Book 5 - Chapter 29
Brin fretted about the imminent arrival of his mother. The camp of the Order of the Long Sleep didn't seem fine enough to entertain a lady of her stature. Even if it were Sion visiting him, he'd be embarrassed. There wasn't really anywhere to sit, and he didn't have cookies or pastries to offer, and there wasn't an easy way to make tea.
Despite the fact that the camp got torn down and reassembled every day, it felt like a place. The tents all went up in the same order, with the Lances together across from the commanders and officers. Everyone was separated by invisible boundaries that felt as solid as walls. It was always dusty unless it was muddy, and there was always a bit of ash hanging in the air from something or other. Even just standing around would make you dirty. He bet he stank. The Lance was more hygienic than most places in the army since they still had servants to do their laundry and bring them a basin of water to wash with every night. Still, you couldn't help but get the grime of war on you.
The nice thing about the armor was that dirt didn't cling to the polished metal very easily, so at least he looked alright. Though, maybe he should change into his dress uniform before she arrived?
Lumina appeared in a flash of light, and the time was up. Brin hadn't prepared a single thing for her arrival.
He pulled off his helmet.
"Oh!" said Lumina, and put a hand to her mouth in shock.
Brin waited, not sure what to say, what to do. There was no hiding the fact that he'd gained a crazy amount of levels since she'd seen him last. He'd been through all the dangers she'd told him to avoid and he couldn't even apologize for it, not really, because he wasn't sorry. Despite Aberfa, despite Siphani, despite a horde of goblins, he didn't have any regrets for the way his life had gone.
She could rage against that all she wanted; he wouldn't back down. He wouldn't let her blame Galan or Hogg for this, either. He'd made his choices.
Lumina's mouth twitched up, then paused, and trembled. "You're a man, now."
She clenched her jaw tight until a single tear crept loose from her eye, and then the dam broke. Lumina cried. She wasn't good at it; she must not have much practice. She fanned herself with one hand as if to dry the tears that way, while the other hand tried to cover her entire face. "Yo... you're all grown up. I missed your entire childhood."
He ran to her and encased her in a hug. Maybe too quickly, because of the small "oof" she let out. It couldn't be comfortable being hugged by someone in full armor, but he didn't think it was the wrong move judging by the way she folded over him, and the way her choking sobs quieted down. He'd grown a lot this past year. It didn't always feel like it, but the truth was evident in the fact that although she was still taller than him, it wasn't by much.
She stank, he realized. It humanized her in a way he hadn't ever really felt before. She smelled like horse and sweat. She hadn't woken to servants and a bath this morning; she must've been traveling hard until arriving only recently. Her trademark red robes had patches of soot, and a few holes, maybe from the fight just now. That fight had displayed her terrifying otherworldly power, but she was still human.
Marksi broke them up by trying to jump between them and join the hug, and Lumina stepped back with a laugh.
"Yes, of course I haven't forgotten you! I have such affection for you, dear dragon, that I think of you as a second son," said Lumina. She looked back to Brin, and her newfound smile began to waver. "And despite everything, I do... you know, I do think..."
"You're my mother," said Brin. "I'm deciding. I don't need blood, laws, oaths or Wyrd to decide for me. I'm deciding now. You're my mother, and you're the only one I've got."
Lumina clenched her jaw and took a shaky breath. "I'm quite put out. This isn't at all how I planned for our reunion to go. I'm such a mess."
Brin shrugged. "I don't see any problem with it. I'm just glad you're not angry."
"And who should I be angry with? Shall I vituperate Galan, when I am as much to blame as he? I think not. Come now, introduce me to your friends." Lumina still held Marksi, who snuggled into her and purred as she stroked the scales of his back.
There really wasn't any privacy in a warcamp, and there wasn't anywhere to go to get away from awkward family drama, so it was with evident relief that the Lance stopped pretending they weren't all eavesdropping and crowded around.
