Point of No Return

It was a strange feeling for Agnes as she sat, enjoying a cup of tea from her high balcony overlooking a prison mine she was now in command of. Recovering and trusting Hektor to negotiate the plan meant she didn't really think much about the implications of what would come next. Most of her focus was spent on thinking about how to make the spell she learned in the fight with Naak more reliable. As Agnes suspected, it was a useful technique when surrounded by thick stone walls.

She had never needed to seriously consider something like terrain for a fight before. Sure, over the course of her long life there had been several times she needed to use her magic to defend herself. Especially when she was much, much younger. There was a big difference between setting a highwayman's cloak ablaze or tripping a pushy suitor with a draft and summoning fists of stone to pummel giants though.

In truth, Agnes was amused with how successful it all went. She never had idle dreams of becoming some great sorceror, but she really did enjoy having The Knack. It took her a while to understand what Chloe was trying to show her in front of the Vinvintin academy, but she was starting to get it. Potential doesn't know class or geography. Without anyone to compare to, it was easy to think her abilities were normal. Meager even, but most couldn't command the elements as fluidly as she had learned to.

“Little cat burgular,” Agnes cooed when she hear Chloe arrive on the terrace. “Do you think I should write a book about magic, maybe open a school when this is all over?”

“Oh, I already know what publishing house I'm taking the story to in Trelle.” The girl replied with an air of assuming this was the most natural thing anyone in their position would consider. “But...yeah Granny Agnes, people would wanna know how you did it.”

“Ever since the harbor town I've been wondering. If I knew how the schools taught magic I might be able to comment more, but all I ever had was a wandering priestess. She showed me the basics and I guess a lifetime of using it casually taught me something they don't know.”

Chloe shrugged before offering. “I don't really know, you witchy types are always a mystery to the rest of us. But I have thought after getting to know you that maybe it makes a little more sense why the Fair Folk were supposed to be so much better at it.”

“I think I get what you mean.” Agnes offered wistfully. “They lived for so long, if it takes most of a long human life to build that foundation...it just makes more sense for a court wizard to master one element.” She paused for a moment before punctuating with “It's always sad to me hearing you kids talking about them in the past tense.”

“You weren't joking, were you?” Chloe asked bluntly. “Back in the forest, I mean.”

Agnes chuckled and looked off into the distance. “Now you're just going to make me feel like an old lady telling fairy tales back in the village. There were still a few in the deep woods near my village when I was a girl. One would watch, never approach but just watch sometimes when I practiced magic in them. That's when I picked up a little of their language from an old book. Tried to leave notes.”

“Woah!” Chloe exclaimed, leaning forward in eager anticipation. “Did you ever get any back?”

“One. The day I first heard that stupid prophecy. It was delivered by a priest shortly after Leo was born. I hadn't gone to that clearing in years, but I just needed to...well, just letting off a lot of pent-up frustration. There, scorched into the bark of the same tree I left every message, written in common script but the shining ink the old book mentioned was a simple message.”

“You gotta tell me Granny Agnes! C'mon!”

Agnes heaved a sigh before continuing. “Both roads lead to destiny.”

“Huh?”

“I hadn't thought of it in so long, but back then I at least considered it. Should I follow it out of the fear they might come looking for the subject of the prophecy? Or should I just ignore it? I guess it could've worked out either way. Maybe if I had tried and failed back then, Leo or Alexander would have succeeded. Waiting gave me the time to be able to do it myself. Running from destiny only brought it to my door.”

“Eh, you still had to do it.”

“What?” Agnes was shocked by how quickly the girl lost interest.

“Never liked destiny or fate or all that much. You're great because you picked up your staff and just decided to do it yourself. Doesn't matter when. Remember when this started? You didn't talk about beating the guy. I thought we were just gonna sneak Xander out. Yesterday you were the famous forest witch tearing down the Giant King's prison mine.”

“I like your style, Chloe.” Agnes said softly, making the girl jolt at hearing her name instead of Agnes's usual epithet. “Now I'm sure you had more urgent business to discuss coming all the way up here.”

“Oh! Right!” Chloe responded before recounting the events of the past two days. With the prison secure, they opted to let Rhek and Agnes recover while Rhuk and Hektor set out to catch up with some of the bands of escaped prisoners. Pointing them toward a town at the base of the steppe they could make a one-way trip down to. Even recommending a Tumlin-owned establishment Hektor lent letters of introduction for. The idea being to limit how much King Dunne would be able to learn about any disturbances in his prison mine.

“But get this!” Chloe excitedly added after the report. “They ran into a real big shot out there!”

“Who?”

“Boss Tumlin himself. Baron Tom caught up with them, fancy flying carpet and everything!”

“No...those exist? Not just in stories?”

“Oh yes! Super rare, there are some Taronites who are still mad about one getting stolen several generations ago.”

“I always wanted one...don't tell Tumlin but we should try to steal it.”

“Granny Agnes!” Chloe shouted as she lunged in to hug her elder. “I've never been so proud of you.”

“So what did Boss Tumlin want?”

“Said he was already visiting the Seer for some reason. Offered to take some of the more injured escapees to town directly. Hektor's been absolutely over the moon since, been meaning to come up with a prank to take him down a peg.”

“Eh...let Tumlin have this one, little cat burgular.” Agnes tittered. “Good talking with you. So we'll be ready to go tomorrow?”

“That's the plan!” Chloe replied. Rhuk thinks the five of us can spend a few days hugging the mountains and get pretty close before any of Dunne's scouts see us. They won't know about the prison so the same lie should work twice. The Giant King won't be able to resist putting you in the pits with Xander if he thinks Rhek is ready to bend the knee.”

Chloe's words rang true as the next few days unravelled according to the plan. Agnes, Hektor, Chloe, and the giant siblings made their final excursion across the open steppes of Giant Country. With Rhuk's ability to scout from above they found a patrol right where they expected. The three giant soldiers only ever saw a figure they knew their lord wanted to recruit coming straight to them with a peace offering of three captives. Their knowledge of the wider world gained from raids making them even more susceptible to the truth Agnes's companions both carried an important family name. They had no reason to disbelieve the story Rhek ambushed them after they vanquished Naak.

Agnes could tell her companions were more rattled by this plan as it fell into place, doing her best to project calm as they were marched upwards through the pass into a mountain valley decorated with what she'd expect of a warband. Large canvas tents, men training in a cleared arena, camp followers scurrying to and fro making meals and washing clothes. All built around a massive central pavillion with a pit surrounded by seats out front.

They were marched through the camp, attracting spectators as they made their way towards the center. Agnes, Chloe, and Hektor were separated from their allies outside the entryway. Ushered into a different tent nearby under guard while Rhuk and Rhek waited for their audience with the king. Through it all, Agnes never wavered. Taking in the interesting scenery in what felt like just another serene Summer trip to the market in River's Bend.

Even Agnes found a part of herself wondering what this feeling was. Everything falling into place, the way this trip just...fell into place. How at every turn she met the people she needed to. She thought about Chloe's words from back at the prison. The question of destiny vs. her own choice. Remembered the three girls in that celestial sewing room looking over the fabric of her life. How everything she was and had been came to this one, truly absurd moment for someone like her to do what she was about to do.

For the first time in many, many years Agnes couldn't wait to let loose and see exactly what her magic could do.