The hilltop in the garden lay in silence. The bright air seemed dimmer. Certainly\u2014colder. Frost rose, from where the bier lay.<\/p>\n
Just a plinth of smooth stone, covered in a sheet of ice. A body lay on it. Her hands were crossed. But those who had put her there had done little else. They had not the time before she froze.<\/p>\n
Now\u2014she lay there, eyes closed. A slight smile on her lips. Frozen blood still stained her clothing. Five broken shafts of wood stood out on her side.<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t right. It wasn\u2019t fair.<\/p>\n
Around her stood statues. They changed, each time someone climbed the hill. And\u2014it seemed like they were always different.<\/p>\n
It depended on the person. They would turn and see a face they recognized in the mists. As real as life. Standing, sitting\u2014but carved of grey stone.<\/p>\n
A smiling adventurer and his team, missing two people as they gathered around in a circle, like they had before they entered the dungeon.<\/p>\n
Gerial.<\/p>\n
A Hobgoblin staring up at the sky, leaning back on a bench, spreading his arms. A Gnoll, edged over, looking slightly irritable at the lack of personal space.<\/p>\n
Headscratcher and Brunkr.<\/p>\n
And in the middle of the grass, the frozen ground. The young woman.<\/p>\n
Erin Solstice.<\/p>\n
The visitors\u2014and there had been hundreds\u2014thousands\u2014had climbed here. Passing through the garden, up the hill blooming with Sage\u2019s Grass and yellow flowers. Coming\u2026here.<\/p>\n
It was as if the protections were gone. Or perhaps it was\u2014a wake. As if The Wandering Inn held a wake for its owner.<\/p>\n
She was dead. And yet\u2014so some cried. Not dead. They said it.<\/p>\n
It could not be. Her frozen skin. Her half-smile. There was hope. Or so the young man from Earth claimed.<\/p>\n
Yet.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
—-<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
People had laid things at the foot of the bier. Against stone, where the objects half-froze as the powerful magic kept the body frozen.<\/p>\n
An [Enchanter] had drawn it. With a shaking brush, in the evening. As horns blew and people screamed and war was declared.<\/p>\n
That was one moment in memory. Hedault\u2019s hands, so precise\u2014shaking like a leaf. The azure Antinium, head bowed, casting the spell. Her one word.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlas.\u201d<\/p>\n
No tears had come from her that day. Or any other Antinium. But they had left things.<\/p>\n
Some people had left parts of themselves. A Dwarf\u2019s helmet. A little Drake girl\u2019s doll. A favorite ball. A letter. A chess piece.<\/p>\n
The Antinium had left coins. Flowers. And\u2014nonsensical things. Some of the visitors, even in their grief, wondered at the logic.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy a pillow?\u201d<\/p>\n
Lyonette gently held back Bird. He wanted to raise Erin\u2019s head. But she was\u2014ice. Already, Hedault was working on protective wards against accidents. Bird clutched his favorite pillow, stuffed with all his feathers.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2014she will want a soft thing for her head.\u201d<\/p>\n
The [Princess] said nothing. After a while she wiped at her eyes. Her tears were freezing to her face.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust put it there, Bird. I\u2019m sure\u2014she\u2019d appreciate it.\u201d<\/p>\n
How fast. Too quick. It was still\u2014not happening. It was just poisoned crossbow bolts. Not Crelers. Not monsters. Not war<\/em>. They weren\u2019t even smart killers. This was a dream.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n —-<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The spark of life she had tried to give them burned on her fingers. A tiny flame. It melted the ice, still.<\/em><\/p>\n It had never gone out. Slowly\u2014the [Innkeeper]\u2019s closed eyes fluttered. Beneath the sheet of ice, she stirred. It cracked<\/em>.<\/p>\n Erin Solstice sat up suddenly. She gasped.<\/p>\n \u201cOw. <\/em>That really hurt!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n And then she\u2014she\u2014she did something silly and loving and\u2014<\/p>\n <\/p>\n —-<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Mrsha raised her head and uncovered her eyes.<\/p>\n Erin was dead.<\/p>\n The Gnoll curled up again. Covered her head. And tried to unmake reality and do it again, right.<\/p>\n She was not the only one here. If you walked up the hill, you would pass by\u2026strange, black-brown mounds. Slightly shiny, dulled perhaps. Large brown shells with antennae. Look closer, and you would realize\u2014<\/p>\n They were Antinium. They knelt there, curled up in the grass. Unmoving. Not eating, or changing position.<\/p>\n Barely breathing. More had come, in the night. Workers and Soldiers, painted and not.<\/p>\n Mourning. The silence they generated was a physical thing. Before\u2014<\/p>\n There had only been weeping and screams.<\/em><\/p>\n And then the horns of war. But the vengeful had gone. The shocked wandered about in a daze, unsure of what to do. Jobs were neglected or done by rote.<\/p>\n Not everyone. Some people marched about, doing jobs, avoiding the downers. Why was everyone sobbing?<\/em> It was one Human. One Human who hadn\u2019t learned to dodge. Who had gone rushing towards danger rather than listening to her [Dangersense]. You run at monsters? You got ate.<\/p>\n No sympathy. The world wasn\u2019t ending. Go ahead and grieve, but Liscor was going to be just fine.<\/p>\n Nothing was wrong. People died.<\/p>\n And still more dealt with it other ways. Eating. Drinking\u2014that was popular. Finding family and checking on them to make sure they were still there.<\/p>\n But news was still spreading. Liscor knew. All of Liscor knew. Celum\u2014knew. But elsewhere?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n —-<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Krshia Silverfang looked at Tkrn as the Gnoll stopped, panting, from the dead-long sprint. He had gone into the nearest town to check for monsters or obstacles ahead. [Bandits], whatever. He had\u2014<\/p>\n She fell out of her saddle. Half-tried to catch herself. Then just hit the ground and lay there. The Gnoll convoy stopped.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat? Tkrn\u2014that is a very poor joke, no? That\u2014can\u2019t be true.\u201d<\/p>\n One of the Silverfang Gnolls tugged at his ear. Someone else looked at Tkrn. He looked at Krshia. She believed. The others began to shout at him.<\/p>\n His response, instead of words, was to throw back his head and howl.<\/em> The raw note told them he wasn\u2019t playing some terrible joke. The others stopped. Voices joined Tkrn\u2019s.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n —-<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Chieftain of the Flooded Waters tribe just sat there. At the large table where Goblins ate. Her meal-half finished.<\/p>\n Snapjaw had returned. Snapjaw alone, so the Goblins had feared the worst. But the news she brought?<\/p>\n A sound ran through Goblinhome. It sounded like a moan. It sounded like death. It was the sound Goblins had made when the army of Humans had killed them at the Floodplains.<\/p>\n Goblins did not weep. So it seemed\u2014Goblins did not weep for the [Innkeeper]. Many did not weep. They just stopped. Stopped, to process it. Shook their heads. Went to find the truth.<\/p>\n Thus\u2014no one wept for Erin Solstice. No Goblins, at least. Just her friends. Just Cave Goblins, who didn\u2019t know what Goblin was, properly. Just Goblins who weren\u2019t Goblin for a moment.<\/p>\n It was a waste of water and energy.<\/p>\n Rags sat there. She looked ahead as Snapjaw turned. She looked around as Redscar shook his head. The Ogres were confused. Human? What Human? Why did it matter?<\/p>\n The Chieftain said nothing. She had no order. They had not been there. She listened as she was told Numbtongue was there. Rabbiteater alive. And that Badarrow was gone, for a while. Perhaps she understood.<\/p>\n But she said nothing. Did nothing. She sat there. And in time, her claw moved. She sat at the table as Goblinhome moved around her. Soon\u2014she picked up the wooden spoon and ate. Because you didn\u2019t waste food.<\/p>\n A little Goblin sat at a table in the inn. She thought hard, and moved a chess piece. Then peeked suspiciously at the Human\u2019s face. The [Innkeeper] smiled, and moved the bishop. The Goblin grumbled, moved another piece, and slurped greedily at the soup.<\/em><\/p>\n She took another bite. And kept playing.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n —-<\/p>\n <\/p>\n A hundred and one perspectives. As she walked up the hill, the [Princess] had seen too many. Her legs were leaden. She\u2014was not working.<\/p>\n The inn was closed. But she was still moving. Because, despite how much she wanted to lie down and move no more, like Bird, or kneel on the hill with flowers like the two Goblin brothers\u2014<\/p>\n Her daughter needed her. The [Princess] bent down and picked up the small bundle of fur. She hadn\u2019t eaten in nearly a day, now.