as the truth. ¡°Nobles?¡±

    ¡°Nobles,¡± Calliope said, and leaned back in her chair, cradling her tea between her palms. ¡°A petty feud between several houses. I tried to diffuse it in my last life, but the Dark Sword came for me before I could truly bring peace.¡±Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Raeca told her, because she was, but she wasn¡¯t sure what else to say. ¡°What sort of feud?¡±

    ¡°Sons of their two houses decided to fall in love,¡± Calliope said, her lips now twisting with distaste. ¡°Perhaps if one of them had been female, it could have been settled with a marriage, but now the Temple is involved.¡±

    That didn¡¯t sound good. The way she said it, with a sort of finality, made Raeca worry about the two young men.

    ¡°What will you do?¡± she asked slowly, and refilled the kettle with clean, cold water to give herself time to think. ¡°Will you help them? They couldn¡¯t help falling in love, could they?¡±

    ¡°I must satisfy he Temple,¡± Calliope murmured, and sipped her tea. The weight of her eyes fell between Raeca¡¯s shoulders. ¡°You disapprove? The Temple is very powerful. Even if the young lords¡¯ families were in favor, and they are not, I would have to think of the greater good.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what to think,¡± Raeca said honestly. She rummaged through her herbs until she found the ones she wanted. It was true that the Temple was powerful. According to the Dark Sword¡¯s journals, that was largely the queen¡¯s doing, and they considered her some sort of Gods-sent saint. ¡°Can you not talk them around?¡±

    ¡°The young couple, their families, or the Temple?¡±

    ¡°Any of them,¡± Raeca said, and brought the kettle back to the table with her. ¡°What will happen to the lords? It¡¯s rare, but there are some who wed their own, isn¡¯t there?¡±

    ¡°The Temple takes a very dim view of it,¡± Calliope said strictly, and looked down into her tea. ¡°And their families are screaming for blood to soothe their wounded honor.¡±

    ¡°But you¡¯re the queen,¡± Raeca tried to reason with Calliope and refilled both their cups even as the queen went to the sink and washed the now-dry mud off her face with a sigh. The potion did precisely as it was supposed to, and left her skin soft and flawless. ¡°And you said a wedding might unite the houses. Do that.¡±

    ¡°You do not know of what you speak,¡± Calliope said sharply, straightening proudly under the slim circlet that never left her head. Suddenly it wasn¡¯t the belabored friend who stood there, but The Queen. ¡°You are nothing but a village healer, Raeca. Navigating my court is entirely beyond you.¡±

    Raeca reeled back like she¡¯d been slapped and couldn¡¯t keep the hurt off her face. Until now, Calliope had always seemed to welcome her thoughts on the court and the nobles who ran it. It was so easy to forget that her friend was a queen, and not only a queen, but one with many years of experience settling matters of the court.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she murmured, eyes wide as Calliope stared her down. Shame made her hunch her shoulders and she dropped her gaze to the floor, reeling inside. ¡°It just¡­ love should be encouraged, shouldn¡¯t it? It¡¯s all that stands against the darkness, when it seems like sunrise will never come again.¡±

    ¡°You could not understand,¡± Calliope murmured, and smiled sadly as she softened again. She reached out and cupped Raeca¡¯s cheek with one soft hand. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, my friend. I should not have snapped. I forget that you are very young. We may look of an age, but I have centuries of these little problems behind me.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Raeca told her, and reached out to hug her friend gently. Calliope tensed, and relaxed almost before Raeca could notice it. ¡°But please think on what I said. Love is what carries us through the hard times. Like you and Brendis.¡±

    ¡°My steadfast hero,¡± Calliope said, and turned her eyes on the room where Brendis slept, bandaged, but healing. She sank back down into her chair and lifted her tea once more. ¡°I will think on it, Raeca. You may be young, but your heart is truer than you know. Guard that power carefully, lest someone learn of it, and seek to burn it out of you.¡±

    ¡°I have faith in my friends,¡± Raeca said, despite the chill that filled her stomach and sat there like an anchor. The words seemed very ominous. ¡°Besides, you were right¡­ I¡¯m only a village healer. I don¡¯t matter. Not really.¡±

    ¡°You matter more than you think,¡± Calliope murmured, and poured more tea for them both. ¡°Enough of the dark and the sadness. The last time I was here, your shepherd friend was mooning over the pretty innkeeper¡¯s daughter. Has he gotten up the courage to speak with her?¡±

 History Past

    Brendis was not, all things considered, an easy patient. He was used to activity, and intelligent enough to get bored quickly, so when he was in Raeca¡¯s care, she watched him like a hawk.

    And also did her best to keep him occupied, because if she didn¡¯t, he would occupy himself and get into trouble.

    A small part of her was sick of seeing him so often. She hated that she knew his habits so well. Usually when she healed someone, she expected them to stay healed, at least for a while.

    Not Brendis.

    This week, it was bandits.

    Human ones, at least. Brendis found out they were bothering a village a few miles down the road and went to do something about it.

    He came back triumphant, but full of arrows.

    At least he got himself back to her this time. Although Raeca enjoyed Haroun¡¯s visits, she preferred the ones that were not accompanied by Brendis being half-dead.

    ¡°If you do not get back into bed,¡± she said menacingly, and privately enjoyed the way the Hero¡¯s eyes widened in sudden alarm. ¡°I will knock you out and put you there myself.¡±

    ¡°That seems somewhat ambitious,¡± Brendis said, although he eyed her like he was considering her actual ability to do just that. ¡°A whole troop of bandits just failed to drop me.¡±

    ¡°A whole troop of bandits without a single capable healer among them,¡± Raeca told him flatly. ¡°You aren¡¯t fast enough to dodge me right now and trying will pop your stitches. Again.¡±

    He considered his options and her decidedly militant face, and deflated. ¡°Can I sit at the table at least?¡±

    Give him an inch and he would take a mile, but Raeca knew he was sick of the bed and wanted to move around a little.

    ¡°If you budge from that spot for anything but the privy or bed, I will drop you and have Mitso carry you up the stairs,¡± she warned him, and went to get a bowl of soup and bread for them both. If he was up anyway, he might as well eat, and he had lost a good bit of blood.

    Too late, she realized that she had left the most recent of the Dark Sorcerer¡¯s journals on the table. There was no way to get it before he saw it, and hurrying would catch his interest faster than ignoring it.

    Well, she had wanted to talk to him about it. Hopefully he wouldn¡¯t be too angry.

    ¡°What is this?¡± Brendis asked curiously, and picked up the old, leather-bound book. Simple spells kept the pages intact over the years, but its¡¯ age was apparent the moment he touched it. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you liked to read. I would have brought¡­¡±

    Raeca winced when his words trailed off. All but the first three of the journals were in Common, but the sorcerer¡¯s name and vocational notes were in the Desert tongue, and Raeca couldn¡¯t read them.

    Brendis almost certainly could.

    ¡°Where did you get this?¡± He asked softly, tone completely even. Raeca turned around and set the soup in front of him before taking a seat herself.

    ¡°Someone brought it to me,¡± she said softly. ¡°I see so much of you, and Queen Calliope that I wanted to know more about¡­ about everything. Including the Dark Sorcerer. There are dozens of these journals, across all of his lives.¡±

    Brendis considered her words as he paged through the journal slowly. This particular journal covered the last half of the Dark Sorcerer¡¯s fifth life. One of the few where he outlived the other two.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°We were best friends,¡± he murmured, so quiet that Raeca wondered if he knew he was speaking. He rarely looked his true age, the survivor of a hundred lives, all tied to the same, brutal fight. Now, the weight of all those lives and all that grief bore down like they might crush him. ¡°In our first lives. Our fathers were friends, but it wasn¡¯t until I took the blade and he the spell that we met.¡±

    ¡°Will you tell me about him?¡± Raeca asked tentatively, surprised and pleased that he was taking the whole thing so calmly. ¡°About the Dark Sorcerer? No one ever talks about him. Even Haroun doesn¡¯t use his name.¡±

    It was the wrong thing to say.