Since Hedrek was nearest, Brin clapped a hand on his shoulder and said, "This is Sir Hedrek. He's the Second's Second and our best fighter."
"Charmed," said Lumina.
"It-- It's an honor, Y-Your Highness," said Hedrek. Normally Hedrek was smooth with his words, so it was fun to see him tongue-tied for once.
"Your Radiance, Hedrek," corrected Cid.
"You don't gotta call me that," said Hedrek. "Just 'sir' is fine."
Lumina grinned in amusement.
"This is Sir Gurthcid Trevorrow. My Prime," said Brin.
"Thank you for keeping an eye on my wayward son. I can't imagine the sheer madness that must come with trying to keep him out of danger for any amount of time," said Lumina.
"You surely cannot, Your Radiance," said Cid seriously.
Brin snorted and shook his head. If he let them ramp up then they'd all just start roasting him. He needed to get ahead of it. "And the rest. Rhun is a true man and our shield guy. Aeron is sort of good at everything, but he's such a typical [Knight] that I sometimes forget he exists. Anwir--"
"Wait. That's my identifier? I don't stand out?" asked Aeron.
"What did you think it was?"
"I'm the handsome one," said Aeron.
"No, that's Rhun again," said Brin.
"I'm straight-laced and earnest," said Aeron.
"You're still talking about Rhun. Moving on. Anwir just does arrows; no one knows why he's even here. Meredydd can use all kinds of weapons, none of them well. Brych is the sneaky one and he’s in love with every girl, Cowl just figured out that he's a [Knight] like three days ago, and Govannon is sort of like our stabby mascot."
Govannon nodded. “I can get behind that.”
At the beginning of Brin’s monologue, they’d mostly still been overwhelmed by Lumina’s presence, but by the end they were all snickering at each other, which meant that he’d been successful at breaking the ice. Though maybe he’d gone a little far.
“They’re a bunch of misfits, but burn me if I’m not proud of them. You won’t find a better Lance anywhere in the world, and I wouldn’t trade a single one of them for anyone other [Knight] in the Order. All of you, this is my mother. She's sort of famous in some circles. Maybe you've heard of her. Maybe not."
Hedrek shook his head, and apparently he'd found his voice because his normal confidence was back. "So it's true. He told us, but hearing and believing is two different things. Your Radiance, please enlighten me. If you're really his mother, then why didn't he turn out..." Hedrek waved his hand as if trying to come up with the right word. "Better."
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"I was called away so often on business, you know, and I fear that he was exposed to unwholesome influences. When you meet Hogg you'll understand," said Lumina.
"He's here?" Brin asked.
"No, sadly he's been called far to the west on Tower business," said Lumina. "Which reminds me. It was blessedly charming to meet you all, and I do hope we'll have a chance to talk more, but I have a bit of news to share with Brin alone."
"Say no more, Your Radiance. Hop to, men. Let's give them some privacy," said Cid, and marched the men away. He really didn't know where they'd be going, but away was good enough.
Lumina stepped over to a stump near their cold campfire ring and sat. She made a circular gesture with her staff, and softly muttered some words of Language. To his relief, her Wyrd held none of the venom that she'd shown against Sana. Instead, she made a firm argument about why she had the right to speak to her son in privacy. This was a ward against eavesdroppers. Brin cast his own anti-snooping spells, though they were likely redundant above what Lumina cast.
"...and that should do. I must say, your magic has taken quite a turn. Your magic feels slippery and deceptive, even compared to other [Illusionists]," said Lumina.
Brin froze. He hadn't decided yet if he was going to try to hide [Delusionist] from Lumina or not. He should've known she'd see right through him. Their connection in the Wyrd would give her a glimpse, even if her magical senses as an [Archmage] didn't.
“Your magic feels different, too. You’ve read my book,” said Brin.
