Epilogue

I awoke on my luxurious bed, ready to tackle the day. It had been Ozzie’s, though Sunny and Ruth had been glad to help me wash his stench off of it. I was amazed I hadn’t smelled the sulfurous stench when he first hauled me in, though I supposed I’d been mostly brainwashed at the time.

That wasn’t the only change, though. The horde of clothes he had stockpiled from the ‘sea’ were gone, distributed to everybody who needed them on both sides of the island. That had been my first decree: by the authority of the sea, the villagers could go where they liked. The second had been that there would be no fishing expeditions until further notice. Whatever control Ozymandias had exerted on the sea serpent was completely gone now, and I didn’t want anybody risking themselves needlessly. Besides, the men of the village could get themselves dirty in the gardens for once.

I walked out of the shipping container hut, wishing that my Wizard Corps uniform breathed a bit better. It had been fine during the night battle, but wearing it during the day was darned uncomfortable.

“Good morning, Priestess Cooper,” said Ruth, grinning her gap-toothed smile up at me.

“And a good morning to you, Mrs. Henderson,” I said, smiling warmly back at her. That had been another edict: last names were restored. I figured that would only help them regain their true selves.

“What a lovely morning the sea has given us,” said Ruth, proving that deprogramming would take more time than I’d hoped. “A messenger from the far side of the island said they need you over there.”

I nodded and made my way over. The jungle and its trails looked completely different in the daytime. Not having to worry about orc ambushes helped too, of course. It made a fine jog to wake myself up.

“Morning, kid,” said O’Connor, waiting for me at the edge of the former slave encampment. He sat on the stoop of one of the wooden huts, as some of Captain Zhang’s men went about their programmed tasks. “Took you long enough to get here.”

“Were you the messenger?”

“Heck no,” said the American. “I have people to do that for me. I still outrank you, Priestess Cooper.”

I grimaced. “Please, I can’t wait to give that up.”

He shrugged. “It’s a good con, though. Just like how that Virgil kid uses the family resemblance to keep the sailors in line.”

“Is there any sign of them breaking out of it?” I asked.

“Little by little,” he said. “Some more than others.” He nodded towards Ozymandias’ old home in the distance. “Come along, you’ll want to see this.”

We made our way, but we didn’t get far before a bushy-bearded man charged over towards us. “You! I just remembered that you owe me a ship!”

“Some more than others,” I said with a sigh. “Good morning, Captain Zhang.”

“What’s so good about it? I’m a captain without a ship, and my crew barely know me from Adam! Never mind that I’ve been in a daze for a month while orcs bossed me around.”

“You aren’t mind controlled anymore,” said O’Connor. “And you should be grateful; you’re going to be able to cut through the Spratlys any time you like, now that the curse is broken.”

“Darn hard to do that without a ship,” he said, shooting me a glare.

“I am sorry I got you mixed up in all of this,” I said, my face flushing from more than the rising temperature.

He waved me off. “It was my fault for letting a woman aboard. Though…” His half-obscured lips twisted into a wry grin. “You’re the first woman who fixed the bad luck she caused. So, I might just see my way to forgiving you, depending on how much the League comps me for the Sipadan.”

I giggled. “I always thought you were a dinosaur, but at least you didn’t want me barefoot and pregnant somewhere.”

“Darn straight,” he said, with a derisive snort. “Well, you look busy. We’ll talk later.”

“Count on it,” I said. Once we were out of earshot, I turned on O’Connor. “You weren’t fighting very hard for me there!”

He shrugged. “Didn’t see that you needed me. Heck, you saved every one of us, including a bunch of innocents who I bet were legally dead. Once we’re back home, if you want a post with Intel, you’re in. Either way, you’re getting the best letter of recommendation I can manage.”

“If we get back home,” I said. “We aren’t rescued yet. Speaking of the legally dead, where’s my brother?”

“Keeping the clouds away somewhere and minding the smoke signal,” O’Connor replied. “We want to make sure we’re good and visible.”

Before I could ask why, a set of muscular arms encircled me from behind. “They didn’t tell me you were coming over here,” said Zack.

“Apparently there’s something I need to see, but O’Connor’s being coy.”

The American chuckled at that. “I didn’t get where I am by being straightforward.”

I shouldn’t have giggled quite so much when Mabel scuttled on over, begging for the palm frond I’d broken off for her. I’d never heard O’Connor shriek in terror before, though. “What’s the matter, Lieutenant? She’s just a baby.”

