Victor

This piece is the last of the Tadyel series for now. It's been an interesting experience, putting out part of a sequential story each week, and I'm kinda surprised I succeeded. I did intend to have two going at once but 'Wandering Eastward' is too much of a world-building exercise/indulgence - it might be entertaining but it also takes more time, since I don't want to have to 'retcon' derpy stuff out.

            Back to the point, this was an experiment to see if I could write an extended piece that holds together - basically a novel in parts. It's not quite as long as a novel (I think it's around sixty thousand words) but I'm pretty sure it's the longest single story piece of writing I've done (even if each chapter is more or less a self-contained piece).

            I've succeeded, and although I might start up another of these soon (Sable's story is very tempting - I'm fond of that character) my next big thing will be editing and properly proof-reading a compiled version of this story - it's something I need practice in. (for the record, the previous two things were working on the volume of writing I do and working on a long, single work instead of just connected stories (aka the Tadyel series))

            Mild rambling aside, I've had a bit of fun doing this and I'm really happy that I've reached the end. Thanks anyone who has read them (if this is the first you've seen, head to the Series page and go from the start >_>) and hopefully you've found them enjoyable.

            Time for me to buckle down and actually write this last piece - keep in mind, it's really an epilogue.

Victor

                Three days later the townsfolk of Green Creek had - of all things - a celebratory barbecue in a 'park' area just outside town. The everyone in town and even a few of the refugees in the camps were invited, sausages were cooked en masse and the bakery worked overnight to provide all the bread.

                For Tadyel, who'd never seen a celebration (or a barbecue) the sheer amount of food and happy people was enthralling. The sense of joy, success and happiness in the air was insuppressible. The threat to Green Creek was gone - and a few symbolic gestures from the leaders of the remaining refugees had calmed down some of the anger that had spilt over.

                Tadyel was sitting beside Vanna at the table set aside for the 'guests of honour' - the three known Magi agents, quite a few of the guard, and various rich or otherwise important townspeople. Other tables were occupied by the rest of the townsfolk though many (especially the children) were standing, wandering about with a piece of bread holding a sausage in one hand and usually a drink in the other. In the case of the adults the drink was usually an alcoholic one.

                It was hard to talk over the din; in fact, Tadyel hadn't said much so far. Vanna was frequently in conversation with someone who'd wandered over or Frennet, who was on her left. The man on Tadyel's right was mute and deep in discussion with his own right hand neighbour using sign language Tadyel didn't understand. Dot was elsewhere, catching up with all her mates and getting noisily drunk. Tadyel was pretty sure she could hear Dot's voice over the din, so she was probably hammered already.

                That left only Ilwinne, who was sitting across the table from Tadyel and honestly looking really pretty. Out of her armour and in a dress Tadyel was pretty sure she helped make a couple of weeks back she looked completely different. Her muscles were obvious yet didn't noticeably detract from her femininity. Her pale brown hair changed a lot as well - no longer cooped up in a helmet, it dangled around her neck enchantingly.

                What Tadyel would do about Ilwinne was a difficult thing to figure out. According to Vanna things would calm down for a bit; and with the secret out they could train openly. Tadyel would have free time and had been encouraged to 'put down some roots'. But did she like Ilwinne? Ilwinne was cute and having her interested felt nice but Tadyel was pretty sure she liked the idea of being with a bloke more. Probably? It was complicated, and not something she wanted to deal with for a while. She'd convinced Vanna to let her have a few days off, so she had time to think about it. Right now though... It was too... Complicated.

                Luckily Ilwinne didn't really seem to mind - she'd accepted Tadyel's brief "I'm sorry, but I need some time to think about... Everything, after all of this," with good humour. It was a step up from being awkwardly off put by her interest, which likely pleased her.

                Further awkward sitting with no-one to talk to was cut off by the loud blowing of a horn that brought everyone to silence. Frennet had climbed onto the table and was looking out over the assembled crowd. Unlike many of the guard she was still in armour - she was, after all, in charge and still technically on duty. She had set her helmet on the table, revealing her short-cut black hair.

                "People of Green Creek," she called out, "and those who stood with us against the threat, thank you for coming to this celebration of our victory. The surviving Followers are under guard while their history is pieced together and checked to detect any remaining Thrath; and once that is complete they have no desire to continue being puppets. The Followers of Ormgus are no more!"

