Rend Hope (32 page)

             
"Ow! I think you cracked a vertebrae." The aeromancer remarked with a grin, which caused another round of laughter.

             
After a little bit more impromptu celebrating, Markus managed to make his way through the crowd and caught sight of Rosalind.  A deputy was helping to tend to her wounds, he caught her eye as he walked up to her.  To his surprise there was a slight smile on her face.

             
"Well done Markus." She stated, struggling to her feet.  Markus eyed her with concern.

             
"Should you be standing Rose?  You look like you're in rough shape." He observed.

             
"I'm FINE."  Rosalind said through clenched teeth.  Markus saw her icy blue eyes examining him as if peering into his soul.  He had no doubt in his mind that she had sensed the necromancy he had used.  The short blonde-haired man knew that Rose despised necromancy in all its forms and he didn't blame her.  He wouldn't be surprised if she ousted his little secret to everyone right here and now.

             
"Okay, alright, I know better than to argue with you." Markus replied, raising his open hands in a placating gesture.  His expression then turned serious, "How many did we lose?"

             
"Hard to say right now, but almost the entire southern section of the city has been decimated.  There are still stragglers of ghouls lurking about as well." Rosalind informed him, "But it could have been much worse."

             
"Yeah that Ebrim was a real pain in the ass, but he's dead now and I'm assuming you got the guy in the straitjacket?" He questioned, Rosalind shook her head.

             
"No he destroyed himself in a last ditch effort to get me.  As you can see though he failed." The blonde-haired woman answered.

             
"Too bad he also failed to break that ice queen persona of yours...ow!" Markus exclaimed as Rosalind lightly elbowed him in the ribs.  Then just as quickly he found Rosalind's arms encircling his neck and she pulled him in for a hug.  She was resting her chin on his left shoulder when she began whispering in his ear.

             
"We have to talk later." She whispered so only Markus could hear.

             
"About what?" He whispered back.

             
"You know what." She replied sternly, her voice still low enough so only they could hear.  She released him from the hug and took a step back, the small smile once again on her face.  "The city owes you a great debt Markus Logarr.  Your actions have helped save many lives.  We are proud to have you among our number." She said out loud, using her sorcery to carry her voice so everyone could hear.  The deputies cried out shouts of agreement and cheers filled the war-torn streets.

             
"That being said." Rosalind continued, and the cheering died down.  "We still have a job to do.  We need to find any wounded and kill any leftover ghouls we find.  The hard part is over gentleman, but that doesn't mean we can rest, not yet." She finished, the more senior deputies began issuing orders and soon they were fanning out in the southern district, leaving Markus and Rosalind alone.

             
The blonde-haired woman took two steps before doubling over in pain, Markus was immediately at her side.

             
"Easy, you're overdoing it." He said gently, she growled at him.

             
"I told you, I'm fine!" She snarled, Markus didn't back down though.

             
"No you're not, even if you can use your sorcery to heal faster than normal, you still took a heavy beating.  You got to rest Rose." He told her, she responded with an icy glare.

             
"There is still work to be done." She replied.

             
"Yes, and our part is done, we defeated the big bad guys, let the deputies do their part too.  Don't try to do everything yourself, you'll just end up stressed out." He explained, "Let's get you to your clinic, patch up your wounds, rest our muscles.  Then if you really feel like going out and doing a million different things you can." The shorter-than-average man groaned as he rubbed a sore spot on his right shoulder.  "Hell I could use a break myself now that I think about it."

             
As much as Rosalind wanted to argue with Markus, she realized his logic was sound.  Sahiron and Ebrim were defeated and the scattered ghouls shouldn't prove a problem for the organized deputies.  In her current state, she grudgingly admitted she wouldn't be much help anyway.

             
"Okay, you do have a point.  I had some deputies take Marie there and the Mayor's watching the place, I can get him up to speed and make sure Marie is alright." She relented, Markus lips contorted into a wide grin, knowing he had won.  Rosalind was sorely tempted to smack him, but she managed to resist the urge.  The two magi began to walk towards her clinic.

             
"By the way I like your new look.  Torn leggings and shirt, way better than that stupid hoodie you were wearing." Markus remarked.

             
"This coming from the guy that looks like he's wearing a potato sack.  I'm so very hurt." She responded dryly, the aeromancer put on a mock-hurt expression.

             
"Hey!  It was either this or go shirtless and I couldn't do that." He protested, then smiled mischievously.  "You wouldn't be able resist admiring my awesome figure." Rosalind rolled her eyes.

             
"Yeah, I wouldn't be able to resist punching it maybe." She shot back, Markus laughed.

             
"Still as feisty as ever Rose, I've missed this." He replied.  Rosalind remained silent, but in the deepest recesses of her heart she admitted that she missed her conversations with Markus as well.  Not that she would ever let him know that.

Chap
ter 28

             
Markus ascended the stairs, heading to the third floor of Rosalind's clinic.  A deputy had given him a letter from the mayor stating he wanted to meet him there, probably wanted some more details on how the rebuilding was going.  He was no carpenter though, who knows when they would finally be finished?

