Winter 4994, 23 Aoimoth

Lily did her best to make sure everyone spent their final evening together in high spirits. Though the Monks chose -as usual- not to drink too much, they ate their fill while sharing old stories and bits of obscure sage advice from their veteran adventures. Everyone went to bed late, but Lily woke up early.

The sky was just starting to turn from black to midnight blue. Squinting out the window, she wondered why it was even called midnight blue if it wasn't as dark as actual midnight. Leaning against the bed beside her, Shon's sword pommel matched the color as he slept.

She did her best to scoot off the edge of the bed without waking him and thought she'd managed it, but as she stood to stretch, she was suddenly pulled back down as he wrapped strong arms around her from behind. "You're up very early." He whispered in her ear.

Lily leaned back against him, reclining her head to rest on his shoulder and stare at the ceiling, "Do you think the Masters are up yet?" she asked.

He hummed, though if in thought or possible answer, she wasn't s ran a hand from her neck all the way to her hip and stated, "You'll miss them."

Lily sighed, shifting in his embrace, turning around to straddle him so she could see his face. "Yes, but I'm also happy for them." Master Velona had tried to hide how much she wanted to go home for at least a year. But Lily had known. Now her mentor could finally do it. And with the one she'd wanted for so very, very long. As much as Lily would miss her, she would never begrudge Velona the opportunity. "They deserve to be happy."

Shon nuzzled into her neck, taking a deep breath that tickled her bare skin, "They do. Do you want to go see them? After this mission?"

Velona's Monastery in Halakon wasn't close to Swailand, and Lily lifted Shon's face to ask, "It would require a long break. Are you okay with that?"

Shon arched an eyebrow at her, "For them? Yes. For you?... I would travel to Clearhelm and back again if you asked."

"Sweet talker." Lily accused him, kissing his nose, "Do you want to run with them this morning?"

He shrugged. Shon actually liked running. Strange man. But then he looked out the window and smiled, "We have some time before that, though..."

They had to sprint to catch up with the Monks at the north gate. Though the Masters laughed at their students, they didn't comment on their tardiness. They kept their pace slow enough for the two of them to keep up as they circled outside the city walls before stopping for drills and returning to the inn.

"You're all packed and ready?" Velona asked Lily as they sat down for breakfast, "I had your clothes washed and left them on the desk in your room. You found them?"

"Yes, Master," Lily answered, rolling her eyes and feeling a pang in her heart. In only a few more hours Master Velona wouldn't be around to needlessly worry for her anymore.

Tuth yawned into his oatmeal, and Yua smiled warmly across the table without a word while Ryuuko licked at the bottom of her bowl. Veon-Zih grinned, "We'll send our address to the Guild in Sanoloa, so don't forget to keep us informed."

"You might not have to write to each other anymore, but we still expect letters," Velona added.

Shon nodded mutely, and Lily rolled her eyes again, moving her entire head this time to make sure it was extra dramatic. "Yes, Master."

Velona sighed, "Don't go picking any unnecessary fights on the road. You'll get plenty of necessary ones anyway."

"And don't forget to stop early tonight to practice setting up those tents." Veon-Zih offered.

"And you make sure to buy a sturdy bed. You have lots of time to make up for." Lily countered. Yua snorted, and Velona smacked Lily across the chest with the back of her hand while Veon-Zih blushed.

"Don't forget you can always ask if you need us to come back," Velona said, "I still have contacts in the Guild and can get a gate if necessary, so-"

"No, Master," Lily said, then smiled, "We'll be fine. You taught us well." She tried to assure them.

"But still," Veon-Zih said sternly.

Lily opened her mouth to argue, but Shon rested a hand on her knee and said, "Yes, Master." Ryuuko whistled.

They walked as a party for the last time to the Mages Guild to see the Monks off. Once at the stairs outside, Lily started forward for a final hug. But Shon held her back with a hand while Tuth, Yua, and Ryuuko -on the Ranger's shoulder- took their turns shaking hands with the Masters.

She tilted her head up at him, but Shon just stared at the others with a silent nod. Going last would mean they would get more time, she realized. But as Lily looked back, she saw Tuth chanting over Master Velona before stepping away to make room for Shon to come forward. "That should give you a few extra minutes at least..." he muttered to the Monk as Lily approached Veon-Zih first.

