by Emma Hamm
Willow hefted the light green baby into her arms and pinched one of her pointed ears. Ruric and Jane had named the child Hope as the name had seemed fitting.
In response to the teasing, Hope let out a happy laugh and tugged hard on the tangled strands of Willow’s hair.
She winced. “Jane, you gotta teach this baby manners.”
“I will once she knows how to learn manners.” Jane laughed. Hope was going to follow in the footsteps of both her mother and aunt. Already she was causing trouble.
Her fingernails were black as her father’s but the claws that had hindered the goblins were no longer there. Some worried that she had no natural defense, but Jane thought it would only be helpful in this new world for Hope to not have the claws that set the goblins so far apart.
She was a very large baby and Willow struggled to hold her for long periods of time. The birth had been… Troublesome.
Catherine had been certain she was going to lose Jane at one point when the blood had been overwhelming. But the lab tech turned midwife managed to save both mother and child. Afterwards, she laughed saying that it was much more clear what she would have to do the next time. She would have the goblins do it.
There were certainly nerves about the next woman that would carry a goblin child, but the human women seemed to take the knowledge in stride. Catherine planned to get technology from the City that would allow them to perform surgery on the women without anyone touching them.
Jane wasn’t certain if she’d ever seen such a device, but she would leave it up to Catherine to obtain one of them.
The humans had managed to set up a “trade” route to and from the City. There were a few who still had family members there that would send what they could. Jane didn’t think a machine as large as what Catherine was talking about would be able to be sent, but Catherine thought it was entirely possible.
“Jane.” Ruric’s warm voice made her sit up even as his hand curved around her shoulder.
“Hello.” The smile on her face echoed in her voice.
Ruric’s black eyes locked upon the sight of his daughter in Willow’s arms. She was his entire world and he had never been happier.
Willow knew without asking that Ruric would want his daughter. She rolled her eyes and held out the squirming baby that was already grasping the air for Ruric. Hope was already daddy’s little girl and Jane worried for her future.
With Ruric for a father, no young man was ever going to look in her direction. Let alone ask to talk to her.
He scooped the baby into his arms and breathed in the scent of her hair. “Hello, little one.” He said quietly as the baby held onto a strand of his hair.
“I was just telling Willow that it was time to leave.” Jane said.
“Sunset, Jane. You know, that thing we used to see all the time before we moved into the deepest depths of the earth?”
Ruric chuckled. “There are deeper caverns.”
“It’s a metaphor, goblin.” Willow gave him a look that was clearly learned from the Queen. “Sun. I want to see the sun.”
“Fine, Willow.” Jane said with an exasperated look. “Go stare at your sun for the last minutes. We’ll be coming back up tomorrow.”
“Gotta catch it when I can!” The shout was tossed over Willow’s shoulder as she bolted back to the end of the village.
“I thought I would get gray hairs from my daughter, not my sister.” Jane sighed as she leaned back in the rocking chair.
“I’m sure they’ll both manage to give you them.”
He sank onto his haunches and held the baby balanced on one of his knees.
“How is everything?”
“Fine. They’re managing really well up here. By next year Luther thinks they’ll have a working water system. Fresh water whenever they want and the goblins won’t have to bring buckets of it to the surface anymore.”
“We don’t mind.”
She gave him a look of her own. “You certainly do, but you’re kind enough to provide it.”
Her fingers skated over the scar that had faded over his blind eye. Their relationship had changed drastically from the first time they had found they loved each other.
The childish fascination with each other had faded as the pregnancy grew. Jane had feared that so many changes meant that they would eventually lose interest in one another.
But, like all things, love has many forms. They would never be able to be the two creatures that found each other’s differences fascinating. They would never go back to that time when they were so blissfully in love that nothing could have broken them apart.
Instead, their love had cooled and tempered into something much stronger. She had learned to trust him with every part of her soul, and he had learned to hold her opinions in high regard. Together they had forged a relationship that continued to grow stronger with each passing day.
