Nos Morituri Te Salutamus

“Sebastean!”

            He hears the panicked voice like music. It can only mean one thing. Sebastean turns from his wallscreen, features smoothly shifting into his pretty mask, irises reappearing as silver circles.

            “What’s up?” he asks the heavily-breathing Limit, who has the incredibly useful ability to thicken air.

            Limit gasps for a second. He’s probably just run across the whole network of boats. “Seraph ships. A whole mess of ‘em. Couple of miles out. No way they could miss us, especially with…”

            He doesn’t need to explain. Sebastean looks to his viewscreen again, taps a symbol, and the image switches to a live feed of the ocean far below their lattice of ships and bridges. Dozens if not hundreds of sea beasts thrash and leap and roar, churning the sea to froth for a square mile. “Yes, I guess our little project can draw the eye.”

            He watches the monsters writhe for a moment in silence, fascinated. Not with the monsters, particularly, but with himself for forging such a scheme. It’s going to be glorious. Shame he probably won’t survive.

            Probably nobody will. But how magnificent it’ll be, just for the moment. If everything goes as planned.

            How could it not? Everyone and everything responds to his every wish. These people are so malleable. Like a well-ordered set of tools.

            Limit clears his throat. “I’ve been meaning to ask… why are we collecting the fish?”

            “You’ll see. Trust me.”

           

* * *

 

            “What did you call me?”

            Aelia stares, puzzled, at the bright-eyed young man in the orange outfit, leaning away slightly as he approaches, looking thrilled.

            “Dierdre! Your name, silly! What in the worlds happened to you? What have you done to your hair?” He moves to hug her, but stops when she flinches away.

            Evan looks at the two and rolls his eyes. “Obviously there’s been a misunderstanding. Who are you?”

            “Oh, how discourteous of me. I’m Darion O’Foley. And this is my sister, Dierdre. Although I haven’t seen her in a long time. This is great! I can’t believe you’re finally home!”

            Aelia meets Evan’s eyes for a moment, sharing a look of confusion. “Listen, Darion, I could use a warm welcome as much as the next girl, but I’m Aelia. Aelia Gageruek. I’ve never met you before. I’m not your sister.”

            He looks at her carefully for a moment. Aelia looks uncomfortable.

            “Well,” Darion finally says, “Obviously something’s amiss. Why don’t you two come into town, we can all sit down and figure out what’s going on. Clearly we have a lot to talk about.”

            “Wait a second,” Evan interrupts as Darion turns to walk into the woods again, “We can’t stay. We need to get back to Providence immediately. We need an airship and we need to leave like right now.”

            “But… aren’t you from Earth?”

            “What? Yeah, of course.” Evan can’t figure out what’s meant by that.

            “How would you know where Providence is? Aren’t you confused as to where you are? You do realize this isn’t Earth, right?”

            “Yeah.”

            “You’re really taking it in stride.” Darion looks impressed. “With most people, there’s at least a little denial.”

            “I…oh.” Evan laughs. “You must think I’m a new person. No, we’re both from Halfmoon Grove. We came here… somehow.”

            Darion laughs, goodnaturedly, which for some reason irritates Evan. “Wow. I don’t even know how I missed it, either. You’re all decked out in Seraph, aren’t you? How did I not see it before?”

            “Yeah it’s nuts. So what was this you said about being Aelia’s… brother?”

            Aelia, who has been peering around the clearing, shakes her head. “Doesn’t matter. It isn’t true. I don’t have a brother. Oh and I’m also not named Dierdre!”

            The strange man smiles. “You were always a bit of a troublemaker. Always joking at the strangest times.”

            “I’m not-“

            “Enough!” Evan yells, surprising himself. “Listen, Darion, we need to leave here right now. Can you direct us to an airship hangar? Or something? We need to go back to Providence, they’re under attack by… something.”

            Finally, an expression of concern crosses the jovial face. “Yeah, all right. Attack, you said?”

            “Yeah. Machines of some kind. We were fighting them, then somehow I accidentally jumped us here. But we left the people defenseless, and our good friend Kari is alone out there. Somewhere.”

