Cael smiled, while the little girl had already buried her face in the folds of Thorn’s dress.
Karalyn led Aila and Corthie into the mansion through the rear door.
‘She was looking after your children,’ said Aila, ‘while you were… away?’
‘Aye,’ said Karalyn, her eyes reflecting the pain she felt, ‘but what I thought was going to be a few thirds turned out to be four years. Sometimes, I wish I could cut off all contact with her, but the twins love her, and it wouldn’t be fair on them. It hasn’t been easy, but we’re getting there, slowly.’
‘The twins are beautiful,’ said Corthie.
Karalyn nodded.
‘What powers does your mother have?’ said Aila, as they walked along the marble floor of the hallway.
‘Vision,’ said Corthie; ‘the whole range.’
‘Will she be able to read my thoughts?’
Karalyn eyed her, and they came to a halt in the passageway. ‘Good point; we can’t be having that.’ She looked into Aila’s eyes. ‘Not any more; I’ve sealed your mind to her. It’ll annoy her, but tough.’
‘You sealed my mind?’
‘Just to vision mages; it’s impossible to seal your mind from me, I’m afraid.’
‘You mean that no vision… mage, or god, will be able to see my thoughts again?’
‘That’s right.’
‘Malik’s ass, I could have done with that in the City.’
‘Try not to curse in front of my mother if you can help it. Are you ready? I’ve got an idea. We’ll walk into her office, but I’ll hide you from her. She won’t be able to see you until I say so.’
‘Is that wise?’ said Aila.
Karalyn shrugged, and they approached a set of tall, double doors, which Karalyn pushed open. They walked into a large, high-ceilinged office. The white walls were adorned with a large collection of maps covering almost every part of the Star Continent. At one end of the room, next to a large bay window, was a desk, behind which a woman was sitting, working her way through a large pile of paperwork.
‘Good morning, dear,’ the woman said, without looking up.
‘Good morning, mother. Busy?’
‘Rather. I have a meeting with the Empress via vision in five minutes. Urgent, apparently, so you’ll have to be quick.’ She glanced up, frowning. ‘Did you bring the twins?’
‘Aye.’
The woman sighed. ‘After what we discussed? The more Thorn sees of them, the harder it will be, not just for her, but for you and the children too. It’s not fair. You said…’
‘I know what I said, mother, but I have a surprise for you.’
The woman lit a cigarette. ‘Yes?’
‘You might have to prepare a guest room.’
The Holdfast matriarch frowned. ‘You’ve brought a visitor? Have you found yourself a boyfriend at last?’
‘No, mother, and I wouldn’t hold your breath on that front, if I were you. I know it’s been four and a half years since Lennox died but, to me, it’s only been a few thirds.’ She cleared her thoughts and smiled. ‘Anyway, say hello to your son.’
Daphne Holdfast narrowed her eyes for a moment, then stared as Corthie and Aila appeared before her. She screamed and fell off her chair, sending paperwork flying as she landed on the hard floor. Corthie laughed and strode forwards, leaning over to help her up. She stood, staring at him, then her face dissolved in tears and she threw her arms round him, sobbing into his chest.
‘Hello, mother,’ he said. ‘I’m sorry I took so long.’
‘Five years!’ Daphne cried. ‘Let me look at you. You’re taller than your father was, and almost as broad-shouldered, and just as handsome.’ She glared at Karalyn. ‘Are you trying to give me a heart attack?’ she sobbed.
‘Sorry; I couldn’t resist.’
‘Well, never mind that now. Sit down, Corthie. Corthie…’ She fell into tears again, sat, and wept.
Corthie put a hand on her shoulder. ‘Listen, mother. Kelsey has decided not to come back.’
Daphne glanced up at him. ‘What?’
‘She’s safe, and well. She’s gone to the City where I lived for a while, with friends. She’s a dragon rider.’
‘A what-rider?’
‘Dragon,’ said Karalyn. ‘They’re like winged gaien, only they can talk.’
‘A talking gaien?’
‘We can discuss that later,’ said Corthie. ‘Sable’s also not coming back.’
‘Is she a dragon-rider too, is she?’
‘Aye, she is.’
Daphne sighed. ‘Every time someone returns from Lostwell, they leave someone else behind. My little Kelsey.’
Karalyn placed the Weathervane on the desk. Daphne wiped her face and raised an eyebrow.
‘Keep a hold of this for me, mother,’ said Karalyn. ‘It’s the key to the Sextant; a huge device that can send people between worlds. Corthie brought it back with him. I have a feeling that you might be able to operate it, so, when we have time, I’ll show you, and you’ll be able to see Kelsey.’
‘And why do I have to keep the sword?’
