of laughter as Katie shook her head. “He does have a better ass,” Katie considered, “but he’s at least ten years younger than me.”
“What difference does that make?”
“That’s my girl. Mark McKinnon.” Lana pointed at Katie. “Go for it.”
“I couldn’t … maybe.”
“Try not to kill him,” Fallon added, and after a shocked beat, all four women roared with laughter.
“You’re now, officially, a member of our private party.” Arlys sent a splash of water in Fallon’s direction. “Into the pool, girlfriend.”
She needed to get into town, needed to talk to Will, check on the rescues. She needed to— What the hell.
She unstrapped her sword, pulled off her boots. After a moment’s consideration, she stripped down to the skin like her mother and Fred. And for the fun of it, leaped, rolled twice in the air, and dived in.
Later, when she rode into town, Fallon thought how much she’d enjoyed that half hour of silliness with a group of women. Her mother’s circle—minus Rachel, who hadn’t been able to get away from the clinic, and Kim, who had an herbalist class scheduled.
She knew her mother’s power, her mother’s strength. She depended on it. How much strength and will had it taken for Lana Bingham, a child in her belly, grief in her heart, to leave New Hope and that circle? To leave it to save the child and everyone, everything she’d left behind?
More than anyone she knew, Fallon decided.
She thought of the other women—she knew their stories.
Katie, who’d lost her husband, her parents, her entire family but for the twins inside her. It had taken strength to survive, more strength, and such compassion, to take another infant whose mother hadn’t survived as her own.
With Jonah’s and Rachel’s help and friendship, Katie had escaped New York with her three infants.
Arlys Reid, intrepid reporter, had watched her colleagues sicken and die of the Doom, had watched her city fall, the world crumble. But she, along with a few brave souls, including Fred, had continued to broadcast for as long as possible.
With Chuck, hacker and IT guru, as her source, Arlys uncovered the truth and the lies. How many lives had she saved by telling the truth? Fallon wondered.
What had it been like for Fred to discover the magick inside her, to sprout wings? For some the emergence of powers brought madness or turned them dark.
For Fred it brought joy, a passion for spreading that joy, and a devotion to defend and protect all.
Her mother had chosen her circle well. Without them, without the sacrifices they’d made, the will not just to survive but to rebuild, there would be no New Hope.
Without New Hope and communities like it, the light would dim, and dark prevail.
She’d intended to ride through town to the police station in hopes of finding Will Anderson. But she saw him standing on the sidewalk talking to a couple—Anne and Marla, she remembered, weavers who raised llamas. Will crouched down to the level of the little boy they’d taken in. After Petra had killed his mother. He’d be about five, Fallon calculated, and chattered happily at Will as they examined a little toy horse.
But as she approached on Laoch, the little boy huddled behind his mother, peeked out at her.
“It’s all right, honey.” Anne stroked his curly cap of hair. “This is Fallon. You remember her. He’s shy until he gets to know you,” she told Fallon.
“That’s okay. I don’t mean to interrupt.”
“We just came into town to deliver some socks,” Marla said. “And stopped into Bygones. Elijah said his alphabet for Mr. Anderson and got a prize.”
“That’s a nice horse.” As Will had done, she crouched down, but didn’t move closer. “My dad made me a wooden horse when I was little. I still have it. And now I have this big guy, too.”
Because she’d looked into the boy, she smiled, then murmured to Laoch in Irish.
He spread his wings.
“Like yours, Elijah. I see the light in you.”
He dipped his head, but she saw his smile, shy and sweet. And his wings, a quick flutter of blue.
Anne pressed her fingers to her lips as her eyes filled. “He never—We had no idea. Oh, Elijah, look how pretty your wings are.”
“We wondered.” Marla leaned down to kiss the top of Elijah’s head. “But he never showed any signs.”
“It takes time for some, especially…” Fallon let that go as Anne lifted him, settled him on her hip.
“Yes, especially. I think tonight, after dinner, we’re going to have an ice-cream party with Clarence and