Luna let out another choked sob. I caught her gaze. There was something in her eyes—a fatal vision that stared back at me. We’d won. She would have to make good on her promise. I wanted to ask her what would happen now, but too much had passed this night. Too much water under the bridge. We’d lost too many people. I didn’t want to know when we would lose her, too.
“I suppose I should call Regina.” But I made no move for the phone. There were so many things that we needed to do. Aftermath was almost worse than the actual battle.
“And so . . . what next, my friends?” I looked up. “What the fuck do we do now? All our focus has been on destroying Myst. And that’s done.”
“Clear out the Shadow Hunters. Heal the wounded. Bury our dead. Count our blessings that the world won’t fall to Myst’s rule. And plan for what happens next time someone gets it in their head to create an empire. Because you know that there will always be another time, another enemy, another power-crazed fool ready to destroy the world in their attempt to hold it in their grasp.” Ysandra laughed, but her voice cracked, and she began to cry. Luna followed suit, and Peyton. And I sat there, devoid of tears, because I felt so numb that I didn’t know if I’d ever be able to feel much of anything again.
Even with my apathy, I forced myself to place a call to Regina. She dispatched a host of men to go in search of Lannan. By morning, we hadn’t heard word one from her, and I could only pray they’d found him before the sun drove them back to their lair for the day.
Grieve was hurt, but he would heal. The same with Fearless and Check. The Snow Hag had vanished, but I expected to see her again. Kaylin—I had no clue what happened to Kaylin, and once more, I could only pray he’d found his way to the Court of Dreams safely.
Rhiannon and Chatter returned from the town, where they’d been leading their men in routing the Shadow Hunters from New Forest. They were covered in blood, but unhurt.
And now my cousin and I stood on the back porch of the Veil House, staring as dawn broke in the east. The rosy streaks shimmered across the sky, and though it was still icy cold, the edge in the air had worn off, and here and there we could see icicles melting as the sun rose. It would be weeks before the snow was gone, but the worst of the winter was over, and we were on our way to spring.
“When I came back, I had no clue . . .” I stopped. There was no use in chewing over the past. What was, was gone. What was to come, would be here in good time.
“Was it hard to kill Myst? Were you sorry at all? She was your mother. Once, long ago in a dark faerie tale.” Rhia gave me a smile, and the warmth of her eyes filled me with hope. She was the summer, bright as the sun, and I realized that any time I ever needed to bask in the light, I just had to meet her for lunch.
“You know, there was one point where it all felt so pointless. Where I felt like we were all pawns—including her—in one big joke the universe decided to play.” I paused, then let out a long breath. “But . . . Lannan . . .”
“You mourn him. With all he did to you. . . .”
“With all he did, I miss him. I hope to hell he survived. Tonight, I’ll contact Regina and find out what happened. If they even know. But he saved me. Rhia, Lannan gave me the time I needed to finish Myst for good. He sacrificed himself for us.”
“Maybe he escaped. Maybe he managed to survive.” She put her hand on mine. “Cicely, let your heart be happy. We’ve lost a lot of people, but now, New Forest can recover and be safe. And you and I can go about putting the pieces back together. Summer and Winter.”
“Fire and ice.” I turned to her, taking her hands in mine.
“Amber and jet.”
“We’ll never let them separate us, even though we are worlds apart. The balance must be maintained. Even though we are at odds, we’ll always work together. Promise me that no matter what, we’re still twin cousins.”
Rhia leaned down and placed a kiss on my cheek. “Always, Cicely. Twin cousins. Never to part.”
The town was digging out. As we made our way through the streets, Regina had told Dakota—Lannan’s main day-runner—to spread the word that Myst was dead. And our men, the warriors of Summer and Winter, were out chasing down the last of the Shadow Hunters, destroying them on sight.
As soon as we managed to reestablish communication with Seattle and the Consortium, we’d enlist their help, and soon, if we were lucky, we’d manage to destroy every remnant of the Indigo Court. Without Myst, the Shadow Hunters would be plunged into chaos, so now was the time to finish them off. And this date would always be a holiday—the day we vanquished a monster.
As we passed what had been Anadey’s diner, Peyton stopped, staring at the building. I slid my arm through hers.
“Are you all right?” I asked as she stared up at the silent neon sign. A FOR SALE sign was posted on the building, and I knew that Peyton would never again darken the doors of the restaurant.
“I don’t even know what to say. I lost my mother when she tried to kill you—and then again when Geoffrey killed her. I lost my father too soon after I found him again. Just so much destruction.” She shook her head. “I’m going to call my father’s Pride in a few weeks and make arrangements to go stay with them for a while. When I come back, I’ll open up my business.”
“What do you think will happen to Luna? Do you think . . .” I didn’t want to ask, but Peyton was the one Luna was talking to most.
“I think that her ancestors and Dorthea will come for her when they’re good and ready. Maybe today. Maybe in ten years. Or twenty. Who knows? None of us ever really know when our time is up, not until we face it head-on.”
“That’s true enough.”
“So Luna’s life is forfeit. She bound herself to a pact, and they fulfilled their promise. She can’t back out of this. But it was something she wanted to do, and our paths are our own to walk. When will they come for her? I have no idea, and I don’t think she does either. But she made the choice willingly. Don’t take away her sacrifice to help us. Don’t make her feel guilty over it.”
“That’s what someone told me about Kaylin, you know.”
“They were right.” Peyton looked like she wanted to say something else, but was holding back.
“Out with it—what is it?”
“Only that . . . Luna was marked the first time we saw her. You saw it in your cards, and so did I. Maybe she was destined to die young. Maybe we saved her for a time, but we can’t stop the Fates. We can’t preordain who lives or dies. You might have the power to kill—to order someone’s death. But ultimately, if that person is meant to live, fate will find a way.”
I let out a soft sigh. “You’re basically saying that if Luna’s meant to go, then nothing we do will stop it.”
“Yeah, I am.”
“I know. I know. I’m tired of losing people.”
“Cicely, accidents happen. War will come as it will. People die. A bullet, a vampire’s fangs, falling on the ice and breaking your neck . . . There’s nothing you can do. No matter how much you want to stop it, nothing you can do will prevent what’s meant to happen. You may be a queen, but you aren’t a goddess.” And then she wrapped her arm around my shoulder. “No matter how much you wish you could control everything, it’s not going to happen.”
“Well, fuck. You just ruined my day with that.” But I was laughing with her, even though I didn’t want to hear what she had to say.
Ysandra sat in the rocking chair while I perched on the ottoman, watching the flames crackle in the fireplace. She was studying me, and finally, I turned to her. “What are you thinking about?”