Samuel ran over to the Ancient and the, by comparison, stunned youth kneeling in front of him. He ran lightly, without a look of concern or fear on his face. If anything, he seemed to be fighting back a grin of pleasure. He was clearly pleased with himself, though Eric couldn’t begin to understand why. He sheathed the blade in his hand as he helped Eric back to his feet, checking him over for signs of damage. The only damage was the shattered rib, of course, which he was able to mend in an instant. Then he set Eric back on his feet, where he stood unevenly, unable to take his eyes off Menikos.

“Right,” the Archmage said. He waved a hand to indicate the newly resurrected Ancient. Eric, this is Menikos. This is how he was long ago before the old war.”

“Not that you’d know,” Grimr said, limping over. Of the three of them, he seemed the most heavily damaged. “You’re far too young to have ever known him.”

“Well, I have met him before,” Samuel put in, and now the grin broke out fully. He looked about a second away from dancing a happy jig. “Just once. Do you remember, Menikos? It has been some time.”

Menikos seemed lost in thought for a moment as he parsed his memories, staring back at Samuel with a thoughtful frown. Unlike Samuel, he didn’t sheathe his sword. “More than once, I believe. But one of my memories is strange. I am without my body, and hunting you through nothingness.”

“Ah,” Samuel said, and he looked surprised. “I didn’t think you’d be able to regain that memory, as nothing remains of what you were at the time that we fought. I wouldn’t say it was you, however. It was just the chaos inside you.”

“And you won,” Menikos said it blandly, without inflection. Eric couldn’t tell if it was a statement or a question. “You defeated me.”

“Well,” Samuel said evasively, and his smile faded somewhat. “As I said, I don’t think it counts. It was just a small piece of you, attached to rather a lot of chaos.”

“The same could be said for you,” the revived Ancient said. “A small piece of Ancient, attached to rather a lot of Chaos.”

Eric could tell by the way he said it that he was speaking of the entity, not the state of being. But again, Menikos seemed achingly neutral on the topic, and they couldn’t glean an opinion. The Ancient looked down at his body. “I never thought to be restored. But I am weak. Very weak.”

Then he turned and regarded Grimr. Out of all of them, Grimr was nearly as neutral as Menikos. If anything, he looked displeased with the reunion. Why would he not look forward to meeting one of his old comrades? “Cousin. You are weakened as well. Did I harm you so badly?”

“It was not you,” Grimr said, his voice barely above a whisper. “I have been weak for more than a thousand years.”

“And where is Neratas?” Menikos asked, glancing around. “I swear I sensed his presence before the young Ancient returned the last piece of me.”

“He’s dead,” Grimr replied, holding out his bone knife. “This is all that remains of him. He fell to corruption, and I had to strike him down.”

Now the first hint of feeling showed on Menikos’ face. Sadness. Despite having been dead for so long, he instinctively understood what it meant for Grimr to have killed his brother. “I am sorry. I cannot imagine how troubling it would be to strike down a fellow, much less your own brother.”

Grimr tucked the knife into his belt. “Yes, well. It has been a long while.”

The smaller Ancient shivered slightly, and the damage to his body seemed to heal itself, like water flowing up his body. Healing seemed to come so easily to Ancients, Eric thought. Perhaps that was why it was so easy for Samuel to repair his body. He let out a long sigh, feeling his own exhaustion welling up inside his body at the thought as if it were only just now feeling the effects of the day it had been subjected to. All that trouble in less than a single day, he thought. It didn’t seem possible.

“Err,” a voice interrupted them all, and they turned to see the bartender Selvik standing a few feet away. He didn’t seem the least bit hostile now. Whether that was because of the three Ancients standing before him or because he was out of options with the two dead minions, Eric couldn’t tell, though he suspected the former. “You’re going to kill me now, aren’t you?”

Samuel and Grimr both glared at him, but it was Menikos that replied. “Not today, Selvik.”

“What?” Eric blurted out, shocked. Not that he liked the idea of killing a defenseless person, but in light of everything that the bartender had done, he expected him to be slated for execution as soon as it was convenient. “Why not?”

“He has broken no divine laws,” Samuel replied. “He also had very little to do with the invasion of Milagre.”

“Didn’t he blow up the palace and kill you?” Eric asked. “Well, I mean, you didn’t die, but still.”

“It was Averin that destroyed the palace,” the Archmage said with a slight shrug. “All this one has done is finish a grudge that has plagued him for nearly his entire life. He kept it limited to the descendants of Bora Bora, and as I said, he broke no Divine Laws in the process.”

“He used necromancy,” Eric said as if it were an obvious point. “That breaks Bora Bora’s divine law.”

“Well,” Samuel said, still looking disinterested, “If Bora Bora were still alive, that would be the truth. But he’s not, so it isn’t. As for the attack against me, it is up to me if I wish for vengeance on that. Plus, he did cause rather a lot of damage in his rampage against his enemy.”

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

Selvik’s face paled considerably as Samuel turned to study him again, and his mouth opened as if he wished to speak, but Samuel got there first. “I have no personal wish for vengeance or repayment. But you will provide recompense for the damage caused to the property that you destroyed. Also-”

He raised one hand and clicked his fingers, releasing a pulse of magic. Immediately, Selvik vanished, replaced by Umbric the Infernal, who looked, if possible, even more frightened. He hastily took several steps away, staring at Menikos with fear. Samuel stepped in front of him, regaining his attention. “I will say this. It has been decided that any Infernals that are already here may stay, and more may come if they wish.”

