Melody of Mana 6: A Progression Fantasy, page 29
part #6 of Melody of Mana Series
“Settled, what next?” John asked.
“What next? Next, I’m going to spend time with my children and husband, John. We’ve only so much time, and how many lives do we get? I’ll be around if you need me.”
“Until next time then, Alana?” he asked with a smile.
“Until next time,” I replied.
EPILOGUE
Ten years later
I stood back, watching, waiting for all of our people to come into position. It was strange, no longer running most of the activities. At times, I needed to step back and let others take up the work and prove themselves. This joint operation was going to be something.
“We don’t have time to stop. If the king’s men or the Worldsingers find us …” one of the men before me said, his voice enhanced by my magic.
“Shut up, you idiot. I know, I know, but the horses have to rest or they’ll die, and we’re not getting anywhere without them.” The one who issued the reply went to turn, but there was a change in the air and he faltered, falling to his knees where he barely caught himself.
A dozen men let out curses and tried to rise, only to fall. The first speaker was on his knees, heaving, trying to get up, and failing as the plan fell into action.
“Hate to be the bearer of bad news, boys,” Rodrick said as he stepped out from a patch of darkness, fading into sight as his illusions fell, “but you’re already way too late.”
One of the men managed to raise his hand and point at my son, letting loose a blast of flame and surprising the now adult Rodrick. Of course I was here, and so with a note sung loudly, I quashed his spell like brushing aside a gnat.
“Secure your prisoners first, son, then gloat,” one of my illusions said as it appeared beside him. It remained best to keep out of sight in any operation, something we’d be talking about later.
The offender was now unable to move, gasping for air as the pressure pushed harder and harder upon him, unable to do much more than sputter and wheeze. He couldn’t even raise his eyes to see Illa floating down from above, glowing like an angel as she descended, dress and hair floating and fluttering.
“The next one to attack gets crushed into paste,” she declared with finality, her shields pulsing with power.
While they were talking, over a dozen men and women—some mine, some my nephew’s—poured in from the woods around us. Spells were taking shape, and one by one the thieves were being bound, magical restraints affixed before they were pulled from Illa’s high gravity spell. Once all were in custody I joined the rest.
“Good work,” I said, finally stepping out into view. “Though not great. There was no need for either of you to reveal yourselves,” I chided my kids.
“It sends a message,” Rodrick objected.
“Yes, it does. It says ‘Look, kill me!’ in bright letters. If you want to be seen, use an illusion.” They both frowned. I was well enough known, and my penchant for remaining unseen was pretty much my calling card. “But, you did well tracking them, son. And Illa, that use of gravity was exceptional.”
The three of us, along with some of the other officers here, moved to one of the carts. There was a woosh as the cover was pulled away, revealing a gate buried under the many boxes.
“I can’t believe they actually managed to steal one. Just getting past the wards was impressive,” Illa said.
“I can’t believe they did it during Omos’s coronation,” her brother replied. “You should have seen him; hate to be those poor bastards.”
“We’ll get our answers as to how and why soon,” I told them. “Yes, I imagine they’ll regret their decision. Though they may not regret it for terribly long.”
My kids moved off to their own jobs, now that we had the gate back, and I couldn’t have been prouder of them.
Illa had grown so much and was now the premiere expert on gravity magic in the kingdom. Originally, she’d mastered it to learn to fly, but she’d taken it so much further. I suspected that if she really applied herself, she might even be able to bend space to speed herself up like I could, but so far as I knew she hadn’t yet. We were supposed to have tea tomorrow. Perhaps I could ask her then. Those weekly meetings were always a joy.
Her brother was working with me. Rodrick would never be in any administrative role if he could help it. As a field agent he was magnificent. His memory meant that he could gather mountains of information and process it with ease, connecting dots so few even saw. Though it pained me that he’d failed miserably when it came to trying to learn to make gates properly.
I’d have to deal with whatever we learned from the criminals. Even if Omos wouldn’t directly order me on most things, we agreed on this one. I suspected it was an attempt by one of the surrounding kingdoms to secure portal technology, one that would fail, but we still needed to know who was trying.
His father was also being a pain. John had followed our father’s lead and stepped down as soon as it was clear his son could rule, joining Dad in semi-retirement. This was something I couldn’t approve of enough, as it really did make for a more reliable transfer of power, a more stable base. Perhaps one day there’d be a succession issue, but so long as one or two old kings were there to pull everyone back together, there shouldn’t be a civil war.
Thirty-six years later
My black dress fluttered in the icy wind. I couldn’t bring myself to cry again. I’d done so too many times in the last couple of days. As the tomb was closed, I just couldn’t. It was too much.
Ulanion had fallen, and not to some enemy or monster, but to the one thing that wouldn’t be denied to those with human blood. Age. He’d outlived so many that I almost couldn’t believe it. He’d seemed immortal, but he wasn’t.
Before I could fall too deeply into thought once again, a hand touched my shoulder. With a small, sad smile, Rodrick helped me, his sister joining him in leading me back to the school, the fortress, my home.
