Defender of the Crown

And so it begins…

And so it begins…

"What do we know of this Andronicus?" asked Kiren-Jool.

"He was the Royal Life Mage before Revi," Aubrey explained, "but he died before he could pass on all his knowledge."

"A pity," noted Aldus Hearn. "His understanding of the arcane arts was rumoured to have been vast."

"According to Revi, Andronicus went mad in his final years," said Aubrey. She was about to say more but paused unexpectedly, her face betraying her mind at work. "Saxnor's beard," she cried out, "he went mad, just like Revi, don't you see?"

"I fail to see the connection," said Aldus Hearn. "Andronicus was just old."

"No," said Aubrey, "you forget, I apprenticed under Revi. He told me that his master became quite erratic in his last few months. Revi wasn't even properly trained."

"And now you think the same thing was happening to Revi?" said Albreda.

"Yes," Aubrey continued, "he was always driven to discover new things, but lately he seemed obsessed. He was even short with the queen."

"I can't see how that explains his absence," said Hearn. "In any event, they're two unrelated things, aren't they?"

"Are they?" said Albreda. "Perhaps not."

"What do you mean?" asked Aubrey.

"Revi was once a prisoner of the Dark Queen," she said.

"Yes," agreed Aubrey, "but he managed to escape."

"He did," Albreda continued, "but do you remember what the Dark Queen wanted with him?"

"The location of the Tower of Andronicus," said Aubrey. "Of course, I should have realized sooner!"

"I'm afraid I'm not following," said Aldus Hearn.

"Come along, Aldus, pay attention," said Albreda, "this is not difficult. Please continue, Aubrey."

The young Life Mage thought it over a moment before speaking. "Revi must have been searching for the tower."