<\/p>\n \u201cCome on, sweetie.\u201d<\/p>\n Weak fighting. But no more than that. Lyonette gulped. But she forced herself to be ruthless. Even cruel.<\/p>\n \u201cYou have to eat. Just swallow it. Then you can come back. She won\u2019t\u2014go anywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n Oh, hate me. Shake. Hit me. But live\u2014<\/em><\/p>\n The [Princess] bore the little Gnoll down the hill, past the silent Antinium. More figures were summiting the hill. Two Drakes from Liscor. A man with his hat in his hands. They looked past her. Ahead\u2014Teor was holding a kite, or something, chatting with Redit and pointing up into the sky.<\/p>\n The garden remained. The people passed in and out. A bee lay in the grass, too tired to fly. The Fortress Beavers were silent, hiding, huddling together in their den.<\/p>\n The wake continued, unending. Lyonette walked out into the silent inn.<\/p>\n Erin Solstice was. Dead.<\/p>\n But she wasn\u2019t.<\/em> Cling to that.<\/p>\n They were just words. But he had said them. And the others had claimed the same. Lyonette went to the little meal she had prepared. Just the last of the Ashfire Bee honey. Crackers. Bread. Fresh beef, anything that might tempt a little Gnoll.<\/p>\n Three chews and the Gnoll stopped. So Lyonette just made her sip honeyed milk. Water, until the tears that the dry tear ducts had ceased flowed again.<\/p>\n She looked up only when he said it again.<\/p>\n \u201cErin isn\u2019t dead.\u201d<\/p>\n Kevin was grabbing Montressa\u2019s arm hard enough to hurt. Trying to say it, again. She was just shaking her head.<\/p>\n \u201cIt wasn\u2019t a\u2014a stasis spell we cast, Kevin. If I knew one\u2014it\u2019s Tier 5, the one I\u2019ve heard of. But it wouldn\u2019t stop\u2014if I knew the Tier 6 version\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter, Montressa. It\u2019s\u2014cryosleep. It\u2019s something from my world.\u201d<\/p>\n My world. He said it for everyone to hear. Caution had gone out of the window. Lyonette just listened, hungrily.<\/p>\n \u201cShe is<\/em> alive. I think. She has to be. She\u2019s just\u2014stopped. Right before she dies. Her brain\u2019s frozen. Her body\u2014she\u2014just needs to be woken up.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow, by warming her?\u201d<\/p>\n The [Aegiscaster] was incredulous. Lyonette half-shook her head, rocking the little Gnoll slowly, and hoping the sleeping draught would put Mrsha to sleep for a while. But she would have nightmares. And then wake into the worst one yet.<\/p>\n \u201cNo! I don\u2019t know!<\/em> I just know it was something from my world. It was all I could think of.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re the only one who thought of that.\u201d<\/p>\n Palt murmured. He hadn\u2019t risen. He couldn\u2019t. His hooves were cracked, and probably the bones in his hindquarters. He\u2019d kicked the wall until they\u2019d pulled him away. He looked at Kevin.<\/p>\n \u201cHow? How does it work, then?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen how is she not dead?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Montressa shouted. She flinched as Lyonette looked at her.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry. I\u2019m\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Kevin\u2019s head was bowed. But when he raised his head, Lyonette saw\u2014<\/p>\n Just a bit of determination. A tiny bit of resolve, even now. Even here. She remembered the silly young man\u2014older than her, in fact\u2014and remembering wanting to toss him into the outhouse and lock him in.<\/p>\n How they changed. Now\u2014she looked at him hungrily. And he just pointed at Montressa.<\/p>\n \u201cCall her. There\u2019s only one person who can help Erin now. With actual science. We need\u2026Geneva. The [Doctor].\u201d<\/p>\n Montressa looked around the inn. The door still hung ajar. From where the Minotaur had forced his way into the inn. And that was another moment Lyonette would not forget.<\/p>\n Slowly, Montressa nodded. She raised a finger to her brow. She spoke. And as the sun rose, the day after continued into another day of disbelief and grief\u2014<\/p>\n Maviola El returned.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n —-<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The [Bannerlady of Memory\u2019s Flame] rode back to Liscor on a stolen horse as the sun rose. She was smiling, her black hair, streaked with orange, blowing in the wind.<\/p>\n She was not the woman who had left. She had touched\u2026greatness. With just the tips of her fingers.<\/p>\n She had ridden across Izril and rallied the Five Families. She had seen a girl achieve a fraction of her potential.<\/p>\n She had fought side-by-side with a Drake.<\/p>\n And Maviola had lost her great friend, Gresaria Wellfar. She had wept, upon hearing that news. Wept\u2014with grief.<\/p>\n And pride. Pride<\/em>, in the great [Harbormistress] of First Landing, who had rallied the [Captains] of the sea to fight for her honor when the courage of the Flowers of Izril failed. The Guild of Assassins was still not enough to lay on her tomb.<\/p>\n But it would be done. Maviola would have preferred her friend to live\u2014but she would say only this: Gresaria Wellfar had died well.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cMay we all be half as brave in our final moments.\u201d<\/p>\n That was all she said as she rode across the road towards Liscor. The walls, somehow familiar despite her staying barely a month\u2014looked so inviting. She had been riding far. It was far harder to return without [Haste] and the adrenaline of flight and battle in your veins.<\/p>\n Well, she would have arrived yesterday. But there had been complications. A voice muttered a reply.<\/p>\n \u201cCan\u2019t I be braver?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI will stab you, Saliss.\u201d<\/p>\n Maviola warned the Drake. She glanced over her shoulder.<\/p>\n \u2026A naked Drake was flopped over the back half of the horse, just dangling as it carried both across the Floodplains. Maviola had found Saliss floating down the river on a hunch. He had apparently been trying to float the entire way back to Pallass. Given the real dangers to the Named Adventurer in the north, she\u2019d persuaded him to ride.<\/p>\n It was amazing he hadn\u2019t gotten sick of riding like that. It couldn\u2019t be fun.<\/em> But\u2014Maviola thought Saliss was doing more than a comedy bit. He might be injured; he\u2019d barely moved as she helped him into the saddle and made camp.<\/p>\n The transmutation potions might have done lasting damage. And the [Alchemist] was out of\u2026almost everything.<\/p>\n They had paid a high price for victory. Maviola had seen higher. But she was ready to rest. For just a day or two. And then\u2026?<\/p>\n The Wandering Inn rose on the hill. Maviola El smiled, but didn\u2019t turn her horse towards it. There was a stables, now. But she intended to find someone else first before the inevitable excitement of the inn.<\/p>\n The gates of Liscor were manned by a double-shift of [Guards]. They raised their weapons; Maviola slowed. They\u2019d fixed her with arrows from two hundred feet away.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026Clear. Clear! <\/em>I recognize her! Bows down!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Someone shouted. Maviola looked around as Saliss stirred.<\/p>\n \u201cSomething\u2019s happened. Monster attack?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEh. No holes in the walls.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cExcuse me. Is something amiss?\u201d<\/p>\n Maviola waved as the horse trotted towards the gates. The Senior Guardsman just stared at her. Maviola saw\u2014his eyes were red and a bit puffy.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve just returned.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re\u2014Maviola. Maviola El.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n The Drake said it slowly. Maviola hesitated. But the secret was out. She was prepared for\u2026<\/p>\n But the Drake barely looked twice at her. He just shook his head.<\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n The other [Guards] looked at Maviola. They knew her. They knew Olesm\u2019s\u2026but nothing of the past amusement, confusion, annoyance\u2014anything was there. Maviola felt something settle into her stomach.<\/p>\n \u201cIs Olesm alright? Was the city attacked?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAttacked? Attacked?<\/em> Yes!\u201d<\/p>\n Someone raised their voice. The Senior Guardsman turned to the Gnoll. He looked back at Maviola.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2014yes. But Strategist Olesm is f\u2014alive. He\u2019s not here, though.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou mean, he\u2019s at the [Healer]\u2019s? The inn?