Lumina grinned in delight. “Indeed I have! I think I always knew that my spells were stronger when I approached them with greater intentionality, when I cared more, but having a framework to evaluate those differences has been a godsend, perhaps literally. I have notes, and questions, but if we get into that we won’t have time for anything else. Now, you were about to say you advanced your Class?”
"Yes. You’re right. It’s an [Illusionist] variant that focuses on the Wyrd. I thought it a necessary step, for what I believe your plans for me must be," Brin said carefully.
"Oh relax, I'm not upset. Maybe I should be, but I fear I spent all my anger against Sana. No, if anything I feel a bit guilty because of how upset I am not. You took a step further towards magic, towards a future where you can live with me at the tower. I feared I'd come here and find a [Knight] who was determined to stay with the Order. Not that I would forbid it, if that's what you chose."
Brin shook his head. "I don't know what I want. How is the Tower? In the last letter you said it was still dangerous."
"Yes, I suppose we can start there. The Tower is... complicated. How to explain. Alright. The Tower is a physical location, but it's better to think of it as a political entity. No, rather than an entity, it's a location that accumulates the conflicts between the multitude of political entities in Frenaria and beyond. The Tower itself is neutral because the Master is neutral. Only, he isn't. He has very strong political opinions, not the least of which is his strict isolationism. He opposes both this war and the expansion of settlements in the Boglands. But he isn't against... oh dear, I'm not explaining this well."
Brin couldn't hide his amusement. He'd almost forgotten how bad Lumina was at telling stories. "How about we focus on the things you need me to do."
"You'll need to swear an Oath of fealty. It’s a burden of [Mages], I’m afraid. I can operate with a great deal of independence, but only because the king and the aristocracy believe I’m controllable. Someone that’s perhaps not appreciated, but understood. I need not listen to them, but there is someone who I must obey and that makes me safe. Safe enough. They will never allow someone of your personal strength to remain unattached, doubly so if they learn you’re an [Illusionist]. Normally, I’d ask you to swear fealty to me, but Hogg already did, and if you do as well it will start to look like I’m forming a faction of some sort. However, you can’t swear to anyone else. They’d use you against me."
"They wouldn't want me to just swear to the king?" Brin asked.
"If the king started accepting direct Oaths of fealty from commoners, they'd riot. Best would be if you were more directly involved with your Prinnashian side. A foreign student studying abroad is a known quantity. It would leave you free to act and wouldn’t give anyone a good reason to have you assassinated. Not that that’s a risk! I’m quite certain I can protect you."
Brin noticed he was still standing, and knelt down on the ground next to her stump. "I don't know anyone in Prinnash worth my loyalty." Should he swear fealty to Cid? He sort of already had, except that was wrapped up with his duty to the Order. Maybe he could work out something with the Wogan's? Sion had hinted that he was looking for a partner to act as figurehead.
Lumina said, "If Galan decided to take lands and become a lord, would you ever consider..."
"In a heartbeat," Brin answered.
"Then perhaps that's our angle," said Lumina. "We needn't decide now. I suppose I should give you some names. The Duke of Cobol is our primary rival. To drastically over-summarize the situation, he wants to consolidate all magic in Frenaria behind his banner and starkly opposes the Tower’s neutrality. But he and his son remained behind in Frenaria so I doubt you'll need to worry about him. Of those present, you should watch out for Lord Raimond of House Barros, Lord Ian of Avion, Lord Godofredo of House Black, Lady Bia of Guven, and Joaoz Resende. Oh, but Bia is near your age. She'd be an advantageous match."
Brin had just said a few minutes ago that he'd accepted Lumina as his mother, so he swallowed down the objections he felt about her playing matchmaker. She'd already told him that she wasn't going to force him into a marriage and he trusted she'd hold to that. Instead, he spun up a thread to search his [Memories in Glass] for what he'd seen of each of those four. He kept Invisible Eyes watching the army pretty much all the time, so he bet he'd [Inspected] them in passing at some point.
