"But she let herself be led home, and her father kept her under guard every morning until school began, for some time after that," Axebourne said. "It wasn't until the weeks before Flood Day that his watch grew lax, as his mind turned to the year's preparations."
"And it was a good thing, too," said Scythia. "Who knows what would have happened if I had still been under guard. The moment his grip loosened, I broke free of the house." She laughed. "I even spent an entire night outside, on the roof of city hall, just because I could."
"Scythia was stalking her father again one morning when she happened upon a band of ne'er do wells," said Axebourne.
"That's putting it mildly," said Scythia. "I'd been vaulting between rooftops to keep up with father when I saw a group of men huddled in an alley. They looked suspicious, so I stopped to listen, but I couldn't quite hear what they were saying. I scaled down the side of the building behind a gutter and crept near to them, so close I could almost reach out and touch them."
"They were brewing a plan for Flood Day," said Axebourne. "To bring in small boats armed with cannons and rob the treasury like brigands! Insanity." He shook his head.
"Or brilliance," said Scythia. "There's no way the garrison would have been organized enough to defend against that. And to top it off, they were going to kidnap father. Obviously I couldn't let that stand."
"But did she go and tell the adults?" said Axebourne. "No!" He laughed. "So bold, even at a young age. To think of the trouble you and I might have caused together..."
"Hah, no way I would have been able to stand you, dear," said Scythia. "I've heard your stories too, you know. And I had no patience for boys whatsoever. Anyhow, Pierce, I followed the brigands around for several days, getting a sense of their comings and goings, skipping school. Eventually, I followed them out of town in the evening and scouted their camp. Sure enough, they had a small fleet of boats built in a little stand of forest. I snuck out the night before Flood Day and made my way cautiously to their camp."
"She blew it up!" Axebourne blurted, obviously tickled. He laughed and shook his head. "All those brigands, with their grand plans, foiled by a little girl."
"Well I was kind of tall, at least," said Scythia, "and you're getting ahead. I've always been proficient at cutting and enchanting gems, Pierce. You may not know, but they're not all just stores of energy like yours. They can be made to hold almost any kind of enchantment you can think of - it's all just a matter of tinkering. Well, I was obsessed with making the smallest gems I could, with the largest explosive force. I was actually on the team providing fireworks for the festivals in Chasmreach, including Flood Day's End. So I gathered up my best pieces, stole out to the brigand's camp, and affixed them to each of the boats, as well as their storehouses of weapons and food."
"How did you make them blow without being nearby to trigger them?" Pierce asked.
Scythia smiled wickedly. "I introduce a flaw into them. If they're set in iron, they remain stable, but the moment they are removed, the flaw spreads, cracks the gem, until it can't hold in its power any longer. Then they blow. I can control the timing by managing the severity of the flaw."
"Oh, it must have been spectacular!" Axebourne bellowed.
"It was," Scythia said. "The gems blew right as I got back to the city. I smelled the smoke later, and the forest actually caught fire. Everyone woke up, and I almost got caught out on the streets, but father was so distracted and surprised, he didn't even think to check my room. You should have seen him, out on the cobblestones, barefoot in his night robe. He didn't realize it was me who'd struck the brigands until a full week later, when he saw me tinkering with explosive gems again. I was under guard for a year after that, except when they threw me a parade, of course."
"And the passion never left her," Axebourne said. He watched his wife with sparkling eyes. Then he gave Pierce a serious stare. "Don't get between a good woman and the things she loves, son. Down that path lies broken bones or death."
"I'd like to have seen all that," said Pierce.
"Oh you'll see," said Axebourne. Then his face fell. "If what's coming is as bad as you say, you'll see for sure."
"So that's why it's your title?" Pierce said. "Scythia of Chasmreach?"
"Very astute," Scythia remarked. "Scythia the Savior of Chasmreach is not only too long, but a little too self-centered for me. I don't mind at all my title just shows pride in my home city."
"And it's that humility that really drew me to her," said Axebourne, eyeing his wife lovingly. "Though being deadly and enchanting certainly didn't hurt her chances." He winked.
"Yes, yes," she said, "the pleasure is all yours."
Pierce found many such moments to relive as he waited out the night. He couldn't help but imagine all the stories of times he hadn't heard about, or all the golden memories only Axebourne would have remembered.
Eventually, the darkest night
