Future Indefinite (44 page)

Wow! That was a snappy ending.

As I said in my preface to
Past Imperative
, I recently read over this series prior to its reissue by E-Reads and Lightning Source. Of course I know the story in detail—an author almost knows a book by heart when it finally goes to press. It held no real surprises for me, but after a dozen years, I could see it with new eyes. And yes, that ending took my breath away, even though I knew it was coming.

I refer to the final page, of course. The climax of the story and the death of Zath go well. The rule of fictional conflict is that the little good guy must outsmart the big, bad bully. The converse does not work. The story of Goliath and David (where the stone bounces off the helmet of brass and the uppity brat gets that iron-headed spear through his bowels) would not have raised a cheer even back home in Gath, let alone made it into the Bible. So Zath, and I hope the reader, get hoodwinked by Exeter, just as Sauron is hoodwinked by Frodo.

But ending when Alice opens the door, does seem incomplete, and I even got letters asking me who was in there. To which I answered, “Exeter; who else could it be?” Who else would be finishing her painting for her?

Why didn’t I spell that out at the time and describe the final clinch? Mainly because both Alice and Edward are very undemonstrative people, and they deserve privacy for that passionate, tearful reunion. However I wrote it, the scene would have been obtrusive, with both of them acting out of character. In a movie it would have been shown without dialogue, just soaring violins.

But there was another reason. Edward let his friends die for his cause. As Julian pointed out a few pages earlier, he would never have done that had he not known that he must die also. He was ready to die. He had been beaten up and laid on the anvil; he was waiting for the smash of the hammer. Then the despicable Tion rescued him, murdering the innocent Dosh in the process. Edward would have been furious! The man waiting in that cottage would have been jubilant at his victory over Zath, yes, but he would also have been carrying a huge load of rage and guilt. An emotional turmoil like that cannot be wrapped up and disposed of in just a few lines. The conflict would have to be talked out over several pages, blunting the drama.

So Alice opened the door and you can work out the rest for yourself. A true Edwardian gentleman would then produce a large, clean, white, well-ironed, linen handkerchief and offer it to his companion so she might dry her eyes.

—Dave Duncan