             
Nine days had passed since he had defeated Ebrim in a one-on-one battle.  And Midas City's inhabitants were still trying to recover from the shock.  In the span of an hour a third of their city was destroyed.  It took four days to recover all the bodies from the ruins and get them ready for a proper burial.  On the fifth day, a memorial service was held, it was never easy losing lives, especially to the machinations of necromancers, at least here the dead were honored. 

             
The mayor gave the people of Midas City three days to mourn their dead after the memorial.  Many had lost friends, family members, lovers and were taking it hard.  During that time Markus had dedicated his efforts to help clearing the rubble in the Southern District.  He figured it was the least he could do for the grieving civilians.  After all, he was still a stranger here, it didn't feel right for him to grieve for people he didn't know.  What he could do however, was help with the repair effort, he felt more useful that way.

             
His wounds had healed up mostly, whether that was because of Rosalind's spells or the necromantic glyph on his chest he wasn't sure.  Occasionally he would get crippling chest pains, but they were few and far between.  Perhaps he had burned up too much of the glyph's power and this was the result.  In any case he'd have to play it safe for a while, the glyph was his lifeline and if it ever burned out, well, he'd be done for.

             
Approaching a wooden door with a piece of cardboard that had "Mayor's Interim Office." hanging on it, Markus turned the doorknob and opened the door.  The short blonde-haired man entered a thirty square foot room, the walls and ceiling were painted white, but the floor was dark brown hardwood.  In front of him was the mayor, David Watkins, the middle-aged man was seated at a wooden desk, which was quite bare at the moment.  The mayor had lost his old office and building during the attack and was setting up shop here until they could get something more suitable.

             
There were three seats in front of the mayor's desk.  Two of them were taken already and Markus was surprised to see Rosalind and Marie there.  Although Rose's sorcery allowed her to heal herself and others faster than normal, it still took time and their injuries were pretty extensive.  Marie especially, had been drifting in and out of consciousness until just yesterday. 

             
"Ah, Markus, a punctual man, I like that." The mayor said, Markus smiled and rubbed the back of his head absent-mindedly.

             
"Yeah well, don't want to upset the guy running this city, things wouldn't go well for me." The aeromancer replied, taking the center seat, the only empty seat left.  David smiled and chuckled.

             
"After saving this city, it would take a lot for you to fall out of favor with me." The middle-aged man replied.  To his left, Markus noticed Rose scowl for a moment before returning to her usual stoic expression.  He knew she was still wary of him, but at least she wasn't openly hostile anymore.  Marie was looking a little pale, but her eyes were sharp.  Looks like her recovery was going well.

             
"So uh, what'd you call me for mayor?" Markus asked, the mayor leaned forward in his seat, placing his elbows on the table and resting his weight on them.

             
"Your actions nine days ago saved many lives.  The city owes you a great debt Markus Logarr and so we decided to give you this." The mayor announced, sliding a small gold star medal towards him.  Upon closer inspection, Markus noticed a very tiny silver star in the center of the gold one.  "Long ago, before the Great Purge, it is said that the military of this land used medals like these as symbols of someone's heroism, I believe you fit that bill Markus."

             
Markus grabbed the gold star and examined it, although his eyes were on the medallion, he wasn't really looking at it.

             
"I'm not a hero mayor, I'm just an ordinary magi who got lucky, that's all." Markus told him.

             
"Luck had nothing to do with it Markus!  Ebrim was STRONG.  No ordinary magi could have beaten him!" Marie chimed in, Rosalind rolled her eyes.

             
"Look, the bottom line is this, without you here, there's a good chance Ebrim would have won.  This is our way of acknowledging that feat, we are grateful for what you did." The blonde-haired woman stated, Markus turned to her, hope shining in his eyes.

             
"Grateful enough to bury the hatchet Rose?" He questioned, she glared at him mildly.

             
"Now you're just grabbing at straws." Came Rosalind's reply, her lips curved upward into a slight smile.  "But it is a start."  Markus grinned.

             
"I'll take it." He said, pocketing the medal.  "Thanks everyone, I'll admit it's a nice change of pace to be praised for once.  I'll do my best not to let anyone down."

             
"I don't think you'll have to worry about that anytime soon." Marie informed him, chuckling a little.  Mayor Watkins cleared his throat to regain everyone's attention.

             
"The time for mourning has passed, I believe it's time to celebrate our victory from nine days ago.  Rosalind, I'd really like for you to address the people.  Your presence and words will go a long way towards reassuring people that this city is still a safe haven." The middle-aged man requested, Rosalind nodded in response.

             
"You got it David." She told him, Markus was staring at her, eyebrows raised in surprise.

             
"You do speeches now?  Since when?" He asked her.

             
"Since two years ago." she answered simply, Markus eyed her suspiciously.

             
"I thought you hated when people talk too much." He stated.

             
"That only applies to certain short blonde-haired, green-eyed men." She clarified, staring pointedly at Markus.  He frowned, feigning offense to her comment.

             
"I'm taller than you!" He finally said defensively, Rosalind raised an eyebrow in response.

             
"By what? A centimeter?" She questioned, Markus grinned.

             
"Give me some credit Rose!  I'd say half an inch." He answered.

