The cart began to slow as it crested a rise on the winding stone path. As it clamoured over the last peak, a wide meadow opened up before them. Rajhu could see birds in flight as they darted from one tree to the next. Forest teemed at the edge of the meadow, with soaring evergreens, and wide poplars. Short grass lay underfoot like a rich carpet laid by the creator of the universe. Across the way, sitting just in front of the beginning of the forest, stood a large log home of four storeys. It was an elegant affair, but rooted in the work of a man’s hands, making it retain a humility not afforded to the mansions of the great cities.

‘Sir Buri… What is this place?’

‘This? This is my home, Rajhu. Welcome to Buri’s Retirement Home for Ageing Warriors…’

Buri stepped forward, slipping his hand into the halter of the horse, leading it gently across the meadow, toward the building. Rajhu stood up in the cart, steadying himself against the uneven ride. He shifted his feet, and looked over the horse at the approaching building. There was a small porch covered by an overhanging. There were chairs set out, and even from where he was, Rajhu could see a pair of elders seated on the porch, talking. They turned, waving to Buri as the cart came to a stop just short of the porch.

‘A couple of new arrivals, Buri? Look a little young to my eyes,’ a wrinkled man with a skiff of white hair atop his head said, laughing.

‘I don’t think they’re here to stay, Xur. I found them in a crater down on the lower slopes.

‘Xur?’ Will laughed. ‘Xur Keffet? The man who took two thousand men against an army of ten thousand, and didn’t lose a single man?’

Xur laughed, running a hand over the little hair he had left. ‘It was a long time ago, my boy. No need to dwell on it…’

‘No need?’ Will scoffed. ‘Sir, you’re a legend!’

‘We’re all legends here, Will.’ Buri smiled, walking up onto the porch and leading Rajhu and Will inside. ‘Of course, at this point in our lives, we just want to be left alone. Maybe have a game or two now and then.’

As Will and Rajhu entered the building, they saw dozens of people, ranging in age, wandering about a wide room. There was a bar to one side, and smoke hung heavily in the air. The acidic smell of it mixed with alcohol and drifted to Rajhu, its sharpness stopping him in his tracks.

‘You all live here?’ he asked.

Buri nodded. ‘There’s a passel of rooms upstairs, and a couple more buildings this size, just back a ways, into the trees.’

‘Why?’ Will wondered. ‘I mean, you could go anywhere, do anything!’

‘When you’re my age, my boy, you don’t want to. No, what we have here is perfect. We have our freedom, and our lives. That is more than any warrior dares hope for.’

‘But the mountains?’ Will protested. ‘I mean, you people deserve better…’

‘We deserve whatever we build for ourselves, Will. With our own hands… No one owes us anything, and we claim no privilege, save the right to be left alone and to live as we please.’

Buri led the two to an open lounging area. There were dozens of soft chairs laid out, with short bookshelves sitting beside them. About half of these chairs were occupied by people. Rajhu recognised a few of them, though they looked much older than any portrait he had ever seen of them.

They passed a woman who must have been in her late years, past eighty, Rajhu would have guessed. Her hair was snow white, bushy, short, and curled tightly. She fingered a diamond pendant around her neck. The jewel was as clear as water, save a small ruby coloured stone at its centre.

‘Is… Is that Madame Resolux?’ he asked, stepping to Buri’s side and leaning toward him conspiratorially.

Buri laughed. ‘Yes… Although, don’t… don’t mention that business with the Djinn war in the north…’

‘You mean when she battled with four giants? How she bested them, and managed to steal a horde of treasure they had kept in their mountain cave?’

Buri nodded, leading them to three empty seats that faced a large window. It looked out the back of the building, a trail snaking across its view, then slipping into the extensive forest as it climbed up the side of the mountain.

‘Sit, please…’ he smiled, sinking into one of the ample chairs. ‘You know, I was amazed when I came upon you, Rajhu. Such a thing, I haven’t seen in many, many years. Do you mind telling me how you survived such an impact?’

‘Me?’ Rajhu questioned, stiffening. He had no idea what to say. He was wary of telling anyone what had happened to him, considering the reactions he had received from friend and foe alike. This Wishcharmer business was far beyond him, and the longer he remained in this state, the more he feared he was becoming some kind of monster.

