Literature / The Afterward

Olsa (bottom, holding a dagger) next to Kalanthe (top, in armor).

The Afterward is a fantasy novel written by E. K. Johnston. The book was published in 2019.

A year ago, Kalanthe and Olsa were a part of the seven companions, the heroes who retrieved the godsgem and had banished the evil Old God from the world, becoming lovers on the quest. Now, however, the two have drifted apart. Kalanthe intends to marry a man and thus pay her debt off. Olsa had returned to life as a thief, endangering herself when she's arrested. While the narrative alternately shows the present along with the past leading up to this, Kalanthe and Olsa soon cross paths once again.

Tropes:

• Action Girl: The book has many female characters skilled in combat and action.
  • Branthear, Erris, Terriam and Ulewaya are all knights. Kalanthe is an apprentice knight.
  • Olsa is a skilled, nimble thief. The knights trained her too in unarmed combat.
• The Apprentice: Kalanthe is an apprentice knight when starting on the quest in the past and for most of the story. She's knighted at last in the finale.
• The Archmage: Ladros is well known as the most powerful mage who lives in Cadrium, along with probably the entire world.
• The Big Damn Kiss: Kalanthe and Olsa get back together, after much difficulty, in the book's finale, kissing each other publicly to cheers from onlookers.
• But Not Too Bi: Olsa is bisexual, though she's only attracted to Kalanthe during the book. Her bisexuality is only established by her saying it and once mentioning having had sex with a boy in the past.
• Braids of Action:
  • The female knights usually wear their hair in one or more braids. Kalanthe also has a hair spike to stop anyone grabbing hers while in battle. It's enchanted to kill anyone but her who touches it too.
  • Olsa gets hers put into cornrows when Uleweya notices she's grown her hair out, who's got a similar style (both are black women, judging by their descriptions, and the book cover in Olsa's case).
• City Mouse: Olsa had never been outside of her home city prior to the quest. She finds the countryside all astonishing at first, and lacks any skills useful for making camp as well.
• Demonic Possession: The Old God has demons and humans he controls to attack enemies.
• The Fagin: The Thief Bosses recruit street urchins like Olsa, training them to be thieves in return for protection and receiving most of their earnings for this while they Work Off the Debt.
• Famed In-Story: Kalanthe, Olsa and the other seven companions are famous in the book, given they're the heroes who banished the evil Old God from the world. They were awarded by the king of their native country Cadrium publicly, which spread their fame, and many ballads about them are mentioned (usually quite romanticized).
• Fantasy Contraception: Kalanthe provides Olsa with a tea that stops her from menstruating, which also doubles as contraception as a result though the main point is to not have the burden of menstruation when they're on the road and in action.
• Fantasy Counterpart Culture: Giran's people seem to be like bedouin Arabs, with their being somewhat nomadic, using camels and head coverings. She always wears a headscarf while in public, with light brown skin and black hair, which are common among Arabs.
• First Kiss: Kalanthe kissed Olsa in answer to the latter asking who she's attracted by. Neither of them had ever kissed anyone until then.
• First Period Panic: Olsa gets hers after training in combat and thinks she was injured. She doesn't realize what her bleeding and cramps are actually caused by. Being sixteen, she's late for menarche, which is a result of suffering malnutrition from living on the street. Prior to being told about it she didn't even know what menstruation was due to her lack of education. She also hadn't developed breasts yet from her being malnourished too.
• Forced Sleep: Sir Terriam was put into slumber by a spell on the quest so that a spell causing her an induced infatuation ceased. Mage Ladros later also puts their horses to sleep when the party is in a battle, so they don't get into a panic.
• God of Evil: The Old God was sadistic, always tormenting his creatures just for the hell of it. Later when he's been brought back, he threatens to harm the loved ones of Sir Erris' if she won't worship him.
• Hero of Another Story: Sir Erris Quicksword was the leader of the seven companions and the hero of the quest that saved the world from the Old God, and was crowned queen at its end. In the book itself, she's a supporting character to Kalanthe and Olsa.
• Holy City: The Holy City, which isn't a proper city really anymore, as it's mostly abandoned, but still has altars to the Old God and the new gods. It turns out to be where the godsgem's located, so the seven companions go there for this. Otherwise people largely avoid it due to the Old God's dangerous presence.
• How We Got Here: The story begins after the quest has been completed, then intersperses with chapters which show what happened.
• Incompatible Orientation: Part of the discomfort which Kalanthe has in getting married to a rich man so she can pay her debt off and have heirs is because she's a lesbian, it turns out.
• Justified Criminal: Olsa stole originally to survive as a Street Urchin, and then didn't know anything else. She eventually gives it up after swallowing her pride, dodging death multiple times due to having powerful friends when she's arrested, and so accepts legitimate employment instead.
• Keystone Army: The Old God's minions collapsed once he was banished, since he'd controlled and animated them all.
• Knighting: The king knights Kalanthe as part of the finale.
