Mindgames Epilogue

Epilogue

Delarus, the Bearer, nodded with satisfaction as he looked from the shade of the pavilion out to Holden's Gate. All was as he had ordered. Five guards stood in front of the gate, alert and implacable. Dogs held by short leashes slavered at their feet. Additional guards, and dogs, were stationed every ten yards along the wall in both directions as far as he could see.

Some of the guards had grumbled about overkill when Delarus had ordered them to leave their regular posts and report here. He dismissed their complaints. He had done what was necessary.

As he always did.

He had formulated his plans only recently, the day after Gabriel's farewell banquet three nights ago. In an attempt both to make Gabriel comfortable and to avoid a debate about the virtues and failings of slavery, he had barred from the event all slaves except for the servers.

The evening had gone without a hitch. The table was beautifully appointed, the food plentiful, the wine the best Riviera could offer. But, more importantly, conversation flowed in a manner it rarely did when humans were giving half an eye or more to their slaves.

He had made a heartfelt, eloquent toast, in which he called Gabriel a son and embraced him. When Gabriel seemed on the verge of giving a speech of his own, Delarus had signaled the orchestra to begin playing. Gabriel had accepted being silenced with good grace.

But the next day, what was supposed to be a small gathering of Gabriel's closest friends had expanded spontaneously and exponentially. Humans and slaves alike had arrived at Gabriel's quarters. When it became apparent that they would overrun not only his apartment but the entire quad, the party had moved to the damn painter's revel room. It would be an exaggeration to say that the barriers between the races had fallen away, but it was certain that slaves had been seemingly unsupervised and that many of them had taken at least minor liberties and had gone unpunished.

Delarus, of course, had heard about the gathering before it began, and had received reports throughout the afternoon. He could have easily and quickly broken it up merely by appearing. Out of courtesy to Gabriel he stayed away, instead dispatching guards to ensure quietly that the situation did not grow out of control.

Delarus had initially banned slaves from accompanying Gabriel to the gate, just as he had banned them from the banquet. But as Gabriel's party had continued through into the evening Delarus had reconsidered. He decided instead to take advantage of the opportunity to undo some of the damage Gabriel had done during his time in Riviera. Let the slaves come. Many of them would have heard overblown accounts of the short-lived escape attempt of Gabriel's housegirl. Let them come, and see, and spread the word: Mariah's escapade could never be repeated. Any attempt to do so would be absolutely futile, and could result only in torture and death.

Delarus toyed with the idea of letting the curs at one of the slaves, after Gabriel left, then decided that doing so would be both unsportsmanlike and unnecessary.

He turned to his left. A few yards away Gabriel was trying to check the bags on one of his horses, but was mobbed by well-wishers coming for one last goodbye. As Delarus walked over, his wife Yana joined him. He greeted her and allowed himself a moment just to enjoy her presence. Then, with her by his side he put on his fierce face and shooed everyone else away from Gabriel. Only the stablemaster -- Stefan was his name -- and a diminutive red-haired slavegirl remained, the man fiddling with the saddles while the girl talked to the larger horse.

"Leave off," Delarus ordered Stefan. "If Gabriel can't saddle a horse it's better we know it sooner rather than later."

Stefan nodded. He shook Gabriel's hand and squeezed his arm. The slave girl hugged the horse, and turned to Gabriel. He kissed her cheek. Delarus watched Stefan start to lead the girl away, and then stop to speak with Mariah as she came through the edge of the crowd. Delarus sighed and turned to Gabriel.

"You have my letter to my son?"

Gabriel nodded, and smiled briefly in greeting to Yana. He pointed to a saddle bag on the mule. "It's folded in the medical treatise, double waterproofed." He looked at Yana. "Yours too, and the notes from your other children."

"Tell him," Delarus said, "that it's high time he came home."

A shadow crossed Gabriel's face. "I'll convey the message," he said.

Delarus knew that was the best he could get. He took a step back, allowing Gabriel to focus on his luggage. He glared at anyone who started to approach, and they quickly backed away. Only his daughter Diana ignored him. Delarus could see the effort she was making to minimize her limp. She said something to Gabriel that Delarus couldn't hear. Gabriel grinned, and hugged her. She stepped back, taking her place on her father's left.

At that moment the painter appeared. Mariah trailed him, holding hands with another housegirl. The other girl was carrying a small tube wrapped in waterproofing. Delarus stared at her. Surely she was the painter's rag -- but the reports were true. She was a rag no more. She walked tall, seemingly without fear even of the Bearer. Gabriel, of course, had extracted promises from him for her protection.

The painter gestured to the milling crowd under the pavilion and said to Gabriel, "Unless you want another round of goodbyes . . .."

