“We are. I am not,” Corra said. Her words were colder than the depths of space, and just as bleak.
“Majesty?” Balant asked.
Corra turned to him, her expression one of polite interest. “Yes?”
He put a hand on her shoulder, and for a brief instant, they looked like father and daughter. “I’ll do it.”
Corra opened her mouth to protest, then her mask of control fell, and she truly was a young—if remarkable girl—faced with a moral issue without an answer that didn’t end in blood. “You’ve always been loyal, Balant, even when I didn’t deserve it. So I ask you only one thing now.”
Corra began to move away from Rukisa, who stared at the calm, regal girl in horror. Corra smiled at the fallen witch, then deliberately placed Balant’s hand over Nolan’s. The men exchanged places, and Balant controlled Rukisa, whose nose burbled fresh blood with each wheezing breath. She was dying—either from the punch or some other wound—but there was no doubt. She was fading, right before the collected view of people she’d been willing to harvest like a crop.
“Name it,” Balant said.
Corra’s words were a purr. “Take your time.”
Rukisa’s scream rang over the river like a curse, and the North’r left Balant to his business.
Epilogue
The trip had taken days, but on the Starway, without active agents, it had been more celebration than a punishing journey.
Corra stood next to Nolan, watching the first stars begin to blaze overhead. In the distance, she saw lights and the silhouette of buildings tall enough to be visible ten klicks away.
“Is that it?” Corra asked. There was wonder in her tone, proving that even a queen can be surprised. Or impressed.
“Yes, Majesty. They’ve been busy,” Nolan answered.
“And you say we can be connected thanks to the network? Under the Starway?”
“Among other things, but yes. And drones, and regular vehicles traveling back and forth, and eventually, we’ll tame the sky as well. This is our world now, and the days for forgetting are over. We will remember, and we’ll build.”
Corra shook her head in a stupor. So many new things, and yet, they felt familiar. Nolan’s people had begun sharing the vaccines immediately, as well as the weapons and tech, and most importantly of all—context, and where all the new things fit in a world that was waking from a long slumber.
“What’s it called again?” Corra asked.
“Hardline. It was our last stand, so to speak, but not anymore.”
“Hardline. Not as musical as Sindelaar, but . . .” Corra laughed, a silvery noise that would have been impossible only weeks earlier.
“I’ll work on something a bit less, ah, militant. Majesty,” Nolan said with a flourish.
Corra punched his arm, laughing, but then she sobered with the weight of memory. “Will they come back?”
Nolan gave a grave nod. “Not if, but when.”
“We’ll be ready,” Avina said with dead certainty.
“More than ready,” Cherry added.
Around them, the ceaseless winds blew, carrying scents of cooking fires. They would spend the night where they stood, then arrive at Hardline with the dawn. Nolan wanted to see his family, but for now, he took a moment, drinking in the wide-open spaces and murmur of chatter from his people. His friends.
His family.
Overhead, a ship skipped off the atmosphere, sparking away into the blackness before winking out of existence. Since Rukisa was gone, fewer ships burned up or came apart. Mostly, they bounced away, as if Janusia itself wasn’t ready for whatever came next.
“We have some time,” Nolan said.
Corra gave him a level look, then quirked her lips. “Time for what?”
Nolan laughed, low and rich. “To build. And teach. And get ready for a future that is—unknown.”
Corra brushed her hand against his, then spoke in a tone that rippled with untold stories. “Not all of it.”
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About the Author
Terry Maggert is left-handed, likes dragons, coffee, waffles, running, and giraffes; order unimportant. He’s also half of author Daniel Pierce, and half of the humor team at Cledus du Drizzle.
With thirty-one titles, he has something to thrill, entertain, or make you cringe in horror. Guaranteed.
Note: He doesn’t sleep. But you sort of guessed that already.
Lost Kingdom: Book 1 in the Lost Kingdom Series Page 30