    ¡°He was here?¡± Brendis demanded, and Raeca raised her hands peaceably even as her heart began to pound. ¡°When?¡±

    ¡°He comes by about once a week for tea,¡± she said with a small bit of confusion, although she supposed it was reasonable. Haroun did say they weren¡¯t friends.

    She had never seen this side of Brendis, although it was almost certainly the last thing a great many monsters ever saw.

    ¡°What business could he possibly have here?¡± Brendis stood, and Raeca fixed him with a stern glare despite her nerves. He was in no condition to be storming around. ¡°How did he find you?¡±

    ¡°He brought you to me,¡± Raeca said, and pointed meaningfully at his chair. Angry or no, he could sit or go back to bed, and nothing else. ¡°You had been ambushed and poisoned. He helped me save your life that time, and again not much later.¡±

    ¡°I thought I made it to you alone,¡± The fight seemed to drain out of him all at once as he stared at her, shock apparently enough to derail his anger. ¡°He¡­ he brought me here?¡±

    ¡°He did, and immediately helped me save your life,¡± Raeca repeated, and leaned back, her hands around her mug of tea. ¡°I don¡¯t know much about poisons. If he hadn¡¯t helped me burn it out of you, you would have died. He told me you weren¡¯t friends, but I¡¯ve never seen someone go so far out of their way to save an enemy.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know who he is,¡± Brendis said slowly, watching her with something like awe. ¡°You shelter me, and taught Calliope to spin, and you don¡¯t realize?¡±

    ¡°Calliope doesn¡¯t like to talk about your history,¡± Raeca pointed out, although she was starting to feel like she had been very dim. ¡°You spend most of your time here sleeping, and no one else knows anything about the three of you except half-remembered stories and a song here and there.¡±

    He had to concede that and thrust his sword back into the scabbard with a sigh.

    ¡°He really saved my life?¡±

    ¡°Twice,¡± Raeca told him, and pointed at his soup. If he could talk, he could eat. ¡°The second time, I talked him into staying for tea. He¡¯s been teaching me magic.¡±

    ¡°You bribed him with honey cakes.¡±

    ¡°I bribed him with honey cakes.¡±

    Finally the hero cracked a faint smile and began eating.

    ¡°He loves honey cakes,¡± Brendis said after a minute of thought. His smile grew a little stronger. ¡°In our first life, when we were children, we would steal them from his father¡¯s kitchens.¡±

    ¡°Why are you still enemies?¡± Raeca had to ask, even as she went to get a tray of those same honey cakes for Brendis. He loved them too, and like Haroun, wouldn¡¯t admit it for anything. ¡°You sound¡­ you sound like you were close. Like maybe you still are.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the prophesy,¡± Brendis murmured, although he did take a cake. ¡°It hangs over us like an executioner¡¯s axe. One will turn on Two, and the Two must defeat the One. Refusing to fight doesn¡¯t help. I tried that, once. Refused to fight. Lived my life in a cottage, at the edge of a small village.¡±

    ¡°What happened?¡± Raeca asked gently. ¡°Did you at least have a few more years?¡±

    ¡°Haroun died first, in that life,¡± Brendis recalled, his brow furrowed with effort. ¡°I think Calliope outlived me, but I¡¯m not sure. Just as the war ended, I woke to an assassin¡¯s knife in my ribs. The last thing I remember is screams and fire outside my window. When I went back in my next life, my village was gone, razed to the ground and everyone who lived there was dead.¡±

    ¡°Do you think it was Haroun?¡± Raeca wasn¡¯t so sure. The man in the journals was harsh, and a born ruler. But a massacre didn¡¯t seem to be his style. The man teaching her magic was too fond of his books and magic to be the ruthless warlord of the stories.

    Poor Brendis. He carried such horror in his life. It was a wonder he was as sane as he was. Small wonder Haroun was always so troubled. He shared that burden. At least Brendis and Calliope had each other.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never known,¡± Brendis admitted reluctantly. ¡°In a few lives we were almost friends again. We have lived so long that other threats do sometimes rise and must be handled. Like it or not, he is still the best mage I know.¡±

    ¡°Tell me about it,¡± Raeca suggested gently, and stood to get them both more tea. ¡°I have his journals, and apparently him to explain them, and I would like your side as well.¡±

    Brendis considered her for a while. Long enough for the tea to be hot again and for her to pour them both another cup.

    ¡°Why not?¡± he decided at last. ¡°Perhaps you will see something we haven¡¯t, being too wrapped up in our curse all these years.¡±

    ¡°Maybe,¡± Raeca shrugged. She doubted it would go that far. She was a village healer, not one of the Wise. ¡°Either way, maybe it will help to tell someone.¡±

    ¡°Maybe so,¡± he agreed, and smiled faintly. ¡°Three thousand years ago, I was born a noble, Haroun a prince, and Calliope a princess, and we met because our fathers were friends.¡±

 Dizzy Spell

    ¡°Sit down, shut up, and let Mitso bandage your stupid bleeding head!¡±

    It was possible that Raeca was running out of patience, but in her defense, Brendis had once again showed up on her doorstep, terribly injured.

    In a reversal of their usual situation, Haroun leaned heavily on him, conscious, but bleeding badly from what looked like a fairly significant blow to the head.

    And now the impossible mage was refusing to sit and worse, thought he could safely teleport when he was too dizzy to even stand.

    At least Brendis was being good, but that was mostly because Raeca was in the process of sewing up what was left of his leg.

    Between his own natural healing, and her magic, he would recover, but anyone else would have lost the limb.

    ¡°¡®Roun, you might as well listen to her,¡± Brendis said, drugged heavily enough to kill the worst of the pain, and somewhat loopy because of it. ¡°It¡¯s not like you don¡¯t trust her, yeah?¡±

    ¡°I am fine,¡± Haroun protested, and tried to stand. He keeled sideways, and only Mitso¡¯s quick hands kept him from disaster. ¡°I¡ª I will be¡­¡±

    Raeca was going to slap him.

    Damn it all, she was going to have to heal him first and then slap him.

    ¡°Mitso, trade places with me,¡± she decided. Brendis was almost done, and Mitso was perfectly capable of sewing him back together while she dealt with the Dark Sorcerer¡¯s bleeding head. ¡°And you¡­¡±

    Mitso was chuckling under his breath as he took over for her. Raeca passed the needle and suture thread into his care and rounded on Haroun.

    There was something very satisfying about how wide his eyes got as she advanced on him with intent.

    His pupils were not the same size, but he did sit, which was good, because he was too tall for her otherwise.

    ¡°I do not care who you are,¡± she hissed as she washed her hands, grabbed a clean cloth and water, and got to work cleaning the blood off his face. ¡°I do not care that you are the Dark Sorcerer, or that you are three thousand years old, or that you are powerful enough to vaporize my whole house if you get annoyed enough.¡±

    Haroun froze under her hands and Raeca belatedly remembered that he didn¡¯t actually know that she knew who he really was.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    She was also too annoyed with him to much care.