            Darion leads them into the orange-tinted woods, down a mossy, clear path. Evan is strangely reminded of the forest surrounding Halfmoon. There’s something strangely familiar about this place, though he declines to comment on this to Aelia. She already looks confused enough.

            “So,” he begins, trying to keep things moving, “what were you doing out here anyway? Seems like we’re not too close to town.”

            Darion shrugs. “I was on watch. I didn’t really expect to see anyone, so you two are a strange and pleasant surprise.”

            “Watch?”

            “Aye. For New People. Wouldn’t want them tripping over themselves all alone when they get here.”

            “Like new people from… Earth?” Evan is beginning to get the idea.

            Aelia interrupts, looking strangely anxious. “Great. Which way to the boats?”

            “Other side of town. But yes, Evan, I’m New Armagh’s Receptionist. You know, the person who helps New People adjust to life on Fallen.”

            “That’s… a job?” Evan wonders, with a look at Aelia. She catches his eye and looks away.

            “Oh sure. Good job, too. Pays well. And of course you get to live at the New People’s Home, which is always cool. I was raised in ours, since I came here so young. So was Dierdre.”

            Evan feels a heaviness in his stomach. “So what does a Receptionist do, exactly?”

            “Oh you know, basically helps people get acclimated. We wander around, wait for New People to arrive. Happens very rarely, but you don’t want to let people alone too long. We take them to the Home, make them comfortable, explain what’s happened. Try to take things slow. “

            Evan reflects on his own arrival. His first sight of Fallen had been Aelia’s concerned, lovely face, peering down at him and smiling.

            He feels stupid.

            “So you’re like therapists?”

            “Sort of,” Darion shrugs, leading them around a bend in the path. “You know how it is. Most of the people who come here have pretty severe psychological problems. Many have just finished leaping off a building or something, and now they’re all annoyed to still be kicking. They don’t realize they’ve escaped, like they wanted to.”

            “So you… what? Make them happy?”

            “Yeah, it’s best to humor people. Some of them are arseholes, sure. But you slap a smile on and show em the ropes. I’m a little confused, now. How long have you been here? Didn’t you have a Receptionist?”

            “I think I did,” shooting a glance at Aelia, “but I didn’t know it at the time.”

            “What? Who?”

            “Me,” Aelia sighs, pointedly not looking at either of them. “I’m at Halfmoon House.”

            Darion looks over his shoulder at her, a smirk on his face. “You can keep denying who you are, Dierdre, but more and more you’re turning back into yourself. Or do you think it’s a coincidence, that you were raised by a Receptionist and grew up to become one?”

            “I’m not your damned sister!” she shouts, red in the face.

            “Aelia. Calm down.” Evan mutters, lost in thought. “Weren’t we just talking, a couple of nights ago, about how you’ve got some holes in your memory? There could be something to this. Like… amnesia, or something.”

            “And you think I should calm down over that?”

            “I think,” Evan quickly responds, trying to put calm into his voice, “that all I mean is that we shouldn’t rule it out immediately. I’m not saying it’s true, I’m totally on your side. It doesn’t add up. But there’s enough strangeness here that we have to consider it.”

            Darion nods, looking pleased. “Sounds good. Hey, we’re almost to the field, you guys ready to get going?”

            “We’ve got everything we brought,” Evan mutters. “You know the way to Providence?”

            “Not really. But the ship’s computer will. Say… Aelia? I had a question that might help job your memory. Or lack thereof.”

            Aelia nods, irritated. “Shoot.”

            “My sister went missing just about four years ago. What exactly were you doing four summers ago?”

            Aelia considers as Darion speaks briefly to an attendant and leads them towards a smallish, fast-looking boat, with the name Chain Lightning painted across the bow. Finally, as the ramp extends, and Evan and Darion begin to climb into the boat, she stops.

            “That was the year I became the Receptionist at Halfmoon. Oden was my first New Person, in August. And… that was the summer I met… Sebastean.”

            Evan meets her eyes, and they share a very long moment of discomfort. Aelia’s face is frozen in horror. Her hand rests on her belly, across the jagged set of scars disfiguring her midsection.

