Lesson of the Fire (60 page)

Erika stared at him with tears in her eyes,
her emotions conflicted. He looked away, watching the shadows cast
by the fire flicker and twist on the wall.

“You know my head is always filled with
grand schemes and far-reaching plans,” he said. “I cannot lay that
part of me aside no matter how hard I try.”

“I don’t want you to give up your vision.
It’s why I married you, remember?” She laid a hand on his arm. “But
let me be a part of it. I helped Finn plan the adepts’ revolt and
showed them how to make Blosin gloves. I’m not completely useless,
you know.”

Sven noted the bitterness in her voice. He
replayed a thousand conversations and found no such statement.
“When did I ever say you were useless, Erika?”

“Whenever you hid us and pretended we didn’t
exist. You never even tell me what you’re doing anymore. I like
hearing about how you mean to give everyone magic, Sven. It
comforts me to know you are working to make Marrishland a better
place for Asa and her children.”

Sven considered what to say next, and when
he spoke, his voice was soft. “I have treated you unfairly, my
love, and I will make use of your talents in the future. As to my
plans, let me lay them out plainly. I plan to declare an amnesty
that frees all current slaves. I will use the good will my victory
has earned me to change the Law so that all Mar can wield magic. I
also intend to prohibit the possession of Blosin gloves enchanted
with offensive spells so that only those licensed to wield them may
have them. If the Mar are ever moved to fight each other again, I
would not have them all wielding morutmanon. I expect to
acknowledge Horsa’s claim to the Duxy of Flasten, and I will pardon
those duxes who attacked Domus Palus while the adepts fought the
Mass.”

He looked up into her eyes. “And while the
Mar rebuild the country from the ruins I have left it in, I intend
to finish your apprenticeship and take Asa as my apprentice. Even
if all Mar wield magic, those who also hold the title of weard will
always have elevated status in this country. Besides, I have never
known a child more eager for or deserving of an education as our
daughter is. You have taught her well in my absence, and it is past
time I was a part of her life again. Is there anything you would
like to add to my list, Erika?”

“Let me take the test soon. I have known
magic too well to wear black any longer. You should begin teaching
Asa now, before you return to Domus Palus.”

He smirked at her. “You say that because you
know that once she finds out she is my apprentice, she will hound
me for knowledge day and night until she wears the green, too.”

“Until she wears the red, and you know it.”
She leaned over and kissed him impishly. “Welcome home, Sven
Takraf.” Then she shouted up the stairs. “Asa, honey, your father
has something he wants to tell you!”

Asa raced down the stairs and drew to a halt
in front of him. He watched her eyes as he began her
apprenticeship, and sometimes, he could see the reflection of the
fire behind him.

The fuel turns to ash, but the fire lives
on.

Afterword

When the Takraf War ended, it had become the
most violent period in Mar history since the Fall of the Gien
Empire centuries ago. Tens of thousands of wizards and adepts,
hundreds of thousands of Drakes and as many as a million
wand-wielders and other mundanes died as a direct result of the
conflict or in its aftermath.

Although widely considered one of the most
successful Marduxes in the last several generations, Sven Takraf
did not achieve all of his stated objectives in the years he held
the Chair. Today, the damnens still control the Dead Swamps. The
sale of slaves to foreigners, although now illegal, remains a
problem. Dangerous Blosin gloves and wands have proliferated at an
alarming rate, doing much harm to innocent Mar in spite of all the
laws the Council has passed to curb crimes involving them.

In the end, Sven Takraf’s frustration with
his inability to prevent Mar from abusing the magical tools he
created drove him out of statecraft. He handed over control of the
Duxy of Domus to Einar Schwert by means of a no-contest duel for
the Chair and returned to Nightfire’s Academy to teach.

Certainly, much good also came to
Marrishland in the aftermath of the Takraf War. The peace between
Mar and Mass remains — forged in fear, but as yet unbroken. The
Takraf Amendment to Bera’s Unwritten Laws still stands. The
proliferation of adepts and wand-wielders it allowed has resulted
in a safer, healthier and wealthier nation. But, was it worth the
price Marrishland paid? That is for later generations to
decide.

The comforts we Mar enjoy today depend on
never allowing anyone to overturn the Takraf Amendment. Some
magocrats still wish to snatch away Marrish’s Gift from the Mar,
and they have tried many things in and out of the Council in hopes
of accomplishing this. All the blood and fire and madness of the
Takraf War were for nothing if we do not remain vigilant in our
defense of its most important achievement.

—
Weard Asa Sehtah, editor

Acknowledgments

The Takraf War affected virtually every
corner of Marrishland, and no one person could have written a
complete and accurate account of its history without the testimony
of its survivors. The editor and contributors would like to thank
the following witnesses for their commitment to this work: Mardux
Einar Schwert, Duxess Glyda Zaun, Dux Gruber Ratsell, Master Brack
(Weard Katla Duxpite and Yee Ka Lah), Master Nightfire, Weard Ari
Faul, Weard Arnora Stoltz, Weard Erbark Lasik, Weard Erika Unschul,
Weard Asfrid Staute, Weard Devla Salt, Weard Olvir Bedaulich, Weard
Oysten Klarein, Weard Sven Takraf, General Bui Beglin, Adept Finn
Ochregut, Due Goh Rue and Tee Rah Rue.

Contributors

As no one person could have provided a
complete account of the Takraf War, no one scholar could have
written it, and I owe my colleagues a greater debt than I can pay
in this life.

Weard Eira
Helderza:
A historian of Pidel Palus
Academy specializing in the Gien Invasion and the oral tradition of
pre-literate Marrishland.

Weard Gilda Kronas:
A historian at Pidel Palus Academy specializing in
the military history of Marrishland, especially from the time of
Weard Darflaem to the Fall of the Gien Empire.

Weard Girdag
Langat:
A veteran mapmaker who served the
Duxy of Pidel for twelve years before he turned scholar. He now
teaches at Nightfire’s Academy, specializing in documenting aspects
of the everyday life of mundane Mar.

Weard Oda Kalidus:
A historian at Domus Palus Academy specializing in
the study of magic in Marrishland prior to Weard Darflaem,
especially that of the Kalkorae, which is the subject of her
book
Wind Fans and
Waterwheels
.

Weard Olga Fydelis:
A priestess of Marrish and theology professor at
Pidel Palus Academy, she specializes in Mar religious
literature.

Weard Sigrath
Brennan:
A senior professor of governance
at Flasten Palus Academy, she is most famous for
Guard and Guide
— an
instructional manual aimed at wizards who wish to become magocrats
in the lands at the edge of Mar civilization.

Special thanks

Weard Ottar
Verunsigud:
The editor’s editor, my beloved
husband. Thank you for keeping me honest when no one else dared my
temper. You know who I got it from!

Pondr:
The Traveller and storyteller who never told us his real name.
His journals inspired and informed this work more than I can
express. Watch over me, my friend. By your sacrifice, I am warmed.
By your sacrifice, I can see. By your sacrifice, I live
on.