\u201d<\/p>\n Maviola twisted in the saddle, already turning her horse. Someone laughed; a pained, incredulous noise. And the sound made Saliss slide out of the saddle. He wobbled as his feet touched the ground.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere. Is. Olesm?\u201d<\/p>\n Maviola addressed the Senior Guardsman. She recognized it at last. Shock. He just looked up at her and shook his head.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s gone to war. They all have.\u201d<\/p>\n The [Lady] looked at him. Then she kicked her horse into a trot. Saliss just turned. He looked up at the inn, and began to walk that way.<\/p>\n Maviola went for Zevara. She found the Watch Captain not in her office, busily tending to her city, but in the main part of the Watch House. She was drinking.<\/p>\n The City Watch was practically gone; the walls were prepared for battle, but the Watch House and streets empty. It was practically a ghost of a city.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cWatch Captain Zevara!\u201d<\/p>\n The Drake determinedly poured another bit of liquid out of a bottle into a cup. She raised it to her lips and then poured with her other hand into the second cup.<\/p>\n The Minotaur took a drink. Maviola El stopped in her tracks. Calruz of Hammerad sat there as two rats lapped at the drops on the table.<\/p>\n The world was so\u2014strange.<\/em> Was this the Minotaur prisoner? What was going on?<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cWatch Captain?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh. It\u2019s you.\u201d<\/p>\n Zevara wobbled around in her chair. Maviola stared at her. She saw four more [Guards]. All just drinking on duty. One was at the desk. Sober\u2014a Gnoll [Guardswoman]. She seemed to be the only one actually working.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat is happening?\u201d<\/p>\n Maviola felt it on her skin. Just like the day\u2026no. It was a familiar feeling. She had felt this before. On those days. Two days ago.<\/p>\n The Potion of Time\u2019s Return and the Potion of Youth burned in her veins in equal measure. But Maviola El suddenly felt older.<\/p>\n Time.<\/p>\n She was marshaling the House of El\u2019s forces, trying to figure out where they would fight. The Goblins were everywhere. Goblin Lords, destroying entire cities. And the Goblin King\u2014<\/em><\/p>\n A Goblin King in their lifetimes. Dead gods. And the Antinium in the south were practically a footnote. The Necromancer of Terandria was attacking! Undead were rising across the region\u2014<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cLady El.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Zedalien. The half-Elf sagged against the doorframe, panting. Maviola El turned and felt it in her veins.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cZedalien? Is there news of Fulviolo and Petria\u2014?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n She knew, before the words fell from his numb lips. It was in every line of his body. The bells began to ring, as Maviola El collapsed. Her brother.<\/em><\/p>\n They rang for the death of the leader of the House of El. <\/em><\/p>\n She saw the same terrible truth here. Maviola El stopped. She looked at the Minotaur, who would never have been allowed out of his cell in a sane era.<\/p>\n Who would have been attacked if the citizens had the energy to pursue vengeance.<\/p>\n She knew. But she didn\u2019t know. And like then\u2014like always. She denied it.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat has happened, Zevara? Where is Olesm?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGone. To destroy Hectval. I tried to stop him. He\u2019s gone. 4th<\/sup> Company is gone. Adventurers. Civilians.<\/em> Over half the watch. Two thirds.\u201d<\/p>\n That was an army.<\/em> The hairs on Maviola\u2019s neck rose. She remembered the disastrous end to the meeting with the Drakes.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat did\u2026Hectval do?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey sent raiding parties to attack Liscor. Four of them. The Antinium got two. The Watch forced one to surrender. The last went for The Wandering Inn.\u201d<\/p>\n And they got killed?<\/em> Yet Maviola felt it. The slow dance to the center.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe never saw them. They had crossbows. Poisoned damn bolts. She wasn\u2019t in her inn. So\u2014so\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n The Watch Captain never finished the words. The Minotaur\u2019s head rose. Calruz looked at Maviola.<\/p>\n \u201cErin Solstice is dead.\u201d<\/p>\n The [Lady] had been prepared. She had known\u2014it was Erin, or perhaps Lyonette, or\u2026no. She had known who it must be.<\/p>\n She had known.<\/p>\n The words still sent her stumbling. She looked back, into the Watch House. Zevara drank. The Minotaur sat there, his scars, one stump of an arm\u2014his face grimly resolved for\u2026<\/p>\n She looked at the [Guardswoman]. The grim Gnoll, standing to attention. Waiting for an incident. Crime.<\/p>\n The [Guards] on the gates. The silent, shocked city.<\/p>\n Maviola El looked around. Then she ran. She ran, abandoning her horse. Running for the magic door\u2014<\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t working. Maviola abandoned it. She ran out of the city. The same [Guards] who\u2019d let her through the gates stared at her back. Almost\u2026darkly amused, a hint of it beyond the grief.<\/p>\n Now you know. How could we explain?<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n —-<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Wandering Inn was dark when Maviola El burst through the doors. Not uncrowded. But the lights had been extinguished. Dimmed where not removed. The windows shuttered.<\/p>\n As if light itself were too cheerful a thing for this place, at this time. Maviola El stopped, panting. She ran down the long, trapped hallway. Past the newly-built portal-room, unoccupied, the door not staffed like usual.<\/p>\n A pair of figures were just opening the door to the common room. One was leaning on the other as she guided him forwards, murmuring.<\/p>\n \u201cIt can\u2019t be. Can\u2019t be. Not to some salt-sucking no-name bastards\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Wailant Strongheart and Viceria entered the common room of the inn. Maviola El caught the door before it closed.<\/p>\n She found the wake, continuing.<\/p>\n No one had cleared away yesterday\u2019s plates and dishes, nor today\u2019s. The kitchen was not lit, full of good smells. No laughter at the tables.<\/p>\n There was sound. Shuffling. Voices. Little weeping. Those in here had little left to cry.<\/p>\n The door to the [Garden of Sanctuary] was open at the far end of the room. Open to all. Sunlight played through the door. A green hill, stretching up, past glowing Sage\u2019s Grass.<\/p>\n Maviola stopped. She saw\u2014as she burst through\u2014a ring of figures stir.<\/p>\n Men with hats. Mostly Human. One, a Drake, one, a Gnoll. They stirred. Weapons in their hands.<\/p>\n Their hats were off.<\/p>\n That was enough to frighten. But they just looked at Wailant, Viceria, and the City Runner who had told them. Their daughter, Garia, stumbling towards the garden. They sat back down as they recognized Maviola.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n She knew, at once. The garden was open. And a Gnoll was walking through. Not one of Erin\u2019s\u2026special friends. Just a Gnoll, that Maviola didn\u2019t recognize. Yet he entered the garden, something in his paws.<\/p>\n Maviola looked for faces she recognized. But the door called her. She slowly began to walk forwards, following the Stronghearts. She entered the garden. And she saw the procession.<\/p>\n It continued. There was no [Immortal Moment]. And more people had come for this than even Lord Toldos\u2019 funeral.<\/p>\n A city\u2019s worth. More than a city\u2019s worth. And they came even now, just hearing about\u2026<\/p>\n Erin. Maviola\u2019s head rose. Towards that shrouded hill in the mists, above the entire [Garden of Sanctuary]. There\u2014she saw a long line of people. Ascending the hill. Descending in another place. Slowly. So, so slowly.<\/p>\n No one complained. One person would go up. A minute would pass. Five, ten\u2026people would trickle down in groups. By themselves. Someone else would go up.<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n Maviola El wanted to push forwards. She wanted to see. But\u2014she waited as the Stronghearts took their place in the line. Then Maviola saw the black shells.<\/p>\n The silent, kneeling Antinium. Then she believed. But she still had to see\u2014<\/p>\n <\/p>\n —-<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Erin Solstice. It felt like an eternity and a second before the line carried Maviola onto that hill. She heard Wailant\u2019s voice, first. Garia\u2019s. The [Pirate]\u2019s oath of fury\u2014then silence.