            “I think,” she says, very quietly, “we do need to talk more about this.”

 

* * *

 

            Sebastean emerges onto the deck of the Elenor and it takes every single ounce of his great willpower to keep his mask in place. At least fifty Seraph warships hover in a massive semicircle around his jumbled little fleet, humming and drifting, alive with activity. Soldiers and war priests scramble on the many decks, fluttering on armored wings from boat to boat, relaying last-second orders, gesturing and shouting. Hundreds of soldiers. Perhaps thousands.

            Sebastean himself, nearly seven feet tall, moves like a living nightmare, in jagged, reptillian armor underneath a heavy leather duster, amulet safely tucked inside his chain-mail undershirt.

            And his own band of Channelers, maybe thirty, stands defiant beside him, many of their eyes already alight, blades and rifles and fistfuls of crackling energy at the ready. He feels something for an instant, something like pride. What a normal man would have felt as affection. Such loyalty. It’s a testament to his great manipulative skill.

            But none of it matters, at all, unless…

            …and there he is. Sebastean inhales sharply as his grandfather, Dackorec Seraph, appears at the rail of the largest boat, armored and scowling. Sunlight gleams on his gilded plate, lighting his massive body with the reflective sacred runes carved into the steel. Ornate, monstrous spear in hand, mighty, steel-plated wings held aloft, he appears as a spirit of vengeance from the stories of his faith.

            A normal man would feel at least an instant of doubt. Dackorec’s fleet is invincible, his multitude of warriors just as intimidating. But the man himself, the leader of his entire species, ruling with the iron fist that only a terrifying set of Gods can bestow upon a population, draws every eye and in every heart inspires fear.

            Sebastean feels a genuine smile crack his face, for the first time in many months. Nothing matters but Dackorec, all of this is for him, and he’s here. Everything is finally going to be all right.

            Everything Sebastean’s done has finally come down to this place, this time, and it’s all precisely the way he’s planned it.

            Finally.

            Oh, gods… finally.

            His warriors murmur to each other, pointing out the massive Seraph lord, preparing for the fight of their lives, each and every one afraid in a way they’ve never known. Only their trust in Sebastean, only knowing that he’s promised them victory, keeps any of them from a screaming retreat.

            Sebastean grimly smiles around at them. Sheep.

            “Don’t be afraid,” he whispers, though they all hear him in the calm before the storm. “I’ve taken care of everything.”

            He stalks to the prow of the Elenor, eyes on his grandfather all the time, heavy boots echoing off the synthetic wood, heart pounding. He raises a fist wrapped in black steel and extends a clawed finger, pointing directly at Dackorec’s heart. Far away, the older man nods, acknowledging his enemy.

            Sebastean closes his eyes, slows his breathing, readying himself. It never crosses his mind that he may not be able to finish what he’s started. He raises his arms, stretches his hands as though to embrace the great fleet of warships.

            He calls the shadows, and they come. The mysterious amulet, his constant companion, grows icy against his dry skin…

            …and for the last time in his life, Sebastean’s eyes change, silver irises fading into the void...

 

*

Author's Note

The end! Did you like it?

Nah, I'm kidding. There are at least two, probably three more chapters. Which will, of course, be coming soon.

I've taken the liberty of uploading some of my older work onto this site. The main reason for doing so is that they never got reviewed on the old site, and I honestly felt that they were some of my best work. Any and all who'd like to do me a favor, go ahead and check them out, and please, let me know what you think!

Fallen Sunset will be over soon, and at that time I'll probably be taking a break from Fallen to work on my new attempt at Checkout. There are more stories for Fallen to tell, some with Evan and Aelia and Sebastean, but some with people we haven't met yet. I'll be back for sure. I guess I just can't let that world go.

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Reviews

[UponATyme]

Even if it was actually the end, I'd probably hound you until you were forced to write more. This chapter felt more like a building up chapter than anything. We learned bits and pieces of information, but nothing striking actually happened, apart from Aelia's sudden realization that she may be someone else entirely. That part seemed strangely light-hearted to me. I feel like that was a big moment, and it didn't have quite the kick I was expecting it to. Other than that, I'm excited to see what happens next!