‘The Sextant doesn’t work without it, and it’s an extremely dangerous device. If you keep it here, I can come and take it whenever I need to, but otherwise it’ll remain inactive.’
Daphne nodded. ‘Tell me all about it later.’ Her eyes flickered towards Aila. ‘And you are?’
‘This is Aila,’ said Corthie.
‘I see.’ Daphne composed herself and frowned at the demigod. ‘This is the woman you stayed for? This is the woman who prevented you from coming home thirds ago?’
‘Don’t blame her,’ said Karalyn; ‘it was my fault.’
‘I am perfectly capable of assigning blame on my own, thank you very much.’ She stood and walked to the front of the desk. She was the same height as Aila, and she stared into her eyes. She frowned.
‘I blocked her,’ said Karalyn. ‘I didn’t want you having an unfair advantage over her.’
‘I can see that,’ said Daphne. ‘You did the same with Thorn; you seem determined to undermine me.’
‘It seems fair to me,’ said Corthie.
‘You would think that,’ said Daphne. ‘Well, what are your intentions? I assume it must be serious. Are you married, or are you planning on getting married?’
‘Well…’ began Corthie.
‘Hush, son; I was asking her.’
‘I don’t know,’ said Aila. ‘We talked about marriage once, but things have been a little hectic recently.’
‘I can marry you,’ said Daphne. ‘As Herald of the Empire, I have the authority to do so. That reminds me; I’m supposed to be sending my vision to Plateau City to talk to the Empress. Oh well, she’ll have to wait. Family is family. Right, so, Aila; you’re a god, I believe?’
‘A demigod. My mother was mortal.’
‘And how long have you been alive?’
‘Almost eight centuries.’
Daphne puffed out her cheeks. ‘That’s longer than the recorded history of the Holdings. Eight centuries? By the Creator, you’re positively ancient. How long can you be expected to live?’
Aila frowned. ‘I… I’m not sure, exactly. The oldest gods have been around for over thirty thousand years.’
‘And why are you interested in a mortal?’
‘I love Corthie.’
‘Yes, but you must have been in love before now, surely? Do you have any children? Do you plan on having any? Will you remain young-looking, while we all age around you? What will happen when Corthie grows old; have you thought of that?’
‘I’ve thought of little else,’ said Aila. ‘Every single person, with the exception of one, has told us that our relationship is a bad idea; that it’s doomed from the start. I don’t believe that. If I did, I wouldn’t be here.’
‘Who was the one who thought it was a good idea?’
‘My aunt, Yendra. She told me to follow my heart.’
Daphne pulled a face. ‘Follow your heart? That does
n’t sound very practical. Do you have any powers associated with being immortal?’
‘I can heal myself, of course, and I can make people think I look different.’
‘Show me.’
‘It won’t work in front of us,’ said Karalyn, ‘but it will among normal folk. It’s a bit like me making myself invisible; she can persuade others to think she looks like someone else.’
‘That could be very useful indeed,’ said Daphne. ‘Perhaps there is a place for Aila within the Imperial intelligence division. Do you have any experience of subterfuge?’
‘A fair bit,’ said Aila, ‘but I was hoping for some peace and quiet.’
‘Are you going to tell her?’ said Karalyn.
Aila nodded. ‘I’m pregnant.’
Daphne put a hand to her face. ‘And I was hoping you were just carrying a little extra around the midriff. Pregnant. Dear me. That settles it; I’ll marry you later today, or perhaps tomorrow, once our hangovers have gone. I have a whole crate of whisky that we can open; I think the occasion demands it. I certainly need a drink.’
‘There’s more,’ said Karalyn, ‘but I’m not sure if Aila herself knows.’
‘What?’
‘The baby that is growing within her – I can already sense its self-healing powers.’
‘What does that mean?’ said Daphne.
‘The child will be immortal; a demigod.’
Daphne fell into a chair.
‘Are you sure?’ said Aila.
‘Aye. Positive,’ said Karalyn. ‘Congratulations, Corthie – you’re going to be the father of a god.’
* * *
Corthie and Aila sat on the back porch, drinking whisky, the bottle on the wooden flooring next to the couch. In front of them, the endless plains of the Holdings swept away into the distance, and the sun was hanging over the horizon, transforming the western sky into a dozen shades of red and pink.
‘Should we go back inside?’ said Aila. ‘The others will be wondering where we are.’
‘Not yet,’ said Corthie; ‘let me savour the peace for a moment.’
‘It’s been some day.’
‘Aye. This morning we were fighting Ascendants, and now we’re here, in Hold Fast. It’s been six years since I’ve been in this house, but nothing seems to have changed. My family… well, you’ve seen what they’re like.’
‘They seem nice.’
‘They are, most of the time. Even Keir. But…’
‘Are you alright?’
