Epilogue

The Perfect Ending

Six months had passed since the confusing mess that could hardly even be noted as a war. The historians were not quite sure what to make of it, really. No one had actually formally attacked anyone else. Sure, the halfbloods came storming down from the mountains like some sort of crazed army, but without real leadership they had been quickly turned away. That was something the Masters never thought to teach their subjects. How to lead. And without the Masters to turn to for answers, the halfbloods were as good as useless.

The Masters themselves turned out to be no army as well. Mistress Latika succeeded in assassinating the Great One, but was killed herself only days later. Master Ekram had succeeded in assuming his positon as leader of the Leithels, but had been killed by his own people shortly after. And Balavar never even managed to succeed in his own part of the plan.

That was the real story, anyway. The historians paid little attention to what happened in the other countries, focusing instead on the incredible tale of the halfbloods who saved Valamer. At first it made the people uneasy, owing a debt to halfbloods. But when none of them popped up demanding any sort of recompense, the people seemed to relax. After a while, they were even hailing the halfbloods as heroes. It was said that the King of Valamer was even entertaining the idea of trying to create another alliance with them.

Debates were still raging in Alva over who was the oldest Elf. Men and women alike were popping up from all over the country, claiming to be this or that age. Since there was no way to tell someone’s exact age, they were going by proclamation alone. Apparently the debate would continue until everyone who was lying about their age admitted that they were lying, and whoever was truthfully the oldest would arise the victor.

The Dwarves tried to continue their thievery of the Human race for only one week after everything settled down. Then Garik sent an army of five hundred men to his eastern border, ordered them to kill every Dwarf in sight, no questions asked, and waited. The Dwarves stopped crossing his borders entirely, and Garik did not mind the temporary loss of precious gems. When they needed money again, they would come back to him.

And the Fairies…well, the Fairies continued in their own little flitting world as they always did as if nothing had happened.

The society that underwent the most drastic changes, however, was that of the Leithels. While they still refused direct contact with the fullblooded societies, Kirkan had convinced his people to keep in correspondence with both the Caverns and the Kiahns. The Caverns for the obvious reason that Kaden was his son and the current ruling body. The Kiahns because they knew what was going on in every part of the land at all times. They were useful allies, and the Leithels accepted this. They felt more comfortable with the halfbloods since they themselves had originated from halfbloods, but one day Kirkan hoped they could extend those feelings towards fullbloods as well. The sooner they accepted fullbloods, the sooner the fullbloods would begin accepting them.

Kali did what she could to keep out of her father’s way. There was no use trying to help him; every time she tried to help someone she only messed things up further for them. Most of her time she spent brooding or moping or feeling sorry for herself. For six months Kirkan had watched his daughter sulk, and if she clicked those bracelets of hers together one more time…

“Do you love him?” he asked her tersely one day from where he sat on his throne. His ‘throne’ was nothing more than a hollowed out tree. Leithels did not sleep in houses or grand castles, but instead they slept on the earth with the trees as their shelter. It was easier to hide that way, after all. Another custom Kirkan wanted to dispel. After twenty years of having a roof over his head he found that he rather liked it.

Kali had been pacing back and forth in front of him for an hour, her face drawn into a scowl. Every now and then she would click those damn bracelets together, but she had overworked them so much that more often than not the spikes refused to shoot out.

When Kali heard her father’s question, she stopped walking, dropped her arms to her sides, and looked at him curiously. “Are we talking about Garik again?” she asked. He had brought the subject up many times over the past six months. Kali always assured him that her feelings for the young king were already starting to fade, that surely she would be over him in a matter of days. Always the same lies.

“Aren’t we always?” Kirkan shot back.

Kali sighed. “Does it really matter if I love him?”

“Of course it does. If you did not love him, I would think you were crazy for pining after him as you do.”

“You know that I do, father. I told you from the beginning that I did,” she reminded him.

“It is easy to say that you love someone. Your mother told me that she loved me a number of times,” he reminded his daughter. “I do not think I was ever certain of her feelings until she betrayed me. I just wonder…do you think that he still loves you?”