Even looking at my own children brought up dark thoughts. Would I bury them too? My attempts to wage war on my aging had been more successful year by year. Time was still coming for me, but at a snail’s pace. These days my little Illa looked like my mother, not the other way around. Her hair was graying, as was her brother’s.
It seemed that all of the people I knew were dying, each year causing me to lose more and more of my friends. I even found it harder to make new ones as I aged, the pain of loss hardening me.
There were a few ceremonies over the course of the day, a few moments where people wanted to talk, or see how I was, or something else that I had a hard time caring about. Most of them were dissuaded when it became clear that I wanted them gone. When the last of them had left, I almost went to bed, but that seemed hollow.
So instead I went to my lab. Here, I could visit the one man I doubted I would outlive. Over the years, I’d tried to visit him more, even if he was as prickly as I felt now.
Justin joined me soon after I stepped through the gateway, gave me one look, and sighed.
“I’ll get something stronger than tea then,” he said as we went to his sitting room.
“How’d you know?” I asked.
“Other than the solid black dress? You look horrible, Alana.” The ancient king handed me a glass of some liquor, the amber fluid giving off a powerful, smokey aroma.
“How do you … How do you deal with it?” I inquired, begging him for an answer.
“Alana, I live alone in the middle of nowhere, barely talking to anyone else. If there’s anyone less qualified to tell you how to handle grief, I’d like to meet him.” There was another sigh, and in his eyes I could see it, the pain of millennia. “I think it’s worse for us, though, and maybe better too. My memories don’t fade. I see lost loved ones in my mind as clearly as if I were looking at them now. I remember every conversation like I’m watching a movie—every good word, every angry one, every fight and hug and tear.”
“I want to just lay down and die,” I admitted. “Let it all go.”
“I’ve been there, too, you know, but I don’t think they’d want us to.”
“They’re gone, so we can’t well ask.”
“Not here, but gone? Come on, you and I both know that dying doesn’t have to be the end. I don’t believe in suicide; I think it’s wrong, but it’s hard to fear death when you’ve already been through it. Perhaps we’ll meet them again on the other side; perhaps not, but I don’t think those I’ve lost would want me to die, and I don’t think those you have would want you to either.” He was right, and I sort of hated that.
“So what do I do?”
“Start with finishing your drink. Then, why don’t you tell me about those you’ve lost.” That seemed as good a suggestion as any.
Sixty-four years later
So many years had passed since I’d come to this world. I even had a few gray hairs. These days, I mostly kept to myself at the school, only coming out to advise the king and attend to things, like I was today. I passed through the halls of the royal palace like a shadow, heading to the wing where the former kings and queens had resided. There was something I needed to do before it was too late, a secret held too long.
When I knocked, I was pleased to find that the owner of the room was awake and not alone. There were servants, of course. There were always servants here, but one of the princesses was here, too, speaking to her great-grandmother at her bedside, the older woman smiling as she looked at the young girl. It was heartwarming to see that the kids were so loving.
“Hello, Lena,” I said with a sad smile. She looked horrible, but she was smiling. Priestess or not, her body was failing. The healers said she’d likely not survive the week.
“Oh, if it isn’t my old teacher. Serena dear, have you two met?” she said, introducing us.
“Ma’am,” the young girl said, making to rise. “You’re one of my father’s advisors, right?” Being that she was maybe eight or nine, that was all she needed to know.
“Something like that, dear. I hate to ask, but do you think we could have a moment alone? There’s something I need to speak with your great-grandmother about privately.”
Serena looked over, asking, “Granny?”
“It’s fine dear,” Lena said, patting her hand gently. “Why don’t you wait just outside? This shouldn’t take too long.”
After she was gone, I put up a privacy barrier. I really didn’t know how Lena would react, but I couldn’t hide it from her any longer, and there was no point.
“I am sorry for disturbing you, but there is something I need to tell you, before it’s too late,” I said, struggling to get the words out.
“About my parents?” she said with a smirk. My face must have shown some amount of shock because she continued. “You’re not the only one with connections in the orders. You know that, right?”
“When did they tell you?” I asked.
“That I was the true heir? Just before I married Omos. The same time they told me how you fought to let that happen. Thank you for that, by the way. He was a wonderful husband.”
“You never brought it up,” I said softly, saddened that she’d kept my secret for so long.
“You seemed content to let it be.” She didn’t even seem angry.
“You’re not mad that I killed your parents?” I asked, still stunned.
“Not as much as I could be. You forget that I learned of their crimes long, long before I learned who they were. It was painful to learn that I’d hated them so. Yet, I was also told that you saved me, tried your best to give me a peaceful life.”
I sat down beside her. “You shouldn’t have hated them. Your father was my enemy, and he caused a lot of pain, but I’ve met worse men. I think he really did want to do right, but went about it in the wrong ways. As for your mother … Her death is one of the things I’ve regretted more than you can imagine. As far as I know, she was just another victim, and she just wanted to protect you.”
“And you killed her?” Lena looked taken aback.
“I wanted surrender, not violence with her. She attacked me, and things went badly. War is like that sometimes. Had we had just a little more time, perhaps it would have turned out differently. I’m sorry.” It wasn’t much, but it was the best I had.
