Tale of 2 Cities: - Ep 33: Looped

Series Finale

Welcome to the final episode!

Kinley is injured but alive. The machine that preserved Aeon’s time loop and its undead through the millennia is broken. Gowan and Lilian were in the room when the machine exploded while Jem waited outside in the tunnel. Everyone is about to feel the fallout.

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Waiting is the worst bit. Kinley had shaken off directions to the healing sanctum, the apothecary, and the docks in favour of a tavern, which was two streets away and had a direct view of Gowan’s Tower. He had bruises, a headache and a mangled leg - hardly at death’s door.

Come ta think of it, he would prob’ly feel better if he were dead. It’d never slowed down Cassius. Kinley felt a pang of loss for the sarcastic skull, now dust under the rubble. He could’ve done with a drinkin’ companion to count down the time. It was the last dregs of the afternoon when the tavern would usually be packed with workers. Instead, his chosen lookout was deserted except for the owner, who glared at him suspiciously. Kinley sipped at his weak beer and ignored the implied reproach.

"Why are you here?” the man said, finally.

“‘Cause I wanta see the ending,” Kinley said, yawning. The beer was helping the knockabout to his head. “Why’re you still open? Everyone else has skedaddled.”

The man shrugged. “This is my home, built by the hands of my ancestors. If I die, I want my corpse to be here.”

Kinley nodded. He could respect that.

“But nothing will happen,” the owner added. “These nobles are always overreacting. Pffft!” He swept aside the invisible warnings with his hand like swatting flies.

Kiley closed his eyes and suppressed a scream. That, right there, was the reason why people rebuilt their homes in disaster spots. It wasn’t bravery but a stubborn inability to believe the universe would dare to kill them off. It constantly amazed Kinley that the human race existed.

Outside, a rumble started up, erupting into a growl. The tables rattled, the glassware shook, and something invisible - like a giant exhalation - rushed through the room. A minute later, the noise subsided.

“That’s it?” the tavern keeper said incredulously.

Kinley stood up, wincing. He stared at Gowan’s Tower, which collapsed in a plume of smoke, dust and flame as if on command. The falling stones destroyed the square and the buildings surrounding it.

The noise now was a constant roar from the fire, and he had to yell to be heard. “We need ta help! There could be people trapped over there!”

The tavern owner gave him a frightened look as he reached for the business cash box. “Then, they’re already dead, amicus.” His coins were neatly slotted on wooden pegs that ran through a small, central hole designed for that purpose. The owner moved the coin stacks from the pegs to a long leather cord, threading them in bulk with a smoothness that spoke of long practice.

Kinley watched him with his jaw hanging open. “Really?” he said. “What about dying in the home of your ancestors?”

The owner gestured towards the inferno. “If it were intact - vero. But that blaze would destroy my home and body if I let it. Best to run with my wealth and rebuild.”

Shaking his head, Kinley limped out of the shop. The tavern owner was right. The fire licking the remnant of Gowan’s Tower was now feasting on its neighbours. Most of the buildings in this part of town were built side by side with wood, plaster and slate roofs. It would have an excellent source of fuel until it reached the river. He couldn’t see or hear anyone calling for help, and he fervently hoped that they had all escaped before the explosion.

He felt someone approach and softly poke him in the back. It was Jem. She was a muddy, soot-stained figure with tears trailing down her cheeks, but she was alive. Alive! Kinley ignored the mess and hugged her close. She smelled like a bonfire.

“Lilian?” he asked.

She shook her head against his shoulder. When they disengaged, he noticed the angry, reddened skin on her palms. Jem kept her eyes fixed on them.

“She had no chance,” she croaked. “They stopped the machine; there was a fireball, and then there was silence.” Fresh tears fell down her face. “It was too hot even to approach the room. I burned my hands when I shielded my face.”

Kinley felt his heart sink. He’d hoped, against hope, that Lilian had found a loophole, a shield, hell, even enough time to duck behind rubble. It was hard to believe she was gone. Instead, he stared up at the darkening sky.

“C’mon,” he said, his voice rough. “We need to get out of here before the sun does.”

“Why?” Jem asked. She slipped one arm around his waist, and he leaned on her gratefully. His leg still worked, but it hurt less if he didn’t put his entire weight on it.

“'Cause we’ve seen this show before,” he grunted. “Ev’ry night in Alinakard.”

She stared at him in horror. “You mean…?”

