Kingdom's Fall

Epilogue

Kara stood on the faery hill, watching the workers clearing dirt from around the stones that stood at its peak. A full winter's worth of snow and the first thaws of the year had washed away almost all traces of the battle with the priests. Not even bones remained, dragged off by scavengers or hastily buried by some passing, superstitious soul. Next to her, Queen Carolin stood tall and silent, the wind off the sea picking at her hair and making it dance around her head. Gulls called as they wheeled in the distance.

"You didn't have to come," Kara said, more to break the silence than anything else.

"I wanted to come." The queen didn't look at her as she spoke, her eyes on the crude ring of stones. "I wanted to see where it started." She narrowed her eyes, as though straining to pick out some distant detail. "And I wanted to talk to you."

"Talk to me?"

"Just the two of us," Queen Carolin said. "It's hard to have a private conversation when you're a queen." She smiled. "I didn't think of that before."

"What did you want to talk about?"

The queen glanced at her, unimpressed. "You. Do you remember when I asked you what you wanted, what you got for making peace with the Islanders?"

"I do."

"Have you given it any thought?"

Kara laughed, surprised. "In truth, I haven't." She looked up at the birds turning in the air, and wondered how small they would look from that height. "It feels like there are bigger things to worry about than rewards." The faery-hill would be the first to fall. With the help of the palace, Kara had mapped out every standing stone and fae legend she could find. The priests would return, she was sure of it, and though every harbour master and guard knew to look for them, those that found their way past would discover their altars ruined. The ice in the north was clearing, and the Sparrowhawk was ready for a summer expedition north past the Islands to seek out the altar where Siv and Einar's daughter had died.

"I'm not talking about a reward, Kara. I'm asking what you want to do."

"I don't know." Kara thought of home, of the inn and Garven's grave behind it. They'd laid a new stone for him, and she'd said her goodbyes. The inn had been taken over by the widow of one of the peace-men that had died the day Kara left, and she had felt a twist of guilt at seeing the woman's face peering out at her from the kitchen window. She didn't have the heart to go inside. "I left thinking I would better myself." She looked at the queen. "That I would find out who I was."

"And did you?"

The question had a bitter flavour. She had put her faith in Aiden more times than she could count, and he had betrayed her. He had lied to her - lied to them all - and when it was done he had fled, leaving nothing more than a letter. She was angry with him beyond reason, but even more she was angry with herself for having let him. "No, I didn't."

"Aiden had his reasons," Queen Carolin said, as though she had plucked the thought from Kara's head. Kara wondered what her face must have looked like for the other woman to read it so easily. "He was playing a game that started long before you met him."

"You forgive him?"

The queen laughed. "Oh Gods, no," she said. "But I understand why he did it. Besides, I got what I wanted." She smiled, and there was steel in it. "He gave me the throne, free from Carelian interference. They haven't dared send an envoy north since their army fled."

"It only cost you the north."

"Oh, the north would have fallen in its time. The legacy of divide and rule that Varion inherited made sure of that." The queen gave Kara a sly look. "Besides, weren't we meant to be discussing you?"

Kara sighed. "What do you want me to say, your majesty? That I want land and a title? A seat at court?"

"It's a start. I was rather hoping you might want to work for me."

"And do what?"

"Anything. Everything. Whatever you felt was in the Kingdom's best interests." She indicated the workmen, who were pulling the last of the outer ring of stones away. Only the altar remained. "You've made a fine start already."

"Your majesty I-"

The queen held up a hand. "I'll give you some advice, though. Don't bother trying to work out who you are." She lowered her hand, and looked off into the distance. "Spent half my life trying to answer that question myself."

Kara smirked. "Did you ever find out?"

"Of course I did. It turns out I'm the queen."

The workers had stopped digging now, and were huddled in a tight group with their backs to the wind. The foreman shuffled over, his shoulders tight about his neck, stooping under the weight of bad news.

"What is it?" The queen asked.

"I'm sorry, your majesty. There's a problem with the last stone." He squirmed under her glare.

"Well? What is it?"

"There's another stone buried under it. I thought we could break it and pull it up, but nothing we've got will cut it. Chisels are bouncing right off."

She looked at Kara, silently passing the decision over to her. Kara straightened her back, and tried to look as commanding as possible. "Dig it up," she said.

The foreman glanced at the queen, who was ignoring him. He twisted his hands together, reluctant to commit. "It'll be dark soon, miss. The lads are pretty tired already."

"I said, dig it up," Kara stared the man down. "Even if we have to stay here for a week, I want that stone out of the ground."

"Yes, miss. The foreman hesitated a second longer.

"What is it?" Kara asked.

"The hill's haunted, miss." He couldn't meet her eye when he said it, but he got it out all the same.

"I know," she said. "That's why we came."

The foreman went back to give the news to his men. They fell to the task without complaint, and with surprising speed began digging up the stone that lay beneath the altar. A thick, squat cylinder was revealed, tapering down into the earth.

"I wonder how far down that goes," the queen said.

"It doesn't matter," Kara said. She glanced at the other woman. "You don't have to stay the week, if you don't want to."

"You're so gracious."

"I follow your example, majesty."

Laughing, the two women turned their back on the workmen and started back down the hill.

As the men dug, their shovels sparked against the stone's sides. The force of each blow echoed downward, a long, jarring vibration that carried far beyond the workmen's reach. Below the hill, unheard by any of them, the spirits of the world cried out in pain. Before the first vibration could fade, another followed after. Each one was a violation; a trespass that stirred up the memories of an ancient anger. The earth began to wake.

The End

And that's it! Thanks for sticking with the story - it's been a long road from January to here and I hope that you've enjoyed it. I've been overwhelmed by the response the story has received - it's far in excess of where I thought Kingdom's Fall would end up by July. As for future volumes, they won't be happening immediately but I have plans for continuing the story