LILIANA

Jace had been gone for two weeks, but he was constantly on Liliana's mind. She hoped his search for and recruitment of the other members of the Gatewatch was going well. In the meantime, she was doing what she could to keep busy and plan her own potential departure, should the time come that she would be called upon to take her place amongst them once again. She knew there was a chance she may not see him again for weeks, if not months.

That wasn't so bad, however; it gave her more time to consider if she was truly sure about rejoining the Gatewatch. She wasn't sure she was ready to face everyone again, knowing there was good chance she might not survive very long once they knew she was alive. For once, she was grateful to have so much work, to keep her from dwelling too much.

And gods know, as the leading professor of necromantic arts at Strixhaven, Liliana had plenty to keep her busy.

Despite herself, she had grown to love her students—for the most part. That didn't mean it all went swimmingly, of course; there were plenty of days when she had to summon all the patience she could muster not to turn one of her wayward students into a mindless and obedient zombie, just to give herself a moment's peace. The one thing that truly helped her to survive the bad students (or, rather, for them to survive her) was her hope and pride in the good students. It was those aspiring mages who made it all seem worth it, to be devoting her life to teaching.

Since helping to stop the Oriq attack on the university, the Kenrith siblings, planeswalking twins who uniquely shared the same spark (and happened to be heirs to the throne of Eldraine), had quickly become some of Liliana's favorite students. Fate had seemed to bind them to her from the time she had newly begun to teach at Strixhaven under the alias Serafina Onyx and they seemed to look up to her as a mentor. She wasn't ready to accept the likelihood they had come to look to her as a sort of mother-figure since coming to Arcavios. No, she preferred to think of herself as something of an older sister, though the other possibility had occurred to her on numerous occasions. And for her part, she enjoyed watching them learn and grow into promising young mages. Their shared existence as planeswalkers also bound them together in a way; the secrecy of it created a bond they had with few others in the Multiverse.

Even though she was a Prismari, Rowan Kenrith had an obvious fascination with Witherbloom College and its inhabitants, with whom she spent most of her free time. Not only did she look up to and frequently visit Liliana; her closest friends, Auvernine and Plink, were some of Liliana's best students. All three girls frequented the necromantic professor's quarters, sometimes with questions or concerns, but more often just dropping by for a visit under the guise of needing help with an assignment. Liliana saw right through their pretenses but permitted them to continue in this manner because she had come to appreciate their admiration for her and to enjoy their company.

A few days after Jace left, Rowan came to Liliana's quarters. She hadn't seen the girl for quite a few weeks, even before Jace had shown up so unexpectedly. Rowan had been busy preparing for final exams and, for once, was actually taking her studies seriously. It was usually her twin brother Will that was the studious one and, as such, Liliana saw far less of him than she saw of his sister.

On this particular day, Rowan came alone and when Liliana opened the door, she found the fair-haired mage-student leaning her forehead against the wall in despair. Liliana raised an eyebrow, and said, "Are you still with us? Or do I need to send for a healer?"

Rowan sighed heavily and lifted her head. Her eyes were red and swollen, rimmed with tears. Then she fell into Liliana's arms and Liliana held her stiffly, unsure what to do.

"Whoa," said Liliana. "Okay, come inside. What's going on?"

She brought Rowan inside and closed the door, and then the girl began to vent. "Oh, Professor Vess, I just don't think I can do it! Everything comes so easily to Will—he barely has to study, and he gets the highest grades. I'm pretty sure he's going to be the valedictorian of our graduating class. I know I screwed around a lot my first year here…well, most of my time here, really. But I've been working so hard and trying to be a better student, but it's hopeless!"

"I think you need a drink," said Liliana, heading toward the table where some cups sat beside a decanter of red wine. She began pouring then paused to consider. "You are old enough to drink, right?"

"Yeah. But…isn't that against the rules, or something?"

Liliana tilted her head to the side, and said, "I won't tell if you won't tell. Come on; it'll help you relax. And you definitely need to relax."

Rowan accepted the wine and drank it faster than Liliana was expecting. Then she sat the cup down on a side table and flopped into a chair. Her hair was a mess and she sat with her knees together, but her feet spread apart. She was at least twenty, but she looked like an awkward teenager. She was barely holding herself together.

Liliana pulled up a chair opposite her and rested her elbows on her knees. "Listen, Rowan; not everyone is meant to be a scholar. Let Will be what he is—and you should be what you are."

"Which is what, exactly? A hot mess?"

The professor smirked and reclined in her chair. "You are a warrior. And if you wanted to, you could even be a hero."

The girl snorted. "Riiiight. Okay, Professor Vess; normally, I think everything you say is pretty cool and wise, and all that, but that's dumbest thing I've ever heard. No offense."

