Keeper (First Ordinance #2)(88)

"The gate," her voice sounded slow. Labored.

That's when time stopped—for the briefest of moments. Suddenly, with a clarity that I'd never experienced, I understood exactly what was happening. That when time resumed, Siriaa and all its people would be blasted into the atoms Berel sometimes mentioned.

There was no time to formulate a plan. No time to determine what would be the best decision. Queen Lissa, I mentally shouted her name. They're firing at Siriaa. I sent the image my mind had produced bare moments earlier.

Time resumed.

Siriaa disintegrated.

Dena screamed as the Orb flashed its light and blew me through the gate.





Chapter 18

Le-Ath Veronis

Queen Lissa's Private Journal

Five years have passed since Siriaa's destruction. Without Quin's warning, its people would have died.

I'd already held meetings with those prepared to help before that unexpected event, should Kondar and Yokaru decide to leave their world behind.

As it was, that decision was taken out of their hands by a vindictive criminal bent on the worst sort of revenge. Today, he still manages to elude even the best Kooper has to track him. Five years ago, it took all our power—Kaldill, Ildevar, Trajan, Kooper and I—to remove the population from Siriaa before it was destroyed.

The worlds Marid poisoned are growing worse, while the rest of us sit and wait as infected dust left from Siriaa's destruction travels through space toward unsuspecting worlds. If this were one of Acrimus' carefully laid plans before his death, it was perhaps his masterpiece. Even now, no solution can be found to combat the creatures creating the poison. I worry that eventually, when all is dead within this bubble of universes, that those of us powerful enough will be forced to leave, closing the door to it firmly behind us.

Quin is dead. Dena, the poor woman, wept painfully as she described Quin's last moments before the Orb took matters in hand and destroyed them both by forcing Quin through the gate.

Perhaps that had been Liron's plan all along. Quin had been placed upon Siriaa, perhaps, to act as its temporary keeper in order to save the people. She'd done everything she could to make that happen. Then, her final task accomplished, the Orb had forced her through the gate and then followed.

Today, on the anniversary of Quin's death and the founding of Siriaa's population upon other worlds, Kaldill holds a memorial for his lost love.

He, like the others, mourns her.

Justis, who acts as Jurris' ambassador to Le-Ath Veronis, attends Council meetings with Berel, who holds the position of New Kondar's ambassador to both Le-Ath Veronis and Wyyld II. Outside those duties, he attends University here on Le-Ath Veronis. Aryn calls Berel his best student.

Still, it is painful for either Berel or Justis to speak of Quin.

Avii Castle stands where Gavin suggested it should, in the sea far to the west of Sun City. In a few moments, I will join Dena, Kaldill, Daragar, Justis and Berel outside the entrance to the gate near the castle dungeon. There, where Quin was last seen alive, we will lay a blanket of flowers. Kaldill will place a spell so the blooms will last until the next anniversary.

I imagine he will do this as long as Avii Castle stands.

*





Epilogue


My scream at landing in the dark upon something hard and wet was cut off when a large hand clamped over my mouth. "Shh," he hissed in my ear. "Cayetes is hunting bodies again."

The End