<\/p>\n Maviola El saw the frost. Felt the icy cold. She saw gifts, arrayed at the foot of the bier. The body, preserved by magic and cold.<\/p>\n She was still smiling. Maviola saw Erin\u2019s death. She heard the sound escape her lips. The same sound the others made.<\/p>\n Oh. This was happening. Had happened.<\/em><\/p>\n Was still happening. Maviola El heard a voice, speaking. And then the truth of it hit her a second time.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026did not know Erin Solstice well. We met\u2026four times.\u201d<\/p>\n A Gnoll, the Gnoll who had preceded the others into the garden, was speaking. Some of those on the hilltop were listening. Others, like Wailant, were oblivious as he knelt there. The Gnoll went on. Speaking for those who would hear it. For Erin. For himself.<\/p>\n \u201cI heard of her reputation, of course. But she came to my shop to employ me. For\u2026beans. For chocolate. You see, she was very\u2014erratic. I thought her half-mad. You see, I am a [Fermenter]. I\u2014it does not matter.\u201d<\/p>\n His delivery was poor. His oration weak. But he spoke from the heart. The Gnoll gulped. Went on.<\/p>\n \u201cShe employed me, paid my price. That is all my customers do. But she asked for my name. I gave it and thought little more than she was interesting, the job different. That was all, and I would have not known her. But she came back.\u201d<\/p>\n Ushel paused.<\/p>\n \u201cShe came back. Three times. Not to collect the beans. But to talk. To ask me about myself. It was only three times. A few minutes of talk\u2026half an hour at most. I did not know her well. But she changed Liscor. I heard about the Raskghar. About how she defended the city during the siege. I did not know\u2014Erin. But she asked me to call her by her name.\u201d<\/p>\n He hung his head.<\/p>\n \u201cShe made me laugh and smile. That was all.\u201d<\/p>\n He wiped at his eyes. He smelled of his shop. He had left\u2014flowers. That was all. Just bright, long-leafed blooms of green native to the area. Camouflaged, but sharply scented, to attract pollinating insects.<\/p>\n He was one of many. Maviola El looked around. She saw statues.<\/p>\n Lord Toldos, standing as if he were one of the mourners. Looking tired. Maviola El jerked. Then she saw an old woman, sitting in the grass, attending to something invisible, only she could see.<\/p>\n It was probably her spear. If her skin were not grey stone, it would have been tanned. Her hair slightly unkempt, as if she had stood in the breeze coming from the harbor too long.<\/p>\n Still strong. Still\u2014<\/p>\n Gresaria Wellfar did not look up as her friend fell to her knees. Maviola El collapsed.<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n Then\u2014she understood. Then she saw the Drake, standing there. Dusky yellow scales. Not naked. He\u2019d put on a silly box that a silly [Innkeeper] had given him.<\/p>\n \u2018May contain small nuts.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n Only\u2014he wasn\u2019t laughing. Saliss of Lights.<\/p>\n Maviola El.<\/p>\n Erin Solstice.<\/p>\n What had those damned Drakes done? What had those cowards brought low? How had this happened?<\/em><\/p>\n What would happen now?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n —-<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Time passed. First\u2014Maviola El was just stunned. Disbelieving. Then it hit her. And she stood and joined the mourners.<\/p>\n Wailant Strongheart was gone. He had stumbled down the hill and was tending to the Sage\u2019s Grass. Checking each leaf and the roots. A little bee buzzed around him, as if grateful for the company.<\/p>\n Viceria was listening as someone else took the small podium and spoke. Garia was still weeping. Her face buried in her arms.<\/p>\n \u201cAh, no.\u201d<\/p>\n Maviola whispered when it was her turn to stand in front of Erin. She looked down. Searching for a sign of life. She only saw the smile. The closed eyes. No breath. Ice. Why ice?<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cMy heir of flame. You were supposed to live. I\u2014I\u2014<\/em>why before me? I was supposed to die in the north! You were to keep Izril\u2019s flame alight. To be\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Maviola El was on her knees. She reached for the bier\u2014but a powerful magic forced her hand away. Someone had protected it.<\/p>\n Saliss of Lights, the [Alchemist] of Pallass, the Named Adventurer, just sat there. Cross-legged. He murmured into the silence as Maviola El wept.<\/p>\n \u201cI told you all. I\u2019m the hero of the story. Everyone else dies. Except me.\u201d<\/p>\n Liscor mourned. Maviola El lost track of time. Her plans fell to ruin. It all came undone.<\/p>\n How could you expect things to be the same? Erin was dead. Who was going to\u2026? The inn? The north? The magic door?<\/p>\n The future had been uncertain, but bright, even if you didn\u2019t know it. You knew it had been bright. Because now, the light had gone out. And everything was shrouded.<\/p>\n After a while, someone noticed she was here. Someone from the inn.<\/p>\n An Antinium was walking up and down the hill. Bringing bowls of food to the Antinium curled up. They didn\u2019t eat\u2014until he made them. With cruelty. With merciless words. With a kind of ruthlessness that he had learned, somehow.<\/p>\n \u201cEat. Eat the food or Erin would be sad.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEat. Or you will have failed her twice.\u201d<\/p>\n It was\u2014Garry. Maviola heard his voice. Of all of the Antinium, only he was somehow moving. He made the Workers and Soldiers eat\u2014then let them collapse once more.<\/p>\n It was not a kindness he did. Nor one they would ever thank him for. It was a selfish duty of command. Maviola had seen, done the same. Garry ascended the hill and saw her.<\/p>\n \u201cOh.\u201d<\/p>\n That was all he said. Then he left. After a while, Lyonette stumbled up the hill.<\/p>\n \u201cMaviola? Saliss?\u201d<\/p>\n She cried out. The two turned. They looked at her. The [Princess] was pale. She carried a little Gnoll in her arms. Mrsha had fallen asleep. Lyonette didn\u2019t want to put her down, even though she was heavy and almost too big to carry.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, dead gods. You two\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHi.\u201d<\/p>\n Saliss stared at Lyonette. Then he went back to looking at Erin.<\/p>\n \u201cWho did this?\u201d<\/p>\n Maviola\u2019s head rose. Lyonette just shook her head. Grief hit her a second time. She hadn\u2019t told Maviola. She\u2019d forgotten they were returning.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2014I can\u2019t explain. Not here. Come down. To the inn. Do you want to eat? I can\u2014I can tell you there.\u201d<\/p>\n Maviola El didn\u2019t want to eat. But Lyonette was desperate for something to do. So she let the [Princess] take her by the arm, pull her gently down\u2014<\/p>\n Someone pushed past her, nearly knocking her down. The [Lady] stumbled. She saw a cluster of Antinium. Garry included, trying to hold a Worker back.<\/p>\n \u201cI must. I must.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Pawn struggled forwards. The other Antinium\u2014Yellow Splatters, Purple Smile, Garry, Chesacre, Thaina\u2014tried to hold him back without hurting him.<\/p>\n The Worker pushed past them all. He fell to his knees.<\/p>\n \u201cPawn! Enough!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Garry\u2019s voice was the loudest thing on the hill. People turned. The [Priest] raised all four hands.<\/p>\n \u201cI must try.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n He touched Erin. Bypassing the enchantments. Reaching out. Speaking.<\/p>\n \u201c[Heal Minor Wounds]. [Heal Minor Wounds]! Heal her, I beg you!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Saliss looked up. Pawn raised two arms as two more touched Erin gently around the frozen blood. Maviola El looked back. Lyonette inhaled\u2014<\/p>\n Nothing happened.<\/em> Pawn spoke again. Repeating the Skill.<\/p>\n Heal\u2026? The Worker looked around. He produced a dagger and slashed himself. Green blood fell onto the grass. He spoke.<\/p>\n \u201c[Heal Minor Wounds].\u201d<\/p>\n The cut closed. Pawn stared at his arm\u2014then touched Erin again.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy won\u2019t it work?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPawn. Enough. She is g\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Garry saw Pawn whirl. The Worker charged Garry. The [Cook] was knocked off his feet. They went tumbling down the hill.<\/p>\n \u201cPawn!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Lyonette cried out. Mrsha woke as she put the little Gnoll down and tried to separate the two. Garry didn\u2019t even stop Pawn as the Worker flailed at him. The other Antinium tried to pull them apart\u2014<\/p>\n \u201cEnough!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n The word stopped the two Antinium. They looked up.