Kali felt a sting at that question and fought to suppress her fear. “I have no idea,” she admitted. “He is the king. Of course he would be expected to marry and have heirs and…”

“It has only been six months, Kali,” he reminded her. “Not long enough to be forced into a marriage by any means.” Now it was his turn to sigh. “I do not want you making any decisions rashly.”

“What are you talking about? The only decisions I have made in the last six months have been what tree to sleep in every night.” Kali stopped pacing and walked over to his side. She could see the debate on his face even though his black eyes were completely blank. “What is it, father?”

“If you could go to him right now, would you?” he asked her.

“Of course.”

“And if you went to him and found out that he did not still love you, that he loved someone else, then what?”

“I would be heartbroken. But I suppose that in the end it would help me to forget about him more quickly,” she added thoughtfully.

“Then if you had to make the decision, even not knowing how he feels, you would go,” Kirkan prodded.

“Yes. And why is this relevant? I am a halfblood, father. Even though the animosities towards my kind have started to fade in Valamer, they have not died completely. I would not make it through the castle gates.”

“You would as a Human.”

“They would sniff out the transformation spell eventually.”

“Not if it was permanent.”

Kali looked at her father sharply. “What…did you say?” she asked him slowly.

“If you do this,” he continued, his voice shaking just a little, “if you become fully Human, you cannot return here. Not for a long time, anyway. Not until I have calmed down the Leithel fear of Humans. So if you go to him and he does not want you anymore, you will have nowhere to go.”

“I will always have a home at the Caverns,” Kali reminded him as her heart raced in anticipation. “Please, father, teach me the spell.”

“It is not something I can teach, Kali. All I can tell you is that Leithels are capable of anything. If we can transform, then we can transform permanently. And you…you have the ability to learn spells without being taught. If there is a spell for a permanent transformation, somehow you will find it if you want to badly enough.”

Kali nodded slowly, amazed that she had never thought of that herself. She could think up spells on whim, but she had always assumed that a permanent transformation was impossible. Hadn’t Yaria said that not even the Great One could turn a halfblood into a fullblood?

Of course, the Great One had not been a Leithel.

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It was cloudy on the day Kali went strolling down the streets of Valamer. She tried not to take it as a bad omen, keeping her spirits high. Even though she forced herself to smile, however, her entire body was shaking. She had never been this afraid in her life, even when her brother stood at death’s door.

Making it past the guards at the castle gate was easy. During the day almost anyone could gain entrance into the castle, although normally they would not be able to meet with the king himself. The king only came to the throne room for his nobles and advisors. On this terribly cloudy day, she was not sure where she would find him. But she was drawn to the sound of laughter nearby, and on a whim she followed that sound around the right side of the castle to a small garden.

Being careful to stay in the shadows, Kali traced the laughter to a man and woman running freely down a rose-lined path, hand in hand. The woman she recognized as Lillia, the High Magress. And the man…

She gave him no more than a cursory glance. Even with his back to her, it was all she needed to confirm her suspicions.

Six months had been long enough, it seemed.

Not wanting to be embarrassed by a confrontation, Kali turned quickly and headed back toward the gates. Before she could take two full steps, however, she was stopped by a towering body. When she looked up, she saw a familiar, aging face.

“Nestor!” she exclaimed.

The old man looked down at her, his eyes narrowed in confusion. “Do I know you, miss?” he asked her.

Kali tried to think of an excuse, any excuse, but her mind suddenly went blank. If she told him who she was, he would tell Garik. And then she would have to wonder if he was laughing at her behind her back for being foolish enough to come to him. She panicked. And so she fled.

Kali ran like lightning out the front gates to the surprised shouts of the guards. She barely even heard them, so enveloped was she in her own pain. Her heart, the heart that was now completely her own, was aching madly as she flew from the castle. It did not help that she could hear the whispers all around her now. Whispers about her, the crazy girl crying as she ran. Whispers about an impending marriage. A great marriage. The people were pleased with this marriage.