• Lady-In-Waiting: Kalanthe hired Triana, a lady's maid, to dress and make her up for the king's court after she returned from the quest. When she moves to her fiance Sir Edramore's estate, she's assigned to have another, a girl named Ayera.
• Love Potion: Sir Terriam is asexual, with her becoming enamored with a man only when a spell compels her. Kalanthe says it's particularly terrible, as it changes part of her nature involuntarily.
• Macguffin: The godsgem, a jewel that the seven godlings made which could banish the evil Old God from the world. When his followers recalled him, it had to be found for this purpose again by the heroes called the seven companions going on a quest.
• Mage Tower: The Mage Keep, an entire city which houses mages, includes several towers.
• Magical Society: The mages in Cadrium have their own governing Council of Mages and city, the Mage Keep, which houses a university-style school for them.
• Magical Weapon: Kalanthe's hair spike is deadly to anyone but her who touches it because of its magic.
• Magic Fire: Ladros casts blue fire which especially affects creatures who the Old God controls. While fighting a battle later he creates a wall of fire as well, and conjures it to kill the Old God's followers too in the Holy City as they're attacking.
• Magic Knight: Kalanthe's an apprentice knight who's also learning to do magic.
• Marriage of Convenience: Kalanthe needs to pay her debts as a knight, and starts considering an Arranged Marriage to a lord, Edramore, to do so even though it will be loveless given she's a lesbian. When she meets him, it turns out that he doesn't want a romantic union either: he's terminally ill and wants to make sure his children have a good stepmother to take care of them after he passes. Unfortunately, he dies before she can formally accept his proposal.
• Magic Potion: Ladros' magic can only work when suspended in liquid, and it's best when a person willingly drinks any potion he prepares.
• Mind Rape: One of the Old God's servants cast a love spell on Sir Terriam. While this would have been a violation in and of itself, Sir Terriam is asexual, and thus the spell had to change her nature and severely damaged her brain. She managed to complete the quest, but retired afterward and is still adjusting when the novel picks up.
• The Modest Orgasm: Kalanthe gasps and covers her mouth to stifle even that while Olsa is eating her out in a past scene.
• Never Learned to Read: Olsa, being a Street Urchin, was illiterate until Kalanthe had taught her.
• Nice to the Waiter: Kalanthe's from a noble family but always treats Olsa, a Street Urchin thief, with respect and never talks down to her. Olsa is charmed by her kind treatment.
• No Hero to His Valet: The seven companions are idolized by most people. Olsa, however, is one and does not feel this way, nor does she like being idolized herself. During the quest she'd seen them all naked, and knows the human foibles which they all have.
• Non-Heteronormative Society: Cadrium's society is wholly accepting of LGBT+ people. Kalanthe and Olsa, two girls, had a romance which they don't find unusual or something to hide at all. Olsa reacts in mild surprise after being told Sir Banathear is a trans woman, after which her perception of her hasn't really changed at all. She also thinks of how she's known several people who were nonbinary or at least crossdressed (which Olsa also did in the second case as well) and doesn't care at all. Kalanthe and the other cisgender female knights whom Banathear fights alongside also fully accept her. Terriam is also asexual, something apparently common among knights, with this also being treated as something that was unremarkable when Kalanthe tells Olsa about it.
• No Periods, Period: Olsa never menstruated before the quest as she was malnourished. After this, Kalanthe gives Olsa a potion to stop her period again as it's inconvenient while on the quest. Kalanthe and the other cisgender women who are with them take it as well.
• The One Guy: Ladros was the only man in the seven companions.
• Only Known by Their Nickname: Carster's actual name is Castriar, but this was used instead since as a girl she called herself when unable to pronounce it.
• The Pardon: Olsa was pardoned for three thefts after the quest had ended due to the help she gave to the king by helping retrieve the godsgem during it, which woke him from magical slumber. When she does this yet again though his mercy runs out, so Olsa's found guilty and sentenced to death. However, she's again spared when Kalanthe speaks for her.
• Parental Abandonment: Olsa never knew who her father was. Then her mother left as well, and Olsa was taken in by the Thief Bosses.
• Prematurely Grey-Haired: Olsa, who's not even twenty, is affected from holding the godsgem through having her black hair turn pure white.
• Protective Charm:
  • The mages cast many different spells to protect the godsgem, but most fail until they tie it into their ones for controlling the weather. It still kills multiple mages holding the spell in place though, so it's hardly a long-term solution.
  • Kalanthe also casts spells which keep her safe and concealed when camping on the road.
• Queer Establishing Moment:
  • Kalanthe tells Olsa that Sir Banathear is a trans woman early on. Later she also tells her that Sir Terriam is asexual.
  • Kalanthe then tells her she's a lesbian when Olsa asks.
  • After they become lovers, Olsa reveals she's actually bisexual, with the term even being used, unusually in fantasy.
• The Quest: The seven companions went on one to find the godsgem which could banish the evil Old God once again.
• Rotating Protagonist: The chapters alternate between Olsa and Kalanthe's perspectives.