“This was always gonna happen. The city burns when the time loop ends.”

*

The bridge was packed with people, a sobbing river of refugees clutching their children, belongings or animals. A few were happier. Jem saw the coffee seller stride proudly across, laden with boxes and bags. A couple embraced before setting off, hand-in-hand, him with his trade tools on his work belt. “I hope she likes me,” the woman said anxiously, one hand on her pregnant stomach. “Ma will love you,” he reassured her before they disappeared from Kinley’s sight into the crowd.

“You made it,” came a familiar voice from behind them. Kinley staggered around with Jem’s help to see Afizere standing there.

“So did you,” he said grudgingly. While he despised the squad’s methods, he recognised their desperation from being trapped in Aeon for so long.

“Did Lord Bion let you out?” Jem asked.

The captain laughed. “It was Lord Aridius’ men, in fact. He knows the race for Aeon has just begun, and he wanted me to put a good word in with the Alinakard lords. Goodness knows what Jere will say when he reports to the Guilds.”

“Where are they?” Jem asked curiously.

Afizere pointed up the road. “They’re just coming. Jere wanted a souvenir from the archives, and the other soldiers saw the opportunity to find the same, in the vaults. The City Guards are all out trying to contain the chaos.” He looked curiously at the pair. “Where’s Lilian?”

Jem just looked at him, and Afizere read the misery on her face.

“My condolences, my Lady”, he said with a formal bow. “Tracker” - and Kinley blinked at the respectful tone - “do you want some help across the bridge?”

“Why not?” he said. “Thank you, mate.”

The bridge was a long, painful shuffle, with people bumping up against his injured leg or jostling him from behind. Without Afizere and Jem supporting him on either side, Kinley knew he would have fallen and been trampled by the crowd. Once they passed the threshold stone, Afizere exhaled a long, relieved sigh. “It’s barely changed,” he said in wonder.

“Aside from the all the people,” Kinley remarked. He couldn’t see any of his fellow guards, who would typically lock the gates at this time of day. A dismayed groan rippled through the onlookers, and Kinley turned to see Aeon’s law courts go up in flames.

“I hope yer men got out,” he said to Afizere. The captain squinted at the bridge.

“I can see them,” he said confidently. “I’ll wait for them here and wish you well for the coming days. Good luck!” He moved away, leaving the pair by the river railings.

“What now?” Kinley asked Jem quietly.

She frowned at him. “What do you mean?”

“Aside from Afizere, no one knows yer alive right now. You could jump on a ship tonight an’ make yer own life away from this place. You can escape yer father.”

Jem cuffed at her eyes. “There’s no point without Lilian.” Her voice broke. “I wish I’d done it when she begged me.”

Kinley didn’t know what to say to that. The ache in his body had moved from uncomfortable to unbearable. He just wanted to sit down somewhere and rest until the world had sorted itself out again. “Let’s get off the road, at least,” he said.

Jem sniffled and nodded assent. “Lil’s place is up here on the left,” she said.

“With stairs,” Kinley half-heartedly grumbled.

“And chaise lounges. A washroom. Brandy,” Jem said, ticking off her fingers. “I’m not ready to go home yet.”

“You win.”

Lilian’s salon was dank and cold, which spoke of a long absence. Jem used a hidden key left in the brickwork to open it up and deposited Kinley on the rug near the fireplace. She dragged over the half-full wood basket within his reach and tossed the matches. Kinley caught them automatically in one hand and raised his eyebrows at her.

“Lil used piped heat from the chimney to warm her water tank. You get that going, and I will get the drinks.”

“Huh. Fine. Ah’m using the washroom first.”

“Suit yourself.”

Jem bustled around, lighting candles and kicking open the balcony doors. They protested.

“How long do you think we’ve been gone?” she called, returning with two glasses and a clear bottle of amber liquid.

Kinley fed another small twig to the kindling pile.

“No idea,” he said. “At least weeks. Mayhap months.” Jem leaned down to hand him the brandy and froze. Someone was coming up the salon’s staircase.

“Hide,” Kinley hissed. Jem placed the drinks on the floor and sprang back. Before she could move from the centre of the room, the door slammed open, and Lilian tumbled in. She was dressed in red embroidered silk with gold hoops in her ears, and none of that mattered as she swept Jem into a fierce hug. The kiss that followed made Kinley blush, and he felt he had to announce his presence after three minutes.

“Ahem.”

There was no response from the pair in the room.

