‘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 doesn’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