“I forgive you,” she said, and I felt the worry fall off of me. “You forget that I’ve known you most of my life, that I’ve seen you at work for that time. I’ve watched you advise and tell Omos that he needn’t fight some of those fools, even if he wanted to, because you’d tell him how much pain it could cause. At any rate, it seems pointless to hold a grudge now.”
“Thank you.” It was all I could manage to say to this woman, who had every right to hate me.
“Will you do me a favor though?” she asked.
“Of course,” I replied. If I could, I would. I owed her that much.
“Look after them, the kids, as long as you can.” Her eyes began to cloud.
“I will,” I promised, leaning up to kiss her on the forehead.
“Good, now send Serena back in. She’s a lot more fun to talk to than you.”
I did just that, promising myself that I’d be here for as long as I could and keep an eye on all of them.
Over two hundred years later
I stumbled through the portal into Justin’s domain once more, leaning heavily on my staff as my muscles rebelled. I had to hurry, but everything hurt so badly. As usual, the man took his time to join me, but as soon as he saw me, he rushed over to help. I felt frail, so frail.
Magic or not, hundreds of years had taken their toll. My bones were no longer strong, my skin was loose and wrinkled over muscles atrophied from age. And, I was in pain, so much pain. I gritted my teeth as I walked beside him, happy for someone to lean on this time.
“Alana, what are you doing? What’s wrong? You look like you’re dying,” the ancient king said as he tried to pull me toward a chair, but I resisted. I couldn’t sit down.
“Not dying; dead. Body just hasn’t caught up with it yet. Heart gave out two hours ago, my boy,” I laughed. “Only reason I can still move is that I’m keeping it all together with magic, and that won’t last.”
“Why are you here!? You need a priest, you daft woman!” he roared, far too loud for my taste.
“Can’t help. Even you know there’s a point at which it all falls apart. Maybe they could keep me alive a bit longer, but it’s all coming undone, and I’d rather go out standing up than as a vegetable lying in a bed. Now listen, because I don’t have time.” I affixed him with the harshest glare I could manage, and he stilled.
“What do you need?” he asked, eyes in pain. We’d known each other for so long, and I knew he’d already lost so many. It hurt to do this to him, but my time was over.
“The pool. I want you to take me to it. I’m going to drink, see what happens, see if I end up going back. Bet none of us have before, so let’s do it. We’ll use the walk to talk, because I need to tell you about some things too,” I said, struggling, leaning on him even more.
I felt magic wrap around me, and I was somewhere else. It was clear now how he was doing this, the method of teleportation, but it didn’t matter, not today.
“This is as close as we should teleport. Let’s hurry, if things are that bad.” I was glad that he wasn’t going to argue.
The giant cave was much as I remembered it. Perhaps just a bit brighter, the plants just a little fuller. The magic was thick, almost visible in the air; you could very nearly taste it. It was a shame, a true shame that I’d only been here a few times.
“There’s another like us, at least one other. Met him a while ago in a city called Exion. Another point for your data there,” I said.
“I see,” he said as he helped me hurry forward.
“I also want you to know that whatever happens, it’s not your fault.” He looked at me with furrowed brows. “Oh, don’t give me that. I know you were a naughty boy when you were younger, and you went and hid here to pay for it, but you need to let it go. Forgive yourself; nearly everyone else has. If those priests had half a brain, they would too. That’s not what I’m talking about though. This, whatever happens here is on me. I’m the one drinking that water to try and find out what happens.”
As I spoke, I felt the spell I’d woven around my heart lurch. At this late phase, even my magic was starting to fail, as if it knew my time was up. I’d already put too much into making that spell in the first place, and my mana was running on fumes. I pushed more mana into it, trying to stabilize it, but there wasn’t enough left to make it fully functional.
“Alana?” Justin’s voice reached me.
“Can’t …” I’d fallen almost to my knees, and try as I might, I couldn’t push myself back up. My staff clattered to the floor.
“I’ve got you,” he said, and I felt a mix of magic and muscle wrap me up, scooping me off my feet and carrying me toward the glowing pool.
“Of all the money I ever had, I spent it in good company,” I sang, trying to get just a tad more mileage out of the magic to keep me alive.
“And of all the harm I’ve ever done, alas it was to none but me,” Justin joined me, and I felt the gestalt hit like a freight train, bolstering and shoring up my weaknesses.
“And all I’ve done for want of wit, to memory now I can’t recall,” I saw him smile at that, for we both knew his memory.
“So fill to me the parting glass, good night and joy be with you all.”
I could feel him rushing, hear him singing, but the edges of my sight began to dim. The only things I could really see as we moved forward were the light from the pool and the tears streaking down my friend’s face. The song was working, though, and as we moved, I could feel my heart thump to the beat, the beat of that old farewell song.
“Of all the comrades that ’ere had, they’re sorry for my going away
And all the sweethearts that ’ere I had, they’d wish me one more day
But since it falls unto my lot, that I should rise and you should not
I’ll gently rise and softly call, good night and joy be with you all.”
