All the while, Sage stood nearby, sacrificing the rest of the Hunt to make sure that both Elspeth and I were truly safe, although we told her she was free to harvest. She merely shook her head and said that the best harvest was right here, right now.
Then a young man came nearer and he lingered at Elspeth’s side. He seemed unafraid of the other Darklings, as if his desire to be near her overshadowed any potential danger. I recognized the lad, for I had seen him often at Joe Wimbledon’s house. He was Joe’s nephew, Jake.
I had been wrong to think that no one would ever love my daughter. There were already strong feelings between the two of them, although they were probably too young to feel this way. Still, I knew better than to argue with her when it came to matters of the heart.
She was the ruler now.
I lifted my head and caught a new fragrance on the wind. A new harvest was growing in the village. Hidden and secret. Somewhere, somehow, on this evening, Darkling seed had been planted in the wombs of twelve human women. This would be an uneasy harvest when revealed, but I knew that those children would be innocent of the crimes of their father—whoever he had been.
Then, when the crowd of Darklings was finally dispersing—as they were all spreading broad wings and sailing through rose-tinted skies, as the humans were wandering off toward home and the promise of soft beds—Maddie came forward and knelt before my daughter. She was the only human who had offered obeisance and the gesture confirmed those deep feelings I already had.
She and Elspeth spoke quietly for a moment, then Maddie rose and came to me.
The field was near empty now. The werebeast meandered back and forth, always within sight, still carrying Tucker in his arms, the lad fast asleep.
Maddie gently placed one hand on my wound and she held it there, ignoring the heat and the sparking light; she pressed it there until the flow of red-black blood finally stopped. Until healing returned to my bones, to my marrow.
And, most important, to my heart.
Meanwhile, the Legend zipped overhead, leaping merrily from one tree branch to the next in the nearby forest. This was the happy ending that I had never anticipated. It was destiny after all. Madeline was meant to be here. Meant to be part of this century-old legend.
“I nearly lost you tonight,” she said.
“And I you.”
“Promise me,” she said then, with a smile that rivaled the brilliance of the setting moon, “if you’re ever in trouble again, you will call me.”
I smiled.
“I promise,” I answered.
Then she cupped my face in her hand, her fingers brushing my cheek and chin, almost exactly like I had held her in the forest. She remembered everything now, even how my Veil had held her still in the forest, she remembered it all and she was unafraid.
She came even nearer, her eyes like starlight, and she kissed me.
And with that, I wrapped my arms about her and pulled her close, held her so tight that no magic could ever separate us.
The dream worth dying for was alive and well.
Epilogue
Eight Months Later
Maddie:
I stood with my hair pulled back, sweat dripping down my neck from an unexpected flurry of Santa Ana winds. Boxes were stacked waist-deep inside the bungalow and a moving van slugged its way out of the driveway, back toward civilization. Meanwhile, the sun was sliding toward the Pacific, the shadows were growing longer and I was wondering where I was going to put everything once I unpacked. This mountain cottage was about a third the size of my Malibu home, the one I finally sold just last week.
Tucker sat on the front porch, an advance reader’s copy of The Dream Eaters open across his knees. His ten-year-old eyes searched through the pages for the true story written between the lines—the story about him and Samwise and the entire community of Queensbury Falls, a mythical town nestled in the forests of the Adirondack Mountains. Meanwhile, Samwise scampered and rolled in the grass, yipping at the leaves that occasionally sailed to the ground. Thankfully, he’d gotten used to wearing dog skin unless it was absolutely necessary not to—though it had taken him a long time to figure out when that was.
Just then I heard a familiar voice, a lumbering step climbing the stairs.
Sheriff Kyle.
“You need some help unpacking?” he called.
I glanced at him and grinned. He limped now, but fortunately, all the other scars and wounds from his brief battle with Thane had healed.
“Sure,” I said.
We worked side by side, ripping boxes open and unwrapping the contents. Every hour or so throughout the evening, a neighbor would drop by to welcome me back to Ticonderoga Falls, giving me cakes, pies and cookies, until the sweets lined my kitchen table and counter. And now, in their midst, two pizza boxes stood open and empty. Tucker fed the last slice to Samwise, despite my protests.
Meanwhile, the moon rose in the heavens and its silver light poured in every uncurtained window.