<\/p>\n Viceria Strongheart. Maviola El closed her mouth, lowered her hand. The [Green Mage] looked down at Pawn.<\/p>\n \u201cHow dare you? Stop fighting. Go.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n The [Priest] looked up at her. Then he sagged. He lay there, strings cut, as the Soldiers and Workers helped him up. They carried him away.<\/p>\n \u201cHealing?\u201d<\/p>\n Maviola had not heard wrong. But no one could\u2026but she had seen it.<\/p>\n Yet that was still overshadowed by this moment. She would not forget it. She hated that she could be so analytical, save that reflection for later.<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s go into the inn.\u201d<\/p>\n Lyonette went back. Mrsha was looking up at the hill. She\u2019d been dreaming that this was all a dream. And Erin had hugged her and called her silly\u2014<\/p>\n She wanted to go back up. Lyonette carried her down. The little Gnoll was too tired to fight. She just lay there, on the table where Lyonette placed her.<\/p>\n The common room of the inn was silent. People ate to distract themselves. Some of the staff were working\u2014in silence.<\/p>\n Grief had a different place here. It could be louder. Maviola heard an argument. She saw a broken table. Wailant had smashed it.<\/p>\n She let Lyonette grab some food from the kitchen. Pizza. Maviola stared at it blankly until Lyonette put a slice on her plate. No one touched it. Not Saliss, not Maviola\u2014<\/p>\n They were here. The children from Earth. The [Mages], sitting around. The Silver Swords, Fierre, the staff\u2014some drifted over as Lyonette spoke.<\/p>\n And the full, sorry tale emerged.<\/p>\n A raiding party from Hectval, here to avenge an insult to their city\u2019s honor. Overconfidence.<\/p>\n Poisoned bolts.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy the ice? To keep her from becoming undead? It won\u2019t stop the process long. You need to\u2014properly prepare her body. A coffin. Or cremate her.\u201d<\/p>\n The [Princess] flinched. Mrsha looked up.<\/p>\n \u201cNo. Maviola\u2014it was Kevin\u2019s idea. She\u2019s\u2014she\u2019s not dead.\u201d<\/p>\n Maviola just looked at Lyonette.<\/p>\n \u201cShe is dead, Lyonette.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo. She\u2019s not.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Rose raised her voice. Some people looked around. The young woman looked at Maviola, pointing at Kevin.<\/p>\n \u201cKevin thought of it and he\u2019s right. Erin\u2019s in cryostasis! It\u2019s this thing where you freeze someone and they\u2019re not dead. They can be brought back to\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Maviola listened. She shook her head.<\/p>\n \u201cInsanity. You\u2019re wrong, Miss Rose. You cannot bring back the dead. Not\u2014perhaps in the era of legends, it might have been possible. When Dragons flew across the skies. Even then\u2014it would have been a miracle. You would need the greatest of relics. Or\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n A [Cleric].<\/em> But she had seen the Antinium fail.<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s not dead, though.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe is.\u201d<\/p>\n The [Lady] shook her head. Rose raised a trembling finger.<\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t know how biology works. She\u2019s not entirely\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s dead.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Saliss of Lights put down his fist on the table. The plates jumped. And the inn went silent.<\/p>\n The [Alchemist] looked about. And his eyes held some of that ruthless mercy that Garry had shown.<\/p>\n \u201cWant me to prove it?\u201d<\/p>\n He looked around. Kevin stared at the Drake. In a corner of the inn, Ylawes\u2019 head rose.<\/p>\n They had all heard it. The desperate refrain. Erin isn\u2019t dead<\/em>. Cryostasis. Maviola, on hearing it, just shook her head. It sounded like what [Soldiers] said of fallen comrades. How would you bring her back? <\/em>If you were alive\u2014you\u2019d have to cure the poison and then apply a potion.<\/p>\n But Erin wasn\u2019t breathing. Her heart had stopped. <\/em>And to add to that, her flesh was now ice. There was nothing to bring back, at least, to Maviola\u2019s understanding.<\/p>\n And there was one more thing. The [Alchemist] looked around.<\/p>\n \u201c[Mage].\u201d<\/p>\n He pointed at Montressa. The young woman looked at him.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCast a spell. I know you know it. Cast the spell. And you\u2014I can see <\/em>it. So can you. Can\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n He looked at Maviola. She nodded. Montressa\u2019s lips moved.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat spell?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c[Detect Life].\u201d<\/p>\n The inn went silent. Rose faltered. Saliss looked at Montressa. The [Mage] made no move.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t need to? Or have you already tried? There is nothing there.\u201d<\/p>\n Maviola nodded. She saw Lyonette\u2019s eyes swing towards her.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, you see\u2014science\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n There was no spark of life. Maviola saw it differently than Saliss. And she had seen\u2026nothing. No spark. Not even the faintest ember. Nothing. Magic\u2014Skills\u2014both thought Erin was dead.<\/p>\n She was dead.<\/p>\n \u201cYou couldn\u2019t put your boon on her, at the end, could you, Lyonette?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo. No\u2014I tried. I thought\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe dying cannot be given a boon of life. Nor can the dead. The only Skills that work on dead bodies are those that belong to those who command inanimate objects.\u201d<\/p>\n Silence. Rose tried to say something. Kevin slowly sat down. He put his head in his hands. Maviola El felt tears coming again.<\/p>\n Children. How they\u2019d hoped. She didn\u2019t blame them. But they had to know. Even Mrsha. The longer they hoped<\/em>, the more it would tear them apart to say goodbye.<\/p>\n \u201cIt can\u2019t be. But\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou must say goodbye. Before\u2026the dead rise.\u201d<\/p>\n Lyonette jerked. Maviola shuddered. A sound rose in the inn, a wail. A Gnoll howled and others took up the sound.<\/p>\n \u201cBut\u2014but\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Maviola shook her head. She looked at Rose, at the others, gently, but firmly.<\/p>\n \u201cI buried my brother, Fulviolo of the House of El. Tyrion Veltras buried his wife. The King of Destruction lost two\u2014three of his Seven. Great men and women, [Kings] and [Queens], Dragons and heroes have lost their loved ones. How many came back? They would have moved the entire world for them. But they could not overturn death. I\u2019m sorry. But this is the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n She bowed her head. And the ghost stirred. He looked up, raising his head. His clawed hand touched the hole in his chest. His wounds that showed how he had died. Then he stood\u2014remembering his body in life. He walked past them.<\/p>\n \u201cThe world is empty. Empty\u2014ending. Let it all end.\u201d<\/p>\n The [Priest] was shaking. The ghost stopped for a moment, looking. Listening to the undeniable proof. He walked towards the walls of the inn. And he spoke.<\/p>\n \u201cNo. Not yet.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Pawn\u2019s head rose. He looked around for the voice.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n —-<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Numbtongue wanted to bury himself on the hill of flowers. Rest. Rest\u2014<\/p>\n And stop losing people. He could not stop it. He thought he was stronger. He had tried. He had sworn not to let it happen again.<\/p>\n Erin was ____. It was his fault. He had been overconfident. If he\u2019d stayed inside. If he hadn\u2019t told Bird to stop <\/em>so he and Badarrow could compete\u2014<\/p>\n Badarrow knelt next to him. The [Sniper] was crying. But he had Snapjaw, and she had told him she would follow him into the ground if he tried. Numbtongue?<\/p>\n I have seen it. The child needs you. They need you. Stop.<\/em><\/p>\n Pyrite\u2019s voice in his head. Numbtongue didn\u2019t hear Shorthilt. But the ghost spoke, again and again. You have to stay. No matter how much it hurts.<\/p>\n Stay for what? To watch them die?<\/p>\n The Hobgoblin did not move. He did not rise. He had nothing to hope for. Kevin said<\/em> Erin was alive. But\u2014he had not been able to prove it. It was just some\u2026idea from his world.<\/p>\n Earth could not bring back the dead. And magic could not. He had used potions and they had been just water.<\/p>\n He had seen the flame go out. The Hobgoblin knelt. He placed the beautiful sword on the grass in front of him. Then he carefully brought out the beautiful kitchen knife. Her blood was still on the handle. Numbtongue regarded it.