Chapter 189 - The Queen’s Wings

(Bonus chapter, today! I wanted to get this out to you all right away, so you weren't wondering about how it all ends. This is the final cha

(Bonus chapter, today! I wanted to get this out to you all right away, so you weren't wondering about how it all ends. This is the final chapter of Selena's trilogy. Starting next week, we're kicking off the new Boston-based series, which begins right before the Event hits! New locale, new characters, new twists.

In other news, over the next couple of months I will be editing and formatting the three books here into EPUB volumes and issuing them to everyone who has a paid membership. I want to get those out to everyone before they go live on retailers, because of Kindle Unlimited. Thank you all for being members and joining me on this incredible adventure together!)

After everyone went home from the meeting, I let Kara in charge of KingsHaven and headed north, back to the Farm. I needed some space to breathe and think about what I wanted to be doing next, so Hope and I boarded Tenebris and headed for home.

Kara was both thrilled and not, when I handed her KingsHaven. She was happy about the trust I’d shown her. It was the biggest city in our kingdom, the most populous and best defended. Only Riverton came close, and it wasn’t even two thirds the size. That was the less thrilling part as well, though. Anyplace that big, with that many people, had a lot of overhead as well.

Taking charge there was going to be a big job. I was convinced Kara could manage it, especially with Alfred at her side. And if she needed me to go down there and knock a few head together, I’d only be an hour or so flight away.

Once I got to the Farm, I freed the undead orcs I’d hidden up at the mall and set them to work cleaning up the mess the invasion had made of things. First up was stacking the bodies. I’d managed to kill a lot of orcs that night, and while I’d raised a few, the local wildlife had gone to town eating most of the rest, leaving just bones behind.

So I did what any good necromancer would do, and turned all those bones into more workers! By the time I was done with the orc body cleanup, I had about ninety undead orcs there, all of them tier four or five. I’d brought a bunch of them back as fire skeletons, since those had been incredibly effective before, but most of the rest were just ‘skeleton warriors’ at tier four or five—a solid upgrade from the old ones I’d had at tier two.

Of course, I couldn’t raise all the zombies I’d used to defend the place again. Once they were killed under my command, that was it. I couldn’t get a second run with them. It was why I’d released Sue and Plum before they were actually slain; without that, I would never have been able to use their bones to create Tenebris.

We burned those bodies instead. My undead built a massive pyre that first afternoon, gathering deadwood and beams from collapsed buildings nearby until there was a fire-pit large enough that they could stack the hundreds of zombies who’d been slain atop it.

The fire burned all through the night.

When I woke the next day, my worker brigade was already back to it, trying to rebuild the wall where the orcs smashed it down. It would take them time, but they’d get the wall back up. Then we needed to rebuild the central farmhouse, which was going to be a much bigger pain. Before I blew it to bits, that building had been the hub of the Farm, and some of the modern amenities had still sort of worked.

I missed the claw-foot bathtub we’d installed more than just about anything else. It was shattered chunks of porcelain, now, but before we’d had a system that let us pump water in by hand from outside and warm it with magic. I wanted hot baths again, what can I say?

That would take a lot of time, though. We’d be days clearing out the rubble from the old place, let alone building something new to replace it.

I didn’t ignore security, but I might have been a bit more lax than usual, since it was just me I had to worry about. With Tenebris close at hand, any threats I couldn’t beat, I could probably run from. I wasn’t too worried, especially since the Domain would still alert me if anyone entered the area.

Which was why I sensed it as soon as a large party crossed the boundary on the south end.

I knew instantly who it was, of course. One of the nice things about the Domains was they gave us some info about large groups entering our lands. It wasn’t comprehensive, but I recognized Kara among those coming, and soon I was able to sense others I knew as well. Patches was there. Clay, too. I waited at the Farm for them to arrive, wondering what this was all about.

Kara came riding in toward the walls first, waving. “Hi, stranger!”

“I just left you yesterday!” I replied. “Did something happen?”

She shook her head, laughing. “Nope! But you’ve got a lot of people who love you, and this place, and wanted to see it rebuilt, too. All of the folks from the old Farm wanted to come home again and help. It was a unanimous call, so I told them I’d come along as an escort, and to check in with you. Make sure everything was okay.”

“Wait, what?” I stared at the entourage headed our way. Kara was riding a horse, but most of them were on the same bicycles they’d used for the escape from the Farm, back when we were attacked.

I’d figured I would probably end up alone at this place for a while, and I was okay with that. I had Hope and Tenebris to keep me company and plenty of friends a short ride away. I hadn’t expected to be followed. I really hadn’t expected to be followed by…everyone.

But there they were. It was the entire complement of the Farm. Even the avians who’d joined us right before the orcs attacked had returned.

“They want to move back in?” I asked.

“Yup!” Kara replied. “Hell, I would, too, but you put me in charge of a whole other Domain. Way to get rid of your best friend!”

“That wasn’t—“

Kara chuckled. “I know that. Just make sure you visit, often, because you can get to KingsHaven more easily than I can get here. My butt hurts. Horses are not a good replacement for cars!”