    ¡°If you are under my roof,¡± she continued, and ignored the way both Mitso and Brendis were laughing at them. ¡°And you are injured, I expect you to sit still and let me help you. Do you understand me?¡±

    ¡°You look just like my daughter when you¡¯re angry.¡±

    The reply was not what she was expecting and brought Raeca up short, although she didn¡¯t stop washing the blood off his face. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°My daughter,¡± Haroun repeated with a faint smile. ¡°From my twenty-second life. You look just like her when you holler.¡±

    ¡°¡­You are more concussed than I thought,¡± Raeca told him flatly, and pressed a hand to his head. Under his teachings, she was becoming quite a good healer, and his concussion faded under her touch. ¡°Better?¡±

    ¡°Much better,¡± he admitted, and smiled in a way that made him look very young and a little sad. ¡°But you do look like my daughter when you are irritated with me. I suppose I shouldn¡¯t be surprised. You¡¯re out of my line, after all.¡±

    Raeca blinked, taken completely off guard by the off handed comment. ¡°¡­what?¡±

    ¡°You are one of my descendants,¡± Haroun said, and tilted his head thoughtfully. ¡°Admittedly, it has been nearly two thousand years, give or take, but I keep track of my line. There are fewer of my blood than you might think.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what to say,¡± Raeca stuttered, and looked over at Mitso. Her old mentor was calm and collected as ever, and suspiciously unsurprised. ¡°You knew?¡±

    ¡°I guessed,¡± Mitso admitted with a shrug. ¡°Better not to come out and say it. Tends to bring attention we¡¯d rather not have.¡±

    His strict gaze landed on Haroun, who nodded solemnly. Brendis watched them all, curious and interested.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know,¡± he defended himself when Raeca turned her annoyed gaze on him. He raised a hand defensively. ¡°And neither does Calliope!¡±

    ¡°You keep it that way,¡± Haroun pointed at him, deadly intent in his voice. ¡°The White Queen is as lethal as a scorpion in the bed, and jealous to boot. She barely tolerates Raeca¡¯s existence in your life as it is.¡±

    ¡°¡¯Roun, she isn¡¯t like that,¡± Brendis protested, and tried to sit up. Surprises and shock aside, Raeca wasn¡¯t about to allow that, and pushed him back down. ¡°She wouldn¡¯t¡ª¡±

    ¡°She would, and has many times over,¡± Haroun cut him off shortly. ¡°It certainly isn¡¯t me killing off any woman you happen to fall in love with. I think a roll in the hay would do you some good.¡±

    ¡°I would like not to be killed by anyone,¡± Raeca decided before Brendis could answer. The Dark Sorcerer¡¯s many-times-great granddaughter. Who would have thought? Not her. ¡°And I think it is long, very long, past time for you two to work things out between you.¡±

    ¡°He murdered me!¡± Brendis protested and tried to sit up again. Raeca stared him back down. He might be bandaged, but he was a long way from whole. ¡°Repeatedly!¡±

    ¡°You gave me a knife in the throat for my coming-of-age,¡± Haroun grumbled mutinously and went to rise. Raeca preemptively raised a brow, daring him to cross her, and he sank back into his chair. ¡°I was angry!¡±

    ¡°You murdered Calliope too!¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s done worse to me!¡±

    They glared at each other and Raeca sighed. She caught Mitso¡¯s eye and smiled faintly. ¡°Thank you, I can handle them from here.¡±

    ¡°I believe you can,¡± he said with a very amused twinkle in his eye. ¡°Good luck.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± she said, and held the door for him as the two men continued arguing. ¡°I think I may need it to untangle this mess.¡±

 Herbs and String

    When Raeca saw Brendis again, he was dressed in robes from the desert, and for once, he wasn¡¯t bleeding.

    On reflex, she went for her growing collection of poisons, and their antidotes. If she couldn¡¯t see what was wrong with him, there had to be something she couldn¡¯t see.

    ¡°Raeca, Raeca I¡¯m fine,¡± he laughed and caught her hand before she could make it to the locked little cabinet. She stared at him, now more alarmed, because ¡®I¡¯m fine¡¯ on Brendis almost always meant ¡®I¡¯m dying but don¡¯t want to admit it¡¯ and she didn¡¯t want to have to save his life today. ¡°Really! I don¡¯t have anything worse than bruises; I promise!¡±

    Raeca eyed him suspiciously, because the only time she ever saw Brendis was when he was halfway through Death¡¯s door, and she had to drag him back to the living.

    He didn¡¯t look injured.

    When she cast her magic around him like a net, she discovered several new charms. They ¡®felt¡¯ like Haroun, which was surprising, but good to see. Fortunately, it turned out that Brendis really was alright. His bruises were minor at the worst and looked very much like someone had thwapped him with a staff at least once.

    Haroun, no doubt.

    And to think the pair of them thought they were enemies. Really. Men.

    ¡°You really are fine,¡± she said with some surprise. ¡°Not that I¡¯m not glad to see, you, but why are you here?¡±

    ¡°I brought presents!¡± he said cheerfully and pulled several small wrapped packages out of his pack. ¡°You¡¯re always taking care of me and you never ask for anything in return.¡±

    Raeca tilted her head and took the presents as he pressed them into her hands. When she pulled away the wrappings, she discovered bottle upon bottle of rare desert herbs and oils. The sort of thing that never came as far north as their own capital, let alone her little village.

    ¡°These are worth their weight in rubies!¡± she yelped when she started reading labels and realized precisely what he had brought her. ¡°Brendis, I can¡¯t accept this!¡±

    ¡°Of course you can,¡± he said, and took the precious bottles out of her hands to be put away. ¡°You¡¯ve put me back together a dozen times and managed to get me and ¡®Roun talking again for the first time in centuries.¡±

    ¡°That was you,¡± Raeca protested, still staring at the wealth of new components and medicines. ¡°And I¡¯m a healer. I take care of everyone who comes through my door.¡±

    ¡°Indeed you do,¡± Brendis agreed, smiling softly at her in a way that did something funny to her heart. ¡°But I don¡¯t know anyone who could scold me, and chase Haroun around even knowing who he is, and come out of it having somehow healed the bond between us.¡±

    ¡°The only thing wrong with your bond was you both being stupid,¡± Raeca told him bluntly as she herded him outside towards her garden and the warm, sweet-scented herbs that grew there. Beyond the garden she had four hives of bees, all buzzing excitedly at the height of summer. ¡°If you stopped to talk it out, you would have settled things years ago.¡±

    ¡°But we didn¡¯t,¡± Brendis persisted, and held a basket for her as she cut handfuls of herbs for drying. ¡°I don¡¯t even know if we could. It seemed that every time we tried, every time we were somehow on the same side, something would happen to rip us apart again.¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    ¡°Haroun says it¡¯s Calliope doing it,¡± Raeca pointed out, her hands full of heady rosemary and lavender. ¡°I don¡¯t know what to think.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t either,¡± Brendis admitted quietly, and sat nearby as she worked. ¡°I wish I could say I don¡¯t believe him, but there are things¡­ my memories aren¡¯t straight, you know? I remember people, but I don¡¯t always remember when I met them, or which life it was, but Calliope, she always knows.¡±

    ¡°Does she remember before you?¡±

    ¡°Usually. It¡¯s the prophesy that triggers the memories of Before. The first time we hear it, we remember. Because she¡¯s always born noble, she hears the songs and legends before I do. I don¡¯t know about Haroun.¡±

    ¡°He carved a message to himself in the Mage Academy.¡± Raeca actually knew the answer to that one. She was well into Haroun¡¯s journals. ¡°For when he starts his magical training. Everyone reads it, but the message only means something to him. As soon as he sees it, he knows where to find his journals.¡±

    ¡°Figures that he¡¯s so organized about it,¡± Brendis complained, but he was smiling. ¡°I should have known. Anyway, I¡¯ve never asked Calliope how she does it. She gets¡­ very uncomfortable when we talk about our prophesy. I learned to leave it alone.¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem healthy,¡± Raeca murmured. ¡°But you aren¡¯t sure? About what he says I mean?¡±

    ¡°It was one thing he said that struck a little too close to home,¡± he said, and came over to help when Raeca started binding bundles of leaves with string to dry. ¡°About Calliope.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡±

    ¡°That she¡¯s jealous.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    That really wasn¡¯t a surprise, honestly. Raeca had seen it for herself in the possessive way the queen talked about Brendis.