<\/p>\n How magnificent. He sighed. Badarrow didn\u2019t notice his friend unsheathing the blade. Numbtongue lifted it\u2014<\/p>\n \u201cStop.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Reiss. The [Soulbard] ignored the ghost.<\/p>\n \u201cYou have nothing to give me. You could not save her.\u201d<\/p>\n The Goblin Lord had a hand on Numbtongue\u2019s shoulder.<\/p>\n \u201cNo. But you still need to listen to me. Listen\u2014<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Numbtongue wanted to close his ears. The Goblin Lord leaned forwards.<\/p>\n \u201cListen to me. They are wrong, in the inn. They see nothing with magic. No Skills work on Erin. But she is not dead.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n The blade wavered. Badarrow looked up. He lunged. Numbtongue grappled with him. Now\u2014the blade wobbled. He just had to overpower Badarrow for\u2014<\/p>\n \u201cShe is not dead! I can prove it.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n The Hobgoblin\u2019s grip wavered. Badarrow tore the blade away and knocked Numbtongue down the hill. He grabbed the sword and ran.<\/p>\n Numbtongue lay on his back. He stared up at Reiss. The Goblin Lord looked down at him.<\/p>\n \u201cTake my hand?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo. Just come with me.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n The Goblin Lord walked. And Numbtongue followed. He had to know.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n —-<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Maviola El was speaking. Burn her. Cremate her. The others were denying it. But it had to be done.<\/p>\n Erin was not\u2014<\/p>\n The door opened. A Hobgoblin stood in the doorway, panting. Badarrow whirled.<\/p>\n \u201cNumbtongue! Stop\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n He raised his fists. But Numbtongue walked past Badarrow, not going for the weapons. He was looking at something in the air.<\/p>\n Maviola\u2019s hair rose slightly, as the Hobgoblin tilted his head. Listening. He looked around.<\/p>\n \u201cErin\u2026is not dead?\u201d<\/p>\n He said it like a question. The others looked at him. Maviola El shook her head. Another lost child. But\u2014then he looked around.<\/p>\n \u201cYou.\u201d<\/p>\n He pointed at Montressa. Then at Falene. Bezale. Palt\u2026and his head turned. Searching. For someone who was not there. It swung back to a point in the air. His ears twitched.<\/p>\n Listening.<\/p>\n \u201cErin is alive?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAncestors.\u201d<\/p>\n Saliss just looked away. Numbtongue shook his head. He looked around.<\/p>\n \u201cShe is not dead.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI can see she is not alive, Numbtongue.\u201d<\/p>\n Maviola El snapped. Anger flashing in front of despair. She knew he was in shock, denial. Mrsha just looked at Numbtongue, hoping. It was a cruelty to let the child believe\u2014only to have it dashed.<\/p>\n \u201cI can prove it.\u201d<\/p>\n The inn went silent. Numbtongue looked at Reiss. The Goblin Lord spoke, and Numbtongue repeated. Two voices, speaking together.<\/p>\n \u201cIf there is no life\u2014then prove she is dead. [Detect Death].<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n The [Necromancer], the Goblin Lord, pointed a finger towards the garden. He looked at Numbtongue.<\/p>\n \u201cI see nothing.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n The words echoed in Numbtongue\u2019s mind. It changed nothing.<\/p>\n It changed everything.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n —-<\/p>\n <\/p>\n A [Necromancer]\u2019s spell. The power of those who craved mastery of death. It was a spell Falene, Bezale, Palt, Viceria, Ulinde\u2014not Hedault or Grimalkin or anyone else knew.<\/p>\n An odd spell. That detected corpses. The power of death magic, which congregated only in bodies. Not in inanimate things. A useless spell for a non-[Necromancer], surely.<\/p>\n Montressa knew it. And never more had the inn needed a [Necromancer] than now. She cast the spell that Pisces had taught to her.<\/p>\n \u201cNothing.\u201d<\/p>\n She whispered. And the Tier 1 spell, the useless sensory magic, was worth more to those in the inn than anything.<\/p>\n A second proof emerged just as soon as the first. Maviola El was sitting there, disbelieving. But she saw no spark!<\/p>\n And yet\u2014and yet\u2014it was little Visma who began giggling. She had listened to the adults talking. The words of hope had made her reach for something.<\/p>\n \u201cStop laughing. Stop!\u201d<\/p>\n Ekirra snarled at her. His mother and sister tried to stop him biting<\/em> Visma\u2019s tail. But the Drake ran over to Mrsha. Whispered in her ear as she showed the little Gnoll something. Ekirra stopped snarling. His eyes went round.<\/p>\n Mrsha sniffed at the object. Then she took a bite herself. Of the thing Visma was showing her. What she\u2019d been nibbling on.<\/p>\n A piece of pizza.<\/p>\n It was lukewarm. But suddenly\u2014Mrsha was devouring it.<\/p>\n It made Lyonette relieved to see. Mrsha had not eaten. But why\u2014the Gnoll looked around. And Visma was laughing.<\/p>\n The first laughter besides hysteria in the inn. Other people looked up. Someone raised a mug to throw at the Drake girl.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat in the name of Rhir\u2019s hells is so funny?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s fresh! Tastes good!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo?\u201d<\/p>\n So what?<\/em> Visma waved the pizza up at Rose. The young woman raised it, sniffed. Took a bite.<\/p>\n It had been lying out since yesterday. And the pizza Lyonette had brought from the kitchen, also untouched?<\/p>\n Fresh. Pizza, for all its wonderful staying properties, couldn\u2019t do that without\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cThe [Field of Preservation]. It\u2019s working.\u201d<\/p>\n Rose looked around. Lyonette blinked. Then\u2014Hexel uncoiled from his table with Elirr. He looked around.<\/p>\n \u201cThe [Garden of Sanctuary]. I thought it was broken since it let everyone in. But\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n His eyes flicked towards the walls. Palt had broken his hooves kicking the wood walls. Not a scratch. And across the common room\u2014<\/p>\n The silent [Grand Theatre]. Temile\u2019s head rose.<\/p>\n \u201cHer Skills.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut how? Neither alive nor dead\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n The [Lady] stared about. Then it hit her.<\/p>\n \u201cNeither alive nor dead. Her Skills don\u2019t turn off. Nor does anything work on her.\u201d<\/p>\n She had never heard the like. She knew of\u2026ghosts. Bound to this world. But wait. Wait\u2026Maviola\u2019s brow wrinkled.<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe. Perhaps it\u2019s like the [Princess] who was put to sleep in a castle. And her Skills and all those within were preserved with her.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe freezing worked, Kevin.\u201d<\/p>\n Joseph breathed. Kevin looked around.<\/p>\n \u201cThen she is<\/em> alive? I mean\u2014not alive. <\/em>But she didn\u2019t die. Then she\u2019s\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n The word blossomed in the inn like hope. She was alive?<\/em> Maviola half-shook her head. If she was\u2014she rose.<\/p>\n \u201cBut to heal that?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGeneva.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n That was all Lyonette said. She turned back to Bezale.<\/p>\n \u201cGet her. I don\u2019t care if she\u2019s busy. Make it a priority! We have proof<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n A second surge of life ran through the inn. Mrsha began eating another slice of pizza, to prove it was true again. Montressa was surrounded by the other [Mages], even low-level spellcasters, demanding she teach them the spell so they could see themselves.<\/p>\n Neither alive. Nor dead. It was enough. Reiss bowed. A [Priest] raised his head.<\/p>\n Bird uncurled slightly from the corner of the inn. Suddenly\u2014something ran through the air.<\/p>\n \u201cIf she\u2019s not dead. Then\u2014there are<\/em> potions that could cure her. Master Saliss.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Octavia threw herself forwards as she put her eyes back in. She\u2019d taken them out to stop crying. The Drake turned. Octavia was weeping again.<\/p>\n \u201cI failed. I was too slow.<\/em> But the poison\u2014I have one of the bolts.\u201d<\/p>\n The [Alchemist] looked around. He half-turned in his seat towards Kevin.<\/p>\n \u201cFreezing? Explain it again, Kevin-guy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe froze her as fast as we could. [Snap Freeze]. Montressa, Bezale, Palt\u2014I heard it had to be fast.