Gabriel shook his head. "We could be here for weeks," he said. "Better to slip away quietly." The Bearer refrained from rolling his eyes at that futile hope.

Gabriel and Mariah took the reins of their horses, the mule following on a lead rope. Rose and Animal walked beside them on one side, with Delarus, flanked by Yana and Diana, on the other.

As they approached the gate Delarus glanced back. As he had known they would, a number of humans and slaves were following.

The ceremony at the gate went exactly as Delarus had planned. He rang the gong that was newly installed on the gatekeeper's house. It was loud enough to startle the horses, and its reverberations continued for some seconds.

The gatekeeper, a giant muscle-bound man who had been on the job since yesterday, arrived in due time, pretending that he had not been watching the goings on through the window. He and Delarus exchanged the prearranged words, and Delarus spoke the password in his ear.

With great flourish the gatekeeper slowly unlocked the gate. It swung open. A troop of guards and their dogs marched from behind the wall where they had been hidden on each side of the gate, into formation directly in front of it.

Delarus heard Mariah stifle a gasp of surprise. She, of course, would know that this was all for show, but that didn't matter. She was leaving, and good riddance to her. Few others in the crowd had ever been to the gate. Noticing that many slaves and humans alike had involuntarily taken a step back, he was well-pleased.

Gabriel walked the last few steps to the gate. He turned to the painter. "My brother," he said. The two men embraced.

The painter broke away. "Safe travels," he said, his voice breaking. He hugged Mariah and kissed her briefly on the lips. "Take care of him," he said. Mariah nodded. Animal turned abruptly away and started to walk towards the crowd. The Bearer saw him swipe at his eyes.

Rose and Mariah hugged, briefly. No words passed between them, but a look seemed to convey a lifetime of meaning.

Rose and Gabriel embraced fiercely, and then the girl stepped back, her eyes moist. Beside Delarus, Diana stifled a sniff. Yana let go of Delarus's arm and wandered a few steps away, where she discreetly blew her nose.

Gabriel turned to the Bearer, who waved him away. "We've had enough ceremony," he said gruffly. "Best be off." Gabriel nodded in acquiescence.

Side by side, Gabriel and Mariah led their animals through the gate. The guards parted to let them by. Along with everyone else Delarus watched them follow the road through the meadow. He was relieved to see the last of them.

There was a sudden commotion behind him. A girl gave a panicked yell. "Oh no! Wait!"

Rose sprinted through the gate and past the guards. The dogs leapt to the end of their short chain leashes, barking and snarling. "Rose!" Animal's cry was anguished, but he had wandered too far back to stop her.

"HOLD!" Delarus stepped through the gate, raising his hand high. The guards kept tight grips on the leashes.

Rose seemed oblivious to it all. She ran to Gabriel and Mariah, who had turned to wait for her. When she reached them she handed Gabriel the tube she had been carrying. He opened it and unrolled a scroll, then showed it to Mariah.

Animal had reached the gate. He looked from Rose to Delarus, clearly ready to do violence to him if he did not abide by his promise to Gabriel to protect Rose at all costs.

Delarus ignored Animal's expression and asked him, exasperated, "What in the world is she handing them?"

"A sketch she made of the four of us," Animal said distractedly. "She's been carrying it around since yesterday, but kept forgetting to give it to them." Delarus watched Rose hug Gabriel and Mariah and turn back towards the gate. She seemed to notice the dogs for the first time. She paused for a moment, but when she saw Animal waiting for her she walked between the two rows of guards, her eyes down but her head high.

When she reached the gate Animal wordlessly put his arm around her. Gabriel and Mariah turned away and continued on through the meadow. Animal and Rose walked through the crowd, which separated to make room for them.

Slaves looked from the two of them to the still-open gate, and at the expanse that lay beyond the guards. Some seemed contemplative, others entranced.

Delarus knew then that all his preparations for the day had been for naught. A slave had walked unaccompanied and on her own initiative through the gate, and had come back unscathed and unpunished. Word of that would spread throughout Riviera by tomorrow's sunset.

He said quietly to his daughter, "Well, Diana, we're in for interesting times ahead, that's certain."

Note from the author

I've been on this journey with Mariah, Gabriel, Rose, Animal, and the others for many years now. Thank you to everyone who came along with us.

Thanks especially to those of you who posted comments, sent me private messages, or rated the chapters of this book. Writing is lonely work, and feedback means everything to an author.

Thanks to Solis, whose unwavering support for this story and for so much more has been invaluable. Thanks to chipmunk, for her help both direct and indirect. Thanks to my friends and family who provided encouragement of all kinds through difficult times.

Just like Delarus, I know we're in for interesting times ahead. I look forward to sharing them with you.