The Wizard

Hex

Mevner glanced at Hex curled in a ball in a pool of her own blood. The dull thud of Grimble attempting to break the steel box he was trapped in was the only sound in the castle's hall. Øregård lay motionless beside the decapitated dragon head; both their tongues had oozed out of their mouths. Redwing's offer was as real as real could be and without a doubt, much could be learned from him.

"Nicholas, Mazlo, Redwing, whatever it is you want to be called. I'm sure we could do these things you want, but in truth, I agree with Melock's warning. This is not the path to success. I stood in your way before and I do so again." 

He stepped between Toven Hex and the dark arrow aimed at her. 

"I'll break you twice as bad this time. Mind bend...Blind!"

"Your curses won't work on me anymore." Mevner took a step closer.

"Silence! Spine break!"

"Return the gauntlets and the master's amulet. They're not meant for your negative purposes." 

Mevner curled his fingers into a claw and slashed his hand forward. A rush of energy ripped the front of Mazlo's robes and tore into him, leaving three deep scratch marks across his face.

"Who are you to demand anything from me!? Some abandoned child, my fool of a father took pity on? A peasant! A nothing! These are my birthright. You're lucky to have been taught anything at all. And now, just like your master, you shall die!" Mazlovado raised the deadly crossbow and fired point-blank at Mevner's heart. 

The poison venom arrow whirled forward at blinding speed, pinged off an invisible object, and slammed into the ceiling. Pathos de Martín's hood fell off and she was holding a small dented shield as she appeared out of nowhere between the two wizards. She was midrun and had timed it perfectly.

"The Cloak of de Martín, stolen from Luhng himself. That too will be mine." 

"Beyond my petit mort, my lovely." 

"I'd have it no other way." 

Mazlo wound his hand and threw a ball of fire at the half-elf. She was knocked across the room by its force but suffered nothing more than a shove and was nimble enough to stay on her feet. She flashed a wicked grin and pulled her hood back up covering her pointed ears. She vanished with an impish snicker beyond the sight of even a sorcerer as powerful as Malum. 

Mazlo returned his attention to Mevner who had already summoned a lightning bolt that would shock the life clear from his body. Four hundred thousand volts of electricity headed right at him. He dropped his crossbow and it disappeared. Simultaneously, he touched the sides of his amulet with both his forefingers and thumbs and teleported away. 

Mevner's lightning bolt cracked into the ancient throne behind the spot Redwing previously stood and smashed it to rubble. 

"Hex, can you hear me?" Mevner knelt down and picked her up in his arms. 

He slid the Ring of Life off his hand and put it on Toven's limp fingers. She was soaked in blood and not breathing. He refocused his attention on calling her back from death. Her ghostly purple projection rose out of her lifeless corpse.

"Don't give up, I can save you. I came back from the brink, so can you!"

"You have to let go, Diggs. It's my time to travel on." She smiled at him and her transparent hand stroked his beard. "Do you remember when we found you on the edge of the woods?"

"I was burying my family." 

"You learned to let them go."

"I was just a boy, I hardly remember. You and Melock, Nicholas and Øregård are the only family I've ever had. Don't leave me to face Redwing alone." 

"You're not alone." She was beginning to fade away. "Do you remember what Melock taught you that day?"

"The first law of thermodynamics?" 

"You didn't call it that then." She smiled like she knew he would be ok.

"Nothing can be created or destroyed, only transformed." He couldn't help but smile back through his sadness; even in death, she made him acknowledge joy.

"That's what's happening to me, Diggs. And to you." Her form became more transparent flickering in different colors of light. 

"Goodbye, Shining Raven. Thank you, for everything." He grinned and held back the sorrow.

"Chin up, you freed me. I have a good feeling about you."

Then she was gone. 

Mevner hugged her body as tight as he could and rocked back and forth. A lifetime of memories flashed through his mind, his adopted sister, the trickster, the kind-hearted, the teacher, the friend, the surrogate mother, the witch of the forest, the song of magic's light, the raven flying in the mist. How could he ever see a blackbird again without thinking of her.

The huge hand that touched his back should have scared the hell out of him but it was warm and incredibly comforting. 

"Wizards don't cry, so I cry for you." 

Mevner looked up at Øregård. There was a nasty infected looking hole where he had ripped the black arrow out of his forehead. Thick gooey tears left slime trails down his dark green cheeks. The wetness of his radiant blue eyes made them seem almost human. 

"She's right, you know? You're not alone." Pathos appeared in front of him.

She was holding a section of a unicorn tapestry and she helped them wrap Hex's body in the thick intricately woven fabric.

"She always loved the legend of the unicorn." 

There was a moment of silence interrupted by hammering.

"What about Monsieur Grimble?" de Martín asked. 

Mevner walked over to the softly thudding black iron cube and placed his hand with the corrosion ring on it. The box instantly started to rust. Radioactive decay began to break down the fundamental structure of the iron. The bolts withered and fell to the floor with tinking sounds and the iron walls began to crack. 

Mevner switched hands and froze the rusty metal box. The next time Grimble smacked the interior with his hammer the cube shattered around him and came down with a crash. His mechanical body shoved its way out. 

"I was running out of air in there," spoke the gnome from the eye of his iron man's head. "Did we win?"

"No Grimble, we didn't win. Mazlovado is gone and Hex is dead." 

"Oh." 

"Grimble Grumble." Øregård punched the iron version of himself in the arm.

"We'll have to follow him to the western kingdom, to his Necropolis."

That night Mevner burnt the body of his sister on the highest tower of the castle with Øregård, Pathos, and Grimble at his side. It was an internal affair for the wizard and the ogre had already shed his tears. The friends stood in silence and watched the flames rise into the chilly star-filled sky.

Øregård butchered the dragon and cooked and ate its liver. He finally got his prized head.