Sonnet: The Cities of Steam, Brass, and Aether

Epilogue

Rodkin suddenly woke up, unable to feel or move anything. It was pitch black and he could hear a strange buzzing noise coming from all directions.

Is this what death feels like?

He tries to open his mouth but he isn't able to tell where his mouth is. He couldn't even constrict his vocal cords to make a noise.

So this was death then. How did he die? He couldn't remember much... he was... in the wildlands?

Yes that was right. He had been going through Kimas. He was trailing behind Blair... no, no that wasn't right. He was next to her in the caves?

It was so hard to remember, everything was so fuzzy. Is this what all of eternity was going to be like? Well at least he had forever to remember what happened.

Think. Think! What happened? They had made it to a large cavern that was illuminated by luminescent moss or something...

Did they split up? Shit. That's right, after the idiot twins got themselves killed.

Rodkin had been in a group with Selyne, wasn't he supposed to be watching the rear of the group? Apparently he had failed, or maybe he was just never there. The prince wasn't the reliable sort...

Well there is nobody but himself to blame if he is dead, he should have known better than to trust Selyne.

That incessant buzzing noise grew louder, as if it had gotten closer. Surely he wouldn't be forced to hear that for all of eternity. Maybe he could tune it out?

He began to focus on his ears, or where he expected his ears to be; it was impossible to tell if he even had a body, he couldn't feel a single thing. There was no pain, heat or cold, tiredness. Nothing.

While focusing on his ears there was a shift, he wasn't sure what changed; but the buzzing noise was now gone.

In its place, was the sound of a voice speaking. It was his father's voice, he seemed to be talking equations out loud to himself.

He tried to call out for him, but still couldn't figure out how to get his voice to work.

Did this mean he was still alive? Or was this a cruel joke played in death? Perhaps he had landed himself in a level of hell.

Instead he shifted focus to where his eyelids would be, willing them to open, blink, do anything!

After a moment, they opened with a noise that sounded like shutters. It was loud.

Apparently his father heard the noise too, because he stopped speaking aloud and was currently silent. Before long however, he could be heard rushing around the room; speaking to himself at a rapid pace.

"Oh. Oh! He must be waking, yes. Yes! Oh how exciting. Come back to me, my boy!" Rodkin heard his father say.

Did that mean he had died? But his father had brought him back? How had he done that?

Dad. Dad! Dad!

"DAAAH!" He yelled in a gravelly, nearly metallic voice.

"Oh yes, welcome home my boy! It is good to see you after these weeks, Rodkin!" His father squealed.

Rodkin managed to turn his head towards his father, seeing him for the first time since waking.

His father was a small, mousy man with white wispy strands of hair; most likely it was where Rodkin got his stature from. He didn't know his mother and his father never spoke of her, but it was easy to make the assumption still.

"Can you sit up?"

He tried to. It was difficult, but eventually he was able to struggle to a seated position. He heard the sound of hydraulics working as he did the maneuver, with a jet of steam releasing once he had locked into his seated position.