On the thirty-first day of what had become widely known as the Great Cleansing--or Eris' Vengeance, among the more pious--Oleanna received a series of urgent knocks at her door. Standing at the threshold, bedraggled and waterlogged in the perpetual rain, were two men supporting a third: a miserable, wretched sort without an ounce of spare flesh on him, whose head lolled like a ball on a string.

Odd, lightning-shaped scars ran down the sides of Cedric's face and throat, but he grinned widely through bronze ribbons of plastered hair.

"Well met, Oleanna," Adrian said from the third man's other side. At least he had the decency to look abashed. "We could… use some help."

*

"And… that's that," Adrian finished, draining his tea. "I flashed my caste mark, the guards were too befuddled and panicked to put up a fuss, and they opened the gates. The children all found their families within the night. As I was preparing to return to the mayhem to find Cedric, he and some fancy royal courtesan, with his fancy First Caste sigil, met me at the bridge."

"I hope we didn't give you the wrong impression," Cedric said, dark eyes twinkling.

Adrian scoffed. "Him? I could knock down that gilded lily with a stiff breeze."

"Grace and Finn returned to Methodosia with the rest of the townsfolk," Cedric said to Oleanna, continuing the story. "The courtesan, Virolan, left with them. Candra too, after some persuading. As good a new start as any."

She steepled her fingers together. "And while everyone else headed for home, you two pudding-heads went off to stage a prison break."

Adrian shrugged. "We were overdue for some fun."

"We spent a few days in Illyria first," Cedric said, a little defensively. "Bought supplies with our Faircross money. It was all very well planned."

"Oh, aye. All it takes to infiltrate a prison is any couple of barely-grown lads and some good planning."

Cedric relented with a chagrined smile. "Well, the guards were on the verge of desertion anyway, with their entire command dissolved. I didn't maim anyone, let alone kill them."

Adrian snorted. "Besides, the sight of you leaping the wall in a single bound did most of the work." He glanced over at the man in Oleanna's bed, sound asleep from the deluge of mixtures she'd whipped up and coaxed into him. "You're sure that Marcus will be all right? When it came to another's life, I was not so comfortable experimenting."

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"Considering all you've told me," Oleanna said, pouring him more tea. "You'd have done just fine with Marcus on your own."

Cedric shot Adrian a knowing look.

Adrian rolled his eyes. "When it comes to my limitations in terramancy, I'd still rather consult a terramancer. You can't tell a parsnip from a carrot."

"Well this terramancer, in her expert opinion, suspects you may be a particularly potent adept," Oleanna said. "All these formulas you've invented--and perfected--in such a short time, some on your first attempt… that is rare, Adrian, even among our kind."

Cedric's grin widened. "See? It's a sign. You'll be perfect."

She raised her eyebrows as Adrian flushed and shifted in his seat.

"He wants to start a terramancy school," Cedric explained when Adrian stayed silent. "In the south, somewhere in Aborasia, where they're friendlier to the practice. Bring back the old ways in an official capacity, now that the Heirs no longer--"

"Not so fast, lad," Oleanna said. "It's far from that simple. These next years--decades--will be chaos, to put it lightly. Reckoning with the fall of a centuries-long reign is no small feat. Many will resist such a change, especially if they stood to benefit from the existing ways. Not to mention, the last remnant of that order still lives."

Cedric set his jaw. "Ayo deserves a second chance."

"Do not mistake this for chastisement. Everyone in the kingdom--former kingdom--owes their lives to you, including myself. If there were any justice in this world, your incredible feat would be sung of in every corner of the land right alongside the Song of Creation."

He waited, as if for an inevitable sting to follow such potent praise. When it didn't come, he cleared his throat and sipped his tea.

Oleanna gestured at the distinctive scars across his face and throat. "Do they pain you? Perhaps I could whip up--"

Cedric shook his head. "They look worse than they are. My flesh nearly split apart, and if these are the only consequences, I'll gladly bear them."

"But they aren't, are they?" she said gently. If she felt it, so too did Cedric.

Cedric contemplated his teacup. "I don't… hear Her, anymore," he finally admitted. "Whatever part of Her that could speak to us, to me… that's gone. Forever."

Oleanna nodded solemnly. "Aye. A great loss indeed, though not one that most will recognize beyond a vague sense of unease, or emptiness. It may take many years beyond my lifetime, though unlikely beyond yours, before the true ramifications reveal themselves."

"Well in the meantime, I won’t sit idle," he said, straightening in his seat. "I'll find the new generation of Blessed Ones. Protect them. And if Ayo still harbors… inclinations, she'll have to reckon with me. No diamond hoard, and I'm twice her size."

"And you'll have me around should you start vanishing up your own arse," Adrian said cheerfully, lacing their fingers together. He turned to Oleanna. "Cedric's head has a tendency to swell. Letting go of that stupid martyrdom fixation saved his life, yet he still likes to think it's all about him."

"And you'll never let me forget it."

"Goddess, no! Day and night, Sir Noxus, I'll ensure that you know, down to your core, that you aren't any more special than the rest of us." But the look in Adrian's eyes as he gazed at Cedric told an entirely different story. Oleanna smiled despite herself. What a soppy old broad she'd become.

The three of them lapsed into a contented silence and relished in the rich, soothing sound of rain.