Not (Just) A Mage Lord Isekai

Having identified all the spies Keeper had informed me of in South Sheephome, it was time to leave. However, Bevel was enjoying herself.

"Papa, do we have to go to the Golden Halls now?" Bevel asked, looking back at the other kids around her own… well, not quite her age, which we'd finally figured out was around fourteen after she'd seen her family. Still, they were close enough in height and maturity.

"I have to go, yes. With all the changes, Barber is going to recover early. I need to be there to make sure things go smoothly," I said, kneeling down. "But maybe Ari and Calbern can stay to keep you company."

"It would be my pleasure to escort you, Lady Bevel, should you have me," Calbern said, extending his arm.

"I can stay as-"

Ari's offer was interrupted as Bevel tackled her with a hug. After a few whispered words, Ari laughed softly, then set Bevel down. "If that is what you wish."

Bevel not so subtly glanced in my direction, quickly looking away when she noticed my raised eyebrow.

Then she grabbed Calbern's hand and they were off.

We didn't take the train back, since it had returned hours earlier, pulling out our folding gliders instead. Ari and I collected Banya and Keria and made our way to the Golden Halls.

As the golden motes faded, the sound of all the Establium humming in the air greeted us. Like Barber's, they too were drawing close to completing their latest task.

"I'm certain you've taken precautions, but how do you know she will not attempt to attack you again?" Ari asked as I brought up the timer on the attached display. Less than ten minutes remaining.

"We don't," Keria said with a grunt.

"The runes have been purged along with her repairs. She won't feel an obligation to attack us. At least… she shouldn't," Banya said, hand tracing along the edge of the sarcophagus.

"Perhaps we should stand back," Ari suggested, hand on my arm.

"Sure," I said as I read through not just Barber's but the other displays as well, confirming everything was stable. Couldn't be sure that the barrier hadn't messed with anything it shouldn't have. Still everyone looked good.

Ari and I ended up sitting in the little area at the side of the room, drinking some tea she'd brought with her.

We were still there when Barber woke.

"Barb… uh… hi, I'm Banya," the golem attendant turned enchanter said as she held her hand out for the golem in the sarcophagus.

Barber accepted her hand, letting herself be pulled into a sitting position. Her mottled grey on grey stone coloring had shifted to a more startling black with dark red patches. Something that seemed to surprise her as she held her hand out, turning it over to inspect it.

Or maybe it was the razor she'd held for so long she'd been inspecting, because after a few seconds, she squeezed her hand around it, causing the room to echo with horrendous cracking.

Then she looked up at Banya once more, reaching out with that same hand to caress her cheek. "Third, you are crying. Do not cry. We are together and free of our damage."

"Third?" Keria asked from just behind them, arms crossed.

"Ah, Fifth, you are here as well. Where are we? This is not home," Barber asked, finally seeming to notice the rest of us. Her eyes rested for a second on the other sarcophagi before moving back to Banya and Keria.

"It's where Balthum made us. We used it to repair you," Banya said, both hands clasping Barber's.

"This is the origin point? Truly? I had never expected to return," Barber said, running her hand over the edge. "I think… it has changed much since those days. Where is our master?"

"Balthum's dead," Keria said, hand curling into fists.

"Oh," Barber said, gaze moving down to her hands again. "Have you taken his place, Third?"

"Why do you keep calling her that?" Keria demanded, taking a half-step forward. "Her name's Banya. And I'm Keria. We're not numbers."

Ari squeezed my arm, eyes shifting back and forth between me and Keria.

I shook my head.

Keria wasn't likely to hurt Barber, not unless she did something a lot worse. And if she attempted to, well, I wasn't experiencing the encounter at the same rate as them. Getting Aegis off before Keria could hit Barber would be simple.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

Ari nodded in acceptance while Barber replied to Keria, "She is Third, as you are Fifth and I am First."

"Which would make Esbee Fourth!" Banya exclaimed, surprisingly excited for a second before the excitement faded. "Except that means that one of us didn't make it."

"Second attempted to destroy master," the golem attendant I already found myself thinking of as First said. "Master destroyed her instead. That was when he installed the control runes." Her hand trailed over her chest where the runes had once bound her.

"Wait. So you served him without control runes?" Keria asked, taking a step back and staring at First with horror. "Why? Why would you ever serve that… that…"

When Keria trailed off the room remained silent for several seconds.

"Why? Because master saved me," First said when she realized Keria wasn't going to continue, tilting her head. "Without master, I would have died."

"She… she…" Keria said, glaring at Banya while pointing a shaking finger at First.

"First. Does it upset you that Balthum's dead?" I asked while the others seemed to have gotten locked in shock.

Keria started at my question, spinning to look at us, eyes wide. Apparently she'd forgotten we were present.

