Arden (Mages of the Flame #1) FIRST DRAFT

Part 11: Rowan's Keep

The next dawn broke under a grey sky and light rain. The unexpected but not unwelcome weather threatened to delay breakfast until Bronwyn offered her services to the cook. She tended to her horse and began saddling her for the final part of her journey. Morrigan's pony was gone, but his cart was still here. One of the workers told her he had gone to meet a farmer who was bringing new supplies to the camp. In his absence, and while they waited for breakfast, Bronwyn decided to explore the ruins.

She only knew of Rowan's Folly from stories. He was no more than a footnote in the pages of the Mage history she had studied, and typically only came up in a class when the new young Mage students asked the inevitable question about whether any Mage could master more than one element. The answer was always no, and Rowan the Mage was the example of what happened to those who became obsessed with the idea. The very notion was akin to alchemy, or learning to fly. It was the impossible dream given hope by a hundred charlatans. Dreams of flying ended in burial. Dreams of gold ended in poverty. Dreams of the elements ended in madness.

Everyone knew this. The only mystery was why Rowan had followed his dream for so long. But here was Morrigan, looking to dig into the ruins and learn more. As if there was anything else to discover!

Bronwyn stepped over the fallen arch and passed into what would have been the courtyard. The big tower she had first seen was more like a watchpost for the entrance. The tower in front of her, hidden by the trees and the night, must be the real keep.

It was made of the same dark stone as the rest of the ruins, made darker in the rain, and was covered in creepers and moss. The top half was missing, the stone blocks half buried in the ground around her. Whatever had destroyed this tower must have been powerful. Was Rowan a Mage of the Earth? That would explain his ability to destroy half a building made of stone. But even so, that was a lot of power for one Mage to wield.

Most of the courtyard had been cleared of plants and the earth scraped clean. Shovels and wheelbarrows were lined up by the tower wall, next to a doorway which was obstructed by piles of stone inside. Bronwyn looked back at the top of the tower. The ceilings inside must have collapsed when this happened.

But why were all the spades and manual labour necessary? Surely any excavations could be performed by any moderately skilled Mage of the Earth in a matter of hours? Why would Morrigan make this work harder than it needed to be?

The voice from behind suddenly startled her. "We all have our secrets, Bronwyn. I'm trying to learn his."

"Oh Morrigan! You made me jump!"

"Deep in thought, this rainy morning?"

"Sort of. I was wondering why you don't just employ some Mages to help you excavate."

Morrigan cast a disappointed look at the sky and pulled the hood of his cloak tighter. "An excellent question. The answers are bureaucracy and funds. Mages have no interest in this sort of work, it is far too mundane for them. ANd even if they were interested I couldn't afford them."

"Your patron?"

"Has limits on his generosity."
"If I didn't have other responsibilities I would help. It looks interesting."

"Alas, you do, and we already have a fire."

Bronwyn ignored this last little barb as they walked over to the cookfire together. The hot food was almost ready and the men were waiting to eat before they started their days work. There were two other men by the fire Bronwyn didn't recognise from the night before.

She pointed them out to Morrigan. "Who are they?"

"Local farmers who supply us with food every few days."