• Rule of Seven: Because it was seven godlings who sealed away the Old God the first time, Erris decided to have seven companions on her quest to banish him again. It's primarily why Olsa was accepted despite being a thief: they were one short.
• Sealed Evil in a Can: The Old God was banished from the world for centuries before his followers at last got him back in. He was banished again after this by the seven companions.
• Shell-Shocked Veteran: Sir Terriam was the most gravely wounded of the seven companions. Hers were mostly invisible though, as the Old God had attacked her mind, but worse as a result. She suffered from terrifying nightmares about it for a long time, and can no longer stand to live in a city, but has gotten a bit better through living on her country estates outside of cities. Further, she's unable to stand that much light, so Terriam always wears a hood which covers her eyes, whether inside or out. Her wounds had caused her blinding headaches that can now still occur if she's triggered or pushes herself over much.
• Shrinking Violet: The younger of Sir Edramore's daughters, Carster, is very shy. After giving her name she hides behind her father on meeting Kalanthe, and can't find her voice to thank her later for what Kalanthe's gotten her (along with her older sister Elenia), only whispering it into her ear. Kalanthe's understanding of this and gently sympathizes with her.
• Sleeps in the Nude: Terriam slept nude, and Olsa did too while traveling when near other people, but otherwise with clothes on, ready to run if necessary.
• So What Do We Do Now?: As the title says, the great quest happened before the book even started, and the rest is about what happens after the heroes have succeeded and the day is saved. Kalanthe still has to pay her debts, Olsa has trouble finding jobs now that her face is known, Erris is queen now, and Terriam has retired. All of them are struggling with filling the gaps in their life after the excitement, danger, and camaraderie of the quest.
• Speak of the Devil: People are loathe to speak of the Old God, and do so indirectly, as he's a powerful, evil being who kills his creations for pleasure.
• Street Urchin: Olsa is seventeen and has lived on the street for many years, surviving through theft.
• Super-Senses: Sense magic is a different kind from plain magic, with no spell casting, only enhanced sensory abilities. Sir Terriam's eyesight is much better than other people's. Giran can find pages in a book simply by touch (which, as a scholar, is very useful).
• Switching P.O.V.: The chapters alternate, showing Olsa and Kalanthe's perspectives.
• Thieves' Guild: The Thief's Court in Cadria controls thieving which occurs there. Four Thief Bosses run the Court, which other thieves answer to. Newcomers are indebted for training, and belong to the Thief Bosses until this is worked off (it's implied the debts are high enough this doesn't happen that frequently). Afterward, free thieves still must give the Bosses a cut of any gains though. The free thieves also lack the Bosses' protection, which means if caught they're on their own. Any thief who dared to testify against them when tried would be swiftly killed by the Bosses' order.
• Token Wizard: Landros is the only full magic user in the seven companions, however he also had begun teaching Kalanthe magic too during their quest.
• Translator Microbes: Translation spells exists which people who don't know the same language use, or to translate documents in unknown languages as well.
• Uptown Girl: Olsa, a Street Urchin and thief, became lovers with Kalanthe, a noblewoman who's an apprentice knight. They didn't work out in the past since Kalanthe had to marry someone rich so her debt for knighthood could be paid off. By the end though they're back together for good.
• Weather Manipulation: The Mage Keep has all its weather controlled by powerful spells. Successful control over them serves as a test of a mage to become a master.
• Wholesome Crossdresser: Olsa likes to dress in both female and male clothing, not for disguise but just due to her whim it seems. No one who knows about this cares, though apparently other thieves believed she was "confused" because of it, and tied this into her being bisexual (which she denies).
• Wizard Duel: Ladros fights and wins against a female mage during a battle the seven companions have. It isn't hard, since he's the strongest mage in Cadrium.
• Wizarding School: The Mage Keep is an entire city that houses mages, training them from novices to masters as they learn over time. Unlike in many examples, this explicitly is like a university, which includes the squabbling academics with different theories about everything they stubbornly refuse to abandon.
• Work Off the Debt:
  • Knights from a poorer background like Kalanthe must pay back the cost of their armor, weapons and horse. All this gets very expensive. This is usually done through marrying someone rich.
  • Olsa had to pay back the Thief Bosses for training her by stealing things which they want.
• Your Days Are Numbered: Edramore has an aneurysm that no magic healing is able to safely cure. As this could rupture to kill him at any time, he's keen to marry again so he's daughters will have a good stepmother if he's dead (their mother, his first wife, is already deceased). Kalanthe, his intended, finds it moving how he considers her such a responsible candidate for becoming his wife. He's understanding of her being a lesbian as well, agreeing they won't have sex either. Edramore dies suddenly in his sleep when Kalanthe's still considering his proposal, with his servants and daughters devastated by this.

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