Consequences

"WHY DID YOU TRAP YOURSELF in there?" Finn looked round the table in the lesser throne room of the Inquisitional Palace. Elina and Henge, whose grin hadn't left his face this past hour, sat on either side of him. The other seats were occupied by Manhir. Rockbreaker sat across the table, as spokesperson of the Manhir. He was flanked by Trondjemite, who acted as his lieutenant. Then there was a reddish-tan sandstone Manhir with lots of jagged edges, and a shiny, smooth basalt one.

"I must say I'm surprised this isn't common knowledge," Rockbreaker said. "We thought songs would be written about our deed. We did it to give you a chance to defeat the Ochloroc."

"How would locking yourself in give us a chance?" Elina asked.

"At the start of the war, no side could gain the upper hand. Then, one day, the Gods of Light disappeared."

Elina shook her head. "Gods can't just disappear."

"And yet they did," Rockbreaker said. "Our magic weakened after our gods disappeared, while the Ochloroc magic got stronger. This shifted the balance of power in their favor, and they overran one city after another. We made our stand here, in Gilgin. But with our magic weakening, the magical defenses we built into Gilgin weakened as well. It was a matter of time before they would disappear completely, and we would be overrun."

Rockbreaker paused. The other Manhir around the table nodded in agreement. "So," he continued, "we devised a ritual to trap the Dark Gods, in the hope that this would restore the balance of power. We drew them into the Vein of the Gods and locked them in. We needed all the Manhir to pull this off. It was a sacrifice we made willingly, and it seems to have worked, since you're still here a thousand years later."

"I knew it!" Elina said. "The Inquisition took the truth and warped it for their own purposes until you were the bad guys!"

"There are many years between then and now," Rockbreaker said. "How the Inquisition came to their story is anyone's guess."

"And now you are free again," Finn said, "and the Ochloroc with you." And I caused it. Finn didn't say this last thought aloud.

"It seems that way," Rockbreaker said, "though how many remain after all these years I do not know."

"What happened to the gods?" Elina asked.

"We have no idea," Rockbreaker said. "One day they were there, and the next they were simply gone. Earth magic flowed out of the world, rendering it powerless, and the Ochloroc magic became more devastating. No one could stand in their path."

Silence descended on the meeting room.

"What will happen if the Ochloroc return in the same numbers as before?" Finn imagined defending a city against unstoppable magic. It must have been a nightmare. "Can you try the ritual again?"

"It won't work," Rockbreaker said. "Even if we had everything we needed in place, it still wouldn't be possible. The Dark Gods will not be trapped again that easily."

Finn shook his head. No use in worrying about things he had no influence over. Besides, there were more immediate issues at hand. He cleared his throat. "What's next?"

The heads in the room turned to him. "What do you mean?" asked Henge.

"Ragnur and his men fled when you guys awoke," Finn said. "We need to decide what to do when they return, and in the meantime, we need to keep order in Gilgin."

Rockbreaker cleared his throat with the sound of a distant rockslide. "They can have Gilgin back. We don't want to rule over humans. Never have."

"Where will you live?" Finn asked.

"We'll find a place," Rockbreaker said. "We've always lived alongside humans. We'll do so again."

"You're forgetting that they hate you now," Elina said. "The Inquisition is relentless and vicious. We shouldn't just give the city back without something in return, if at all. At a minimum, we need assurances that they will let you live in peace."

"I have learned first-hand that she's right," Henge said. "They will hunt us down and kill us if they have a chance."

Rockbreaker stroked his chin. He looked at the other Manhir who sat round the table. One by one, they nodded. "Okay," he said. "It's decided then. We hand over the city in return for a truce." He turned to face Finn directly. "In the meantime, you have to rule Gilgin, Finn."

After a moment of sputtering in shock, Finn shook his head. "No! I'm not a good choice." He didn't want the responsibility for all these people... though Kelsa would be impressed if he wound up the ruler of Gilgin.

"Nonsense," Henge said. "You'd be excellent."

"Who do you suggest, then?" Rockbreaker asked.

"You can do it," Finn said. "You conquered Gilgin by chasing off the Inquisition. It's yours by right of conquest."

"Don't be daft," Elina said. "The Inquisition will never believe that they aren't evil if the first thing they do is take over Gilgin. I can do it," Elina said.

Finn laughed. "You? Gudmund's sister? I'm sure that would sit well with Ragnur."