Lily stood before Shon's teacher, but shot a glance at Master Velona and Shon in time to see him offer her a Monk bow, and to grin as Velona returned it formally. Lily turned her attention back to Veon-Zih and forced a bigger smile, giving her own bow, right fist in left hand, "You take care of her, you hear me?" she said.

"With everything I have," Veon-Zih answered, then stepped forward to wrap her in a hug. Lily stiffened for only a moment -not wanting to burn him- until he whispered, "You take care of my boy," and she relaxed, returning the embrace for as long as he could stand it, which was a surprisingly long time, "He's the most precious thing I have."

"Me too," Lily answered. He stepped away from her, and they both grinned, "But not the only precious thing."

"No," he laughed, "not anymore."

Lily moved for Velona, passing Shon on his way to Veon-Zih, and again took a moment to watch the two men. Again Shon bowed in the Monk fashion, and though Veon-Zih returned it, he followed up by holding his hand out for a shake. Shon took it, and his Master tugged, pulling him into a tight embrace and whispering words Lily couldn't hear in his ear.

Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

Velona lifted her hands for a bow, but Lily didn't let her finish the gesture and wrapped her in a hug, keeping her arms loose so Velona could pull away when it became too much. Lily could feel her skin tingle, and the Monk answered the unspoken question in a whisper, "It's a protection spell." She wrapped her arms around her student and held her tight, for once not needing her training to maintain the contact, "You've grown so strong. I'm so proud of you."

Lily choked back a sob, hiding her lack of smile in her Master's shoulder, "I'll miss you... You're so much more than just my teacher, Master Velona. I don't know how to describe how much you mean to me except to say that you're one of my very favorite treasures. I know you won't ever need me, but if you ever did, I would fly across the kingdom to your side."

Velona pushed Lily back but only far enough to stroke her scaled cheek, "Oh my precious flower, I will miss you too. And all I need is for you to be happy. Not a moment goes by when I don't thank the gods for bringing us together. You were and are a blessing to me, whether you choose to credit them or not." Lily managed a strangled giggle, and Velona pulled her in again, "You found a good man to keep you grounded and happy. Don't you dare let him go without a fight."

Lily shook her head and answered, "You too. I'm sure it will be worth the wait, but if you ever need me to knock some sense into him, you let me know, okay?"

Velona laughed, "And share the fun? Hardly." making Lily giggle again.

She didn't know how long they held each other, only that it was longer than anyone besides Shon had ever managed. When they finally pulled apart, Lily wiped her cheeks with the heels of her hands, her smile returning. "We'll come visit. Shon promised."

"Then we'd better get going," Velona answered, and Veon-Zih added,

"Can't very well come see us if we never leave."

Veon-Zih took Velona's hand, and Lily stepped back to find Shon at her side. He rested a hand on her lower back and nodded to the Monks. They returned the nod in unison, but Velona said, "Make sure she doesn't stop her exercises. You don't have to worry about drills -those are fun to her- but make sure she runs at least three times a week." Lily groaned, but Shon nodded again.

"Well..." Veon-Zih said after a moment of silence, "Someone has to say it, so, goodbye everyone. Until next time." He gave all four of them one last bow, Velona joining him in the gesture. They turned away together, and he rested his own hand on Velona's back just as Shon had done to Lily. Together they walked into the Mages Guild and out of sight.

Lily took a shaking breath and turned her back on the tower, Shon right behind her. She smiled at Yua and Tuth, standing silently a few steps away, "Let's go."

They made their way to the southern gate, and Lily reached forward to grab Tuth by the back of his robes. She pulled him sharply back to walk beside her with a strangled gag. "Thank you," she whispered as he glared at her.

The animosity left his features, and he coughed into his fist, "It was nothing..."

"Not to me," she said, leaning over to kiss his cheek.

He slapped the spot with a shouted, "Ow. Damn it, I didn't cast it on myself!"

"Maybe you should've," Yua said, still leading the party.

Ryuuko twittered, and Tuth scoffed, "And give her an excuse to do it again? That's Shon's job anyway."

Lily laughed, "As if I need an excuse," She kissed the air between them, getting closer and closer as the Mage stumbled away from her.

Shon reached around to cover her mouth with one cold hand and pulled her back to save Tuth as they continued to walk. She giggled, turning to him and hopping sidewise to keep moving, pecking him on the cheek too. He didn't flinch, but he did blush, and she laughed again.