             
"So this victory celebration, does that mean I can drink as much as I want to?" Marie piped up, eagerly awaiting an answer to his question.  Mayor Watkins shrugged.

             
"I don't see the problem." He informed the teenage girl, who pumped her fist in excitement.

             
"Hell yeah!  I'm getting totally trashed!" She announced, Markus rubbed his chin in thought.

             
"Bad idea sir, have you seen this little lady drink?  The city's entire supply of alcohol may be in jeopardy." The aeromancer commented, the mayor laced his fingers together, still resting his weight on his elbows and smiled.

             
"I trust Marie..." The middle-aged man started.

             
"Yes!" Marie exclaimed in excitement.

             
"...to be extra vigilant for spirits on her extra scavenging missions to replace whatever she consumes." He finished, Marie went from cheery to pouting in less than a second.

             
"Oh come on!  Extra scavenging missions just to be able to drink however much I want!?  That's not fair!" The teenage girl whined, Rosalind shrugged.

             
"Sounds pretty fair to me." The older woman stated, agreeing with her fellow founder of the city.  Marie let out a loud sigh.

             
"Fine.  Whatever." The young woman replied, rolling her eyes, her smile quickly returned however, "It'll be worth it, I'm partying so hard tonight!" After fixing her apprentice with a mild glare, Rosalind returned her attention back to the mayor.

             
"Anything else you need to discuss David?" Rosalind inquired, the middle-aged man shook his head.

             
"Yes, I need to talk with you about getting an accurate number of our current population and supplies at some point, but that can wait.  For now, let's enjoy tonight." The Mayor said.  The trio didn't need to be told twice.

**********

              "Wooo Crowd Surf!" Marie exclaimed excitedly as she lay on a bed of people's hands, a bottle of tequila in her right hand.  The crowd carried her a good distance before finally letting the magi-apprentice down on her feet.  Marie proceeded to immediately make her way to the alcohol vendor, the man in charge of the booze shook his head slowly as Marie asked for another bottle.

             
Rosalind took in the sight from the roof of her clinic, a small smirk on her face from her apprentice's antics.  Marie was drinking pretty hard, even for her, Rosalind briefly wondered what kind of hangover the teenage girl would have the next morning.  You almost never would've guessed that she had almost died over a week ago.

             
The co-founder of Midas City took another sip of vodka and soda from her small glass.  Rosalind wasn't much of a drinker, but tonight was a special night.  It's not every day that a city survives an attack from two powerful necromancers.

             
That afternoon Rosalind had delivered a moving speech to the people.  Telling them that while many lives were lost, many more were saved by their actions.  Markus, who had never heard her talk so much, had an impressed look on his face.  His lips were curled into a stupid grin for almost her entire speech.

             
At the thought of Markus, Rosalind took another sip of her drink.  She wanted to keep hating him for her family's deaths, but she was finding it hard to.  Before the disaster at Havenway he was always trying to protect people, especially the ones who couldn't defend themselves.  Even on that fateful night, he didn't intentionally murder her parents and brother, he was giving his all to defend the people from Nobellus' rampage and got carried away.

             
Maybe she should be a little more empathic to Markus?  After all, he was just a man, and men make mistakes too, no matter how good they are.  She was having a hard time wrapping her mind around that thought though.

             
"Nice view from up here." An all too familiar voice said from behind Rosalind.  She turned her head to see the target of her recent thoughts standing there.  Markus' face wore a calm and relaxed expression, a half full glass of some concoction in his left hand.

             
"It is." Rosalind replied simply, turning her attention back to the festivities below her, Marie had just drank a man twice her size under the table.  Everyone around the teenage girl was cheering for her like crazy, Marie was eating all the attention up like she was starving.  The young lady thrust her hands into the air and let out a loud howl of excitement, earning another round of cheers from the crowd.

             
"Damn that girl can drink." Markus remarked, now occupying the space to Rosalind's immediate right.

             
"Oh she's just getting started, I foresee many scavenging missions for alcohol in her future." Rosalind replied, Markus turned to look at her with a raised eyebrow.

             
"So now you're a psychic?  What's next? You going to take up fortune-telling?" The short magi joked.

             
"Don't tempt me." Rosalind answered in jest, taking another sip from her drink.

             
"It's so much fun though." Markus replied with a wink.  "Hey I need your opinion on something." Rosalind responded by turning to look at him, indicating he had her attention.  The ordinary magi produced the red gemstone he had plucked from Ebrim's burnt remains.  "Found this on Ebrim right after I defeated him, but I don't know what to make of it.  Wanted to hear what you think."

             
"Hmm, I've encountered something like this before." Rosalind mused.  "Fought a necromancer that had one of these once, he called it a bloodstone."

             
"Bloodstone huh?  Sounds like bad news." The blonde aeromancer commented, Rosalind nodded.

             
"It was, the necromancer was drawing power from it and it boosted his spells, eventually during the course of our battle it shattered though." She told him, taking the bloodstone from his hands and examining it.

             
"So what?  It's like a booster?" Markus asked, Rosalind shrugged and took another swig of her drink, finished with her examination of the bloodstone, she handed it back to the ordinary magi.