Nearly a week later, our call for official help receives an answer. My two [Inquisitor] friends arrive in town along with a surprise guest: Nicanor. The [Spear Commander] seems strangely pleased to see our unlikely group of specialists again.
“Handled your first real mission admirably,” Nicanor says during our debrief, without any trace of his former sneering. He nods at me. “We’ll watch your career with great interest.”
I can’t help but shiver at his phrase. There’s something vaguely sinister about the words that I can’t quite explain, as though I’ve heard them before in a different setting. I have no recollection of the event.
Over the next few days, we continue to recover and train, preparing for our original goal: traveling to Gilead to meet with the Menders. Our detour took far longer than I anticipated, but it occurs to me that I’m probably right on schedule as far as Nicanor is concerned. Even so, I’m eager to get moving again. Traveling around and selling our glass wares sounds like a rather pleasant change of pace after the horrors in the Rift.
The chaos of Mahkaiaraon has settled down now that Saphora is safely in custody and Nikolai is on the run. She burned through several costly artifacts defending herself from the guards. Once she realized how outnumbered she was, she surrendered to Uchenna, who’s in line for a promotion—and a new shield, of course.
Questions of rightful rulership still remain, though the [Magistrate] will likely come out on top since Nikolai is at large. I hope he doesn’t turn up later and cause trouble. Regardless, we’ll leave the cleanup and facts to the Inquisitors and Nicanor. They promise that they’ll work with Ezio to research the enchantments in the Rift and the history of the city.
Mbukhe in particular is pleased with my new Skill, and promises that he will teach me more about a Domain when my core and channels are in better shape. According to him, it’s not simply a matter of mana use, but of cohesiveness of intent and will, which reminds me strongly of imbuing. He agrees, and tells me in no uncertain terms that if I hadn’t worked so hard on my crafting, then I’d have torn myself apart using an [Arcane Domain] before the second Threshold.
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
Casella only grimaces a little when I ask whether or not he can help me analyze and steal Benaiah’s stealth Skills to enchant onto gear for Lionel. When I plead with my Inquisitor mentor and promise that I’m only taking inspiration, not misusing Viewing, he relents and helps me map out the runes. Finding a master [Enchanter] is on me, but I’ve got some leads.
True to his word, the [Hawkeye Scout] helps me develop my mana senses—for a price, of course. Our games of hide and seek sprawl across half the city, often taking hours. I can’t use my Domain for very long before the strain of it overwhelms me, but I’m getting faster and more accurate at finding people within it and observing the flows of energy around me. With time and practice, it will become my strongest Skill.
We’re more or less patched up now. Physically, at least. By the time we made it back to the guard house, a local [Healer] that Devrim trusted was on hand to stabilize the old [Soldier]. Devrim is still in agony. He may not live more than another year or two after burning away his vitality to supersaturate [Devour] with additional power.
The peaceful smile on Devrim’s drained, wrinkled-up face when he talks about living long enough to see Mahkaiaraon delivered from fear and oppression inspires me. I too want to live free of regrets. In a moment of sentimentality, I write a letter to my parents. Nicanor promises to send it through the Army post, and I think I believe him.
Lionel and I fare much better with our healing than Devrim did. Thankfully, our cuts and bruises were far less heinous. Our master of fire is a different story, though. Avelina barely talks. She’s been withdrawn and angry ever since the slaughter she witnessed at the fortress, and I realize it’s because it’s the first time she’s seen the carnage fire can cause when it’s turned against other humans.
She didn’t survey the wreckage in the town square after she launched her attack. Even though she knew that she’d killed a bunch of bad people, it was all theoretical. Seeing Devrim in action, up close and personal—that shook her. She talks tough, but she’s a gentle soul.
I still don’t know what to do to make amends. I don’t know if I can. That won’t stop me from trying, though. I love my friends. If I can’t make their lives better through all my efforts, then the pursuit of power is worthless. We’re all in this together, for better or worse, until the very end. That’s a promise.