Rajhu shrugged, smiling candidly. ‘You never know what the Divinity has in store for you, correct? I suppose, it was luck…’

Buri laughed resting the side of his head on his hand, and considering Raj. ‘That’s quite a thing to say, isn't it?’

‘What do you mean?’ Will asked, sitting in the seat closest to Buri. Raj continued to stand. He felt himself growing more and more anxious. With this man’s questioning, he wasn’t sure if it would be a good idea to stay here very long.

‘Well, your friend here invokes the Divinity as cause for his survival, and in the same breath, credits luck as the reason he stands alive, after crashing into the side of a mountain…’

‘I wouldn’t say I crashed,’ Rajhu laughed. ‘Such things… They are impossible, no?’

Buri smirked. ‘No, Rajhu. You don’t get to fool me. You see, I witnessed your arrival on my mountain. I saw with my own eyes as you slammed through the stone flesh… You are a wonder the world has not seen in quite some time.’ He laughed, leaning back in his chair, letting his hands fall onto the armrests. ‘Yes, I haven’t seen strength like that since… since…’ He looked past Rajhu, his eyes unfocused.

‘Since what, Buri?’ Will asked.

Buri took a deep breath, his smile returning. ‘Wishcharmer… You’re a Wishcharmer, aren't you?’

‘I… We’re just travellers, Buri…’ Rajhu stuttered.

‘Wishcharmer?’ Will asked, furrowing his brow.

Buri nodded. ‘Yes, it couldn’t be anything else, could it?’

‘No!’ Rajhu snapped. ‘I’m not a monster!’

‘Rajhu, Wishcharmers aren’t monsters…’ Buri attested. ‘They’re powerful… feared. But there are very few things in this world that are inherently evil. Wishcharmers, are not one of them. Although I’ll admit, I haven’t seen a new Wishcharmer since the great purge in the east…’

‘What are you talking about?’ Will scoffed. ‘I’ve never heard of any Wishcharmers before…’

‘There are more of them?’ Rajhu asked.

‘Oh, a few… Not many. Perhaps… twelve, not counting you. The purges took the lives of most of them. You see, Wishcharmers are one of the great Universal Powers. The unfortunate thing is, the other three fear them, as if they were a plague. The only Wishcharmer I’ve seen in over fifty years would be… Rua. Rua Fíoch. He’s the only survivor of the last purge. Of course, that wasn’t many years ago. I believe, if I remember correctly, the Djinn eradicated his tribe. Slaughtered them to the last man. But the last man escaped. Rua’s not been the same since. I’ve tried to tell him, show him the writings. There are a few more Wishcharmers out there. A few left alive… But he was destroyed by the purge. His spirit was crushed.’ Buri smiled sadly. ‘Rua used to be such a happy boy…’

Rajhu shook his head. This was all too much to process. He couldn’t take all of this in, not at once, not like this…

‘What if I… don’t want to be a Wishcharmer?’

‘There’s little that can be done about that, Rajhu. You can run from your fear… but you can’t run from yourself. Where ever you run, you will be there. But, as you said… the Divinity has plans, correct?’ He stood, smiling at Rajhu. ‘I would suggest… you meet Rua. There are few people who could help you better than he. You seem confused… Rua can explain things that I can’t…’

‘Could you take me to him?’ Rajhu asked. He wasn’t sure how to feel about any of this. He was still scared. He still feared that despite what Buri said, he was turning into a demon of some kind. But if there were another Wishcharmer, then maybe he could get to the bottom of all this nonsense.

‘To Rua?’ Buri laughed. ‘He lives high up the mountain. In a cave he carved with his own hands. At least, that’s the story he tells me. Yes, I can take you to him… Just let me grab a few things. I’ll take you now.’

Buri stood, walking away from them. Will smiled as he climbed to his feet, stepping up to stand by Rajhu.

‘See… Didn’t I tell you everything would work out? We’ll go talk to this Wishcharmer, and he’ll explain everything. You’ll see.’

