Alex, Khalik, and Thundar considered Isolde’s question, each one waiting for the other to answer. The prince spoke first.

“I believe I will remain here in Generasi,” Khalik said. “For the foreseeable future, at least. I want to show Sinope Tekezash, but there is little for me there that would require me to be there full time.” The prince smiled at Alex. “You inspired me to learn a teleportation spell in the future, and that will allow me to live here and be in contact with my family and people as often as I want and need to.”

“You don't want to go back to the palace?” Thundar asked. “Sounds like you had a really good life there.”

“I did. I loved my growing up years there,” Khalik said. “But in important ways, I enjoy it here more. I have the freedom to live my life as I see fit here. If I wish to have servants and bodyguards, then I can simply hire them. If I do not wish to have them, then I simply do not have them. I am no helpless child who cannot do things for himself. Who cannot protect himself. I think I shall remain here for quite some time, but perhaps I could use a larger home.”

He smiled. “My villa is appealing, but it is a little cramped.”

“I suppose that’s because of what you’re used to, I’m guessing most villas would be ‘a little cramped’ in contrast,” Alex laughed.

Khalik laughed at that. “I am not that bad. In fact, I enjoyed the cosy living quarters of the insula for quite some time. But, I think, in the end, I will need more space. As for what I will do with my life? I think I am the opposite of you, Isolde: the adventure and excitement of the chase, the rush of battle…I enjoy those things very much. However, I do not think I could live a life of constant danger and adventure with a family waiting at home. And I do desire a family.”

He smiled. “Which means, engaging in the occasional monster hunt for sport will fill some of my need, but—for the most part—I would like to do graduate studies with Professor Salinger. Plant life and moving earth and rock and watching things grow, these things fascinate me. I’ve learned more about plant life from Sinope since we met, than I ever knew in all my years of life. So, I am considering combining her teachings with earth magic, and what I learn with Professor Salinger to grow my own knowledge of magical botany. What I learn and discover, I can then use to expand magical botany for different purposes. I have this idea in my mind of creating self-irrigating plants that extract moisture from the air to store for times of drought. With the right crossbreeding, I could have them travel—like the walking trees in the Crymlyn—going from place to place to doll out water. Architecture also interests me, but I believe I can do more with magical botany, both here and in my homeland. Besides, the idea of being a vintner, establishing a unique winery that grows not only the finest grapes, but other magical fruiting plants as well, very much appeals to me. After all, we do love our wine, don't we?” He laughed.

As one, the cabal nodded.

“You want to be a winemaker?” Alex asked.

“I would enjoy that,” Khalik said. “And I would like to make the best wine that any wizard has ever tasted. I would be delighted if generations of Generasi students were to look at my lesser bottles in the Brass Grapes and order them without hesitating; while, the elite of Generasi would be willing to kill for a bottle of my finest vintages.”

He looked at Alex. “I have some ideas for my future, much of which involves blending magical botany with earth magic, and Dryad teachings, but I was wondering if you might like to have some involvement in my wine venture. That invitation goes out to all of you.” He looked to the rest of his cabal. “With your skills and our combined capital, I think we could create wines that would make all others taste like ash.”

Alex's eyebrows rose. “My parents ran an alehouse…I think they’d be proud if I did something like that.”

“I like wine!” Thundar grinned.

“I do too, and someone would need to ensure that you three do not drink away all the product,” Isolde sniffed.

“Hah! We would not dream of it…much. Also, if you wouldn’t mind, Alex,” Khalik said. “We could name a wine in their honour. A form of immortality, shall we say?”

Alex choked up. “You're the best, man.”

Khalik clapped him on the shoulder. “I know.” The prince grinned.

“But what about being a prince?” Thundar asked. “Aren't you Lord of the Sapphire Sea?”

“I do have territory, yes,” Khalik said. “It is presently managed by a vizier but, with a teleportation spell, I could take a more active role in its management. The experience I've gained leading people here in battle alongside you three, will be most helpful, I think.”