Laughing, we went to welcome everyone back. They poured in, parking bikes and sharing greetings. For the first time since returning here, I felt something more than emptiness. Seeing everyone return here made me remember what it had been like before and gave me hope that we could win that back again, someday. With enough work, and these people doing it? Yeah, I was sure we could.

The rest of the day was spent setting up temporary shelters for our returnees. It was awesome to have them back, but we needed places to stay. With the central farmhouse blown to bits, that was right out, and between the explosion and the orcs tearing up many of the other structures, the place was still in rough shape. Still, we managed.

We set up shelters for everyone to sleep for the night, got firepits running to cook food, and pulled supplies from where they’d been stored. Most of the stuff we’d set aside in one of the bigger barns as winter food was still intact, thank god. It was going to be a rough winter, and we’d need to do more gathering of food from the ruins of the city around us. But we’d have enough to make it.

Come evening, after dinner was done and the sun was sinking toward the horizon, I found myself wandering the battlements and looking out toward the east again.

We can go right now, if you want, Tenebris said. We can go find them.

I shook my head. “I don’t think it’s the right time. Everyone just got here.”

“Right time for what?” Clay asked, coming up the stone steps behind me.

Kara was two steps behind him. “We come bearing gifts of beer!”

“Really?” I perked up at the thought. It had been a while.

“Yup. Turned out Eddings had a good stockpile, and I brought some with us. Here,” Kara said, passing me a bottle.

“Guinness? Okay, can’t fault his taste too much, I guess.” Personally I was more of a micro-brew girl, but dark beers of any sort were generally good. I snapped the cap off with a tiny Dark Pulse. “Ha! How’s that for a fun way to use magic?”

My friends laughed, sipping from their own drinks, and we stood there in silence a few moments, each lost in our own thoughts as we stared toward the distance.

“So what were you talking about, before?” Clay asked. “I assume you were talking to Tenebris?”

“Yeah. He can hear my thoughts, so I need to get out of the habit of talking, I guess.”

“Good plan. Doesn’t answer my question, though,” Clay replied.

I took another sip of my beer, stalling. The last thing I wanted to tell my closest friends was that I wanted to leave them. Clay and Kara just stood there though, quietly waiting for me to talk.

“It’s my parents,” I said at last. “I’m sure they’re fine. They’re tough, and used to surviving shit. They’re in that space just shy of someone you’d call a ‘prepper,’ but they’ve got enough supplies and gear to handle just about any apocalypse, even this one. I just…want to know for sure. I wish I knew. I want them to know I’m alive, too. That I’m safe. That I’ve done okay with all of this.”

Clay chuckled. “I’d say you’ve done more than okay. First in the area to tier five, first person in the area to tier ten, queen of your own kingdom, ruler of most of the greater Burlington area… Selena, you’ve done amazing things, you know that, right?”

I blushed. “I just did what needed doing.”

“Over and over and over,” Kara said. “Hey, I think it’s time you looked after your family.”

“You both are family,” I told them.

“We know,” Clay said. “But your parents are, too. If Kara was lost and in possible danger, you’d go to her, right? Same thing applies here.”

“But I can’t!” I said. “Especially now! Everyone just got back here. There’s rebuilding to do. Prep for winter. Working with the other leaders. There’s way too much to do.”

“I’m betting Clay can take over here while you go check on your parents,” Kara said, her face turning serious. Clay nodded, agreeing. “It’s time, Selena. You’ve done everything for other people for ages now. Take a moment for yourself and go find your folks. If I could reach mine, I would, but even with a dragon, that’s too far.”

I gave my friend a hug, holding her close. “We’ll find a way to get to them, too. Just you wait.”

“I know. But right now? This is your time,” Kara said, breaking our hug. “Let Clay handle the repairs here. Tenebris is ready to bring you east, right?”

The dragon roared from somewhere nearby.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Kara said. “Selena…go. You’ll regret it, if you don’t.”

I stood there in a moment that seemed to last forever. How could I go? How could I not? She was right. It was time. I’d done everything to make this place work, and now we had maybe reached a moment where we’d have just a little peace. When would I ever get to head to my childhood home, if not now?

“You’re both right.” I shook my head, shrugging. “I am so glad I have friends as smart as you.”

They both pulled me into a hug.

When I broke away, it was to go to Tenebris. Clay and Kara would explain to the others that I would be back in a few days. It was time to see what the Event had made of my old home, time to find my mom and dad, and maybe even bring them back out here with me. I had a feeling they’d like the Farm.

Ready? Tenebris asked as I strapped myself into the new saddle crafters at KingsHaven made for us during our stay there.

“Ready!” I replied.

We lifted off, the dragon’s wings beating heavily as we rose into the sky. Cheers rose from below, and I waved to my friends, my people, the band of survivors we’d put together who’d stood by one another through so much. I’d miss them, but I’d be back soon.

We turned east, away from the setting sun, toward the darkening sky of night, and set off to see something new.