    He was always hers, and the queen didn¡¯t hesitate to make that point painfully, pointedly, clear.

    Even to Raeca. Especially to Raeca, in fact, for all that she came at the topic more delicately than she could have.

    It was true that Raeca was in love with Brendis. He was easy to love, especially like this, calm and cheerful in her garden.

    ¡°Well,¡± she said, and let that thought go into the gentle summer breeze. There was no point in hanging up her hopes on a hero who already had a Destined Love. ¡°Can you ask her? I mean, she wants out of your prophesy too, right?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Brendis said quietly, and stole a few more ties for the herbs. ¡°She¡¯s never been¡­ I don¡¯t know. The Temple worships her, and she always seems to hesitate when the prophesy comes up.¡±

    ¡°You think maybe she likes the power?¡±

    ¡°I think I can¡¯t say that she doesn¡¯t and that¡¯s what makes me wonder. She¡¯s killed Haroun often enough, and never showed him mercy, even when she could have.¡±

    ¡°Is immortality that heady?¡±

    That got a snort of laughter out of him, and he shrugged off his long robe. ¡°I don¡¯t think so, but I¡¯m usually born poor, and spend most of my time dying for the cause. You know the oldest I¡¯ve ever been was thirty-four?¡±

    Only six years older than he was now. Barely old enough to settle down and have some peace. ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Mm. I outlived the other two that time. It was three¡ª no four, lives ago. I don¡¯t even know who died first. One of them managed to collapse the castle, and they both died before I could get to them.¡±

    Raeca looked down at her herb-stained hands and let herself grieve for them. All three of them. No one deserved that kind of tragedy. ¡°But you lived?¡±

    ¡°I made it eight years,¡± Brendis said, and smiled fondly at the memories of that life, years long past. ¡°Eight years of quiet. Just hunting monsters. The occasional bandit troop. I built a house.¡±

    ¡°Is it still there?¡± It had been a long time, but it was possible. ¡°Your home?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± his smile got sad around the edges again. ¡°By the time I came around again, it was gone. Burned, like all the other places I¡¯ve loved.¡±

    Like death, fire haunted him. Sometimes, especially in their earlier lives, it was Haroun¡¯s work.

    Now she was beginning to wonder. Too many things just didn¡¯t add up. If it wasn¡¯t Haroun killing Brendis, it had to be someone else, and there was only one person who had the very long memory needed for that sort of grudge.

    There were people in this world who could fight and win against immense odds.

    Raeca wasn¡¯t one of those. She was one of the people who helped her hero stay sane while he battled against evil and fought to find some sense of home.

    Some battles couldn¡¯t be fought with a sword.

    ¡°Come inside,¡± she said, rather than voice that particular thought. If she said it out loud, it would be real, and if it was real¡­ ¡°I was planning to make soup, but if you go get me a bird, I¡¯ll make us a proper dinner.¡±

 Burning Oil

    The door came off the hinges with a thunderous crash.

    Raeca shrieked and lunged backwards, instinctively raising her broom to meet whatever had destroyed her door so suddenly. Her back hit the cabinets behind her. There was nowhere to run, and she could hear someone coming in the back door just as violently.

    Men in full armor poured in, wearing the tabard of the Golden Temple¡¯s private elite. They each carried heavy shields that fitted together into a seamless wall, and maces engraved with holy symbols, so powerful that Raeca could barely look at them.

    The leader stepped forward, magnificent in his golden armor, the falling star of the Temple emblazoned across his white tabard. ¡°Are you Healer Raeca?¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡± Raeca said, a deep, sinking feeling starting to fill her chest. The Temple was not generally known for showing up in force. The rare times they did, nothing good followed. ¡°Are you injured, m¡¯lord? I can help¡ª¡±

    ¡°Have you seen this man?¡± He interrupted her and brandished a much-folded, hastily drawn portrait of Haroun.

    Raeca hesitated. She was reluctant to lie to these soldiers. Rumor had it that they could smell a lie from ten miles off. Still, she was even more reluctant to give up her friend to people who clearly meant him no good.

    ¡°A few times,¡± she compromised carefully and wondered if she could get to the little alarm-spell Haroun carved into her doorway. She had a very nasty feeling about these men, and there was no way she could take them on. ¡°Brendis, the Hero, comes to me for healing sometimes. I¡¯ve seen them together once or twice.¡±

    Not a word of it a lie. She really had only seen Haroun and Brendis together a few times.

    ¡°Do you know who he is?¡± The captain demanded. He stepped into her space menacingly. Raeca did her best not to flinch as the other soldiers began hunting through her small house, leading a trail of chaos in their wake. ¡°Tell me!¡±The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    ¡°Yes, I know who he is,¡± Raeca said, and lunged forward in time to keep a whole basket of fragile vials from hitting the floor. ¡°Stop! I promise you, no one larger than a child could fit in my herb cabinets!¡±

    ¡°You have been consorting with the Dark Sorcerer,¡± the captain said, and wrapped one gauntleted hand around her wrist, punishingly tight even as his men continued ripping her house apart. ¡°You are guilty of treason.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not!¡± Raeca protested and struggled to get away. Bruises formed under his hand as he held on tighter, and she gave up before he could break her wrist. ¡°Queen Calliope is here all the time! So is Brendis! They can tell you!¡±

    ¡°The Queen is aware of your traitorous ways,¡± the captain said, and began to drag her outside. ¡°Her heart is broken to know that one she thought a friend is plotting with the Great Evil.¡±

    ¡°He brought Brendis to me!¡± Raeca began to struggle again as true fear swamped her. ¡°I didn¡¯t know who he was!¡±

    ¡°But you did not tell the Queen when you found out,¡± the captain said, and snapped his fingers. His soldiers began to file out of the house. ¡°The Golden Temple has only one punishment for treason against the Great Queen.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t betray Calliope! I never would!¡±

    He backhanded her, and Raeca fell to the ground, dizzy. Her cheek burned, and she felt the itch of blood trailing down her chin.

    ¡°Burn it,¡± he commanded without looking at her. ¡°The profane lair of a traitor must be cleansed.¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Raeca tried to run forward and was easily captured. Tears ran down her cheeks and burned across her cut. ¡°Please don¡¯t!¡±

    ¡°You will not need it again,¡± the captain said, righteous pride in his voice. ¡°Indeed, you will never need anything again, by the time the sun sets.¡±

    One of the soldiers went inside, and very shortly after, smoke billowed out the door and windows. When he came back out, Raeca saw flames behind him. When the dark smoke blew into her face, she caught the scent of oil and wax.

    Her home. The home of a dozen healers before her. All her materials and ingredients.

    The haven of two men who had so little else in their lives to keep them sane.

    The runes on the door lintel were close, and Raeca reached for them, hoping that, if nothing else, they would tell Haroun what happened to her.

