the shadows of the past burned away in the glow of the new dawn. They kissed like it was the first time, like it was supposed to be, like nothing, not gods or goddesses or flames or storms or oceans would ever come between them again.
Their lips parted, their brows pressed together, their noses brushing against one another, ticklish. Staring into each other’s deathless eyes and understanding the meaning of Always.
“How?” Ashlinn whispered.
Mia’s shadow stirred, and a shape melted onto the dark shore beside them. Looking to the orb of silver above their heads with its not-eyes. It wore the shape of a cat, though truthfully, it was nothing close to a cat at all.
“… one tithe remained…,” it whispered. “… now repaid…”
Ashlinn sobbed. Mia smiled. They kissed again, black tears on their lips.
“I love you, Mia.”
“I love you, too.”
All was silence about them, perfect and whole and deep. And they sat side by side on the shoreline’s gentle curve and watched Anais rise higher in the sky. Arm in arm, skin to skin, alabaster and onyx and gold. Two girls beneath one moon, one sun, one night, one heart. All and everything in balance.
“… beautiful…,” the not-cat sighed.
The hollyhock and sunsbell were so thick, the whole valley smelled like perfume.
The lake was so still, it was like a mirror to the sky.
“I’m going to be with you forever,” Mia whispered.
“Just forever?” Ashlinn murmured.
Mia smiled in the silver light.
“Forever and ever.”
DICTA ULTIMA
The deed is done.
The war is won.
And at the last, gentlefriend, her song is sung.
I suppose you can say you know her now, at least as well as I did. The ugly parts and the selfish parts and the everything in between. A girl some called Pale Daughter. Or Kingmaker. A Queen of Scoundrels. A Lady of Blades. I like little Crow best of all. A girl who never knelt, who never broke, who never, ever allowed fear to be her fate.
A girl I loved as much as you did.
Look now upon the ruins in her wake. As pale light glitters on the waters that drank a city of bridges and bones, and a Republic’s ashes dance in the dark above your head. Stare mute at the broken sky and taste the iron on your tongue and listen as lonely winds whisper her name as if they knew her, too. I gave you all I promised, gentlefriend. I gave it to you in spades. And if her death didn’t unfold in the way you dreaded, I hope you’ll not name me liar for it. She did die, just as I said she would.
But even the Moon loved our girl too much to let her die for long.
The ink is drying upon the page. The tale is ending before your eyes. And if you feel some sorrow at this, our last farewell, know your narrator feels it, too. We are not made more by the stories we read, but by the stories we share. And in this, in her, I think we’ve shared more than most.
I shall miss it when it’s gone.
But to live in the hearts of those we leave behind is to never die. And to burn in the memories of our friends is to never say goodbye. So let me say this instead.
Goodnight, gentlefriend. Goodnight.
Never flinch.
Never fear.
And never, ever forget.
FIN
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Thanks as deep as the Dark to the following:
Amanda, Pete, Jennifer, Paul, Joseph, Hector, Young, Steven, Justin, Rafal, Cheryl, Martin, Bethany, and all at St. Martin’s Press; Natasha, Jack, Katie, Emma, Jaime, Dom, and all at Harper Voyager UK; Rochelle, Alice, Sarah, Andrea, and all at Harper Australia; Mia, Matt, LT, Josh, Tracey, Samantha, Stefanie, Steven, Steve, Jason, Kerby, Megasaurus, Virginia, Vilma, Marc, Molly, Tovo, Orrsome, Tsana, Lewis, Shaheen, Soraya, Amie, Jessie, Cat, all my ladies in the Bitch Posse, Ursula, Andrea, Tori, Caz, Piéra, Nan Fe, Lesya, Iryna, Mona, Niru, TJ, Morgana, Cira, Holly, Rin, Zach, Daphne, Marie, Nael, Marc, Tina, Maxim, Zara, Ben, Clare, Jim, Weez, Sam, Eli, Rafe, AmberLouise, Caro, Melanie, Barbara, Judith, Rose, Tracy, Aline, Louise, Adele, Jordi, Kylie, Joe, Julius, Antony, Antonio, Emily, Robin, Drew, William, China, David, Aaron, Terry (RIP), Douglas (RIP), George, Margaret, Tracy, Ian, Steve, Gary, Mark, Tim, Matt, George, Ludovico, Ronnie, Chris, Antony, Briton, Philip, Randy, Oli, Maynard, Pete (RIP), Marcus, Tom (RIP), Trent, Winston, Tony, Kath, Kylie, Nicole, Kurt, Jack, Max, Poppy, and every reader, blogger, vlogger, bookstagrammer, and bookpimp who helped spread the word about this series. These books are what they are because of you. I