Lesson of the Fire
Page 44
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.