Page 468 of Of Empires and Dust

“I’m not.”

“You are.” She reached over and squeezed his hand.

Magnus grunted as he walked from the cave mouth and dropped himself to the ground beside Rist. He stared into the flames for a moment before reaching over and grabbing one of the two large packs he’d brought with him. “Garramon told me to give you these when we were far enough away,” Magnus said, handing the pack to Rist. “I’m not sure if we’re far enough away yet, but I’m sick of fucking carrying them.”

Rist took the pack from Magnus, his injured shoulder groaning at the weight. He laid it down beside him and undid the brass buckle, producing four heavy books – two bound in red leather and two bound in black – along with a folded letter sealed with black wax.

The first book bound in black leather was plain and simple, filled with hundreds of pages of detailed sketches of runes and musing and experiments. It was research into Blood Magic and runecraft, far more detailed than anything Rist had seen in the libraries in Berona. It appeared to have been written by a Scholar named Kiralla Holflower.

Rist opened the second black book.

The complete findingsand conclusions of the study of Essence-Empowered Runecraft, collated and written by Drakus Pirnil, Lector of the Affinity of Scholars of the Imperial Circle of Magii.

Rist stared at the name,his jaw clenching. He closed his eyes for a moment, calming himself, then set the two black booksdown atop the pack. The two books bound in red leather were far more elaborately constructed. The leather was smooth to the touch, embellished with gold, titles embossed on the spines.

A History of Magii, by Gandal Frendor, andDruids, a Magic Lost, by Duran Linold.

Rist had lost his copies in the fires that had burned the forward camps near the Firnin Mountains. The sight of these new ones warmed his heart.

He opened the first page ofDruids, A Magic Lostto find a note written inside, along with a bookmark forged from red steel.

To the mostcurious mind I have ever known. To have met you was a pleasure. To have watched you grow was a privilege.

Those words carveddeep into Rist’s chest, and his throat grew tight. He closed the book and set both down atop the others before opening the letter.

Rist,

I had hoped allof this would have unfolded differently. By now, you should be two hundred miles from Berona, but knowing Magnus, you are barely half that.

The day you came to me, you were scared and alone and lost. It was my pride to watch that change. In a short time, you have grown to become a man with a powerful sense of self, an indomitable will, and a light that draws others in.

Rist, I am sorry that I am less than you thought I was. I could say that I didn’t come with you because I went to stop Fane. That would be a lie. I didn’t go with you becauseI was ashamed. You are someone who cherishes honesty and rewards it with unyielding loyalty. And I have lied to you. From the moment I met you, I have lied.

I always knew who you were. I never sent your letters, not to your friends, not to your family. My task was to teach you the value of the Circle, to gain your trust, to shape you into what we needed you to be… to manipulate you and bend your will.

I tell you this now because the likelihood is that by the time you read it, I will be dead. And even in death I am still a coward, too ashamed to look into your eyes as I give you the truth you deserve.

It was I who was to shape and mould you, but in the end, it was you who shaped me. You showed me the man I had once been, the man I wanted to be again. And so I tell you that I may have lied about my intentions, but that is where the lies ended.

I am proud of you. I am proud of everything you have accomplished and everything you have overcome. You are a special soul.

I had hoped to give you the books in person. May they bring endless hours of escape. And please, for the love of all things sacred, use the bookmark.

The black books are every record kept of Fane’s research into blood runes. I was wrong. All those years ago, I was wrong. Study the books. Brother Pirnil mentioned there was a weakness in Fane’s plan. With luck, you will find the answers you need.

I do not expect you to forgive me. Please do not think on it. Live a long life, Rist. Surround yourself with the people you love, and never let them go. That was my first mistake. This world, this life, is nothing but the sum of our experiences and those we share them with. What happens in the end means little. What matters are the things we do along the way. Theonly joy is the joy we create. The only hope is the hope we refuse to let go.

I would keep writing this letter until time broke, because I know that when I put the pen down, I will never speak to you again. And so, I keep writing, because our talks were the greatest happiness I’ve had in a long time. I will miss your musings, my brother. I will miss the simple way you see the world. I will miss your conviction. But most of all, I will miss watching you grow into the man I know you will become. Do not let this world change you.

And so now I put the pen down, and I walk towards the only honourable thing I’ve done in a very long time. Magnus will always be there for you. Remember that.

Never stop questioning.

Garramon

Rist brushedhis thumb back and forth across the paper, his mind blank. He didn’t know what to feel, what to think. For perhaps the first time in his life, a thousand questions didn’t swirl around his head. He was just sad.

Neera grasped his arm.

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