EPILOGUE
SIX MONTHS LATER
“Mom! Mom!”
Cathy looked up from her weeding. Kevin bounded around a rosebush, beaming from ear to ear, hands clasped in front of him. A young faun girl pelted at his heels, also clutching something in her fist. Noodle bounded after both children, tail wagging furiously.
“Look, Mom.” Panting for breath, Kevin thrust an object at her. “Look what I did!”
“That’s wonderful, Kevin,” Cathy said automatically, and then tried to work out what she was looking at. As far as she could see, it was an ordinary lump of gray stone. “Er, it’s… a rock?”
“Yes!” Kevin’s chest swelled with pride. “But before, it was a different rock.”
At his side, the faun girl rolled her eyes. “You just changed it from sandstone to granite. At least I made mine pretty. Look, Lady Rose.”
She held out a chunk of amethyst the size of a hen’s egg. Cathy took it, admiring the deep purple reflections in the heart of the crystal.
“That’s lovely, Tara,” Cathy said, with rather more genuine enthusiasm. “But you can call me Cathy, remember?”
Tara gave her a dubious look. “My da says we should all show proper respect, Lady Rose.”
Cathy repressed a sigh, making a mental note to go down to the village and speak to the faun elders yet again. Though Aodhan was probably right that she might as well save her breath.
All the lesser fae who now lived near the oak seemed determined to address her as ‘Lady Rose,’ no matter how many times she corrected them. Most of the fauns, centaurs and sylphs had come from the seelie lands, drawn by the rumors of a place where any fae could find sanctuary. They’d escaped from the high sidhe, but some habits died hard.
Tara and the other fauns had been the first to arrive, bringing with them news of Ferghal and Eislyn. Apparently the knight and his steed had survived the duel with Morcant, but his reputation had taken a serious battering. With Ferghal in disgrace for failing to stop the unseelie prince, other seelie had taken the opportunity to try to seize his estate. The ensuing chaos had allowed many of Ferghal’s formal serfs to slip away from their former master.
“Well, it’s a beautiful amethyst,” she said, handing the crystal back to the girl. “And a very, er, impressive piece of granite, Kevin. Did Aodhan help you kids with the transformation ritual?”
“No, we cast the spell all on our own.” Tara hesitated, her ears drooping a little. “Though Kevin had to tell me the words. I still can’t read very well.”
“Hey, you’re doing great.” Kevin bumped his friend with his shoulder. “I’ve been reading since I was four, remember? You just need more practice.”
“I’m sure Aodhan will be very impressed with your work.” Cathy eyed the children, a sudden suspicion creeping into her mind. “You did ask him first, didn’t you? You didn’t just take a spell book without permission?”
“Of course not, Mom,” Kevin said. “How could we have done? You know Aodhan warded all the shelves we aren’t supposed to touch.”
Cathy studied their matching, too-innocent expressions, and reached out down the mate bond. *Aodhan? I think they got through one of your wards.*
He must have been reading, because it took him a few moments to reply. *About time. I was starting to think I’d have to leave a few more theory books ‘accidentally’ lying around.*
Cathy pressed her lips together, hiding her smile. She withdrew her attention from the bond, turning back to Kevin and Tara.
“Aodhan’s busy at the moment,” she said. “You can show him your rocks later. Did you finish your chores, or were you too busy doing magic?”
The two kids exchanged guilty glances. “We’re about to go do them, Lady Rose,” Tara said.
“Well, off you go then. Don’t forget to water the osses. There hasn’t been much rain for them recently.”
Kevin brightened. “Can we ask Neifion to help?”
Cathy shook her head. “I don’t have time to take you down to the lake at the moment. You know you’re not supposed to go near the water on your own, kids.”
This restriction not just due to basic water safety, but also water horse safety. Cathy liked Neifion, but the fact remained that he was a kelpie, with all their wild, unpredictable impulses. She knew he’d never hurt any of the kids, but she also didn’t entirely trust him not to take them on an unauthorized adventure, given half a chance.
“We don’t have to go down to the lake. He’s right over there.” Kevin waved an arm over his head. “Hey, Neifion!”
Cathy turned to find the kelpie wandering along the edge of her garden, hands in his pockets. As always, his shirt was dripping wet, clinging to his torso despite the heat of the day. He flashed them all an impartial grin, sauntering over.