Rajhu had no idea what to believe anymore. He forced a smile, and nodded, however. ‘I am sure you are right, Will.’ He bobbled his head, ‘Let’s just try and keep our wits about us, okay?’

Will gave him a lazy smile, ‘Whatever you say, Raj…’

There was a great commotion near the entrance to the building, drawing Rajhu and Will’s attention away from their predicament.

There was a sudden bout of shouting, and Rajhu turned more directly to face the entrance. He could see many of the elderly inhabitants standing up and peering through the windows that hugged either side of the large wooden door.

‘Buri!’ a voice growled from beyond the barrier. ‘Come out, Buri, or I swear I will come in!’

Will started toward the entrance, but Rajhu grabbed him by the arm. ‘What do you think you’re doing?’

‘I’m gonna go see what’s going on,’ he explained, his brow furrowed.

‘We are not owing these people anything, Will. Let’s just keep our heads down, hmm?’

‘Raj…’ Will breathed, a look of displeasure crossing his face. ‘We’re already involved. And I’m not going to stand by and let something bad happen to these people. They’re heroes.’

He pulled his arm free as the door to the building burst from its iron hinges and crashed to the floor. Will bounded up the steps and walked toward the door.

‘Shaed…’ Rajhu cursed. ‘You’re going to get us killed, Will…’ He ran a hand heavily through his hair, then followed his friend.

Buri hurried from somewhere deeper in the building, striding past Will as a large man stepped through the entrance of the building. Rajhu cursed again as he saw the huge man run his deep brown eyes over the inhabitants of the retirement home.

Corded with thick muscles, the man stood taller than any of the people in the room. He had short, dark hair and a strong, sharp jaw. A scowl hung from his lips as he took another step into the building. The man wore a heavy suit of armour that covered him completely, save his head. The dark, unpolished steel looked matte in the daylight, and seemed to reflect not the faintest image. The whole body of armour was a terrifying plate-mail suit. To Rajhu’s eyes, however, it looked more akin to great steel scales, as if the man who stood before them were some dragon, taken human form.

The skiff of a beard he wore hung only from his chin, and was, as his hair, trimmed short.

‘Buri…’ the man sounded, his voice a low, smooth tone.

‘General,’ Buri nodded. ‘What is it that brings you here?’ His voice was tight, though Rajhu sensed no fear in it. There was something else there. It wasn’t anger. In truth, Rajhu thought it sounded more like sorrow than anything else.

‘Give me the sword, old man…’

‘Is that why you’ve come here, Val’kez? My answer is the same as it’s always been. I will not hand over the Taintless Blade to the likes of you!’

‘I will have the Blade, Buri. Despite what you think of me, I’ve done only good for this land. Now, when I attempt to continue this work, when I try to make peace in the world, you deny me the tool that would allow such work to take place.’

‘You’ve no right to that sword, General. What you would do with it, the way you would use it, would be in violation with it’s truest intent. I will not give you the Taintless Blade. Not today, not ever.’

The man took a step back, an armoured hand flexing as he looked over the gathered crowd.

‘This man you hold in such esteem… Is an enemy of justice!’ he growled. ‘While the world out there rots… While the Powers conspire against humanity, he sits! You are as guilty as he is!’ he spat. ‘Whatever end comes to this world, the blood of every child rests on you! The screams of the innocent will haunt your ears, not mine!’ He stepped to Buri again, his form looming over the older man.

‘If you will not give me the Taintless Blade, after all I’ve done… Then I will take it!’

‘Val… Think this through,’ Buri pleaded. ‘Don’t force violence.’

‘The blame is on your head, Buri. If the sword is not brought to me by moonset, I will return with my army, and you will know the full extent of my strength. I will burn this forest to the ground. I will end every last one of you. Then, I will take the sword from amongst the ashes…’

The man turned, storming out of the building, and out of sight.

Buri sighed, turning. His eyes searched for a while, before finding Rajhu’s.

Raj could see a great sadness within the man, and though he wanted to turn from him, he couldn't.

‘And now, you see… This is why I brought you here… I need your help, Rajhu. I need the majesty of a Wishcharmer. Only that can save us.’

Rajhu swallowed, his eyes never leaving Buri’s.

‘I am… at your service. Whatever it takes…’