"You stand in the middle of it all, Master Finn," Rockbreaker said. "You are part of both the Inquisition and the Rebellion, and you are the one who woke us. It is only right that you stay in the center until it is sorted."

Finn wished he were scouting through the woods instead of forced into the center of attention, but there was no escaping it. "Fine, I'll lead the city. But I'm not going to rule by myself. That much power concentrated in one person is never a good idea."

"What do you propose, then?" Rockbreaker asked.

"We form a city council, where we all get a vote. I'll head it, but Elina will be on it. She helped Henge as much as I did. And the Manhir get a seat, too."

"I like this idea." Rockbreaker rubbed his chin. "Though we will keep out of human politics, unless they affect us directly."

"Wait," Elina said. "If the Manhir stay out of the city’s politics that leaves just the two of us. What happens if we can't agree on something?"

Finn drummed his fingers on the table as he thought. "What if, as council leader, I get a tiebreaking vote?"

"That would work," Rockbreaker said. "We'll do it that way and adjust as needed."

––––––––

IT TOOK SEVERAL HOURS to discuss all the finicky details, but he was finally out of the meeting. Finn strolled through the upper streets of Gilgin. It was his city now, apparently. Night had fallen outside; many of the houses were dark, and few people were out in the streets. In the morning, town criers would go round the city to announce their decisions. They had also found a couple of messengers remaining in the city who would take letters to the Inquisition and other nearby cities.

Finn took a left into Silver Lane and skipped a couple of steps. Up ahead lay his destination, the mansion where Kelsa lived. It sat a bit back from the road, with a walled courtyard in front of it, looming over the surrounding houses. He stopped outside the locked gate; his heart hammered in his chest. In just a few moments, he'd be able to hold Kelsa again. The windows were dark, giving the house an empty feel. Finn pulled the cord next to the gate, ringing the bell indoors.

Nothing happened.

Finn rang the bell again.

The door opened, and Kelsa’s old servant emerged. His long white beard came to his knees, and on his head he had a couple of white plucks of hair. He hobbled down the three steps from the door to the courtyard and over to the gate. "Good evening, Master Trollarvik," the old man said.

Finn nodded. "Hello, Harold. Is Kelsa in?"

"I'm afraid not, sir. She was visiting Birgit Felldigger when those dreadful Manhir showed up. Is it true that they ate everyone in the palace?"

Finn laughed at the absurd image of Henge eating anyone. "No, Harold, it's not. The Manhir are perfectly civil. Everyone just fled. Do you know when she'll be back?"

"I had expected her back already, sir. Mayhap she was sensible for once and hid from these Manhir at Mistress Felldigger's."

"I'll go pay Birgit a visit. Thank you. I'll send word if I find anything."

Finn walked off. Birgit lived a couple of blocks over, lower down in the city, but still in a respectable neighborhood. Her ancestral home was low and wide, built with the local yellow sandstone. It housed several branches of the Felldigger clan. Birgit lived in the inward wing, with its own entrance set round the corner from the main entrance. Finn knocked on the thick oaken door.

It took some time before Birgit herself opened the door. "Finn, thank the gods it's you! I was afraid it was one of those monsters showing up. Is it true what they say about you? Of course it's true, isn't it? I knew you'd come to great things."

"Hi, Birgit," Finn said when she paused for breath. Birgit always left him feeling slightly breathless as he tried to keep up with her. "The Manhir seem well-versed in proper etiquette. They would fit right in at one of your gatherings."

Birgit harrumphed. "I'm not letting one of those brutes in here. I heard they ransacked the upper reaches. Anyway, I'm sure you'll put it all to rights soon enough."

"Have you seen Kelsa? Harold said she was here."

"Yes, she was visiting this afternoon, together with a few other ladies. We had drinks with some cakes. You know that little bakery over by the waterworks? They had a lovely selection with different berries. The ladies were very impressed."

Finn's heart jumped at the thought of finding Kelsa here. "Is she still here?"

"Her father showed up with the news of those brutes appearing just as we were preparing for dinner. He was afraid they would capture her, to use her as leverage in some upcoming negotiations he went on about. They left right way, without even staying for dinner."

"Do you know where they went?" Finn asked.

"Ragnur mentioned he wanted to go to Brimir to join up with the rest of the Inquisition troops."

"Thank you," Finn said. He turned to leave.

"Will you sort it all out?" Birgit asked.

He looked back and grinned. "I'll try."