The threads returned periodically throughout their conversation. Lord Raimond had the most information, because it turned out he'd actually heard the man giving orders at one point.
Thread 1 Reporting: Raimond is 48 years old, level 50, a [Martial Artist] that specializes in fighting barehanded. He's fond of flowery speech, and misuses a lot of long words. Extremely conscientious and law-abiding.
He had a memory of seeing Raimond stride bare-chested into a swarm of undead to rescue a group of six spearmen that had pushed too far ahead. All the undead's blacksteel weapons had bounced off his skin, while his hands and feet crunched straight through their armor.
Thread 2 Reporting: Ian is 50 years old, level 51, [Inspects] as a [Mage of Warding], likely a false Class.
Brin saw a memory of Ian standing with a coterie of [Mages]. He was surprisingly youthful-looking; Brin would've called him a teenager, young twenties at most, if not for his light gray hair. Ian cast a spell that flew over the top of the heads of the soldiers to strike an approaching undead warrior. The undead wasn't noticeably damaged, but it fell to the ground and stopped moving. That didn't look like damage, it looked like it had been disanimated. Could he be something adjacent to a [Necromancer]? No wonder the thread said the [Mage of Warding] Class was probably fake.
Thread 4 Reporting: Bia is 19, level 33, a [Farseeing Scout].
This thread hadn't found an image of her fighting. Instead, she'd been drinking in the public house in Witch Town where Brin had found Davi. She had big hoop earrings, and her sleeves and pants ended in oversized cuffs that gave her a bit of a storybook appearance. She half-wrapped her hair in a purple turban, letting just enough of her black hair slip out to show that it had a streak of white.
Thread 5 Reporting: Joaoz Resende is 74, level 60, a [Bard].
Brin had actually already known about this guy. He was the highest-leveled [Bard] in the entire army, and he'd often heard the man's songs rising above the rest to urge the soldiers on to glory. He looked to be in his mid-thirties. He was bald, had a very wide nose, and his impression had always been that Joaoz was a friendly, easy-going man. Someone Brin would really get along with. Then again, wouldn't he say that about any [Bard]?
He began to imagine that Thread 3 was never going to report in, until a full ten minutes later it finally made its report.
Thread 3 Reporting: Godofredo is likely near middle age. His Class is rumored to be [Investigator].
Brin didn't have any direct memories of Godofredo. The thread sent him a few vague pictures of a dark figure moving in the background of the approximate location of his camp. He had a banner, and led seven hundred men. Two hundred of those were magic casters with fifty full [Mages], but he never appeared on the battlefield in person. All the other information it had of Lord Godofredo was of people talking about him, not actually of the man himself. Apparently, he was a bit of a recluse, to put it mildly.
"I need to make one thing clear: These are not enemies, per se. There is no blood between us, they haven't stolen from me or hurt anyone. They aren't even rude to me at parties. The currents of present day politics have brought us at odds with each other, but tomorrow that may change."
"I'm not going to run around killing people," said Brin.
"I wasn't worried about that. Should I be worried about that?" asked Lumina.
"No!"
"It's only that I know you spent a lot of time around Hogg, and I know how you admire him so," said Lumina.
"I'm not Hogg!"
"I know. I'm only telling you this so that you're aware of where we stand. For the purposes of this war, they are allies."
"I understand," said Brin, exasperated.
"Good. I'll give you more names as they occur to me," said Lumina, tapping her chin in thought. "Let's see. We've talked about the Tower, we've touched on your Class... We still need to talk about the war. Oh! But before that, I've left you in suspense long enough. Your present! I have it here."
Lumina pulled a baseball-sized glass orb from a pocket in her robes. It was transparent on the edges, but inside, captivating colors and shapes swirled about as if inviting him to look closer and delve into their secrets.
"Is that...?"
Lumina's eyes sparkled in delight. "I really am proud of this thing. A triumph of magical engineering, and not one that I'm certain we could repeat. This is it. Your Lightmind."