Jane was pleased with this. She had always wanted a fairytale love that would make the heavens realign. The older she got and the more responsibilities placed upon her shoulders, Jane realized that wasn’t the kind of love that lasted.
The kind of love that she desired above all else was trustworthy, dedicated, and honest. She had all of those things and more in the goblin man that had laid down his life for her many times.
She sighed and leaned her head upon his muscled shoulder as she looked out over the town they had built together. Her people and her family had managed to become happy and healthy away from the City that they had all placed in such high regard.
“They really don’t need me at all.”
“No, my love. They don’t.”
She turned to smack him on the arm. “That’s not helping!”
Ruric grinned at her and cuddled Hope against his chest. “You should be happy they’re doing so well. You didn’t have to be a hero.”
“No, I didn’t.” She said with a growl. “Willow appears to be that hero.”
“Maybe. We’ll see just how well she does.”
Jane had no doubt that her sister would manage quite well. She had always been more capable than anyone gave her credit for. The entire family was incredibly proud to call her theirs.
“She’ll be wonderful.” Jane’s eyes watched her sister’s form as a wind blew past them all.
“You know that we need you.” Ruric said quietly as Hope grabbed onto her mother’s finger that was offered to her. “And we get your undivided attention.”
“For now.” She said and smiled as he leaned in to capture her lips.
“And we have the only goblin human child that is going to save our race.”
“For now.” Jane repeated.
She watched with sheer pleasure as the confusion made his brow furrow.
“What?”
“Oh come on, Ruric. You can’t tell me you haven’t noticed?”
“Noticed what?”
Jane pointed at two figures that stood at the edge of the crowd that was slowly gathering to watch the sunset. “Catherine and Illyrin?”
“No.” Ruric sat back and shook his head firmly. “She has never shown interest and Illyrin is far too practical to ever waste his time on a woman.”
“Excuse me?” Jane raised an eyebrow.
Ruric blushed but remained silent.
“They’re together.”
“They are not.” He repeated firmly.
“Really?” She nodded her head towards the two figures that reached out to hold hands behind each others backs. No one in the crowd around them would have noticed, but Ruric and Jane had not been noticed.
“Well.” Ruric appeared stumped.
“My thoughts are that the reason why she wants that machine so badly is that she’s already pregnant.”
“But how could she?” His cheeks heated. “She can hardly breathe normally.”
“She breathes just fine now. Catherine spends most of her time underground and the clean cool air has done wonders.”
Jane reached out to brush her fingers against the smoot
h skin of her daughter’s cheek.
“How is it that I didn’t notice?” Ruric muttered.
“You didn’t notice Frank and Luther either.” She replied wryly.
“What?”
“I suppose losing that eye of yours made you blind to everything!”
“You’re lying!”
“I never lie.” She laughed as he pulled her up and into his arms. In that moment, she knew she was home.
“Humans always lie.” He whispered against her lips.
“Not this one.”
Hope pressed her hands against both her parents cheeks and laughed with a high pitched squeal.
This wasn’t the place Jane had expected her life to lead, but she had discovered it was the best place for her.
Thank you
I wanted to say a heartfelt thank you to each and every person that has read this series. I never thought that anyone would read it, let alone all of you! I’ve found amazing friends, wonderful editors, all through writing a book that I sent out into the world.
I hope you enjoyed reading this book as much as I enjoyed writing it. If you did like it, please make sure to review it and tell your friends.
Before you ask, I will not be publishing a third book in this series any time soon. There are many other directions and roads to go with Willow, Luther, and all of your favorites. But Ruric and Jane’s story is completed and it’s time for me to move onto other worlds and characters. Someday, I will return to the much beloved world of Silnarra.
Please feel free to contact me any time through facebook or emmahamm.com. I love hearing from you!
Once more, thank you again for reading. I’ll see all of you again in the next book.
Sincerely,
Emma