Liliana raised her eyes and shook her head. "Sweetie, I've lived far too long to take offense over most things. Trust me. And I understand where you're coming from. But I meant it. With your ability to draw mana in large quantities and your talents as a mage—not to mention the fact you're a planeswalker—you have the capacity to do a lot of good in the Multiverse."

Rowan shrugged. "Sure, I guess. But where would I even begin? I've spent so much time not 'walking, I feel like I know nothing about the Multiverse, no matter how good I am at spell-casting."

"Okay, but speaking hypothetically," Liliana began, carefully feeling her out, "if you had the opportunity to do something heroic again—like when you helped stop Extus from destroying the university—would you?"

"I mean, sure. Of course. It definitely beats going back to Eldraine to become a member of my father's council or something."

Taking a deep breath, Liliana said, "What about your brother?"

"Will? What about him?"

"Do you think he would want to do something heroic again?"

She shrugged. "Probably. As long as he can take some books along… Speaking of books… who was that cute guy in the blue cloak carrying books for you from the Biblioplex the other day?"

Liliana pursed her lips and looked away. "He's an old friend. Nothing for you to worry about."

Rowan smiled. "He's more than a friend, isn't he?"

"That is none of your business, young lady."

"Mmhm," Rowan hummed. "I thought so. Well, you make a cute couple. He seems kinda nerdy, though. I bet he and Will would get along just fine."

Liliana chuckled, admitting, "You're probably right."

Rowan sat back in the chair, resting her arm over the back of it. "I didn't really take you for the type to like nerdy guys."

Liliana rose, and said, "Okay, we're done talking about this. You are still my student."

Rowan got up, and replied, "Barely! I'm not even in any of your classes. So, technically, I'm not your student anymore. And I'm literally only a few weeks away from graduating."

"Even so, I'm not talking to you about my love life."

Rowan grinned from ear to ear. "I knew it. So, where is he? Is he a planeswalker, too?"

Liliana sighed. She knew she wasn't going to let it go. "Yes, he's like us. And he's gone in search of some old friends of ours, because we're going to need their help. In fact, that's why I was asking you about being a hero. We have some…loose ends to tie up, so to speak."

"Okay. Details?"

"Let's just leave it at there's a megalomaniacal planeswalker with a built-in transportation system he can use to move all sorts of dangerous things between planes threatening the Multiverse."

"Whoa, like…worse than Extus?"

Liliana raised a brow. "Honey, he makes Extus look like one of the good guys."

Rowan's eyes grew wide and gleamed with anticipation. Then she smiled, and cried, "This is amazing! I mean, not that it's a good thing—because it's definitely not. But, like…I could really be a hero if I helped you and this…friend of yours?"

"Mmhm. And there is no other mage in all the Multiverse I would want by our sides more than you."

"And Will, too…right?"

"Of course," said Liliana with a smile. "The two of you are remarkably powerful mages. I knew early on that you were a force to be reckoned with. And now that you and Will have honed your ability to work together, it would be good to have you join us."

"When you say 'us', you mean yourself and your lover?"

"Jace," said Liliana, icily. "His name is Jace. And if you are to refer to him, you will use his name. You will not call him my lover, or any other variation on that theme. Are we clear?"

"Perfectly," said Rowan with a smirk. Then she crossed her arms, and said, "Okay, so you and…Jace. And other old friends? I'm assuming they are just friends."

Liliana narrowed her eyes at the girl and allowed them to glow purple, just to intimidate. Her smile would have chilled even the bravest of warriors. Rowan, however, was unmoved and simply plopped back into a chair. "Okay, sorry, Professor. I know, I can't talk to you like we're friends. I get it. So, these friends of yours—I'm assuming they're planeswalkers, too?"

Taking a deep breath, Liliana sat down once again and smoothed her dress. She would not admit that she was somewhat put out by Rowan's lack of fear at her posturing. Folding her hands in her lap, she said, "We are a group of planeswalkers who have sworn an oath to protect the people and planes of the Multiverse from interplanar threats. We are the Gatewatch."

Rowan snorted. Then she giggled. Then she burst out laughing. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, it's just…you said it with such a serious expression and tone and…"

This time, Liliana's cool expression managed to get through the girl's tough exterior. She stopped laughing and cleared her throat. "I'm…sorry. I don't mean to make fun of it. I mean, it's a good idea. Who came up with the name, though?"

Liliana raised her eyes. "Jace."

"Of course," said Rowan. "Makes sense. It's the same kind of dorky thing my brother would come up with, if he decided to make up a group of heroes to save the Multiverse."

She snorted again, but then covered her mouth and managed to resist the urge to laugh again.

"We can have fun with the name all we want, but what we do is very serious. And if you're going to be one of us, you need to take it seriously, Rowan. I didn't tell you about us and invite you into our fold without a great deal of consideration into your merits."

Rowan shrugged. "Sorry. Just trying to have a bit of fun. I thought you liked fun, too."