He shuddered. “I just remembered I have somewhere else to be. I don’t need to see you fraternizing with that lug. Or Mabel, for that matter.”

“Sorry, sir, but we’re off duty. It’s the perfect time to fraternize.” Zack laughed, keeping his grip on me. I was feeling overheated, but I wasn’t ready to make him let go just yet.

I noticed a few of the brainwashed workers looked up from tending their crops to study us. “It looks like they’re snapping out of it.”

“Too bad,” he said. “They wouldn’t have raised an eyebrow a few days back. Too zoned out to think of anything but work, like I was. I guess we’ll have to wait.”

“Of course we’re waiting,” I said, trying to sound offended. “You promised me a date in Labuan, and Haven’s no Labuan!”

“Good thing I’ll have all that backpay, then,” he said. “Even if you hadn’t just saved my life, you’d be worth spoiling.”

“Stop,” I said. “I don’t get how you’re all overlooking that I got us in this mess.”

“Rose, you gotta stop thinking about it like that, yeah? Sure, we all went through a bit of hell, pardon my language, but we saved so many people in the process.” He released me as we got nearer to Ozymandias’ former home. “Probably shouldn’t fraternize; your boyfriend might take it personally.”

I rolled my eyes. “Virgil’s just some kid. You don’t have anything to be jealous about.”

“I don’t know,” he said. “Up until I ran into you again, I’d have called you just some kid. People grow up, even when they’re monsters.”

“I can hear you, you know!” shouted Virgil. He’d posted himself at the top of the tower near the ruined Tractor Beam. “Come on up, Rose. Not you, Zakariah.”

“But I don’t want to let you go,” he said.

“We’ll indulge him this time,” I said. “He’s earned it.”

I climbed the spiral stairs again, though I could take it slowly this time. When I emerged from the door, Virgil sat with his feet dangling over the edge, resting his chin on the lower run of the rusted-out guardrail.

“Good morning, my dear,” he said. “Thank you for coming.”

“Of course,” I said. “What did you have to show me?”

“I’m surprised you can’t see it,” he said, pointing into the distance.

I squinted, catching just the very edge of an outline. “A ship!” I hugged Virgil, letting out a triumphant war whoop and giggling like a madwoman. “We’re saved! Thank God, we’re saved!”

“It seems we are,” he said. “Though can it with that talk, you’ll give me a headache.”

“Oh, sorry,” I said.

“Hold on now, I didn’t say let me go. I estimate they’re only a few hours away, which means it’s time for me to call in my favor.”

“What’s that?” I asked.

“Don’t tell them I’m here,” he said. “I’ll just disappear into the undergrowth with Mabel. I always heard these islands weren’t worth holding by anybody, so you’ll all be gone soon enough. It’ll be better that way.”

“There is absolutely no way I’m letting you do that!” I said.

“You owe me a favor, though,” he said in a petulant tone.

“That wouldn’t be a favor. Besides, you wouldn’t be alone for long. I guarantee you there’s going to be some sort of outpost out here once the League finds out about Ozymandias’ schemes.”

He winced. “Then I’m a dead devil with nowhere to run.” His lips curled into a lascivious smirk. “If you won’t do me that favor, then how about you send me off to Our Father Below with a—”

“I told you, non-sexual,” I said, unable to keep the irritation out of my voice.

“Damn,” he said, making me wince. I supposed fair was fair.

“But I promise you this, and this can be my favor,” I said. “I’ll vouch for you. So will Zack, Albert, O’Connor, and anybody else we need to.”

“Are there any devils living among you?” he asked.

I shook my head. “None that I know of. That doesn’t mean you can’t be the first. Besides, you’re only a half-devil.”

He snorted. “Please, as if. You wanted to murder me the first time we met, and you were half-lobotomized with the Master’s magic. There’s going to be armed men on that ship, and maybe even wizards.”

“Then they’ll have to get through me to get to you,” I declared. “Favor or no, I owe you at least that much.”

He scrunched up his eyes. “Thank you. I don’t understand it, but thank you.”

I gave him another squeeze. “They said this was going to be an easy assignment, Virgil. It’s been anything but, but sticking with my friends? That’s easy.”

My own words struck me. I’d just called a half-devil I’d met less than two weeks before a friend. When I’d set off from Fort Flamel, I could never have imagined it. I really did have the strangest friends, and that suited me just fine.