Stefanos set a full mug of beer on the slightly scarred wooden table in front of Gregor. “Drink up. It’s good beer, and it helps after dying. I know. I’ve been there.”
Gregor looked around the cottage still in shock. Stefanos and Raytheda had changed into simple clothing, like he had seen many of the townsfolk wear. There was a low fire in the hearth, warming the room. Gregor’s armor was hung neatly on a frame nearby. The three men relaxed at a wooden table, sitting on plain chairs, which, while sturdy and well made, were not carved and embellished like so many nobles and rich men did with their furniture. The other two men were half way through their mugs before Gregor tried his. It was the same beer he’d enjoyed in the tavern.
Finally, Gregor gained the courage to ask, “They all died, didn’t they?”
“Yes,” Raytheda softly replied.
Gregor asked. “Are they now part of those who were waiting?”
“They are.”
“Why? How? How can a sorcerer also be a knight? I was dead, but still there. I saw the Silver Hawks die. I saw you fight Okston and kill him after he broke out of your spell. You fought as a knight, not a sorcerer. How?”
“The how is easy. I am a knight of Mabendus Aurias. I trained and earned my tabard and spurs the same way every other knight did. I fought at the battle at Brobantol Crossing and was one of the few survivors. It was my sword which carried the head of Xhiandrae before his forces while the last remaining Senior Knight proclaimed his death.”
He paused, looking into his mug. “Also, I knew Okston’s fighting style. I believe it must have been his sire or grandsire who taught it to him. Oksto was the fighter of our party. He wore Oksto’s armor. He taught me to fight when I could no longer cast magic and before I became a knight.”
“He stayed with me when our party disbanded. After I was knighted, Oksto returned to his homeland. Seeing him was like seeing my old comrade once again.
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“And yet, you killed him?” Gregor asked.
“Aye, that I did. Or he would have killed me. As I told you, I’m not ready to die.
“I saw your fight.” Gregor said. “I saw you freeze the rest of the Silver Hawks in place. I thought iron and steel stopped magic, and your armor blocks magic. You still cast it. You pulled my soul out of my body while wearing it. How?”
“Mythraium is stranger than you know. It takes the old magic and a master armorer to forge. If you wear it long enough, it bonds with the wearer and the steel part of the alloy no longer blocks someone who wears it from casting magic. I relearned how to cast the magic I still knew. It even enhances it. When the God cursed me, my affinities and disaffinities along with my class were reversed. Walthor’s spell of affinity reversal would have worked on me had I been the person he thought he was casting it on. His scrying spell showed what the zombie was wearing.”
Another sip of beer later, he continued. “The Hawks would have defeated me. They were that good. His spell required knowledge of the mage’s disaffinities to work. Walthor’s spell only changed physical items. He wasted his spell. It took a god to reverse my affinities, disaffinities, and class. I think no living sorcerer has the power to change them.”
“One more question.” Gregor asked. “How is a knight also an evil sorcerer that the town fears?”
“I was not that sorcerer. He came here before me seeking the old magic. The tower was once a source of it. He conjured something that controlled him as much as he controlled it. I bound that thing after he lost control of it and it devoured him. However, someone could still free it. Legends die hard. I can’t risk that creature being set free by people looking for loot, magic power, or both.”
Raytheda finished his beer. “Now drink up and eat,” he said as Stefanos set plates of food in front of both of them. “Dying takes a lot out of you. If you wish to take Stefanos’ place as my squire, we’ll have plenty of time for that tale and more.”
“I want to spend more time with my family,” Stefanos told him as he smiled over his mug. “If you’re willing to serve and learn from someone, Raytheda’s a good Master to have. He can be hard at times, but he’s always fair. This is a good place to settle down and raise a family. I’ll still be here to help when needed. If you’re looking for a wife, I know a few women in town who would be a good choice.”
“I’ll stay. I want to hear more of Raytheda’s story. He kept his word, killing me didn’t hurt. I’m just glad I was right about his hint that his offer was still open if I died. It was the strangest thing I’ve ever felt when he summoned me back into my body. Then I woke up here.”
“You were right, Gregor, son of Halgor. I could not let you stay almost dead after you begged your boon. Don’t worry, you will hear more. There are many stories still to tell." Raytheda added.