That news came as a shock to Eric as well as Umbric, but Samuel wasn’t finished. “In returning to the material plane, you will understand that the laws apply to you as well. If you should break them, you will be punished. And if you become a major threat, I will spare no effort in ensuring that you are destroyed. Is that understood?”

Umbric nodded, not that he had any other choice. The terms were simple. Accept the agreement, or die. He gave a polite, almost obsequious bow. “Yes, Archmage. I understand.”

“Good,” Samuel said, his voice cheerful again. “Now you may go. I expect you to pay the funds you owe to the crown by the end of the month. If you are short, I’ll come for the rest.”

With a faint pop, Umbric vanished, taking Selvik with him, and Samuel turned back to the others, rubbing his hands together. “Well. That’s taken care of, then.”

“I still would have killed him,” Grimr commented, back to his usual dry and sarcastic self. He turned to Menikos, a thoughtful look on his expression as he craned his head up to see him properly. “It just occurred to me. Do you have your powers still, cousin?”

That had only just seemed to occur to the tall Ancient, who lifted one hand and stared at it as if the answer was written there for him to see. Finally, after a lengthy pause, he shook his head. “I do not. I possess the abilities, but they are not mine alone.”

Eric could only switch his gaze between the three ancients, completely confused. But to his surprise, he saw his confusion mirrored on Samuel’s face. “Your unique trait isn’t unique anymore?”

“It happens when an Ancient dies,” Grimr told him. “Even if he is restored, the power is still released back into the world. It happened with Neratas as well. Before his death, he was the only being who could shape the plants of the world to his will. That power is now called druidcraft, and is known by thousands.”

“So what were your powers?” Eric asked Menikos, a shiver of unease running its way down his spine. “What can others now do that only you could before?”

“Menikos is unique, even among Ancients,” Grimr answered before his brethren could. “He possessed two unique gifts from the Mother.”

“The ability to nullify magic,” Samuel said. “That’s the one I know, but I didn’t know you had a second.”

“The ability to devour my fallen enemy’s essence,” Menikos said, staring at his hand again. “I could infuse myself with the strength they possessed, and make it my own. But that was locked within my body, so if anyone has it, I will be greatly surprised.”

“One does,” Grimr told him. “I witnessed one Beast-Kin on the northern continent using it. That is how I knew you had been removed from your tomb.”

“So there’s someone out there who can devour the life essence of defeated foes and make themselves stronger?” Eric asked, not liking the sound of that. “Should they be hunted?”

But all three Ancients looked uninterested in the idea. Grimr in particular shook his head. “It matters not. Even if the Beast-Kin were killed, the magic would exist still.”

Eric frowned but didn’t bother to disagree further. Instead, he turned to where Megan was standing, and the two of them shared a look of silent exhaustion. There was too much that had happened to them on that day, and too much to process. They both wanted to find a place to eat and sleep, to let their minds recuperate. Eric suspected that it would be a few days before he could put himself to any new excitement.

“Is it all over, then?” He asked, directing the question at Samuel.

Samuel nodded, a slightly rueful look crossing his face as he glanced from Eric to Megan and back again. “It is. For now, we can enjoy some peace. You’ve both done very well, and you should go get some rest now.”

Eric nodded his wholehearted agreement. “Can you send me to my wife and daughter?”

“Of course,” Samuel agreed. “Rather, Grimr should do that, as the druids have constructed wards, and I do not wish to alarm them. I will take Megan back to the College so she can check on young Michael and rest herself.”

Then the Archmage came over to stand directly in front of Eric, and held out his hand. “I do not exaggerate when I say this; if it weren’t for you, the world would be in a very unpleasant place. Twice now, you have put aside all of your interests to help me. Thank you.”

A little flustered and uncomfortable, Eric grasped Samuel’s hand and shook it. “I don’t know what to say. I didn’t do it for any thanks. I might not have liked it at first, but I’ve come to love Ahya. So it’s only natural that I’d do what I could to help out, right?”

Samuel, the one who had summoned him from his home on Earth, grinned, as if he were just the spectator of an amusing show. “I know you didn’t expect a reward. But still, my gratitude is genuine. I have also taken care of your daughter, to ensure that Verran will not trouble her as he did my little Elena.”

Eric felt a powerful wave of relief sweep over him at the words, so much so that his knees nearly gave out from under him. “Thank you for that. I feel as if I haven’t seen her in months.”

“Well, let’s not put that off any longer,” Samuel said, nodding. “I understand your worry over your child. Go and be with her, and give my love to your beautiful wife.”

Eric grinned, and turned as Megan approached, giving her a tight hug. She seemed to be feeling the relief of the situation as well and laughed against his shoulder before pulling away and wiping her eyes.

“Not exactly the life I planned when I woke up a college student,” she said, letting out another laugh. “But you always seemed like this was the greatest thing to ever happen to you.”

“Well,” Eric said, grinning in spite of the shrug he gave. “There wasn’t much to do in Fairbanks. It was quiet, but I’ve enjoyed the activity here.”

She rolled her eyes at that, then stepped away. “Well, go back to Emma and Emily for now, and let’s hope that we don’t get any more activity for a while.”

He laughed at that, agreeing all too readily. “Yes, that would be nice.”

Grimr appeared at his elbow. “That’s enough of that. Prepare yourself.”

Eric did as he was told, only half-turning to give Samuel a casual farewell wave. Then he fell into the earth and experienced that by-now-familiar sensation of rushing through a void dotted with white stars before appearing out of a tree hundreds of miles away. He recognized the sight of Shallow Brook at once, and, ignoring the shouts of surprise and awe as the druids reacted to Grimr’s appearance, stumbled off to the side. He knew without asking where his family was, and made a beeline for them.