Of course they would be pleased. Garik was marrying a Human. After the rumors surrounding what happened in the throne room that fateful day, the people were probably relieved just to know that the king had chosen a fullblood as his bride.

The tears started pouring. Six months. He claimed to love her but could not wait longer than six months before falling in love with someone else?

Kali had veered off the main road just outside of the city, trying to find someplace to hide from the prying eyes and flapping mouths. She found a large oak tree east of the city and sought solace in its shade, crying and crying until she had no tears left and found herself staring with red-rimmed eyes up at the sky.

The clouds had parted momentarily, and she realized that she could see them clearly now, the two moons of their world. Even with the sun shining brightly in between them, she could still see them. They were no longer just outlines to her, but full, heavenly bodies. She had been so anxious to find Garik again that she had not had time to fully appreciate her Human eyes. Now she wished she could scratch them out, or at least scratch out the image of Garik with Lillia that those eyes had burned in her mind.

She was so absorbed in her own sorrow that she did not hear the sound of wood rubbing against wood. She did not hear the footsteps, either, but she did hear the loud guffaw from just behind her.

“It must be my lucky day. When Nestor told me he saw someone that looked like you walking around the castle grounds…Anyway, I didn’t think I would find you this easily.”

Kali hated the cheerful tone in his voice. It made her want to kill him. “Well, you found me,” she said dully. “Congratulations.”

“Is something wrong?” She did not have to look at him to know he was frowning. At least she had managed to put a damper on his cheerful mood.

“Nothing is wrong,” she said a little too quickly as she stood up. She still could not bear to turn around and face him. “I was in the area and thought I should visit. I had not heard much about Lord Sagan and wondered how he and his wife are getting along.”

Garik laughed at that. “Don’t be ridiculous, you hate Sagan.” When she did not say anything, he continued. “All right, since you insist on using that as your excuse…you will be pleased to know that they spent the first month of their marriage in an outright war. When Emilie found out that Sagan did not plan on sharing only her bed, she decided she would start sharing it with other men. They went on a rampage, sleeping with other people just to spite each other. Finally I think they grew sick of it and reached a truce. The last time I saw them they actually seemed happy.”

“Good for them,” Kali said bitterly. What justice was there in that? Men like Sagan could find happiness while she had none.

“Since we are avoiding the main subject, I guess I should ask how your family is doing. I hear things are stable in the Forbidden Caverns, but how is Kaden? Is he well?”

“Quite well,” Kali assured him. “He and Faylinn…are expecting a child soon.” It hurt to say that. Part of her had hoped after leaving Garik behind that she could at least have a child to remember him by. She had not been so lucky, and now there was no chance of that ever happening.

“What an interesting baby that will be,” Garik joked.

Kali was getting very angry now. For him to act like absolutely nothing was wrong… “I suppose that I should congratulate you,” she said, trying to control her rage.

“For what? Keeping my crown in spite of all the rules I broke my first week as king?” he asked.

She couldn’t stand it any more. Kali turned to him and shouted angrily, “Are you really going to just stand there and pretend like you aren’t getting married to that…” Kali managed to cut herself off as she suddenly realized something very important.

“That what?” Garik prodded, his eyes full of confusion.

The man in the gardens…he had been dressed richly in fine golden robes. After seeing his attire and the dark hair, the way he held himself…she had naturally assumed it was Garik. But Garik, her Garik, was wearing a black leather tunic, black pants and a black cloak. He also had a crown on his head. Granted, he could have changed, but so quickly?

“That wasn’t you in the garden with Lillia, was it?” she asked very quietly.

“With Lillia?” Garik queried with a frown. “Not likely. The blasted girl is marrying my cousin in a week and leaving me bereft of a very good and loyal High Magress. Do you even know how difficult it will be to find another one?”

Kali suddenly felt such a wave of relief that she was almost afraid her legs would give out. Instead, barely containing her joyful smile, she walked over to the oak tree and sat down. “That marriage everyone was talking about is between Joshua and Lillia, then?”