“Hold on for one moment.” Isolde looked at him sharply. “I had forgotten that you owned a territory since you never speak of it, and now that you are finally speaking of it, you are doing so as if it was a mere after-thought?”

Khalik inclined his head, smiling. “It is not an after-thought, Isolde. It is simply a given. I do not need to speak of running my territory anymore than I would need to speak of breathing.”

“But all of this talk of making wine…and marrying Sinope,” she started.

“Both are far more important to me,” he said. “Governing a port city—”

“He has a port city?” Thundar choked.

“—is something I can do by teleporting to it when I need to, and by sharing many of my responsibilities with my vizier. The territory is well developed, and peaceful, there is no need for me to be…what is the word…micromanaging it. But, at the same time, my land is named the domain of Prince Khalik Behr-Medr, Lord of the Sapphire Sea.”

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

He smiled sheepishly. “But marrying Sinope, solving issues with magical plants, and producing wine? They belong only to Khalik. It will be all my own, a legacy not tied to the royal family of Tekezash. This—and Sinope—will make me most happy. Those things will make me immortal.”

An uncomfortable twinge went through Alex’s heart.

There was something he wanted to bring up, but not yet.

“Well, I think that's pretty badass,” Thundar said. “You're rich, you're gonna stay rich, but you're gonna do your own thing. You’re one lucky bastard.”

“Thank you.” Khalik grinned through his beard. “And what about you, friend Thundar? What are your plans for the future?”

“Honestly? Travelling around and adventuring,” Thundar said. “I like fighting. I like fighting a lot, and I'm not sure if I'll ever get over that rush of life and death. Besides, if the ancestors call me home? Then, so be it. But, better I live a life full of excitement and honour and riches before that happens. I want to hunt monsters, I want to destroy enemies, and find lost treasures.”

“Will a certain dragon join you?” Isolde asked.

Thundar winced. “We haven't gotten that far yet. I mean, we…we wanted to go farther, but life’s been pretty full with the end of a kingdom on the line. I hope she will, though. But yeah, all I want is to be on a ship with the wind blowing through my fur…or teleporting around. Maybe I'll make my own adventures, or bring you all along if you start getting lazy and sluggish.”

Another twinge went through Alex.

Khalik laughed. “I will be happy to be an accomplice in some of your adventures.”

“Yeah, can't have all that wine making and drinking turning you into a big old tub of butter, now can we?” Thundar said.

“The occasional adventure does sound delightful,” Isolde admitted. “And a monster hunt would be far more preferable, if we were all united.”

“Yeah, that's what I was thinking,” Thundar agreed. “Maybe I can even keep working for you, Alex, even if there's no more dungeon cores. I could hunt for other alchemical ingredients you might need. Which reminds me, what are you going to do if the dungeon cores disappear?”

“Keep making regular golems? More magic items?” Alex suggested. “Or maybe…”

He trailed off.

Silence hung over them.

“Is there something wrong, my friend?” Khalik asked.

“I…” Alex paused. “I know this isn’t the typical thing that most folk talk about, but have any of you ever given any thought to extending your lifespans?”

The other three looked at each other.

No one spoke for a time.

Again, Khalik was the first to break the silence. “I have. Dryads live for a very long time, and it would be cruel to not find a way to live alongside Sinope during the long centuries ahead of her. Whether that be through certain rare plants or other methods, I will find a way to live longer than the number of years that humans can normally live.”

“Yeah,” Thundar agreed. “If Drestra and I stick together…well, she's a dragon. She's nowhere near full grown, yet; she's gonna live for thousands of years at least. Would be a damn shame if I just let myself drop dead of old age. I'll want to find a way to live a long time too. Maybe forever. What about you, Isolde?”

“It is…not something I have given much thought to. I do not know,” she said. “I do not have a life partner to give me reason to want to live well beyond the typical lifespan. Then again…I take it you will extend your lifespan, Alex? Theresa, by practising life enforcement, will live far longer than a normal human would.”

