The Final Adventure

I love Brie. I especially love the crazy ideas she comes up with. I didn’t think we could ever top “breaking the sky” when she rescued the gryphons and released magic back to the keltori, destroying the Mad Tower in the process. But her latest idea might just do the trick.
 
Our parents are on us about getting married again. I know, I know. We’re the sole heirs to both our households. And she is the sole heir to the throne of Vostoria. Marriage is non-negotiable. Same with babies. Or baby, at least. Claudia is feeling the same pressure, which is worst for her, I think. We all know she’s in love with Lily. We see it every time they’re together. So, for her father to force her to marry someone else just to continue the family line… Well, if Queen Amelia could figure it out, I guess Claudia will, too.
 
Amelia has firmly put her foot down about holding the tournament to find the next King of Vostoria. She’s not giving Brie much more time to adventure. Which is why she wants to go out with a bang. And what a bang she’s chosen! She wants to break the curse on Eagle Keep!
 
When she proposed this idea, I thought about the heartache with which my mother talks about hers. And about Queen Kimbra, Vostoria’s first queen and Amelia’s mother. Amelia was forced to take the throne far too young because of that curse, and my mother forced to take up leadership of the Queen’s Guard. The keep has been avoided by all since the curse turned everyone present at the battle to stone. All except the shilean, who were reduced immediately and without question to dust. The curse all blighted the land of Vostoria to any shilean within the borders, unless they swear fealty to the crown. Ironic, since it was the interference of a half-shilean mage that created the curse in the first place.
 
If we pull this off, it will be one hell of a finale to our adventuring days. It will also be the perfect excuse for Aunt Amelia to hand the throne to her daughter. She doesn’t know what we’re planning, of course. If she did, she would be bound, by law and conscience, to try and stop us. She just thinks we’re going on one last adventure before settling down. Mother, too. I think Father suspects we’re up to something big, but he hasn’t done anything to interfere.
 
We’ve spent the last couple of weeks gathering information about the curse and what’s needed to break it. Brie had done quite a bit of research before bringing me into it. Tonight, we met with our darling Denari, the priestess who has kept us alive on so many of our adventures, as well as Claudia, Lily, and one of my fellow Blades, Willow. Denari thinks we’re nuts. Willow is game, but understandably nervous. Claudia and Lily are excited. Like Brie and me, Claudia is ready for a grand finale adventure. Lily’s just up for causing trouble. We had just warned them that certain groups, including a clan of witches in the area, would be opposed to this idea and likely to attack us when those very same witches ambushed us! We put them down quickly, keeping the bar staff and patrons safe. But that drove the seriousness of this endeavor home.
 
It will not stop us. If anything, the attack has made us all that much more determined.