I woke with the wooden ceiling spinning slowly.
The room in Decatry castle smelled of wax and burnt wood. The window was half open, and the wind carried the smell of salt and pine – smells of home, I thought. Smells of life.
Mira slept beside me, her hand closed on my tunic. Her curly hair spread on the pillow. Her breathing was calm, rhythmic.
I did not let her go. She did not let me go either.
"Zirinos?" Her voice, sleepy, came from the darkness. "Are you awake?"
"I am."
"Did you have a nightmare?"
"I did."
"About what?"
"About a monster."
"Did you kill it?"
"I did."
"Then it's not a nightmare. It's a story."
I almost smiled.
"Sleep, little one."
"You too."
She closed her eyes. She fell asleep in seconds.
---
Helena sat in the chair by the window, her golden armour disassembled, the pieces scattered on the floor. Her grey hair, loose, fell over her shoulders. Her deep, tired eyes stared at the sea.
"You don't sleep?" I asked.
"I sleep when I need to." Her voice was neutral. "Like you."
"Thank you."
"For what?"
"For telling me the truth. When Trussum said Mira was dead… I believed him."
"Liars convince."
"You did not lie."
"I did. To myself. For years." She looked at her hands. "That the emperor was good. That the war would end. That the dead rested."
"And now?"
"Now I know they don't rest. They wait."
Silence settled. The sea crashed against the rocks.
"Mira is alive," said Helena. "Baron Ander took care of her. The messenger told me."
"I know."
"Will you see her?"
"I already have."
"Then why are you here?"
"Because I need to rest. And to think."
"Think about what?"
"About the next monster."
Helena did not answer.
---
Linda Lunos appeared at noon.
She wore travelling clothes, a dark cloak, riding boots. Her silver‑white hair was tied in a ponytail. Her face was tired, but her eyes were attentive.
"The hero woke up," she said, in a tone I could not tell was irony or respect.
"The apprentice," I corrected. "Still."
"Apprentices do not kill demon lords."
"This one learned fast."
She sat in the chair by the window. Helena, who had been assembling her armour, left the room without a word.
"King Dizius is dead," said Linda without preamble.
"When?"
"Last night. The doctors say it was his heart. The counsellors say it was fear."
"And you?" I asked. "What do you say?"
"I say kings die. The living are what matter."
"And the succession?"
"Lirius. Elisa. Neither has the majority. The nobles remember what Lirius did to the maids. They remember what Elisa did not do to stop him."
"And you?" I insisted. "Whose side are you on?"
"The side that will guarantee peace."
"You did not answer."
"No." She scratched her chin – she had no beard, but the gesture was the same. "Because I do not know yet."
Silence settled. The sea crashed against the rocks.
"The blue‑mind‑destroyer is spreading," said Linda. "Animals are attacking villages in the south. In Mercius. In Eladir."
"The demon lords?"
"Not yet. But they will come. Trainur and Treiza. Duke Andy is already preparing the defence."
"And me?"
"You rest. After that… after that we will see."
She stood up.
"The boat to Decatry leaves tomorrow. I will accompany you. I need to speak with the duke."
"The war?"
"The war waits." Linda tightened her hand on the doorknob. "The living do not."
---
The boat docked at the end of the afternoon.
Mira was on the pier. Her curly hair, her dark blue coat, the small sword at her waist. Ander Féris, beside her, held her hand.
"Zirinos!" She shouted, let go of Ander's hand, and ran.
I knelt to receive her. My body ached, but I did not care.
"You are alive!" She threw her small arms around my neck. "I thought you had died!"
"Heroes do not die."
"Liar."
"Sometimes."
"You lie a lot."
"I know."
She laughed. Her laugh was light, like running water.
"I like you, Zirinos."
"I know."
Ander approached. His dark eyes fixed on mine.
"Zirinos," he said, his voice neutral. "Mira has been well. Do not worry."
"I do not worry."
"I know."
The handshake was dry, but firm.
---
In the castle, Andy waited for us in the great hall.
The duke stood by the window, his hands behind his back, his silver‑blue hair shining in the moonlight. Irina, beside him, kept her face neutral, but her eyes – her eyes did not lie.
"Zirinos," said Andy. "You killed Trussum."
"I did."
"The king is dead. The demon lords are coming. The blue‑mind‑destroyer is spreading." The duke scratched his beard. "Can they wait? Or do we need a hero now?"
"We need everyone." I looked at him. "Heroes and non‑heroes alike."
Andy almost smiled.
"Rest. Tomorrow, we talk."
---
In the room, already dark, I lay on the bed.
Mira slept beside me, her hand closed on my tunic. I did not let her go. She did not let me go either.
I thought of Trussum. Of the ash. Of the sweet voice with which he thanked me before he died.
'Thank you', he said. 'Thank you.'
'What does a demon have to be thankful for?'
I thought of Trainur and Treiza. The eyes that glowed in the darkness of the second portal. The journey that would bring them to Endomyar.
'One month', I thought. 'Maybe less.'
'And then the real war begins.'
I closed my eyes.
Sleep did not come. The monster inside me kept watch.
---
— EPILOGUE —
In the capital, King Dizius's body lay in the hall of black marble.
Candles burned. Incense smoked. The nobles, in silence, filed past the open coffin. Lirius, standing at the head, kept his face impassive. Elisa, beside him, held a candle.
"The kingdom needs a king," someone in the crowd said.
"Lirius is the heir."
"Elisa is the wisest."
"Wisdom does not rule. Power rules."
Murmurs echoed off the stone walls.
Lirius looked at his sister. Elisa looked back.
Neither smiled.
The succession had begun.
END OF THE "DEATH OF TRUSSUM" ARC