Page 211 of A Courage of the Chosen

“Assuring them it can’t happen again. Teaching this world about the lessons forgotten to time, so when the darkness does return they know how important the balance is.”

Ishbel grins at me. “No, it won’t be. But your heart is true. Continue to trust it, Elspeth.”

Which reminds me. “How did my granny know so much? She wrote to me and said ‘all that is, belongs to you’.”

“She saw what you were born encased in, protected you and your family from the truth of it, and bound your powers until you reached maturity. She returned to Elfayne in secret one last time after your birth to find answers. She found me instead,” Ishbel shrugs.

I let that settle, and peer at the woman observing her surroundings with an air of ease.

“There really is no defeating the dark, huh?”

With an unapologetic shake of her head, Ishbel’s smile stretches wider, and her features stun me. Genuine happiness radiates from her.

A deep sigh expands my lungs. “So, what now?”

“Now you live your life. You love. You rule. You can finally find some peace. As will I.”

“Well, thank fuck for that.” It slips out, a reflection of how much it soothes me to know this war is genuinely over.

Despite knowing the journey ahead will be challenging, I survived. And now a long life lies ahead of me.

Ishbel and I exchange a glance, and I snort.

She tips her head back and laughs. It’s loud, and as free as I feel in my heart.

We get to our feet as another stronger gust of wind whips my dirty braid around my face and tangles in the crown still on top of my head.

“Lead them well, Elsie,” she whispers.

I peer to my left to ask Ishbel what happens to our connection now the war is over, but she’s no longer there, and her absence hits me harder than I would’ve expected.

She was a comfort just now, as the last ties to my deepest horrors were snipped away. She was a comfort then, too, in the underground hell, when I didn’t know who she was, but held onto the snippets of her voice to keep me sane.

I take a last look around the meadow, the pile of ash from the fire, and the bones of the man who brought me here. It’s such a beautiful place, much like the rest of Elfayne, but this will always be tied to him.

So, as I leave through the darkened tunnel and back out into the forest on the other side, I use my magic to seep into the rock.

The splitting of the stone rumbles beneath my feet, and my combined powers traverse the cracks all through the cave, collapsing it so that no one else can get through.

With only one way in and out, that’s where Tavish will remain for all eternity.

Alone.

Chapter 63

Elsie

Elfayne is in mourning.

The proclamation has been made at my request, and for seven days, the Seelie realm will come together to comfort each other. Ceremonies are being held across the city and beyond, so the people can finally say their goodbyes without fear of any more attacks. There are no Dorche or Brollachan left to terrorize them now.

Callahan didn’t ask if I’d killed his cousin when I shadow-walked right to him a few hours after I left to find Tavish. He knew I wouldn’t return until that was finished.

He’d simply kissed me long and deep, and held me in an embrace that said more than his words ever could.

Nearly twenty thousand soldiers died in the battle against Tavish’s forces, and the number of those who lost their lives due to corruption or murder is significantly higher than that. It was more important than ever that our people rally around each other, and the idea of time to grieve was welcomed by the council, when Callahan and I met with them on our return.

The only exception to the peace is the unit of commanders Hector led through the barrier, to bring back the Dorche Tavish sent as a threat to me. They weren’t far, and had taken up residence in the homes of those innocent people they killed, only a few miles away from the boundaries between worlds. They were quickly overpowered.