Downworld

Epilogue: Legacy

New Years Eve. Ever since we moved above, we celebrated New Years Eve in our penthouse apartment, with freaks and humans coming and going all night. This New Years Eve I didn't feel must like celebrating. It had been a bad year; James had died.

Tinder had died years ago, not too long after we finally reconciled. Kean too. Fiona and Stevie had lived only slightly longer than human lives, never taking energy from anyone, though Stevie had lived longer because he at least got energy through sex. My parents and Tinder's had gone long before that. And almost everyone I had grown up with. All of Tinder's grandkids and great-grandkids as well.

Even so, I plastered a smile to my face and made an effort. Not so much for the guests, but for Malik. He hadn't figured out yet that my tiredness was more than grief, and I didn't want him to know yet.

Elspeth, who'd lived this long only by the grace of taking after her father, was flittering around, taking my place as hostess. She'd done well for herself, and we'll for the rest of us too. I couldn't claim to have succeeded on my own; she, Isamu, Fiona and Malik had done more than their share of bringing downworlders into above society, and convincing those above that we were more useful than dangerous. Elspeth maybe more than the rest, since her music brought her a different more common kind of fame. She'd been the one to swan off around the world first, opening other gateways to the exchange of human and freak ways. Even now, when the rest of us were willing to back off and let progress do its thing, she was still out campaigning. She and Isamu had also taken my place as the head and of my charities and trusts. I was well and truly retired. Wasn't that a depressing thought?

She caught my eyes a few times, when she was introducing potential donors or other important people who wanted to meet me and were lucky enough to get an invitation for the night. I could tell that she knew, but she wasn't going to say anything. If anything, her eyes seemed to be asking me to pull it together.

After a few hours, I found Malik as he chatted with one of his human colleagues at the Metahuman Crimes Department.

He was still the same, or even more powerful than ever before. He'd likely have another three hundred years to live, at the end of which my time in his life will be in the minority. I didn't regret much, but I regretted that, because I'd always prioritized my crusade above him, and he'd never complained.

I gave him a kiss on the cheek and told him I was going to lay down for a little, but to come get me before midnight. The look on his face told me he wanted to say something, but he didn't. There are others about, and no doubt any whisper of my "illness" around them would see the news splashed across the news and gossip feeds by morning.

I retreated to our bedroom, where it was dark and quiet.

For a while, I just stood there, looking out the window out at the city's skyline. This was my world, the result of all my pain and planning. With the exception of the long lived of mine and Fiona's generation, there was no longer a solid line between human and freak. My library rats had been more likely to fall in love with a human than with one of their own kind, for simple want of options. Though there were still purists, of both kinds, that insisted on maintaining pure bloodlines, most freaks were a mixture of both, their freak blood diluted enough that they'd have been considered half-cast when I was young. With the exception of small, closed off communities, and those of us old enough to remember how it had been, there was no true downworld anymore, no class system, no swearing, no bonding. Exactly what I'd wanted.

Not that there weren't problems. Discrimination. Power struggles. Terrorists and other fanatics that wanted to undo what I'd done. But they had started fighting back far too late. The majority were content with the way things are, and would see they only got better.

I sighed and lay down on the bed. I was really tired. Not even Malik's energy could change that anymore. I closed my eyes, but opened them again when I heard the jingle of a bell.

Isamu. I didn't need to look to know it was him. He liked to skulk about the building in his two-tailed cat form, and had worn a cat collar ever since that time the pound had tried to take him away. That had been funny really, though he hadn't thought so.

He jumped onto the bed, and changed to his human form. He reached out and touched my forehead with the back of his fingers. I was a little warm, and clammy, I knew.

'You're dying, aren't you?'

'It's been two hundred years. It's time.'

He was silent for a moment. 'Malik won't know what to do without you.'

'He'll be fine. He's stronger than everyone thinks.'

'I won't know what to do without you.'

I smiled a little. 'Now you're just lying to me. It's not like I have a choice, Isamu.'

'You do, though, don't you? With enough of Malik's energy, you could sustain yourself a lot longer, and he wouldn't even notice the difference.'

'Maybe,' I sighed, 'but I'm not going to try. It's time.'

He took my hand in his, holding it tight. Almost as tight as the oath around my neck, made a lifetime ago in a different world, reminding me that I'd promised to never hurt him, if I could help it. Entirely without teeth now, since downworld and is magic were miles away, and I was half-dead anyway. I swallowed against it, but that only made it tighter.

'How do you like my world, Isamu?'

'It's better.'

'I left you some things in my will; I hope you'll take them.'

'I don't want to talk about that.'

'You know, when I'm dead, you'll be free.'

'I've always been free, Jay. You've always let me do whatever I wanted; I just wanted to serve you.'

'You say that, but I know I've held you back. Don't deny it.'

He said nothing and we sat in silence a while.

'Do you remember when we talked in the hospital after,' I swallowed again, 'you tried to kill yourself.'

'Not really.'

'I told you I'd stick around to until you were okay. Are you okay, Isamu?'

He make a kind of startled hiccupping sound. 'Yeah, Jay.' He cleared his throat. He leaned over and brushed his lips against my forehead. I could feel the tears on his cheeks. He was crying silently, just like he did during our first meeting.

When he drew back, he drew all the way back, leaving me alone on the bed and then leaving the room. A moment after he'd left, Malik came in. 'Why was Isamu crying?'

I sat up. Yes, it was time. I felt bad about leaving Malik, but we've always known he'd out live me. He'd grieve for a while, but hopefully he'd move on. I'd tell him that I'd like him to find someone else when he was ready. He'd get mad at me for saying it, but I hoped he would.

'Sweetheart, I've got something I should tell you.'

'You haven't been keeping secrets again, have you?'