                A cheer went up from the crowd. Frennet wait for it to die down before continuing. "There are many to thank for this. Firstly, those who gave their lives - townsfolk, refugee and Magi - in the battles against them and in the secret fighting before then. They valiantly fought against those who would leave us weak to the Thrath, and against the Thrath themselves. Their deaths will be remembered."

                There was a couple of cheers but the crowd mostly remained solemn. After a few moments of silence, Frennet continued again. "Those who fought to protect us and lived must also be thanked - the members of the guard, those who volunteered, and also the three Magi agents who came forward with the truth." Vanna rose and pulled Tadyel to her feet, then pushed her into a bow. There was more cheering.

                "Finally, we owe thanks to every person in Green Creek, and every refugee, for refusing to shelter the Followers when the nature of their leaders became common knowledge. We cannot allow the Thrath to gain a foothold in our town; nor in any of our fellow towns. We have heard so much of the horror they inflict on the peninsula - it must not be allowed to come here.

                "With aid from the Magi we have defeated the first of the Thrath. But more will come - an army, not agents. We must aid the Magi in turn, despite their methods. When the Thrath come north they will be stopped; as together we will be strong. For Green Creek!"

                The crowd echoed Frennet's call and began cheering. A few chanted 'Green Creek' for quite a while, but most quickly returned to conversation. Tadyel wondered whether they all agreed with Frennet's sentiments - there were certainly some who felt the threat of the Thrath wasn't as great as it seemed or that the refugees deserved no thanks (despite many dying after the inheritance of the Thrath became known).

                Actually, the current treatment of the refugees - still the same as it was at the height of the paranoia - bothered Tadyel. Many seemed happy to almost force them to move on, despite the large amount of unused land near Green Creek on which they could easily settle. It was kind of weird; as if a few individuals breaking trust once permanently tainted an entire group.

                "Smile, Gel," said Vanna, turning back to her. "We're a big part of this celebration."

                Tadyel smiled. "Maybe," she said, "but I've got stuff on my mind and no-one to talk to."

                "Dot is supposed to be sitting with us," said Vanna. "Although given how much she's had already it's probably for the best."

                Looking over at Dot, Tadyel was inclined to agree. One of Dot's friends was puking in a bush. "Oh, ew," said Tadyel.

                Vanna chuckled. "What's bothering you? The Followers will be out of lockup soon and we let that mercenary go," she said.

                "The refugees," said Tadyel. "They're getting the shit end of the stick."

                "That's something we'll work on," said Vanna. "A repeat of the Followers would be a severe problem. Especially if it wasn't led by Thrath."

                "I know," said Tadyel. "I'm just - I'm more bothered by how people are acting, rather than what happens to them next."

                "That's people," said Vanna. "It can be kind of horrible, but at least if you notice it you can stop yourself from doing the same."

                "Except for the Thrath," said Tadyel.

                "Yeah," said Vanna, "except for the Thrath. Hey, do you want to go for a walk? There are a couple of things we need to talk about."

                "Sure," said Tadyel, grabbing a bit of bread and nabbing a sausage as she rose, "I could use a walk." Hopefully Vanna was going to say something interesting - she'd had a couple of drinks.

                Vanna rose as well, and turned to Frennet. "I'll be back soon," she said.

                Frennet nodded. "I'll keep your seats clear," she said.

                Tadyel and Vanna wandered a short distance from the park, heading further away from town. There were a few other people around - mostly on walks themselves. A couple seemed melancholy; one of whom was someone Tadyel knew had lost a relative in the fight with the Followers.

                "So, the first thing," said Vanna, "is that Eden's bosses are thinking of granting you honorary 'least' Magus status. 'Least' Magi are those, like Dot and I, who can't really use our magic. I have honorary 'Lesser' status, so technically I'm due respect from Least Magi and equal to the Lesser Magi. For me the honorary is a silly title, but for you... It would mean you are one of 'us'."

                "Oh... Kay," said Tadyel, stuffing the rest of her sausage into her mouth. "I don't think I really want that."

                "I didn't really expect you would," said Vanna, "but think about it. It should grant your people full freedom and potential honorary status themselves. And, holding the title doesn't mean you need to obey or work for us more than you already do - probably less, actually."

