Xenofall (The Wasteland Chronicles, Book 7) (32 page)

Listen,
I told her.
Listen to the Song.

Before she could silence the Song again, I became a conduit for it. Somehow, I started to sing its notes – reproducing it perfectly, channeling its beauty to fill this dark void with a bright, spreading light. In a nova-like burst, the light expanded outward. Askala screamed, long and horrible, as the darkness departed and ceased to be.

There was nothing but the light, the Song, the cleansing of Askala’s consciousness. There was nothing here that was hers – no memory, no thoughts or intents; everything had been wiped clean. This consciousness, this world, was mine now.

I opened my eyes to the whiteness, not believing that it was over. The oppressive air had been lifted. Askala was truly gone.

“Anna?” I called out.

Nothing responded in the following silence. I realized then, now having full access to this consciousness, that Anna wasn’t here. She never had been. Askala had only led me to believe that.

I reached out, beyond the consciousness, seeing the outside world for the first time. Every creature, every plant, every cell under the dominion of Askala reverted to my control, to the control of the
Elekai.

Far beyond, on the plateau, by some miracle, a few thousand men stood back to back, fighting the legions of crawlers and swarms of dragons.

I commanded those creatures to stop. And they did. I could see, through their eyes, the terrified faces of the legionaries. I switch perspectives, until I was looking down from above, at Augustus himself, staring dazed out into the vast field of corpses – of men, of crawlers, of monsters.

The battle was over. We had won.

All at once, I commanded the creatures to retreat, to fall back into the Great Blight. They were all
Elekai,
now, the commands and directives of their former master completely forgotten.

So, as one, I issued a new command.

Askala is dead,
I said.
All of you are free, and all of you are
Elekai.
Live according to the tenets of the Eternal Song. Meditate on its precepts. It was what you were born to do.

There was agreement among all the new
Elekai.
A thousand different voices flooded my mind, all incomprehensible when taken together. In that mass of voices, I only cared about one thing – the fate of my friends. They had all entered the whirlpool with me, and I had to know if Quietus had led them to safety.

And I had to know if Anna was alive.

But a great weariness overcame me, one that I could not explain. I remembered the Wanderer, and when he released his power, how it had only taken a few minutes for him to pass.

I knew that was now happening to me.

Anna...

My mind was beginning to fade – soon there would be nothing at all.

But before that eventuality arrived, I heard the most important thing I could ever hear.

Alex...

Anna...you’re alive?

Quietus kept me from following you...

I’m...just glad you’re okay.

Alex...where are you?

I’m...fading, Anna,
I said.
But all is well. I have a feeling eternity won’t be so bad after all.

Alex...no. You can’t go. You have to come back...

...I can’t.

Makara...she never came, either. We were all there, on the shoreline, but she was gone...

I felt my consciousness slipping away. A sense of peace filled my entire being.

I will see her soon,
I said.
But go now. Live your life. Remember what happened here. Remember how hard we fought. Never let anyone forget what happened this day, but not for my sake. The
Radaskim
will return in four hundred years. You can’t let the world forget. I...might not be able to protect them next time.

Alex...I won’t. God, you can’t leave me.

Where are you now?

We’re all standing here, watching the sea. Wondering if you or Makara will come back.

She’s home now. And when your time comes...it will be your home, too. Live your life, Anna. There is so much for you to do, so much for you to see, and a new, safer world for you to live in.

I don’t want to live in it,
she said.
Not without you.

I’ll always be with you,
I said.
I promise.

And then, I saw her face with the tears streaming down, tinted pink from the light of the Sea of Creation. It was all one sea, now, just as we were both one – one in purpose, one in life, one in love.

And then, all went quiet. All went white. I faded into that which was eternal, the song of the universe.

The music was waiting for me.

A
s I stood on the edge of the Sea of Creation, somehow I knew he wasn’t coming back. He was lost somewhere beyond that line, and always would be lost to this world. He had gone to join another.

I remember someone placing a hand on my shoulder – Ruth, I think – and we lifted off on dragons’ wings, never to return to this haunted place.

After it was all over, no one knew how we had gotten out. Quietus found a way, I guess, just as Alex told her to. The Sea of Creation remade our bodies, and we emerged from it without a single shred of clothing or weapon to our names.

None of that mattered, though. Alex was dead and gone, along with Makara, and Julian. We waited on the shore of the Sea for hours after Alex stopped speaking with me, but I knew the truth.

I was alone, now.

We flew out, returning to the army, naked, cold, and hungry. We were clothed, and fed, but even so, we remained empty. Even with the
Radaskim
stopped and our world saved, at least for another four hundred years, there would always be a void in our hearts that couldn’t be filled, and I think in mine most of all.

Death is natural, but it feels unnatural. There’s a sense of fairness in our mind that says death should never be. And yet, there it is. There, it always will be. I can only remember Alex, what he did, and how I loved him.

Not an hour, not a minute, goes by when I don’t think of him, knowing he lives eternally in a place I can never go to – not until my dying day. I said I’d follow him, and I suppose this wish will be granted, in time.

Days, then weeks, passed. We lived. We rebuilt. We went on, because that’s what people do. And nine months later, I was given something to remember my husband by.

I had a son. Of course, I named him after his father. He has his eyes and his face, and even as a child, he has that same courage and fearlessness, that ability to brighten one’s day simply by being there, a quiet courage that values actions rather than words.

My husband will never be with me, but because of my son, Alex, some part of him will live on. I’d like to think that he’s watching over me, watching over
us...
just as he promised. Sometimes, I get the sense that he’s there. At times, I see him in dreams. These are becoming fewer, as the years pass.