“Yes. I made the mistake of inviting my cousin to my official coronation and have not been able to get rid of him sense. Maybe once he marries the girl he can return to his estate where he belongs,” Garik growled. He walked over and sat comfortably beside her. “Of course, the wedding gave me an excuse to invite Finley, Mervin, and Egan to the castle. They have been informed to bring as much alwa as they can carry, and if I am lucky they will run off with some of my servants before they leave. There are too damn many of them running their damn mouths all the time.”

Kali shook her head at his rant, but continued bravely with the original topic. “So there is no…royal marriage coming up?”

“Not that I know of. I really have not even had time to think about it,” he admitted.

That did not make Kali feel any better. She had been hoping he would tell her that he was never going to marry, that he would love her until the day he died and refuse to be with anyone else. For him to act like the only reason he had not married was because he had not had time to think about it made Kali’s blood begin to boil again.

“Can we talk about the real issue now?” Garik asked her finally when she refused to say anything else.

“What is the real issue?” Kali snapped.

“Nestor told me that he thought he saw you. He knew that you could change form, so at first he assumed you transformed into a Human to get into the castle. But when you ran away, he noticed that there was no magic around you. On top of that, after you left that thread connecting us got weaker. I hardly even noticed it was still there I have been so busy. But I should notice it now, and I don’t. And you thought that I was my cousin? Even if he does look a lot like me, I am sure he has a completely different color…”

“I cannot see colors anymore,” Kali told him gently. “I cannot see them because I am Human now.”

“I suspected as much,” he said, and Kali was a bit surprised that he was taking the news so lightly. “How did you do it?”

“Nothing is impossible for a Leithel,” she told him, “even becoming something other than one. It was actually a fairly simple spell, you know. More about wishes and desires than actual physiology.”

“And you desired to become Human?” he asked hesitantly.

“Yes,” she admitted, waiting for him to laugh at her.

He didn’t. Instead he reached over and took her hand as he leaned back against the tree. “You still have them,” he said quietly as one finger grazed over the jeweled cuffs he had bought for her in Valah.

“Yes,” she whispered.

“They feel worn. Been using them a lot?”

“Sort of,” she mumbled, not wanting to admit that she would unconsciously summon the spikes whenever she was thinking about him.

Kali felt something drop into her lap, and when she looked down, her brows knitted together in confusion. It was the sailboat charm that had hung from his necklace.

“I fiddled with the chain so much that I broke it,” he explained. “I haven’t had a chance to replace it yet, so I keep it in my pocket.”

Kali smiled, and her fingers tightened around his as she looked up at the gray clouds overhead. A chilly wind swept past her, and she could not hold back her shudder.

“The weather has been terrible lately,” Garik told her, sensing her discomfort even without the link. “I am not supposed to leave the castle, but as soon as I realized that the map for the escape route was etched onto the back of the crown, I could not seem to stop using it all the time. I missed the outdoors. That was how I got here, you know. The escape route comes out from this tree. You would never be able to see the map if you just looked at the crown, but as soon as I put it on my head I could feel it. I always wondered what my father meant when he said that only when someone wore the crown would they know the escape route.”

“You are blabbering again,” Kali accused, clinging tightly to his hand.

“Don’t I always?”

“I was just wondering if there was a specific point you were trying to make. You started off talking about the weather and ended up on escape routes.”

“Ah, yes. The weather. It will be summer soon, and the weather always clears up by summertime. It is very beautiful here in the summer,” he continued. “You should stay. See how it treats you.”

Kali found herself grinning. “I think I would like that.”

“And maybe, if you like it enough, you could stick around until next summer. Just to make sure,” he kept going.

“Of course. One summer could never be enough to determine for sure if something met my approval,” she played along.

“If it is your approval we are seeking, you might as well just stay forever. Even ten years would not be long enough.”

“Forever, then,” Kali agreed.

They sat beneath the shade of the tree for a long time, Kali’s head drooping wearily to Garik’s shoulder as the light began to fade. Everything felt so peaceful for once. The land, the people…even Kali’s own aching heart had finally found solace on the shoulder of her beloved king.

Yes, she had finally found the perfect ending.