    The captain was faster than she was, and hauled her back, hand brutally tight on her arm. Raeca fought, or tried to, but she was no warrior, and no battle mage. She could no nothing against this soldier captain, who wore his armor lightly, and moved like the souls of the damned were in his shadow.

    But she tried, beating at his chest with her free hand, weeping and struggling, and all for nothing.

    ¡°Silence her,¡± he commanded shortly. Raeca barely had time to hear him, before something heavy hit the back of her head, and she knew nothing more.

 Ancient Alliance

    ¡°Tell me she¡¯s with you.¡±

    Haroun looked up when Brendis slammed in through the throne room doors. The hero was dressed in full armor and had his sword in hand, but Haroun rather doubted he was planning to use it.

    Brendis was many things, but he had never enjoyed random violence. Much more of a ¡®directed intent¡¯ sort of person. Haroun appreciated that about him, all things considered.

    With a gesture, he held off the guards. None of them would stand a chance against Brendis in a real fight. Particularly when the hero was spoiling for a brawl.

    ¡°It would help,¡± he said, and traded nods with the king. Kef was a good ruler, and Haroun was happy to support his reign, but this was a matter between the oldest of friends. ¡°If you told me which ¡®she¡¯ we were discussing.¡±

    There were several possibilities, but Haroun had a sinking feeling deep in his chest. One that only ever heralded terrible things.

    ¡°Raeca,¡± Brendis confirmed, and seemed to realize that Haroun was listening intently. He put away his sword and came over to Haroun¡¯s side. ¡°Her house; it¡¯s been burned to the ground, and there¡¯s no sign of her anywhere.¡±

    ¡°She wasn¡¯t¡ª¡±

    ¡°In the house? No. I looked.¡±

    There was immeasurable pain in his old friend¡¯s eyes. Haroun understood. There was little worse than searching for the body of a loved one in the bones of a burned home.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    He had done it far too many times over his many lives.

    Calliope had a real fondness for fire. It was one of his least favorite things about her.

    ¡°Any idea what happened?¡± he asked instead, and took Brendis through a doorway into his private study. The room was quiet and cooled by water that flowed in a channel around the edges of the room to combat the heat. ¡°Besides the obvious, I mean.¡±

    ¡°Mitso saw soldiers going up that way,¡± Brendis tugged off his armor quickly and collapsed into a chair. He looked tired, and sad. ¡°About thirty, all told. More than Raeca could fight.¡±

    ¡°If Raeca could fight at all,¡± Haroun said bitterly. He tried to teach their healer the art of defensive magic, but without success. ¡°She doesn¡¯t have the heart to harm anyone, even to save herself.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s too good for any of us,¡± Brendis agreed. All the fight flowed out of him at once and he scrubbed a hand through his dirty brown hair. ¡°It was Calliope.¡±

    ¡°Likely, yes,¡± Haroun said quietly. He began loading components into the pouches on his belt, readying for a true fight. Calliope was never easy prey, and harder when she was backed into the castle-lair she built over the centuries. She killed him more times than he cared to admit, mostly in the walls of that cursed-white castle. ¡°You love her.¡±

    ¡°Calliope?¡± Brendis looked up, hurt and anger in his eyes. ¡°No. Not for a dozen lives or more.¡±

    Well, well. Brendis finally came up with some good sense. That was unexpected. It was about bloody time, in absolute honestly.

    ¡°Raeca,¡± Haroun corrected with a sigh of resignation. How did Brendis ever survive without him? ¡°You¡¯re in love with Raeca.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Brendis blinked, winced, and fiddled with his sword awkwardly before looking anywhere but Haroun. ¡°Yes. For almost a year now.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I thought,¡± Haroun said, and rolled his eyes. Idiot. Best friends they might be, but there was no question which of them was the smart one, and it wasn¡¯t Brendis. ¡°Alright, Hero. Let¡¯s go get your lady back, and maybe kill Calliope while we¡¯re at it.¡±

 The Queens Hall

    ¡°How did it come to this?¡±

    Raeca was immeasurably sad as she looked up at Calliope. The queen was gowned in white silk that glittered with diamonds like stardust. Her sleeves trailed down on either side of the throne, and her crown shone with its¡¯ own light where it rested in her ornately styled hair.

    The woman she taught to spin and laughed with as they sat in the sun and did the mending together. The woman who delighted in fresh honey-cakes, and was exhausted by her court, but still tried so hard to rule them well.

    The queen, who was as cold and cruel as a dagger made of ice.

    ¡°You dare question your queen?¡±

    Calliope¡¯s captain, the same man who dragged Raeca out of her house and burned it, raised his hand, ready to give her a new bruise to match the others that were his doing. He enjoyed his work, and was completely devoted to his queen, and her Temple.

    ¡°Enough,¡± Calliope stopped him before the blow could land even as Raeca cowered away, aching and terrified. ¡°Leave us.¡±

    ¡°My queen¡ª¡±

    ¡°Now.¡±

    If it was anyone else giving the order, he might have refused, but Calliope was the White Queen. If she gave a command, it was to be followed.

    Raeca tried to pull herself together, miserably aware of the deep bruise that colored her face, and the dirt that was ground into her torn dress. Here at Calliope¡¯s feet, with the queen polished down to her perfect fingernails, Raeca felt tattered inside and out.

    ¡°You wonder how it came to this,¡± Calliope said casually, and leaned forward on her throne, the carved gold lighting her dress as the late sun hit it. ¡°How it came that I would have you brought here. How I would demand an explanation for your betrayal of me.¡±

    ¡°I never betrayed you,¡± Raeca protested, and struggled to her feet, chains around her wrists and ankles clanking heavily as she moved. ¡°We were¡ª we are friends.¡±

    ¡°A friend who consorts with my greatest and most ruthless enemy,¡± Calliope¡¯s voice snapped like a whip, and she finally stood, haloed by rainbows from the diamonds sewn onto her gown. The white silk pooled around her feet and formed a cascading train behind her as she stepped down off her golden throne. ¡°A friend who seeks to steal what is mine.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t¡ª¡± Raeca started, and Calliope raised a hand. Magic burst forth like rays of the sun and blasted Raeca into a marble pillar so hard that she couldn¡¯t breathe through the pain. ¡°Calliope, please¡­¡±

    ¡°You will henceforth address me as Your Majesty,¡± Calliope hissed poisonously, and flicked her hand again. Raeca screamed as magic threw her across the room and into another pillar. ¡°Oh, but I see you do not understand, poor little country wretch. Very well. I will explain.¡±Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    She knelt beside Raeca like a falling feather and buried her hand in Raeca¡¯s loose dark hair until Raeca was forced to look up at her.

    ¡°You consort with Haroun,¡± she hissed, and threw Raeca aside like she was nothing more than a bit of trash. ¡°Heal him after I do my best to end his evil. You even learn from him, knowing that he is the Dark Sorcerer, and my enemy. But worst, worst of all, you dare to love Brendis.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Raeca whispered through tears of pain and fear as she tried to get up. She didn¡¯t think anything was broken, but everything hurt, and she was terribly dizzy. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to fall in love with him.¡±

    ¡°You confess,¡± Calliope swept up onto her throne again and draped herself across it, perfect and controlled in everything she did. ¡°You confess to stealing from me. To plotting against me. To the evil that the Dark Sorcerer placed into your heart.¡±

    ¡°There is no evil in my heart,¡± Raeca tried to defend herself, and struggled to her feet. ¡°But if my crime is giving sanctuary to a man when he came in need of help and loving him for being good despite everything he has lived through, than yes, I confess.¡±

    Anger helped her straighten, proud even though she might die whenever Calliope grew tired of her. At least she would not go to her grave without having defended herself as best she could.