Augustus now rules in the Wasteland, and the rule of the Black Reapers is no more. Samuel is one of the Emperor’s most trusted advisors, and he and Ruth are married, now. They have two children, a son and a daughter. They live in Los Angeles with Michael and Lauren, who have also had more children.

A curious thing happened, after the
Radaskim
fell. The clouds began to go away. It was slow, at first, but it became more discernible with time. The land warmed, and the rain returned, cleansing the dry land. Green things began to grow – in small amounts, but the warmer weather meant more food for all. I suspect, by the time I’m gone, the Wasteland will not be a wasteland for much longer. Perhaps dry, as it had been in the Old World, but with more water and warmth than before.

The Blights have receded, but are not gone. The dragons, both
Radaskim
and
Elekai –
but I guess I should say they are
all
Elekai, now – continue to live and thrive. It turns out that they
do
need each other. The
Radaskim
are female, and the
Elekai
are male, and they are having baby dragons. I think it’s possible for them to originate without that, but this seems a more natural way. Either way, I suppose the
Elekai
and humanity will have to learn to live with each other. The dragons don’t visit us much, sticking to their Blights, but sometimes I’ll go to see them – though these visits have become fewer as I’ve grown older. It’s hard to relive the past.

After the battle, we tracked the retreating converted
Radaskim
to Ragnarok Crater, and watched them disappear into the Warrens. We haven’t heard from them since. No one goes that way – not even me. Something tells me a darkness is still rooted down there, but mostly I don’t go because there are too many painful memories. I’ve learned that the pain doesn’t go away with the years. We just make more space for it.

Not to say I’m unhappy. I will always carry my sorrows, but seeing my son grow up is my greatest joy. I live among friends and lead as peaceful a life as I can manage. I have my friends, my son, and we all spend a lot of time together. There’s less shooting, less killing, and more talking, food, and wine. Augustus is always sure to send us a cask every Xenofall to celebrate. That’s what they’re calling the anniversary, now, and it will probably be celebrated every year for a long time. Though Xenofall is a holiday for most, it’s hard for me to celebrate, for understandable reasons. All the same, it’s good that Augustus remembers us.

As far as Carin– he died in the battle. I know how hard he fought, but I can’t help but be glad. He destroyed so many lives, and in the end, it’s hard to imagine him ever being redeemed for it. But at least he died doing something good, and that’s all I have to say about the matter.

I suppose it’s impossible for there to be a completely happy ending, when we have lost so much. Even though I’ve lost Alex, I don’t believe that happiness is impossible. How could I not be happy, when I have so much to be thankful for and a world free of the
Radaskim?
My thoughts always return to my son, and when I look into his eyes, I see
him,
and I know that he’s watching over me.

I guess he was right, in the end. He would always be with me. We are all
Elekai,
still, all bound together with something deeper than friendship, something deeper than love. It’s our common humanity, our common purpose, our common dreams. Alex, Makara, Ashton, and Julian are all gone, and they are all honored, but none so much as Alex. For generations, people will learn about him.

There are so many reasons I love him, and will continue to love him, until the day I die. Forgetting would be impossible, and much more, unwanted. After saving this world, after losing so much, we need a new purpose, or humanity will fight amongst itself again. I lost almost everything of who I was, and I suppose I’ll have to find a way to live with that sadness.

I still wish I could have gone down with him. But then I look at my life, at my son, at every good thing I possess, and know that he was right. This is better.

And a curious thing has happened. It seems as if our children are going to become
Elekai
as well. They all have the same abilities we do, so whatever change the virus made to us was genetic. I don’t know what that means for our future, but at least for now, it means that the children enjoy visiting Askal and the others whenever we get the chance.

I know, in the end, when I close my eyes for the final time, I’ll go to meet him. But until then, I’m content to live, raise my son, and teach him about his father, the man who gave himself up to save the world, the man who is alive, even today, watching over us all.

We on Earth are the only ones who were able to stop the
Radaskim.
Some might say it was luck, but I believe
he
was the reason. I can only hope we can build a world that respects his sacrifice – a world without war. So far, this has been a lasting peace...but I know how easy it is to forget what everyone fought and died for.

That’s why I tell his story to anyone who will listen. In a sense, it’s
all
of our stories, and if we ever forget what happened here, it will be to our peril. The
Radaskim
will return, and it’s up to us to begin planning for that...even now.

Until then, we’ll watch, and we’ll wait...

...and we’ll never forget.

THE END

A
fter that ending, I almost don’t want to write anything here. It was sad for me, because this series that has grown with me for almost two years. The characters feel real, like people I know.

A lot of people have been asking if this is the end of
The Wasteland Chronicles.
Yes, this is the end of the main series, but don’t despair just yet. I’m writing a follow-up series, set four hundred years after the events of the first books. As Anna’s words hinted, the story isn’t completely over, but it will be up to people growing up in a very different world to put up their own fight.

In a way, Anna and the others are passing the torch to future generations – but that will come with its own set of difficulties, as you will soon see.

I have no idea what this new series will be called – maybe
Xenoworld?
Regardless, I’m planning on three books. I’ve already written the first 10,000 words. Assuming I can cobble the thing together without messing everything up, I think you guys will love it. It’s going to have all the trademarks of this series – a very intricate world, lots of action, characters you can root for, and of course, dragons and a host of other creatures.

For those of you hoping for a completely new series – I’ll get to that sort of stuff some day. I have more ideas than I know what to do with. For now, though, I’m working on my next series. From what I’ve developed so far, the history will be fascinating in its own right.