"Normally, yes. But the Gatewatch…they're very important to me. These are very dear friends of mine—friends I hurt. Friends I…betrayed. Even though I never meant to…" She paused, resisting a wave of anguish that threatened to overtake her. Then she turned away, and continued, "If there is any hope they'll accept me, and you for that matter, because you come with my recommendation…you cannot make light of what they do. What they represent.

"I took them for granted once. And by the time I came to appreciate and value them as friends…it was too late. Jace is the only one still among the living, who has forgiven me for my mistakes. The others…they think I'm dead. I'm not sure how I'm going to return to face them. I'm still not even sure I can. But with you and Will, maybe I won't have to."

"What? But you're the only reason we have to join this group—the…Gatewatch. How can we hope to be accepted by them if they don't accept you?"

The corner of Liliana's mouth raised slightly. "Jace will accept you. And perhaps the two of you can take my place."

"Yeah, but will he accept us in your place? I mean, I'm pretty sure he'd want you there, too. I doubt he wants to take on a couple of…kids…without your company and support."

Liliana almost laughed. "You seem to understand him well enough. Anyway, even if he doesn't care for it, when I tell him how powerful the two of you are, he might accept it as a reasonable trade-off. I mean, even with all my power, you alone could do more for the Gatewatch than I can. And with your brother at your side, I'm sure I would hardly be missed."

"Okay, but if this…megalomaniac is really as bad as you say, shouldn't we have as many powerful planeswalkers on board as possible?"

"Of course, Jace would say the same thing. I'm still not decided on the matter, anyway. And until Jace returns, there's no point making a decision, because there are too many unknown factors. Maybe Jace will come back and tell me all is well and I've been forgiven. He's supposed to brace them all for the…unexpected news. And if they don't take it well…then he'll make sure they never find out where I am."

"I hope they accept you," said Rowan with a smile. "No matter what you may have done in the past, you've obviously changed."

"You don't know what I've done, though. Sometimes I think the things I've done are unforgiveable."

"Nothing's unforgiveable."

Liliana smiled wistfully. "You sound like Gideon."

"Who…?"

"Another old friend. He…died so I might live."

Rowan fell silent, her expression suddenly taking on a very serious tone. "I've never seen this side of you, Professor Vess."

Liliana felt a warmth in her cheeks. "Yes, well…keep it between us, okay?"

With a smile, Rowan said, "Don't worry. I won't tell anyone you have feelings." She giggled. "I like getting to know another side of you, though. Thank you for…letting me in."

Liliana squinted her eyes at Rowan, and said, "I always knew you would be trouble."

Rowan burst out laughing. "This is why I like coming to talk to you."

"Because you're trouble?"

"Because we both are," said Rowan with a spark of mischief in her eye. "You've always been so fun. I mean, no one can make me laugh like you. And besides Will, no one understands me like you. I hope it's ok that I'm telling you this?"

With a shrug, Liliana said, "Why not? We've already opened that can of worms. Might as well."

The spark in Rowan's eyes suddenly became very serious, almost worshipful, and her cheeks reddened a bit. "You always know what to say—whether to give me advice or cheer me up. You're like…the mother I never had."

Liliana's eyes widened. Then she managed, "I…don't really know what to say."

"It's ok." Her cheeks grew a deeper red and her gaze dropped. "You don't have to say anything. Maybe I shouldn't have…"

Liliana reached out and placed a hand on top of Rowan's. When the girl lifted her gaze, a gentle smile graced the professor's lips. "I'm glad you told me. I'm…very proud of you, Rowan. And Will. If I were a mother, I could not think to have better children than the two of you. Your mother must be very proud."

"Our mother…" Rowan didn't say what she was thinking, but her expression said more than words could say.

"Your…step-mother, I mean. She must be very proud."

"Yes," she replied vaguely. "I suppose she is proud of us. She's always been good to us. But I feel closer to you if that makes sense?"

"We're planeswalkers," said Liliana with a shrug. "I think it links us in a very special way that we can't share with others. We understand things in a way they never could. See things in a way they never will."

"So, are you and…Jace…gonna have children someday?"

Liliana's expression hardened and she got up. "Listen, enough about me and Jace. I already told you I'm not going to discuss my private affairs with a student."

"Okay, Professor," said Rowan, with a teasing tone. Then she got up and before Liliana could react, threw her arms around her former professor and squeezed tight. Liliana stood there rather uncomfortably for a moment before allowing herself to hug the girl back. Then Rowan pulled away with a smile and headed for the door.

"Rowan."

She turned back to Liliana, a question in her gaze.

"Talk to Will about the Gatewatch. If you're both in, I'll need to speak with Jace before we make it official. I'm sure he'll be happy to have you on-board."

Rowan gave an affirmative nod. Then the girl was gone, and Liliana released her breath and collapsed into a chair.