“Yeah, and I want to be there with her,” Alex said. “Honestly, I don't think finding ways to extend our lives is going to be a problem. Kelda has notes in some of her notebooks laying out potential processes: she was looking for ways to continue trying to remove the Mark if she couldn't figure out how to get rid of it when she was still young. There's all kinds of ways that might be possible…and I think I might have an idea: something we could do right after we defeat the Ravener.”

“Fascinating. It is a big decision, though…I would need to think about it,” Isolde said. “But I do not disapprove of the idea of living for many lifetimes. If I choose to do it, then I shall not be the one in our cabal heading to the after-world well before everyone else.”

“That's the spirit!” Thundar tried to clap her on the shoulder. She flinched away.

“Please do not break my shoulder, Son of Gulbiff,” she said.

“Fine, fine…you’re no fun,” he said. “But Alex, what are you gonna do after? Run your businesses?”

“I…I don’t know,” the archwizard admitted. “All the goals I had for myself when I first wanted to become a wizard…I've reached them. If we kill the Ravener, I'm not sure what I’d want to do next, apart from marrying Theresa, that is. I know I’ll be graduating soon, and I don't want to be just sitting around listless once the war’s over. There's so many things I wanted to do…but so many things I’ve already done…I know I'm going to work with Professor Mangal, and stay in Generasi while Selina’s in school…but after that? I don't know. I just don't know.”

There was a long pause.

“You have time to decide, my friend,” Khalik said. “Plenty of time to decide. Is that what truly worries you?”

“It is…but there's more,” Alex told them what Hobb had said. “I'm worried, very worried. Are any of you afraid of the Ravener?”

“Yeah, I am,” Thundar admitted.

“Of course,” Isolde said. “Particularly if it has the dead body and the throne, who knows what it will be capable of.”

“I believe that fear of such a menace is only healthy,” Khalik added.

“See, that's what I'm afraid of. I'm cautious of it…but is our fear going to feed it? Make it more powerful? I don't know,” Alex said. The young wizard shuddered. “Remember, when we had that really quiet period a while back? Things were going great, we’d won the Grand Battle…we’d gone out, celebrated…we were looking forward to getting deep into third year.”

“Yes, and shortly after that is when Carey was taken,” Khalik said. “And then she died.”

“Yeah,” Alex said. “This feels like that all over again. Like we’re in that quiet time just before something really bad happens. I don't want any of you to die, and I certainly don't want to die. I'm afraid of that, but what really scares me is that that fear could make the Ravener stronger.”

“That is possible,” Khalik said. “But what are we to do about it? The mouse must fear the snake, but must deal with the snake all the same.”

“Well said,” Thundar said. “What if we train? You could teach us some new tricks.”

“That's what I'm thinking,” Alex said. “I could teach you some of the stuff I learned through the Mark of the General. You and the Heroes…but listen, if you don't want to fight whatever is coming next. You don't have to. This could mean your lives, and I don't know what I’d do if any of you got killed. Not when you could have decades, or centuries, or millennia ahead. You're gonna change the world, and it’d be a worse world if you didn't.”

“I will hear no more of this,” Khalik said sternly. “The Lord of the Sapphire Sea does not abandon oaths or tasks, leaving them only partly honoured.”

“I don't abandon friends,” Thundar growled.

“And I keep my word, and I have sworn to protect our cabal-members,” Isolde finished. “For good or for ill, we will see this through together.”

“Well, thank you, but I won’t hold it against you if you change your minds…” Alex said. “We’ll have to train together and get better, and we’ll have to train a lot, while we still can.”

“I would not have it any other way,” Isolde said. “When should we start?”

“This weekend,” Alex said. “That'll give me time to talk to my professors and also make sure my businesses are on track for my family, in case the worst happens. Let's hope the Ravener doesn't make its next move before we can get better prepared. We're just waiting for it right now.”