“Ah’m here too!” he said plaintively.

Lilian stepped back from Jem’s arms and patted her dress, smearing the soot deeper into the fabric. “Oh, I knew you would make it, Tracker! You’re a survivor, like me.”

Jem retrieved one of the brandy glasses and downed it in one swallow. “How…?” she asked. “I saw the room explode!” She touched Lilian’s face again in disbelief.

Lilian kissed Jem’s knuckles and refilled her glass before sitting on the largest chaise lounge in the room. She was holding court, Kinley realised.

“The time-burst happened before the fire could take hold,” she explained. “It had to, for the fire to exist. I was swept along on the fall-out and found myself back in Alinakard, watching you and me being forced over the bridge, Kinley.”

Kinley held up his glass for a refill. “Another bloody time loop?” he said incredulously.

Lilian sipped at her drink delicately. “More like a lasso. Or so the Guild said.”
She smiled at Jem and patted the seat next to her. “Come and sit,” she invited. Jem did so, nestling up to Lilian like a small child.

“Then what happened?” Kinley pressed.

“Do you remember the rule in Alinakard’s founding charter?”

Jem stirred. “The one that granted requests?”

“Yes.” Lilian closed her eyes and recited: “The one who makes the trip back and forth across the bridge will be granted a single request of their choice.”

“Which you did,” Kinley agreed. “But how, by the hells, did you prove it?”

Lilian licked her top lip, as smug as any cat. “Magnate Diamous, of course. I forced him and his men to court with an affidavit and even tracked down your snivelling friend, Stumpy.”

“I’m surprised you are still alive,” Jem said, shocked.

“I knew where his daughter was and when she would likely return home. He didn’t dare get rid of me. On top of that - thanks to Jere - I had assistance from the Guilds, who were desperate for facts about Aeon. They helped me with some complicated maths to prove I was time-displaced. After that, it was just a case of leveraging my patrons from the salon. ”

Jem shook her head. “Pearls who use their secrets end up dead. You played a dangerous game, Lil.”

“Oh, I’m not a Pearl anymore,” Lilian said, her lips curling. “You didn’t ask me what my request to the city was.”

Kinley took in her appearance. “Money?” he guessed.

“A title?” Jem said an instant later.

Lilian shook her head as she finished off the brandy. “Twenty per cent of the Diamous mine.”

Jem sat bolt-upright. “There’s no way my father would agree to that!”

Lilian shrugged. “It was his idea. When I marry his daughter and heir, the wealth returns to the family anyway. It was cheaper for the nobles to agree to that than anything else I might demand.”

Jem stared at her, speechless. “So he..? We can…?”

Lilian kissed her on her nose. “Yes, my betrothed. As soon as you like.”

Kinley leaned back on his elbow. “Huh. But wasn’t Jem engaged to some lickspittle lord beforehand?”

“Oh, he was caught in a compromising position between two Pearls,” Lilian said in mock horror. “By a Judge, no less! During the fallout, I explained to Jem’s father how he could benefit from my expertise in Aeon’s politics and what power he could gain from its new reality. The lords and ladies there will be in for quite a shock.”

“Aeon’s ash an’ dust,” Kinley said morosely. “It’s goin’ up in flames as we speak.”

“But her people are here,” Jem pointed out. “Aeon’s sited on prime arable land at the river mouth of a continent. Of course, they will rebuild.”

Lilian leaned back. “Your father’s already assembled the wood, stone and craftsmen. He wants his villa on the site of the Fight Court.”

“He’s insane,” Kinley said, almost awed.

“Ambitious,” Jem corrected. “And bored. Lilian came up with a challenge that piqued his curiosity and a reason to keep her close.” She held up the brandy glass in a salute. “Well played, love.”

A comfortable silence followed. Kinley broke it when he lay back on the floor with a groan. “Ah’m not lookin’ forward to work tomorrow,” he pronounced.

Lilian grinned from her place on Jem’s shoulder. “That’s not surprising,” she agreed. “You’re Jem’s new bodyguard.”

Kinley stared at her, wide-eyed. “What? No! Na, ah’m not gettin’ involved in any more crazy shenanigans with you two. Ah’d rather trek the desert again.”

“That’s called the start of negotiations in my language,” Lilian chirped. Kinley looked for support from Jem, who just laughed and leaned back against the cushions. “Give in, Tracker,” she advised. “Lilian persuaded my father to give up part of his diamond mine. You’ve no chance.”