[CW: Thoughts about Mortality]
The funny thing about routines is how persistent they can be. Rina and Vita have a routine like that. They have travelled across borders, to so many places that she can’t even remember all of them now. (Vita would, Rina knows that. Vita has always been better at keeping records.)
She remembers the routine starting when she could still outpace Vita and would scout ahead – never further than the range of her arrows, of course. Nowadays, her vision isn’t so good. Her knees complain far more often. Their pace keeps slowing. Breaks they take only get longer. Vita passes the time by explaining things she’s noticed, theories, ideas to test for the Path of the Heart. Rina’s always loved hearing her thoughts. She asks questions, offers suggestions. Neither of them talks about how long they’ve been resting for Rina’s sake. Vita is almost as young as when they married. Linked with the Mother as one of Her angels, she’s stronger than ever.
The routine goes like this: they set up a clinic or use one that already exists. They heal through mundane and magical means. If any locals want to learn, they teach by example. And, when everyone is gone, Vita suggests it’s time to treat Rina for ageing symptoms. Vita helps her onto the bed, mat, whatever they’re using for a sickbed this time. She measures out Ether. She holds Rina’s hands, the vial of Ether clasped between their palms, and asks if Rina’s ready to begin.
As always, Rina squeezes her hands gently. (Gentler now than ever; her grip has grown weaker in age.) She smiles. But the pause between question and answer is longer. It makes Vita nervous. This is their routine and it shouldn’t change. But it must.
“It’s time to stop,” Rina says, firmly but not unkindly. “I don’t want to keep doing this.” She’s been thinking about this for years, putting off this conversation just so she doesn’t have to hurt Vita. They’ve talked before about how Rina wants to live, how immortality was never an option. They knew this magic was a stopgap. But this is a firm decision, not theoretical. Sure enough, Vita looks confused, the hurt starting to bubble up. This expression is why it’s been so easy to put this off. The hurt can’t be avoided forever.
Vita tries to rationalise. “I know you love sacrificing yourself for others, b-but we have enough Ether.”
“Beloved, it’s not about resources or sacrifice. It’s…” She sighs. “I won’t live forever. I don’t want to live forever. Someday, I’m going to –“
Vita’s grip tightens. Her voice wobbles. “No. You can’t. I n-need you.”
Rina brings their hands up to her mouth, kissing each knuckle in turn. “You're stronger than you know. You don't need me, and you never did.“
Vita sniffs. “Th-that’s not true. D-d-don’t you remember – “
Rina chuckles softly. “Alright, maybe for a while you did. But that was a long time ago. One day soon you’re going to start a whole new – no, don’t make that face, listen – a whole new adventure. Without me.”
The air is knocked out of Rina’s lungs at the force of Vita’s hug. She coughs. The vial of Ether tinkles on the floor, unbroken. “Careful, these old bones aren’t getting any younger.” Vita relents slightly but still has her face buried in Rina’s shoulder. Rina rubs her cap as soothingly as she can manage. Vita’s wings flutter, agitated.
“B-but if you b-became an angel, we c-could still adventure together. The Mother would –“
“You know I won’t ask. I just want to enjoy the time I’ve got. However long that is. However many more adventures together that leaves us. It’s enough. It was always enough.”
Rina can feel Vita’s head shaking against her, but she doesn’t argue. Rina kisses her cap.
“Besides,” she adds. “When my time comes, there’s another adventure for me, too. Thaal and Aldrina have been waiting for me long enough. I can't keep them waiting forever.”
Minutes pass slowly in silence. Finally, Vita lets go of her wife. “Okay.” The word is watery, but the acceptance clear. She’s putting on a brave face.
“I love you.” They say it at the same time, and both laugh when they realise it, though Vita’s laugh is too shaky, her face covered in tears. Rina can feel her own tears but doesn’t wipe them away.
Though rarely so tear-soaked, sharing their love is a routine, too. Rina knows it will bring her joy until her final day.
— Written by Elynor K.
The Firemoss problem was finally done. It had taken some planning and co-ordination, and a certain amount of bargaining with the the more bureaucratic-minded Word-Keepers, but Rina was able to eventually work everything out. The name of the Epherontes proved more useful than expected — the push and pull of a noble house had its uses. Rina scowled at that, because she couldn't deny it was being useful.
“There's a p-problem,” Vita popped her head round the tent flap.