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf that actually stops dying\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n The [Alchemist] rose. He turned to Octavia.<\/p>\n \u201cShow me the bolt. If it actually works\u2014if that could have saved people on the battlefield from bleeding out\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n He looked back at Kevin.<\/p>\n \u201cThat will change everything. You should have told me a long time ago. How dare you not tell me sooner. I\u2019ll hit you.\u201d<\/p>\n He raised a fist. Kevin opened his mouth. Saliss swung weakly, missed. Then he walked into Octavia\u2019s shop. Maviola El\u2014was trying to think.<\/p>\n \u201cThe House of El doesn\u2019t have Potions of Regeneration anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n Lyonette looked at her sharply. The [Lady]\u2019s head rose.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026They don\u2019t fix poison half the time, either. But\u2014what about the Eternal Throne of Calanfer?\u201d<\/p>\n The [Princess] was suddenly thinking. They all were. More [Messages] flashed across the world. People rose from the stupefaction, the disbelief, the grief.<\/p>\n Hope<\/em>, that wonderful lie, that illusion you clung to, surfaced. And yet\u2014<\/p>\n Erin Solstice was still lying there. Encased in ice.<\/p>\n Maviola El listened to the bubbling conversations. The sudden shouting. The whispered prayer of the Antinium. And she remembered something else she\u2019d been told.<\/p>\n \u201cOlesm. Zevara said he went after Hectval?\u201d<\/p>\n The others turned.<\/p>\n \u201cYes. He left yesterday. With an army\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat fool. That\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Maviola felt her blood spike suddenly in alarm. She looked towards the window. Then she was hurrying for the door.<\/p>\n \u201cMaviola? Where are you going?\u201d<\/p>\n Lyonette called after her. The [Lady] turned.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m going after him! This Drake city cannot be allowed to get away with this. And he may be in grave danger.\u201d<\/p>\n She turned. In minutes, she was racing from Liscor, having recaptured her horse.<\/p>\n Yes. The mourners in the inn had been only part of Liscor. One reaction to the [Innkeeper]\u2019s death.<\/p>\n Let the others grieve. Let them try to turn back oblivion\u2019s hands. Let them plan and look ahead.<\/p>\n But not now. Not here. Enough of it.<\/p>\n An army marched on the road, past the Bloodfields. A force enraged beyond belief.<\/p>\n Drakes, Humans, Gnolls. A half-Giant. Adventurers. Civilians. [Soldiers]. [Guards].<\/p>\n Their grief was manifested in fury. Later, they would collapse. Later, they would fully mourn.<\/em> But first, vengeance.<\/p>\n Now for wrath. Now for the ruination of cities. Now\u2014blood, until a second Bloodfields covered the land!<\/p>\n A [Strategist] rode at the head of the army, screaming for blood. Behind him, Maviola El rode upon the south, bringing the fire of hell and vengeance in her wake.<\/p>\n The world had ended. It was only fair Hectval end with it.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n —-<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hectval, one of the biggest cities in the region, one of the best. If not the best, really.<\/p>\n Yes, there was Pallass to the south. But you could call Hectval second-best to Pallass. And only then, really, because Pallass was so old. Hectval was filled with master [Bowyers], and exported the famous, brightly-fletched arrows and crossbow bolts that made them a renowned and dangerous enemy to cross.<\/p>\n You could even tell Hectval was the most important. The Hectval-Drisshia-Luldem Alliance\u2014based off the three cities who had allied against other Drake cities and Gnoll tribes\u2014had Hectval first.<\/em><\/p>\n A leader among cities. Something to aspire to. Little Gnoll crime, an elite fighting force. Yes, Hectval deserved its reputation\u2014or so claimed Hectval\u2019s patriotic citizenry, the great military minds and ruling Council.<\/p>\n Which was exactly why<\/em> they couldn\u2019t let the insult to their city and Scalespeaker Yisht slide. Oh, no. Liscor was a backwater border-city with no idea of manners, dignity, or diplomacy at all. It was a savage city and as such, the raiding parties were justified. That was how Drakes did these things, you see.<\/p>\n If they were lucky, they\u2019d actually assassinate one of the targets. Otherwise\u2014they\u2019d torch outlying farms, attack travellers. Maybe destroy that damn inn everyone was talking about. After all, they were\u2026<\/p>\n None of the four ambush teams reported back. Which was cause for some alarm,<\/em> but they must have just slipped up. Unfamiliar terrain\u2014perhaps the Bloodfields had got them? Probably prisoners of war. The ransom would arrive, or maybe Liscor would be baited into a retaliatory force.<\/p>\n Hectval waited, having already mobilized its considerable army and alerted the other two cities of a possible conflict. They were good at the game of Drake diplomacy. Yisht had said that Liscor\u2019s Council were na\u00efve as Lawsheep, and clearly, they were already degenerating to let Gnolls<\/em> on the Council, let alone have an Antinium Hive settle under their city! Just\u2014pathetic, really.<\/p>\n The City of Hectval received nothing as eloquent as a formal declaration of war the day after their ambush teams were due to have struck and reported in. One of their [Negotiators], on standby to receive the probable notification, instead got some weird [Messages] from Liscor.<\/p>\n \u201cEr\u2014Scalespeaker. I have some communiques from Liscor. But they\u2019re not\u2014not quite standard.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIs it war, then?\u201d<\/p>\n Yisht rubbed at one eye. He still felt that damn Drakes\u2019 punch. As one of the Council\u2014Scalespeaker being one of the posts\u2014he had been waiting<\/em> for Liscor to declare war. But they didn\u2019t have the gonads, eh? He took the [Messages] the [Negotiator] was holding out.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat are they saying? Did the teams get captured? Some petty insults? Hah! Well, let\u2019s just\u2026erm\u2026what is this?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI checked it, Scalespeaker. But it\u2019s genuine. Comes from Liscor\u2019s Council. Mage\u2019s Guild certifies. Um\u2014there are pages of them\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n The rest of the Council sat up. Yisht was reading the parchment rolls, blank-faced. After a second, he laughed, a bit incredulously.<\/p>\n \u201cIs this a joke?\u201d<\/p>\n The first part was a transcript.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Liscor to Hectval. Is this Hectval\u2019s Council?<\/em><\/p>\n Hectval. [Messages] to the Council may be transferred depending on the importance. Who is sending?<\/em><\/p>\n Liscor\u2019s Council. Excellent. Please relay this to Hectval\u2019s Council at best speed: we are going to burn your entire damn city down.<\/em><\/p>\n Hectval. Liscor, your message appears to be somewhat confused. Send again? <\/em><\/p>\n Liscor. We are going to tear down your walls, pour salt down your wells, and turn your precious little city to rubble. You are all dead. You pathetic, inbred Drakes don\u2019t know what you\u2019ve done. Go find a noose and hop into it. We\u2019ll feed you to the Bloodfields. Tell Yisht I will personally feed his tail to him. <\/em><\/p>\n Hectval. Is this Liscor\u2019s Council? <\/em><\/p>\n You\u2019re dead too.<\/em><\/p>\n Hectval to Liscor\u2019s Mage\u2019s Guild. Please confirm identity of sender?<\/em><\/p>\n Mage\u2019s Guildmistress. Identity confirmed. You\u2019re dead. If you have any sense, run out of your city and keep running.<\/em><\/p>\n Hectval. Is this a formal declaration of war?<\/em><\/p>\n You don\u2019t deserve formality. We\u2019ll plant Creler eggs on your corpses. Start running.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n It went on, and on. Pages of [Messages], really. Yisht\u2019s mouth opened wider the more he read. Some of the threats\u2014well, it sounded like people were taking turns.<\/p>\n In fact, Liscor\u2019s Mage\u2019s Guild was sending the [Messages] pro bono<\/em> to Hectval on behalf of the citizens.<\/p>\n \u201cAre they mad? What is<\/em> this?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBetter deploy the army. Sounds like we got them mad.\u201d<\/p>\n One of the Councilmembers chuckled, discarding the parchment contemptuously. He looked around at the Council.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, what are you looking so nervous about? Their army is across the damn continent! All they\u2019ve got is the Watch.<\/em> We have the Watch, the army, and the alliance!\u201d<\/p>\n That was true. Hectval\u2019s Council relaxed. Some kept reading the parchment, though. The [Councilmember] smoothed his neck-spines.