"Oh, this journey is going to be so much fun," Yua said with her own snicker while Tuth rolled his eyes, and Ryuuko whistled.

***

"This can't be right..." Ragther muttered. He shook his head in disbelief and placed yet another case file on the second pile.

"Sir?" the Cleric asked, eyeing the two stacks.

Ragther didn't clarify. Instead, ordering, "Get me all the missing persons for the last decade over the entire province."

The Cleric saluted, turning back to the shelves of files. The Paladin leaned back in his chair, the chain of his ever-present flail clinking at his side even without his armor. Ragther continued to eye the two neat piles. One was larger than the other, but the difference wasn't nearly as pronounced as it should be.

He rubbed his chin and thought out loud, "Sorcerers make up less than one percent of the population, so why...." The smaller of the two piles was a full half as tall as the larger. Even without Sorcerers' rarity as a consideration, none of the cases from the city had been sealed. Their magic should've made them nearly impossible to ambush. How had the Guild not noticed...

It wasn't just Raina. Someone was taking Sorcerers specifically. From his province. Ragther thought of his limited resources, then the promised assistance coming from the Church, and regretted not authorizing a gate. This was bigger than just his sister. But it didn't change the fact that the Temple was spread thin.

He knew better than to pray to Horsa for protection, so instead, the Paladin prayed for strength, Let me find them, my Lord. No matter what it takes, I will offer their blood up in your honor for this.

Ragther stood, picking up the pile of missing Sorcerers, and moved for the door. The Clerics of Lune had determined that Raina was alive by their inability to find her soul in the heavenly planes. Just as they'd used his blood to search for his sister, he would find these Sorcerers' families to confirm their deaths.

***

"You'll kill him..." Raina gasped from her table, not looking at the one beside her. Strapped to the cold steel slab, she stared at the ceiling with needles stuck in both arms, her blood slowly dripping into jars on the floor.

The Warlock Shaloon snorted, and the wind Sorcerer on the table beside Raina let out a quivering breath. "His blood is weak. We will need more of it to create a suitable solution."

Raina smiled. These fools were going to sign their own death warrants.

But the Warlock laughed, "You think his death will save you?" she asked. The noblewoman wiped the smile from her lips and glared at the madwoman as she continued to laugh. "Allow me to guess, M'lady. You expect that when he dies, the Temple will find his soul and be able to track you?" Shaloon leaned over Raina upside down, her eyes shifting in colors from red to purple to blue.

Raina didn't answer, and the Warlock smirked. "I am right. Well, allow me to show you something..." she laced a hand into Raina's hair and twisted, forcing her to look at the man, already pale as death from blood loss. With her other hand, the Warlock summoned a sword with a black blade and rested it on his throat. She began to chant, and the sword shifted in color from black to gold and started glowing. Slowly -like a caress- Shaloon slit the man's throat.

He didn't even have the energy left to struggle. He gaped like a fish out of water, dark blood pooling slowly from his neck until even that stopped. Somewhere down the hall, a hawk screeched and died with its human.

What...? But then the Warlock ordered, "Get up."

The corps tried to sit up, pulling on his bindings. Shaloon let go of Raina's hair, but she couldn't look away. The Warlock lazily unbuckled the dead man's straps until he was able to sit up, then stand, his eyes staring blankly and his mouth hanging open.

"Can you see it, M'lady?" Shaloon asked, then ordered the corpse, "Bring your face close to hers,"

The dead man shuffled forward, and though Raina tried to pull away, he pressed his nose right up against hers -blood dripping from his throat into her hair. His eyes shone with terror. He wasn't alive, but his soul hadn't left his body.

The Warlock leaned down close enough that her breath tickled Raina's cheek -offering a stark contrast to the man. "We have been working to bring back the dragons for millennia," Shaloon whispered into Raina's ear, "Ever since they were first wiped from the earth. Did you honestly think our Master hadn't given us a way around your foolish detection spells?"

Shaloon stood and ordered, "Outside." and the undead Sorcerer hobbled off to obey -the soul of the man unable to influence the body any longer.

Raina closed her eyes and turned her face away. Shaloon laughed. Oh, gods... My Lord Horsa... Give me strength and guide my brother's flail to this foul woman's flesh... Raina prayed. Though if any of the gods could hear her here, she couldn't know.