First tilted her head to the side. "I find myself conflicted. I was very grateful to master, however, I must admit, it did become more and more difficult to please him. He was suffering a great deal when last I saw him. I am glad he no longer suffers. I am also glad I no longer suffer."

"You said he saved you. How?" Banya asked, voice quiet. I remembered how she'd once thought Balthum had saved her, only to discover he'd been responsible for her nearly dying in the first place. Not to mention what he'd done to the rest of her village.

"I was sick. And getting sicker. My parents thought I would die before my tenth Howl. They were right. He put me inside the machine. It brought me back," First said, her hand running along the edge of the machine. "I was alone for so long before he made Second."

"He… you were a child?" Keria asked, her horror echoing my own.

First nodded, giving Keria a smile. "I got to spend a few months with my parents after he saved me."

Her smile faded. "They didn't like me anymore. Said I wasn't their real child. Master took me in after that."

"He never did touch you like he did us," Banya said, voice quiet. "I thought it was because you were so damaged. Or because… well, because your stone looked sickly."

"No wonder you were the only one he trusted with the razor," Keria said with a choked laugh. "My god, he… I remember hearing about you now. You were the miracle gone wrong."

"I don't think I've gone wrong," First said, clearly displeased with Keria's assessment.

"That's not… sorry, that's what people said," Keria amended, shaking her head. "I'd heard he healed a child, only he hadn't put her back together properly. Somehow they left out the part about you being turned into a living statue."

"Father was very upset about my form," First said, running her hands over herself. "I was quite pleased with it. It looked just like mother."

"Thank you," Banya blurted out suddenly. "For taking care of us, after Balthum…"

"Yeah. Thanks," Keria said, arms crossed. "Was pretty awful, but you did make it better."

"Of course," First said. "You're my sisters. You would've done the same for me." She looked down at her arms then. "Have done."

At that, Banya surged forward, wrapping First in a hug. First seemed surprised at first, then returned it.

"Oh fine," Keria said, stepping over and joining in on the group hug.

"I do believe we are no longer required here," Ari said quietly.

"Yeah. I think you're right," I said, taking her arm, moving to the teleporter. We'd be back, to let them out. But for the moment, we'd give them their privacy.

After all, it wasn't everyday you got to bring a friend back to life.

After retrieving the golems from the Golden Halls, the rest of the day passed in a flurry of activity. Lots of little activities that were just important enough to require my attention, but not enough to eat up more than fifteen minutes at a time.

Dinner came so suddenly, it was almost a shock.

Bevel and Ari joined me after, and we once more returned to my garage. Our mood was even further improved than last time.

We still discussed what had happened inside the trial, though it was more than just dealing with the disquieting experience. Instead, we came up with strategies we might use to deal with someone like Felor. And discussed everything else we'd witnessed.

Then we spent time creating intentionally bad designs for spell vaults and rings. It was a lot more educational than any of us had been expecting.

We spent another entire three real world hours inside. Which translated into way too long to count as a quick distraction.

Shortly before exiting, Ari had wrestled me onto an old park bench I'd created just outside the shop yard's wall, resting her head on my shoulder. "It is strange to be able to share such a space with a man whom I'm courting."

"Courting, huh?" I said, leaning my head on hers. It really hadn't taken that much effort for her to get me to sit. "I like the sound of that. Bit more formal than dating."

"You do understand that I didn't have the freedom to be so casual back home?" Ari asked, tracing a circle on the back of my hand. "Every action I took while living in Spellford reflected on my father. While he has power, he is no Dragon Soul."

"Well, at least there's no one to judge you here," I said, waving outwards at the space around the garage. In the distance I could just make out Bevel's laughter as she rode the dune-buggy around. She seemed to get visceral satisfaction out of jumping it until something failed.

"I would have reduced my father's bargaining position simply by spending time with a man in such a space. Quite harshly. There are no consequences for actions taken within, afterall," Ari said, flushing.

"Uh, isn't that kinda the point? Like, being able to reset the dunebuggy or… Oh. Ohhhh. Right," I said, my own blush rising alongside hers. "Is that… would your brother have had the same expectations? If you had one, I mean."

"Of course," Ari replied tilting her head to look at me. "Was it not the same for you?"

"No. Neither back home nor for Perry's childhood. Different standards for men and women," I said, shaking my head.

"How quaint," Ari said, giggling. "To think such places are real and not simply fictional settings for romance novels. Magic is such a universal equalizer, I cannot fathom places that cling to such traditions."

"Quaint's certainly one word for it," I said, shaking my head.

We remained in comfortable silence for a minute until Bevel came flying across the dunes, noticeably buggyless.

"That's that then," I said, pushing to my feet, holding my hand out for Ari, helping her up. "Let's get some sleep. Going to be a big day tomorrow."

"The biggest!" Bevel exclaimed.

"The biggest," I agreed, ruffling her hair.