    ¡°And if another man came to me,¡± she continued, glad to see Calliope¡¯s eyes widen ever-so-slightly as she stepped forward, chains dragging behind her. ¡°Beaten down under years of grief, and mourning the brother he lost long ago, and I gave him what peace I could, than I am guilty of that as well.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m glad to have a confession from you. It makes this easier,¡± Calliope¡¯s lips curled into a cruel, hard smile and she raised a hand. The air shivered as magic gathered around her fingers like smoke, and condensed into a bright point, so hot that Raeca could feel it on her skin, even paces away. ¡°Do stay strong, Raeca. I want to tell Brendis how brave you were, when I arrived too late to save you from the Dark Sorcerer¡¯s assassins.¡±

    ¡°Haroun will never let him believe your lies,¡± Raeca said, and blinked back tears. One escaped her control, and fear made her tremble. ¡°I wish you happiness, Calliope. My dear friend. I hope that someday you know peace. I¡¯m only sorry I couldn¡¯t help you find it.¡±

    ¡°You dare to pity me?¡± Calliope shrieked, and raised her hand, lovely face twisted with hatred. ¡°Burn!¡±

    Fire roared towards Raeca, and she closed her eyes. If it was her fate to die like this, at least she could hold in her heart the knowledge that Haroun and Brendis had each other again. If there was one thing she could die proud of, it was that.

    But, although fire burst all around her, so bright she could almost see it through her closed eyelids, it never touched her skin.

    When she opened her eyes, confused, it was to a wall of hardened power, holding back the flames, sparking darkly red against Calliope¡¯s white-gold.

    ¡°Not today,¡± Haroun said as he walked through the door, one hand outstretched and dark with his own magic, a match for Calliope¡¯s and just as powerful. His robes whispered around him, and magical charms jingled from his belt.

    ¡°Not today,¡± Brendis echoed as he followed his friend, shield on his arm, and sword bare in his hand. It glowed with runes, and his face was set and serious. He moved like a tree-cat, all controlled grace and power carved into every line of his muscles.

    Raeca couldn¡¯t hold back tears of relief as they came to her, one on either side, walls of strength. Haroun forced Calliope¡¯s flames back on her until she had to let them fade or burn herself.

    ¡°You came for me,¡± Raeca whispered, and smiled through her tears as Brendis cut the chains off her with casual ease, blade biting through the hardened steel like it was threads of silk. ¡°How did you know?¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t a hard guess, and we would never leave you to her,¡± Haroun said, wary eyes on Calliope as the queen rose and tugged once on a long, hanging rope. Soldiers thundered into the hall from every entrance. ¡°Get ready. This is far from over.¡±

 Circle Challenged

    It was one thing to know that Brendis and Haroun were the greatest warriors to ever live. To know that they had three thousand years to hone and practice their craft against each other, and anyone else who dared challenge their skill.

    But to see it was something else entirely.

    Brendis was a whirl of steel. His sword, as ancient as he was and powerful in itself, flashed with the light of a dozen spells as he held off the first rush of soldiers. His face was a mask of hard concentration as he forced them back one step, and then another. Raeca remembered seeing Haroun fight off the bandits who attacked her town, but those ragged men were nothing to Calliope¡¯s bone white-armored soldiers.

    Still, no one wanted to run at the Hero when he stood like that, shoulders squared, sword and shield ready to take on however many came at him. He could, and had, faced down armies. He was prepared to face this one as well to protect the woman he loved, and his oldest friend.

    Spells made the air quake as Calliope and Haroun met, magic against magic, hatred against hatred. Spells wove about him, some spoken but most pulled from charms, ready to cast at any moment as he emptied his impressive arsenal at his ancient enemy.

    Calliope screamed in fury, and met him, her magic different, brighter and harder like sunlight on ice, but no less effective. Already, Haroun bled from a dozen small wounds as he battled her this way and that.

    Raeca looked between him and Brendis, paralyzed with fear. She was a healer of a small village. Yes, she saw blood and pain, but never like this. Never spilled out as men did their best to kill each other, and even the castle around them seemed to vibrate with angry readiness.

    The need to help them broke through her fear, and she ran to Haroun first, trusting his magic to hold Calliope off long enough for her to do her work.

    There was no time for finesse. Raeca planted her hands on his back, and focused, her own magic charged and ready, because what good would it have done before now? She was a healer, not a battlemage.

    But she was a healer, tutored by the Dark Sorcerer, and his pride would never allow a student of his, particularly one of his bloodline, to fail in the heat of the moment.

    Also, he spoke quite a number of languages, and could curse fluently in all of them even while flinging spells from both hands.

    To be fair, having his injuries healed in one powerful rush hurt. Raeca was glad that all he did was curse.

    As soon as he was healed, battling to keep Calliope¡¯s magic off while Brendis handled the soldiers, Raeca ran for her hero.

    Brendis fought like a man armored in his convictions. At last, he had his best friend at his back, and a woman who loved him to stand for.

    With that to give him strength, he would fight until it killed him.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

    Of course, Raeca wasn¡¯t about to let him die. Not before she got at least one proper kiss out of him, and hopefully many more.

    But first they needed to survive this, and it would take both him and Haroun to make it happen.

    As she reached him, a wave of archers poured in the door, shouting as they took aim.

    ¡°¡®Roun! Archers!¡± Brendis shouted, and raised his shield, even as Raeca took cover behind him. She heard the thrum of bowstrings and heard Brendis curse in pain as some made it past his shield. Out of the corner of her eye, Raeca saw a deep amber shield shimmer up around Haroun, just in time.

    ¡°Your defiance will cost you dearly,¡± Calliope seethed from the dais, still beautiful in her white gown, but now marked with sweat and burns from casting, and the places where Haroun¡¯s spells found their mark. ¡°Every time you find peace, you will remember me, and I will turn all you love to dust in your mouth!¡±

    ¡°The prophecy is biting at your heels, Calliope!¡± Haroun yelled back. He blasted the archers with a shockwave that left most of them dead, and the rest injured or dying. ¡°Can you feel it calling for you?¡±

    ¡°Killing you has been my greatest joy!¡± The queen shrieked, and blasted them, calling up waves of white-glowing crystal shards, each blade-sharp and lethal. The shards swarmed around them. Haroun split his attention enough to throw a second shield around Raeca and Brendis, and it saved their lives. ¡°I will make entertainment of you in our next life! What a show you will make, dying slowly in the middle of my glorious temple!¡±

    ¡°This will be your last life!¡± Brendis told her as Raeca pulled arrows out of him and closed the wounds with hands that no longer shook. Haroun¡¯s shield trembled under Calliope¡¯s attack, but held, his will to protect them stronger than her will to break through. ¡°We¡¯ve lived too long already. Raeca, get behind me. Haroun?¡±

    ¡°Ready,¡± Haroun said, and blasted Calliope¡¯s spell apart, magic blazing around him. ¡°Time and past to end this.¡±

    For the first time, fear crept into Calliope¡¯s as they advanced on her, with Raeca behind them, protected, but ready to heal them if they needed her.