<\/p>\n \u201cWe already have three thousand<\/em> [Soldiers] enroute to stall whatever\u2019s coming. I suggest we alert our [Generals] and have them move\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCouncilmembers! A report from 3rd<\/sup> Regiment!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHm? See\u2014there\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Yisht looked up as the same [Negotiator] skidded into the room. This time he looked frantic.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat is it? Have they met the enemy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c3rd<\/sup> Regiment has been wiped out! They\u2019re being held prisoner or dead! We\u2019re counting an army of 16,000, marching on Hectval!\u201d<\/p>\n The Councilmembers dropped the parchment. Yisht turned pale under his scales.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026Say what now? Wait, that\u2019s an actual army.\u201d<\/p>\n He looked at the sheet again. He\u2019d thought it was just words. But then he looked at the others.<\/p>\n \u201cHow mad are<\/em> they?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n —-<\/p>\n <\/p>\n An hour ago, 3rd<\/sup> Regiment had set up a roadblock. They were spread out on the newly-built road. Damn thing. No one had asked Hectval<\/em> if it was alright to make a road. But it was convenient so Hectval had let Liscor build it.<\/p>\n And now\u2014it was an ideal place to hold back any retaliatory force and cover their ambush team\u2019s withdrawal. The Bloodfields lay to the left\u2014and get too close and even an army would suffer. So\u2014this was a good spot to hold. They\u2019d dug in, set up palisades, and of course, their famous [Crossbowman] lines.<\/p>\n Hectval-Drisshia-Luldem. Each one was a city with a specialty. You had to have one. Hectval was known for their archers. Bows, crossbows, they made the best [Archers] around. Okay, there was Pallass. But Pallass didn\u2019t count. Their army was known for their ranged capabilities.<\/p>\n And the alliance meant Hectval could specialize. Drisshia was the center of a local [Mage] school and provided a smaller army, but invaluable spellcaster reinforcements. Luldem? Heavy infantry. All three cities had their mounted divisions, but in the foothills, it was less cavalry.<\/p>\n They were prepared to defeat any idiotic force that came this way\u2014or hold and retreat. Their [Commander of the Line] could go toe-claw to toe-claw with a [General] for a while if he used all his Skills. And besides\u2014Liscor\u2019s \u2018famous army\u2019 was doing mercenary work to the south. Liscor was going to suffer for angering Hectval. They had no idea what\u2014<\/p>\n The army came down the road like Demons from Rhir. The [Commander] counted a thousand at first. Then two thousand. By the time he counted six thousand, he was already ordering his forces to sound the retreat. He\u2019d spread out multiple wings of his regiment to envelop the foe. Now\u2014he sent one group forwards to hold the line.<\/em> He saw the Drakes riding forwards, bows raised.<\/p>\n They vanished. The howling army dropped the [Riders]. The [Commander] saw the flash of magic\u2014flame\u2014<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cOldbloods! Fall back! Orderly withdrawal! Prepare to hold them at the fortifications!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Hectval\u2019s Drakes looked at each other uncertainly. The rearwards forces were already scrambling for horses, those on foot abandoning gear\u2014<\/p>\n The army was charging<\/em> already. No order! No\u2014they were screaming.<\/em> The [Commander]\u2019s scales prickled. What in the name of the Ancestors had the ambush teams done?<\/em> He turned.<\/p>\n \u201cGet them moving! Hold the line! [Steelclad\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n A form dropped<\/em> like a stone. The [Commander] whirled his shield up as his [Guards] raised their bows and weapons. He saw the Garuda flicker\u2014<\/p>\n Bevussa planted a sword in his open mouth and whirled into the air. The Wings of Pallass dove, screaming, at the Drakes. Gold-rank Adventurers?<\/em><\/p>\n The first rank of [Lineholders] felt their [Commander]\u2019s Skills vanish. They wavered, but then firmed.<\/p>\n \u201cDrakes do not run!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n The [Lieutenant] exhorted her troops. The Gnoll-conscripts had already been ordered to hold their ground. <\/em>The Drakes firmed.<\/p>\n \u201cFor H\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n A half-Giant covered in thorns punched through<\/em> the first wooden palisade, spikes tipped with iron. The Drakes looked up, and Moore\u2019s face was the last thing most of them saw. Then the charging Drakes, Gnolls, and Humans overran them.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n —-<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Olesm Swifttail didn\u2019t even have a chance to use more than one Skill before the first rank of Drakes crumpled. There were more forces in the hills, the narrow ravine adjacent to the road and the Bloodfields. Ideal ambush territory\u2014<\/p>\n \u201c4th<\/sup> Company, I want them dead!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLightbridge! On me!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Embria\u2019s 4th<\/sup> Company raced as fast as she did on horseback up a bridge made of light to hit the enemy there. They were wavering, not sure if they should retreat or fight.<\/p>\n Liscor\u2019s [Soldiers] took them to pieces. As for the main enemy\u2014Olesm was shouting at the army to stop pushing in clumps in case they took a [Fireball]. Beyond that? It was just how fast the army could run that was holding them back from the slaughter.<\/p>\n [Vigor of Champions] meant they didn\u2019t tire. Fury meant they\u2019d marched here at a rapid pace, through the night, barely pausing to rest. It was poor strategy. There was no planning\u2014it was an army mostly made up of the militia\u2014there was Embria\u2019s 4th<\/sup>, and two thousand of the Watch, and adventurers, but most were civilians.<\/p>\n Olesm didn\u2019t care. Erin was dead.<\/p>\n Hectval would burn.<\/p>\n They left half the regiment dead in the first clash. Then\u2014Olesm was bellowing.<\/p>\n \u201cCaptain Menolit, hold your group back! [Rapid Retreat]! Keldrass, back!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n He was ordering the army to retreat, heal up, and advance in something like a formation rather than let them keep pursuing. Olesm put the [Riders] under his command forwards. He addressed the temporary leaders he\u2019d appointed.<\/p>\n Menolit, Keldrass, Bevussa, Jeiss\u2014Embria was functionally the second-in-command despite being a [Wing Commander]. The rest were Senior Guards, Adventurers, and [Veterans] like Menolit, despite the Drake never having actually been an officer.<\/p>\n Olesm didn\u2019t care. He was barely holding himself back from plunging after the Drakes and hacking them apart.<\/p>\n Kill them all. Feed them to the Shield Spiders! No, cut their limbs off and let them bleed out. Even that\u2019s too good for them.<\/em><\/p>\n Erin was dead. Erin was DEAD. Erinwasdead. ErinwasdeadErinwasdeadErinwasdead\u2014<\/em><\/p>\n It still didn\u2019t feel real. Liscor\u2019s army was made up of people like that. People who hadn\u2019t come to grips with it. Who were shocked\u2014<\/p>\n But also furious. Who wanted blood. Who demanded it. Hectval had done this?<\/p>\n Olesm would kill the Scalespeaker himself.<\/p>\n Blood and vengeance. The Wings of Pallass had joined. The Flamewardens. Moore alone of the Halfseekers. Other adventurers like Gemhammer, and the citizens of course. Not just Liscor\u2019s civilians. Esthelm, Celum\u2014they\u2019d all come, volunteering.<\/p>\n It was notable who had come to fight. Olesm himself, Liscor\u2019s [Strategist], shouldn\u2019t have been<\/em> here. But Liscor\u2019s army had authorized Embria to come herself.<\/p>\n And it was also notable who wasn\u2019t<\/em> here. For instance\u2014the Brothers of Serendipitous Meetings had not joined in, despite the rage and grief consuming them.<\/p>\n They might have. But they were instead sitting in the inn. They had failed their task. The two Brothers who had been in the inn when Erin had been\u2014they alone were marching with the others. The rest stayed where they were. Guarding the inn and Erin\u2019s remains.<\/p>\n They would not fail a second time.<\/p>\n Someone else not here? Altestiel of Desonis. Olesm remembered that, in the shock of the night.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n —-<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Drake was hitting his head on the table until his forehead bled. Trying to\u2014wake up\u2014<\/em><\/p>\n People were shouting. Furious voices. Menolit had retrieved his spear and was howling for blood. But Todi\u2019s Elites had already killed the ambush team. Tossed their bodies in a Shield Spider pit when they had heard what happened.<\/em><\/p>\n Not enough! <\/em><\/p>\n