"I was?" The shaman pondered. "That's a first. About what?"

"Magic, knowledge, life."

Candlemas sniffed and caught his breath.

"Magic is too great a force to control. You can only use a small portion of it, follow it, not bend it to your will. It's like trying to divert the tide. You'll only drown."

The forest was silent except for the cheep of tree frogs and the carol of birdsong. The three companions basked in the warm sun, resting after their labors, for once not running, fighting, killing, dying. But Candlemas shriveled inside, his heart broken as surely as Karsus's, and he knew it would never wholly mend. He'd given his heart and lost it, and his chest was hollow but for the splintered fragments.

The sun was low in the sky when Candlemas finally rose, dusted off his hands, and smoothed his scorched, filthy robe of military cut. Sunbright and Knucklebones had dozed off holding hands. Gently the mage touched their scarred arms to wake them. Both were instantly alert and up, then wondering what to do.

Candlemas stared upward. Hovering in a blue spring sky, a mile high, was the enclave of Castle Delia, a stopping ground for the young Lady Polaris. Sunbright followed the mage's stare, asked gently, "Ready to go home?"

A surprising shake of the head. Candlemas said weakly, "I was in no hurry to return, for I left nothing behind. Some money, a spare robe, rooms full of trinkets and trash. I wanted to stay with Sita, and make a home there. That's gone, and I'm back, but there's less now than there was before. There's no place for me anywhere."

Sunbright laid a broad hand on his shoulder.

"Where will you go?"

Resigned, not really caring, the mage nodded south.

"There's a small keep, leagues off, in the hills near the lakes. I know it from my stewardship. It's abandoned. Probably Lady Polaris . . ." He paused at the mention of her name, then continued, "Probably Lady Polaris doesn't even know she owns it. I'll move there in lieu of pay. She owes me enough for my years of service. From what I saw in-the enclave-I have a notion how to cure the crop blight. Maybe Polaris and the n.o.bles don't care if a cure is found, but many innocent people still suffer. It will be a worthwhile use of magic for once, saving crops instead of tinkering with hair curlers and gambling dice."

He glanced at the high castle, then finished, "I can walk there. It'll give me time to ... think about Aquesita. I never said goodbye...."

Sunbright squeezed the mage's shoulder, said softly, "I'm afraid you must say it now. To us."

Candlemas turned woodenly.

The shaman smiled, but sadly.

"I'm bound north," he said, "It's time for me to go home, back to the tundra and my tribe. I've debts to settle and stories to tell, and my birthright to reclaim. I'm ready now to face them, now that I'm a proper shaman." He looked a question past Candlemas.

Knucklebones. .h.i.tched her belt, settled her black-bladed elven knife on her hip. Her one green eye stared back.

"I'll go."

That brought a smile of thanks from Sunbright.

Slump-shouldered, infinitely weary, Candlemas only nodded.

"Then there's nothing else to say."

"One thing." Sunbright said, holding out a scarred, brown hand. "Thank you, friend."

Candlemas clasped hands, was dully surprised to find how strong his own hand felt in the barbarian's big one.

"Yes," the mage said. "Thank you, friend. You'll be a great shaman, for you've taught me much already."

"And you'll cure the crop blight magically, and save simple folk from suffering, so they'll sing praises to your name. I can prophesy that."

Candlemas smiled weakly in thanks.

They turned and walked away. Two north, one south.

About the Author

Clayton Emery has been a blacksmith, a dishwasher, a schoolteacher in Australia, a carpenter, a zookeeper, a farmhand, a land surveyor, and a volunteer firefighter, among other things. He was an award-winning technical writer for ten years. His novels include Tales of Robin Hood; Shadow World #1: The Burning G.o.ddess and Shadow World #3: City of a.s.sa.s.sins; the Whispering Woods trilogy for Magic: The Gathering; the Robin & Marian stories in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, and other works. He lives in New Hampshire with his wife and son, and has played the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game since forever.

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