    ¡°Simple Brendis,¡± Calliope said, and clenched her fists together, before flinging them out, and open. The floor shuddered and cracked, and they had to break formation to get away as the white marble splintered down into the tombs below. ¡°It was so easy to turn you on him each time. You would believe anything in those early lives. It was my favorite version of you.¡±

    ¡°Why did you do it?¡± Brendis demanded as Raeca held onto the back of his tunic. He caught another spell, more fire, on his shield, and Raeca lost sight of Haroun in the blaze. ¡°I loved you!¡±

    ¡°I loved immortality,¡± Calliope replied silkily, and then gasped in pain. The fire vanished as she lost her concentration. ¡°Desert rat! I should have killed you years ago!¡±

    ¡°You tried,¡± Haroun told her, and then cursed as she slashed out at him with an elegant sword that fit her hand perfectly. ¡°You failed!¡±

    Brendis pushed forward and caught Calliope¡¯s sword on his just as she chopped down at Haroun, stronger, and armed with a heavier blade. She spun away and pivoted, a dancer through and through and poetry with her blade despite her long gown.

    But for the first time, she was outnumbered, and outmatched, and they forced her back until finally Brendis twisted her sword out of her hands, and it clattered to the floor.

    ¡°Give in,¡± he told her as Calliope gasped for breath, fury radiating off her in waves even as Haroun held off her magic. ¡°The circle must be broken. Let us have our peace at last.¡±

    ¡°You think me defeated?¡± Calliope laughed dismissively, her painted lips curled in a cruel smile as she stared l them down, unbowed. ¡°There are other ways to win this game.¡±

    A knife flashed in her hand, and Raeca yelped as Haroun pulled her out of the mad queen¡¯s reach. But she wasn¡¯t Calliope¡¯s target. Not this time.

    ¡°I learned more about our prophesy than either of you!¡± Calliope laughed as she drove the dagger into her own heart. She gasped with triumph even as blood spilled down her white gown and stained it red. ¡°I will be queen again!¡±

 UnSpun

    ¡°Not this time!¡±

    Raeca darted forward past Haroun and Brendis, magic already glowing around her hands as she called to the true nature that made her what she was.

    In short, a healer. More importantly, a healer trained by the Dark Sorcerer, who spent a frankly absurd amount of time healing the Hero from things that really ought to kill him.

    ¡°No!¡± Calliope screamed when she realized what Raeca was doing, and tried to scramble away, determined to end her life and escape to the next before anyone could stop her.

    ¡°Brendis, hold her,¡± Raeca snapped without taking her eyes off the blade, where it sat buried in Calliope¡¯s heart. ¡°Haroun, I need power.¡±

    By herself, she couldn¡¯t do it. She couldn¡¯t save someone who had a split heart, and who was already bleeding out across the floor.

    But she wasn¡¯t alone.

    ¡°Of course,¡± Haroun said, although his voice was confused as well, as he tried to figure out what she was doing. ¡°Raeca, what¡ª¡±

    ¡°I can save her,¡± Raeca snapped, with little precious time to explain, and no focus to spare. ¡°Throw me a line of power.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    Calliope tried to shove her away, but Brendis captured her hands, gentle, but much, much stronger than she was, and perfectly capable of holding her down. Blood stained the queen¡¯s white gown crimson and spread to the white marble below her, and to Raeca¡¯s hands.

    ¡°This is all your fault,¡± Calliope hissed as Raeca linked with Haroun, practiced after nearly a year as his sometimes-student. ¡°You just had to intervene in our destiny! I set it in motion! I knew Brendis would never turn on me, the simple fool, but it was so easy to convince you to kill each other for me!¡±

    ¡°Love makes a man do crazy things,¡± Haroun said darkly, one hand on Raeca¡¯s shoulder as she went to work. ¡°Three thousand years and we never stood against you. No more.¡±

    ¡°This prophesy is more a curse than a promise,¡± Raeca told Calliope gently, although her hands didn¡¯t shake as she drew the crystal-hilted blade from Calliope¡¯s heart bit by bit, healing the terrible damage as she went. When she ran out of power, easy to do with such detailed, difficult work, she reached for Haroun, who stood by, a pillar of power, even after a major magical battle. ¡°And it¡¯s hurt you so much, my dear friend. It is time for it to end.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    ¡°You cannot end it!¡± Calliope went from fighting to sobbing as Raeca¡¯s magic worked on her. A powerful healing, especially of a lethal wound, was a painful thing, and Raeca didn¡¯t dare spend the power to make it painless. As it was, it would take every scrap of power she could muster just to save the queen. ¡°It is Prophesy, written in the Book of Fate!¡±

    The dagger clattered brightly against the marble when Raeca dropped it to the side, and finished her work, sweaty and shaking, but triumphant.

    ¡°Now,¡± she said, and turned her defiant gaze on Calliope, who was ghost-pale, covered in her own blood, and captured. ¡°For your prophesy.¡±

    It was a trick the common folk kept to themselves. Something that no one ever seemed to remember, and never used, even when they knew it existed. The true, full circle of magic.

    The highest magics were powerful. They were flashy, and brilliant. They could change the world on a whim and a handwave from a single mage.

    The middle magics, like Raeca¡¯s healing, were simple. To close a wound, or summon fire, they were the magics most often used by mages everywhere. Neither vulnerable, nor invulnerable, they stood without shame, but also without notoriety.

    But it was the low magics that everyone forgot. The spells and tricks so minor that anyone could learn them with a little patience. How to make a potion of healing, or of sleep. How to find water or know the weather with nothing but the scent of the wind.

    Low magic would never call fire. It would never change the weather or save a life.

    But the high magics were vulnerable to it. She and Haroun spent hours talking about magic and how to undo the highest powers with the lowest. Today, that would change everything.

    No country girl was ever without a bit of wool and a tiny spindle. Raeca used hers to spin the fine thread she used to stich wounds, but most maidens had one, tucked in their pockets, if only for something to do with their hands.

    Raeca¡¯s was in her pocket, intact against all odds, and with a shred of undyed, half-spun wool already wound onto it. The same spindle she taught Calliope to spin thread. The one that occupied her hands as Haroun taught her magic. The one that whirled as Brendis slept off his injuries, peaceful under her watchful gaze.

    With the blood of a queen on her hands, Raeca got her little spindle going, for once, in the wrong direction.

    ¡°The Three always stand as Three,¡± she spoke the words of their prophesy as the thread on her spindle began to come apart under the force of a bobbin-light spindle. ¡°One shall turn, and Two will Stand Together to face the One.¡±

    They had done that, when Calliope turned on them back in the beginning. When she convinced Brendis to murder his closest friend to protect her from a betrayal that had not come. Now, many years later, they finally stood together to face the queen who cost them so dearly.

    ¡°Darkness will break against their Will,¡± she continued, practiced fingers on her little spindle as it whirled around, unwinding the threads of Fate as the spinning began to fray apart. The snow-white wool glowed with golden threads as the prophesy, spoken by a long-dead prophet within the walls of the very hall they now stood in, gathered to the call of magic that was even older yet. ¡°and the Circle will finally be Broken.¡±

    It should have been loud, the breaking of a prophesy. It should have been thunder, and fire, and the scream of steel through the air.

    Instead it was the clatter of a small wooden spindle on a polished marble floor, impossibly loud in a silent, battle-scarred hall.

