Free Me

Epilogue

Unsettling heat caused sweat to trickle down Lost's forehead, and she used her only wet cloth to cool her son rather than herself. She held him in one arm and craddled him lovingly though her face was hard and she was focused on the halls ahead. She made sure he was comfortable down here in the catacombs of the old ones. They weren't attacking, too curious, but their power was bundled and waiting. Lost walked with utter seriousness.

Kahlan was left above ground for safety reasons, but she allowed her girlfriend and son to enter the dangerous underground because of their otherworldly origins, and because she was certain it needed to be done. She stood along side Deanna with a baby bag slung over her shoulder and a gallon of over iced water for when Lost and their baby boy, Vitor, rose from the depths.

Down below Lost wiped her son again but he only giggled, undisturbed. He was just fine in the heat. His eyes stayed glued to the underside of his mother's jaw and he reached up to the low ceiling for his other mother. Despite their distance he felt her and wanted to be close to her bosom. Lost bounced him up and down slightly as she continued on through the maze. She slowed when she reached the junction that would lead to death or the old ones. Vitor cooed and gurgled as she turned to the proper path and straightened her back. She stepped down the corridor with complete confidence and entered the chamber of the old ones in silence. Even Vitor tampered down on his baby noises in the presence of these unfamiliar entities.

"You bring a human here?" Their collective voice echoed immediately. They were speaking of Kahlan, and Lost was well aware. She was only glad she didn't have to summon the old ones this time. They were stuck here. She could get right to the point and be out of here faster than she had expected. As long as they remained calm, at least.

"No," she said, lifting her chin and spreading her feet apart a few inches. A gust of wind hit her face but she didn't move. Vitor stilled.

"You bring us a sacrifice?" they chuckled hungrily.

Lost remained stoic. "I bring you proof," she declared, lifting Vitor to be seen clearer. He was a rock, he was so motionless, but his eyes darted rapidly, assessing.

Another whoosh of air pushed at Lost, then they said, "What is this trick?"

"No trick. This is my son. True born, blood of mine, power of mine, and first of his kind."

The old ones wailed and hissed, roared and jeered. "Lies," they echoed. "Your kind bears no sons."

"This is true... But not anymore."

They mumbled, disgruntled, but collected themselves and said, "Be it true or not. How is this proof?"

Lost brought her son to her chest and he immediately curled into her breast, clutching at her shirt for safety. She rocked him until he was soothed then returned her focus to the old ones. "You stay in your tomb and only contemplate resurfacing to teach the humans about your ways. That's not how you should function. Keep your rituals, yes, continue your culture, absolutely, but do not barge into their world and try to make it yours. Because that's just it. It's not your world anymore, it is theirs."

The old ones rumbled in distaste. "You would have us assimilate?" Their power surged, ready to strike. They had humored their visitor for long enough.

"Not if you don't wish to." Lost hushed her son as he started to babble in discomfort. "Time has gone on without you and that's entirely your fault. You decided to hide here, so you cannot be disturbed that things have become different. Humans made their world, advanced it, without you, and that's just fine." She gazed down at her baby, her anomaly. "This is the new generation. I was given a son as proof." She looked back up. "I was close minded before this, same as you, but I have realized this child is not the degradation of my line. He is an advancement, an adaption to the passage of time and its betterment. This applies to humans and their ways as well. Simply because they have evolved in a way you do not approve of does not mean they are worthless and need realignment. They are thriving in a world you were too afraid to live in. They have progressed wonderfully."

The old ones were silent, contemplative. They made a sound between a sigh and growl. "They harm one another for-"

"They are learning to love," Lost interrupted. "Yes, bigotry is still alive, but the newer children are changing their views. It's the old ones like you that are causing harm by trying to hold tight to hatred that doesn't apply, that never did. In a few decades, who knows? Perhaps there will be no hate crimes, discrimination. You must leave the humans be to allow them to figure this all out themselves. Let them live or die on their terms."

Complete and utter silence filled Lost's ears. Vitor bunched his fists and wriggled his legs. The old ones shifted, the air in the tomb thickening, and then they said, "We do not belong anymore."

"No," Lost agreed, "Not in the way you want."

"We fear adaption."

"There is no shame in that." Lost wiped Vitor's forehead with the wet cloth. "Preserve your history but preserve the human's as well. You can live along side each other if you respect them."

"And will they respect us?"

"Most don't know of us. But if you represent as your African roots, they will respect your heritage. Those that are aware of preternatural creatures will respect you as well. Every human is different and you can't be put off by one bad seed. If you decide to resurrect, you must be open to their changes."

The tombs shook, and Lost leaned over Vitor so dirt and rubble wouldn't hit him in the face. When the rumbling stopped, the old ones retreated. "We understand," their voices whispered softly, almost gone. "We will comply."

When the tomb was empty, Lost turned and left without looking back. Vitor giggled and Lost put her finger in his little fist and allowed him to nibble on the digit. She remained that way as she ascended into the steaming rays of the sun to meet Deanna and Kahlan. Vitor fought in Lost's grip the closer he got to Kahlan, and he didn't stop until he was in Kahlan's arms. Lost had the same connection to Kahlan so she didn't mind her son vying for the redhead's attention in such a manner.

"How did it go?" Deanna asked, fanning her face, her eyes squinted.

As everyone started for the road where the car was waiting, Lost took the water jug Kahlan offered and poured a healthy amount of it over her head. She could survive just fine in the heat, but the cold was refreshing. She splashed a few droplets on Vitor as well, and he giggled. "Well. They understand. They're drifting in the catacombs, lost, I think."

"Do we leave them trapped there?"

"I think we should leave them to come to terms. We can allow them to leave in a few years."

"You're sure?"

They were at the car now, and Lost squinted back where the tomb was hidden. "Perhaps. They know we can trap them, anyway, if they misbehave. They know they're not gods now."

Deanna slipped into the driver's seat and started the car to crank up the a/c. "This has been quite the scandal."

"A crazy ride," Kahlan agreed from the back seat. Vitor was bumbling happily in her lap.

Lost stared out her window. Everything she'd been through had been wild, unbelievable, to say the least. But it was over now. Over and done with and everyone came out okay. She glanced into the rearview mirror to gaze at her girlfriend and son. "A crazy ride, indeed," she whispered with a smile.