The Stone Demon

Epilogue





Sitting on the roof terrace of the Grayson townhouse was both familiar and strange. It seemed so long since Donna had first met Xan, and yet it was only three months ago.

It felt like a lifetime.

Today, with the winter-bright sun peeking out from behind the clouds at regular intervals, Donna was starting to feel human again. It even looked like spring might come early this year.

Xan sat across from her, smiling. “I have the strangest feeling that we’ve been here before.”

“Déjà vu? Really?” She smiled in return. “That’s cool.”

“You don’t find this … familiar?” He raised an eyebrow and his green eyes sparkled.

She laughed. “Maybe you dreamed it.”

“Maybe,” he said quietly. “Maybe I did.”

Donna leaned back against the wall and waited to feel the sun on her face. She smiled to herself, wondering about the future. Wondering about the choices that lay ahead of her. It was okay not to know what came next—it was a gift. Freedom didn’t come without a price, and the price of her freedom hadn’t come cheap. She intended to make the most of it. Honor the memory of those who had fallen. Make the most of her life, and do the best she could to always keep looking forward.

Starting with traveling, just like she’d always wanted.

It was too late to submit college applications this year anyway, which worked out fine because it was giving her a whole extra year to herself. A year to see what was out there, beyond the boundaries of the alchemists. Rachel Underwood’s first act as the new Archmaster had been to give Donna her blessing for any and all plans—even those that didn’t include alchemy. Quentin also gave his full approval for this course of action. The only people not happy with this decision were some of the older alchemists, especially from the Order of the Rose. Now that Quentin had officially handed over his title to Rachel, she had to complete a million tests in record time to keep the Council off her back, and the Rose alchemists were the ones overseeing that process.

Perhaps Donna would pay them a visit in Prague, just to keep them on their toes. She grinned, imagining the fuss that would cause.

Navin had deferred his own admission to college, much to Dr. Sharma’s horror, and would be traveling with Donna during the summer and perhaps beyond. This made her happier than she could ever have imagined being. It was another gift from the Universe—that was how she chose to see it.

Maybe even a gift from a dragon.

Demian had made a mistake when he’d set the deadline for getting the Philosopher’s Stone on Imbolc. Donna had looked up the holiday in one of Quentin’s many books—alchemists were never short of books, that was for sure—and discovered that “Imbolc” meant “in the belly.” Traditionally, it meant the time of year when life begins to stir in the belly of the earth. A time of new beginnings … the spark of life … possibility whispering in the cold air. Yes, frost might still lie on the ground, snow can still fall, but spring has its first glimmerings. Maybe it’s not quite knocking at the door, but it’s very definitely on the horizon. When the deepest day of winter passes, a time of cleansing begins.

Imbolc was the time of the dragon, and the dragon had awakened. The Demon King hadn’t anticipated that. Perhaps he wasn’t aware, when he’d chosen his “impossible” deadline, that a power even older than his own slept beneath the Ironwood.

Donna thanked the gods for boring alchemical texts, good friends, and being born different. All that reading while shelving for Miranda had been worthwhile in the end, as she’d slowly pieced together her plan to thwart Demian. She hadn’t known that there was a plan to build—not even when the British Museum was reduced to rubble and Demian faced down the other three races at that charade of a masquerade. Things had seemed hopeless—which was what Demian had intended.

Robert—who had relished both his role in the battle and coordinating communications in the aftermath—had told Donna that the Philosopher’s Stone was now being looked after by the Order of the Lion. It seemed appropriate that the most secret of all the secret Orders was safeguarding the most powerful artifact in the world. A new elixir could now be created, but nobody was rushing to complete the process. Maybe they never would. Rachel and the other alchemists had agreed on one thing: alchemy belonged to the past. The future involved new directions, and a whole new purpose. They just had to figure out where they fit in the modern world, and immortality wasn’t something that humanity was ready for.

Taking a deep breath, Donna glanced at Xan. He’d de-cided to return to his birth father’s home. It had been a … surprise when he’d first told her about it. Donna had hugged him and nodded enthusiastically, but inside, her heart had broken just a little.

She leaned toward him now, with a sigh, and kissed his warm cheek. He moved to her side of their little nook and wrapped his arms around her, holding on tight.

They spoke about it again, up there on the roof: Xan’s intention to spend some quality time in Faerie at Queen Isolde’s personal invitation. Cathal was the queen’s new first knight and would be needed there for the foreseeable future. Donna couldn’t help feeling that they were saying goodbye forever, although she hoped that wasn’t true. Forever was a long time.

“I’ll visit,” he said.

“I know.”

“Probably not a good idea if you try to visit me.”

Donna shook her head, a wry smile on her face to match his. “Probably not.”

They sat quietly for another few minutes.

Donna snuggled in closer and leaned her head on his shoulder. “Do you think you’ll come back here? To live permanently, I mean.”

“I don’t know,” he said. “It’s like … I’ve only just found myself. Where I’m from. Who I really am. I need to explore it—at least for a while. Beyond that? I honestly can’t say. Not yet. I promise you though, Donna, you’ll be the first to know. I won’t keep any more secrets.”

She nodded, trying not to focus on the sadness that stopped her from speaking. At least he was being honest.

“You won’t miss me,” he said, in a tone of voice that said he clearly hoped she would. “You’ll be too busy traveling the world with Sharma.”

“Oh, just shut up and kiss me,” she told him.

Xan grinned and his green eyes flashed. “Your wish is my—”

Donna pressed her lips to his as the sun finally broke through the clouds.

It was going to be a beautiful day.

“So,” she said as she pulled back, flushed and breathless.

“So.” Xan’s expression was difficult to read, but there was the ghost of a smile at the corner of his mouth. “Do you come here often?”

“Not often.” She swallowed—why did saying goodbye have to be so difficult? “The guy who lives here is kind of a private person. He doesn’t let people in easy, you know?”

“Yeah, I know the type. I know someone just like that, actually.”

“You do?”

He nodded. “A beautiful girl. A beautiful young woman, I should say.” His gaze met hers, and she was surprised to see the shimmer of tears. “She changed my life.”

“That’s funny,” she said. “This guy? The one I told you about? He changed mine, too.”

“Really? Coincidence, do you think?”

“I don’t believe in coincidence.”

“Then … what?”

“Magic,” she whispered, right before kissing him again. “I believe in that.”

THE END