 Broken Chain

    ¡°It¡¯s gone,¡± Haroun said, and even though his voice was barely over a whisper, the echoes seemed to come from everywhere. He wore a stricken expression, and one hand was pressed to his heart as if he was feeling for something no longer there. ¡°The prophesy. How...?¡±

    ¡°You taught me that the high magic is vulnerable to the low,¡± Raeca said, and staggered, completely worn out from the fear of the last few days, and the battle that still lay spread around them. ¡°Magic likes to spin. Anything that likes to spin can be unspun.¡±

    ¡°You broke our prophesy...?¡± Brendis stared at her with wonder like the dawning sun in his eyes, and then he swept her into his arms, laughing breathlessly. ¡°We¡­ we¡¯re free?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re free!¡± Raeca laughed with him and flung her arms around his shoulders as he spun her. ¡°For better or worse, this will be your last life.¡±

    ¡°No!¡±

    Calliope lunged off the floor, tattered, bloodstained white silk flying as she threw herself at them, her fallen blade bright in her hand. Brendis brought up his shield and the crystal-hilted dagger threw sparks as it glanced off spelled steel.

    ¡°Calliope, it¡¯s over,¡± Brendis told her, one arm around Raeca¡¯s waist as he protected them both from the mad queen. ¡°The prophesy is done. We don¡¯t have to do this anymore.¡±

    ¡°I chose,¡± Calliope screamed at him, and blasted them with a spell-bolt that was, again, caught on the hero¡¯s battle-tried shield. ¡°I chose to be queen! I chose to murder you over and over to keep my reign! I chose to build my temple and my castle, and you stole it from me!¡±

    ¡°We stole nothing!¡± Raeca shouted back and wondered if she had the power to put the woman to sleep. When she reached for her magic, there was nothing there but faint, weak glimmers. ¡°I broke the chains that bound you to this poison fate. Your life is your own, and so are theirs!¡±

    ¡°I will kill you,¡± Calliope seethed, radiating icy sunlight as she gathered her power, far from defeated even yet now that she was back on her feet. ¡°For all you stole from me, for defying me, you wretched country wench!¡±

    ¡°I think not,¡± Haroun snarled, and brought his magic up in a whirl of golden flames that solidified into shields around himself, and Raeca and Brendis. Just in time, as sun-white burst around Calliope in an expanding ring of destruction. ¡°You¡¯ve done enough harm!¡±

    ¡°You stole my immortality!¡± Calliope hissed like a cornered cat; insanity bright in her eyes. ¡°If I cannot live forever, none of you will!¡±

    With that, she reached for the white marble ceiling, fingers curled into claws.

    The castle trembled and screams came from everywhere even as great cracks crawled through the polished stone, and chunks of rock began to fall like heavy rain.

    ¡°She¡¯s trying to bring this place down on us!¡± Haroun yelled over the roar of collapsing stone. ¡°We have to get out!¡±

    But even as he spoke, a huge pillar trembled furiously and fell, blocking the entrance under tons of stone.

    ¡°Can you portal?¡± Brendis yelled back, his shield over their heads as he did his best to keep the worst of the stone off himself and Raeca. ¡°We need a fast way to get clear!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m out,¡± the mage admitted, and joined their huddle, the last of his magic supporting Brendis and his shield. ¡°I could take myself and one other, maybe, but not all of us.¡±Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

    ¡°Take Raeca and go,¡± Brendis said without hesitation. ¡°Get her out of here!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare,¡± Raeca ducked under Haroun¡¯s hands and looked up at Brendis even as the walls shook harder, and great chunks of polished ceiling began to fall. ¡°Brendis, we can go together! There must be a way!¡±

    ¡°I love you,¡± he told her, and bent for a slow, sweet kiss that belied the violence thundering down around them. Raeca tasted tears mixed with marble dust and clung to him desperately. ¡°I wish we could have had a life together. Roun?¡±

    ¡°Goodbye, old friend. You will be remembered,¡± Haroun said, voice heavy with grief. Before Raeca could stop him, he wrenched her away from Brendis and backwards.

    The walls blurred around them, ripples of water-shadows and rainbow as reality softened for three long heartbeats, and went solid again.

    Cold air blew harsh against Raeca¡¯s face.

    They were outside, on a hilltop looking down at the castle.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Haroun choked out, grey with exhaustion, and heedless of the tears cutting through the white dust on his cheeks. Raeca tried to run for the castle, but the ground bucked under her and she fell almost on top of the prone mage. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡ª I¡¯m s-sorry.¡±

    Below them, the castle shook one last time, and collapsed, plumes of white dust spraying high into the air as it caved in on itself until not a single tower stood one stone atop another.

    A tomb for a queen, and a hero.

    ¡°No,¡± Raeca sobbed as her hand found Haroun¡¯s and he fought to sit up. ¡°No that can¡¯t be! He can¡¯t be dead. He¡ª he can¡¯t!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Haroun whispered brokenly as she turned to cry into his torn shirt. He wrapped his arms around her and held on. ¡°It was you or him, and he made his choice.¡±

    Raeca barely heard him, lost in torrent of tears and recriminations. Maybe, if only she had been faster, or more clever. Maybe if she had escaped before they walked into Calliope¡¯s castle, ready to die to save her.

    Maybe there could have been a happy ending.

    Maybe there could have been a life in a small house, for a healer and a hero to learn what came after the adventure.

    She could still feel his kiss on her lips and could hardly face a future where there would never be another.

    Magic breezed through the air, so weak it was barely even there, and Raeca might have missed it if not for Haroun¡¯s gasp.

    ¡°What?¡± he said, and stretched out a hand, as drained as she was, but still willing to fight if he had to. ¡°How¡ª¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Raeca asked through the haze of thick mourning that made her chest hurt and her eyes sting. ¡°What could come for us now?¡±

    ¡°It can¡¯t be,¡± Haroun muttered, and narrowed his eyes. Raeca felt the moment he started to burn his own life-force, attention fully on that barest tremble in the air. ¡°Link with me!¡±

    Baffled, but willing, Raeca fed him what little magic she had left and hoped it was enough.

    A lesser master of magic couldn¡¯t have done it, but Haroun had three thousand years of experience, and a will of honed steel.

    He sent the remains of their joined magic into the shiver, and Raeca felt the bone-snap as their magic found whatever was reaching for them.

    A portal tore through the air, a ragged, half-formed thing that blazed with instability.

    Brendis tumbled out, as grey as Haroun, and too sick to even stand.

    But his eyes were open, and he managed the faintest smile for them even as the portal imploded in on itself.

    Raeca scrambled for him with Haroun on her heels. His arms felt like coming home, and she was crying again, this time with the raw sort of relief that didn¡¯t feel real.

    ¡°She saved me,¡± Brendis told them as he lay back in the grass, too weak to stand. Raeca went with him, tucked into the curve of his side and unwilling to let go of him even for a moment. ¡°At the last moment, a portal opened under my feet as the ceiling came down on her.¡±

    ¡°A fitting last act of a queen,¡± Haroun murmured, smiling, half-dead, but shoulder-to-shoulder with Brendis. The exhausted mage didn¡¯t even try to sit up. ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re not dead, brother. Raising the dead is not one of my skills.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re not dead too,¡± Brendis replied, and punched Haroun¡¯s shoulder weakly. ¡°I need someone to do the runes on Raeca¡¯s new house, after all.¡±

    ¡°Our new house,¡± Raeca corrected him, and pressed a kiss to his throat, which was all she could reach without trying to move. ¡°Now sleep. I refuse to make plans for our future until none of us are dying of magic shock.¡±

    ¡°Always bossy,¡± Haroun mumbles, smiling and already half asleep in the grass. ¡°Must be a healer thing.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s your granddaughter,¡± Brendis snickered back, and kissed the top of Raeca¡¯s head. ¡°Do I have to ask your permission to marry her?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Ask her.¡±

    ¡°She says yes,¡± Raeca told them both, and wiggled until she was comfortable. ¡°Go to sleep and dream of a future without prophesies.¡±