There was always a problem. Rina sighed.
The Brasse Kalliniaskon Community Garden. Closed. The last place to be cleared of Firemoss. Apparently when one of the Word-Keepers was starting to clear it, he accidentally set some of the moss off. The Path of the Earth Mages had already divided up the garden carefully, so the reaction was contained, but everyone was shocked when a part of the garden exploded.
“I'm sorry, exploded?!” Rina asks. But sure enough, there is a small crater near one of the trees.
“We should just… keep away from the garden,” a Word-Keeper suggested. She was missing her eyebrows. Rina had some small sympathy for the situation. Just not enough.
“We have to get ride of all the Firemoss, or it will just keep on coming back,” Rina stated. “We'll just have to go slowly and carefully.”
In the end, they recovered several jars of refined Firemoss, buried as traps around approaches to various trees in the garden.
Truly, a baffling thing. But at least the Firemoss was all dealt with.
The new apprentice looked keen. Much too keen. Rina didn't like that. It meant a lot of work tempering it as usual, but they had been quite adamant they wanted to learn from the 'Great' Rina Epheri. Rina scoffed angrily just thinking about it.
“Well, what this means right now is going around and checking all the parasitic vine plants are gone,” Rina said to the young hound Wildborn.
“Yes, of course. I can help with that,” they said.
“It's very very boring. And be prepared that they will be sneaky about it. Anything that looks like a mistake was probably intentional, I don't trust them,” Rina said grumpily. This was the third time she was inspecting the stockpiles, and somehow she didn't think it would be the last.
The new apprentice was less keen than the previous one. Hopefully they would survive longer. She sighed, in a practised and general way and squinted at the Ssar woman. She was broad and sturdy, which boded well.
“It will mostly be observing things carefully,” Rina said, “and putting up signs. It's dangerous in the Bright Jungle, and it will be even more dangerous now that Vita is reintroducing the parasitic vines. We're just here to warn others.”
“Sure thing boss,” the Ssar woman said. Not particularly keenly, but Rina winced. It reminded her of Aldrina in a way. She handed the Ssar a sign and some paint.
Then after a moment also a pair of shaded spectacles. “It is very bright there. Always wear these.”
“Ah. Yes. I suppose that's why it's the Bright Jungle.”
“Uh-huh,” Rina nodded. Maybe there was some hope for this one yet.
She was sad when Senos died. He had been very brave in the end, perhaps against his own expectation. Certainly against Rina's. It wasn't glamorous, but it was protecting people, and that was something. The ex-Legion soldiers made for the worst bandits, but Senos had found the fight in him and had ultimately saved the little survey group surveying the depths of the Labyrinth. It had saved Rina, it had saved Vita, and it had saved Rina's new apprentices.
It was… a good deed.
Thaal's grave was surprisingly well-tended. The stone was clear of weeds and someone had left some flowers not long ago. Rina added her own. The others that had come with her stayed a little way away, respectfully, but Rina found it hard to face the grave alone.
She didn't want to say goodbye.
There were no excuses left any more. The war was over, and the last of the usable parasitic vines were gone from the North and South.
She and Thaal were alone again.
While the others were looking away she hugged the stone.
This new crop of apprentices were as keen as ever, but she was getting old. She had wisdom to give of course, but there was little fight in her left.
The pirates that had boarded their ship were a mean-looking lot, and it was her fault they were here. It was an Epherontes ship, which she had because she still sent information about the Labyrinth to the family, and they continued to help and fund her. But now the pirates had come to loot it, and when they discovered there was no loot, wanted prisoners.
She wasn't going to let anything happen to these apprentices. And she was tired. The very least she could do was not let anything happen to them.
“Take me, I'm Epherontes, they'll pay a ransom,” Rina said, even though she had no real belief they would. There was only so far that relationship went. “Just let the others go, they have nothing useful.”
A few of the apprentices looked ready to fight but Rina shook her ahead at them. It was too risky.
The pirates brought her aboard.
“Sink 'er,” one of them nodded to the others, “Nothing useful, but they pissed me off, besides we only want the noble house one anyway.” The pirates cut the ropes holding the ships together, and were now moving to the giant ballista mounted on the ship.
Damn them. Rina wasn't going to give up. She had one last trick up her sleeve. Literally.
Two jars of concentrated Firemoss. No ship could survive that.
The flames took the pirate ship beneath the waves.