‘I miss Kelsey,’ he said, ‘and Sable. And Belinda. It doesn’t seem right, us being here after what she did to save us, but no one has asked about her; no one has said anything about her. They all think of her as a traitor; the crazy woman who betrayed the Empress; they don’t care what happened to her.’ He hung his head, weeping. ‘No one cares.’
He felt Aila’s hand take his. ‘You care, Corthie, and that’s all Belinda wanted. She loved you as a brother. What she did, she didn’t do for me; she did it for you, so you could go home.’
‘It’s not fair.’
‘I know, Corthie, but life isn’t fair. All you can do is try to protect the people you love from everything life throws at you. Your whole life is still ahead of you, and you are surrounded by people who love you. In a few months, we’re going to be parents and a whole new chapter of our lives will begin. If you want to honour Belinda, then be the man she wanted you to be; live your life.’
‘I thought I would be the one to defeat the Ascendants; I thought I had a grand destiny.’
‘You do, only it’s here, with me and your family.’ She stood. ‘Come on; let’s go back to the party.’
‘You go,’ he said. ‘I’ll just be a minute.’
She nodded, and slipped back into the mansion.
Corthie stared into the west as the sun dipped below the horizon. Aila was right; his future belonged with her and the child that was growing within her. It was a future that Belinda had sacrificed herself to give him, and he couldn’t waste it. He tried to think of the hundred things he would soon be doing – finding somewhere for him, Aila and the baby to live, finding work, seeing all of the places on the Star Continent that he had never visited, but it seemed too soon to be dwelling on such matters while his memories were so raw.
He needed time and, thanks to Belinda, he had it.
Corthie raised his glass to the darkening sky. ‘To you, Belinda, wherever you are.’
He drained the whisky, got to his feet, and went back inside to join his family.
* * *
This concludes Gates of Ruin
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Note on the Calendar
The Divine Calendar is used on every world ruled by Implacatus (for example, on Lostwell and Dragon Eyre). As all inhabited worlds were created from the same template (and rotate around their sun every 365.25 days), each year is divided into the same seasons and months as that of Implacatus itself.
Each month (or ‘inch’) is named after one of the Twelve Ascendants (the original Gods of Implacatus). Through long years, the names have drifted some way from their originals, but each month retains its connection to the Ascendant it was named after.
In the Divine Calendar, each year begins on the 1st day of Beldinch.
- Beldinch (January) – after Belinda, the Third Ascendant
- Summinch (February) – after Simon, the Tenth Ascendant
- Arginch (March) – after Arete, the Seventh Ascendant
- Nethinch (April) – after Nathaniel, the Fourth Ascendant
- Duninch (May) – after Edmond, the Second Ascendant
- Tradinch (June) – after Theodora, the First Ascendant
- Abrinch (July) – after Albrada, the Eleventh Ascendant
- Lexinch (August) – after Leksandr, the Sixth Ascendant
- Tuminch (September) – after Tamid, the Eighth Ascendant
- Luddinch (October) – after Lloyd, the Twelfth Ascendant
- Kolinch (November) – after Kolai, the Fifth Ascendant
- Essinch (December) – after Esher, the Ninth Ascendant
Author’s Notes
April 2021
Farewell, Lostwell and farewell, Belinda, Queen of Khatanax.
Thank you for reading Gates of Ruin, which completes the second of the three Eternal Siege 'trilogies.' I hope you enjoyed Gates of Ruin. I found the ending to be a particular challenge - trying to stitch the storylines together was tricky - as tricky as drafting the endings of Sacrifice, Renegade Gods and The Prince's Blade.
With the passing of the Lostwell Trilogy, it is time to also say goodbye (for now!) to some of the characters who have been the backbone of the series so far - Corthie, Aila, Maddie and Sable, for instance. They will all be returning later in the overall Magelands Saga. For the City Trilogy (Books 7 - 9), we shall be journeying to the City of Pella, Tara and the Great Wall with Kelsey, forty thousand refugees, and twelve dragons...
The Magelands Series
The Magelands Origins
Retreat of the Kell
The Trials of Daphne Holdfast
From the Ashes
* * *
The Magelands Epic
The Queen’s Executioner
The Severed City
Needs of the Empire
Sacrifice
Fragile Empire
Storm Mage
Soulwitch Rises
Renegade Gods
* * *
The Magelands Eternal Siege
The Mortal Blade
&nbs
p; The Dragon’s Blade
The Prince’s Blade
Falls of Iron
Paths of Fire
Gates of Ruin
City of Salve
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About the Author
Christopher Mitchell is the author of the Magelands epic fantasy series.
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Gates of Ruin (Magelands Eternal Siege, #6) Page 45