                Tadyel frowned slightly. "I don't... You're alright, Vanna, but I don't want to be responsible for what you do," she said.

                "I know," said Vanna. "The second thing is about that, actually. We imply that people die or are consumed or something when we make the constructs, but it's not exactly that."

                "What is it, then?" asked Tadyel. "It can't be anything good. The people you take aren't ever seen again."

                "They can be, though," said Vanna. "They're inside the constructs in a kind of... stasis. They're inside the constructs but that's it - they're completely alive and intact. If we remove them or the construct is destroyed they'll wake up. They won't have aged, either - there'll be a big blank gap in their memories of the time they spent inside. Once the Thrath are gone the plan is to release everyone."

                It took Tadyel a little while to wrap her head around it. "So rather than killing people outright, you're, what, conscripting them? Shanghaiing them into construct duty?" she asked.

                "You could look at it that way," said Vanna.

                "And then they go off and fight for you and die and this isn't really much better," said Tadyel. "Why the hell isn't this common knowledge? It'd certainly go down better with the anti-refugee crowd."

                "The Thrath can be scared, and scared Thrath is more important than hopeful refugees or more support from the towns. Every month they stay away is another month we have to prepare," said Vanna. "When the Thrath start moving we'll let the truth out. But I thought you should know."

                Tadyel shook her head. "I guess it helps, but... I still don't want to talk about it," she said. "Couldn't you ask people? There have to be plenty who'd love to fight against the Thrath."

                "The secret would get out. We do tell them the truth before we seal them, but there's no option," said Vanna. "Apparently some are willing after the truth is revealed, but only a fraction."

                Tadyel balled up one of her hands and waved it about a little. "I guess just... Give me some time to think about it," she said. "That's another thing to obsess over."

                "That's fine," said Vanna. "I thought you should know. I don't really like it either, but I'm a Magi - I was raised to look at the big picture."

                "I can see it too," said Tadyel. "The Thrath... are worth fighting. But is it right to? Ugh."

                Vanna smiled. "There are some books on the subject, if you ever learn to read properly," she said.

                A couple of minutes passed, Vanna remaining silent while Tadyel worked through her thoughts a bit. Eventually Tadyel said, "Let's just go back to the barbecue. I'm still hungry."

                "Alright," said Vanna. She smiled. "Whatever you decide on, or figure out, things are going to be quite different."

                "Yeah," said Tadyel. "Hopefully better."

*****

                Three years and two months passed before word finally came that the Thrath were preparing for war. Word came with the last of the refugees to pass through the desert - quite suddenly, there were none. Rumour said that the Thrath had slaughtered the rest for a while, but the truth eventually emerged. The Thrath were using them as labour in the harshest possible conditions - finally treating them as slaves rather than serfs.

                In this time, the anti-Magi groups in each of the desert-border towns were dissolved. Some were run out from the towns they had attached too, others discovered Thrath agents within their number and in revulsion dissolved after casting the Thrath out. Known Thrath were hunted down, other agitators captured and - more often than not - sent to the Magi to be made into constructs. Such was the fate of the Followers of Ormgus whose parentage was unclear, as well.

                The Magi's counter-espionage was successful, and through the years their army grew large. Thousands of constructs, and agreements with the towns not just at the edge of the desert but also further north to provide troops and prepare to face the Thrath. Yet the Thrath army numbered in the tens of thousands - or more. When the time came they would all head north; an uncountable swarm that would spill across the land.

                Soon the war, long prepared for, would begin.

*****

                At about the same time, in the town of Far Passage, a solitary trading ship came into port late in the evening. It had travelled from further to the east, where there were other lands the Thrath had yet to ravage. It was carrying a great amount of cargo and also a handful of passengers, including an oddly attired warrior who seemed very pleased to be no longer at sea.

                "Hey there, traveller," said a man waiting at the dock. "Looking for lodgings for the night?"

                "That would be good, actually," said the warrior. She was tall - probably two hundred and ten centimetres tall. "I didn't get a wink on that boat."

                The man chuckled. "Excellent! I'll guide you to the Beached Whale, although I'll wait for the other passengers to disembark to make them the same offer. Say, what's your name? I might have heard of a warrior like yourself."

                "Dytja," she replied.

                "The blue blood?" asked the man incredulously.

                "Yep," she said, "Heard of me?"