With that, he took off and Micah’s shoulders slumped at the hopeless task before her. She’d never find Gabe in this sea of youth.
“Gabe!” she called, despite the hopelessness of the situation. “Gabe!”
It seemed to only take a few minutes, but soon the clearing in front of the mines was empty of children as they’d made their way onto the road, heading to the town below.
Micah imagined the reunion that was going to take place on that road when the children met up with their parents making their way up the steep incline, eager to find their sons and daughters. Sadly, this wasn’t going to be a happy day for all of them and Micah’s heart ached to think of all the parents who’d fail to find their loved one in the sea of hopeful faces running down that hill. It seemed she was one of them. Surely, Gabe would have seen her if he’d been here.
She looked back to the mouth of the cave and saw a shadow lurking just inside the entrance.
“Look, Micah.” Azrael put her hand on her arm and pointed. “I think it’s—”
“Gabe!” Micah ran toward the shadow just as a small boy stepped into the light, holding up his hands to shield his eyes.
It was him! She’d found him just when she’d thought she lost him.
He seemed to find his focus as his hand dropped and he saw Micah running to him.
Just as keen to close the gap between them, Gabe ran to her, flying into her arms when they met and allowing her to swing him around in a circle before setting him down on the ground so she could look at him.
“You came for me,” he said, not ready yet to smile but unable to help the joy from seeping into his eyes.
“I promised to look after you,” she said. “I’m so sorry they took you from me.”
“That’s okay,” he said. “I shouldn’t have let go of the nice lady’s hand. It was my fault.”
“Oh, Gabe.” She buried her face in his filthy hair, planting kisses on his head. “It wasn’t your fault. None of this was your fault.”
“Will things get to be happy now?” he asked, wrapping his little arms around her neck.
“They will,” she said, blinking through her tears. “Things will be so happy now.”
Jeremiah
THE AFTER
Jeremiah ran his hands through his thick hair, forever grateful he was no longer a bald Whisperer trapped in the King’s palace. But he’d give up every single one of his freedoms if only it meant he could have his daughter back.
Lily’s disappearance had been the worst thing to ever happen to him. Worse than being tricked by the King into giving up his life to serve him. Worse than have his name, his hair, and his voice taken from him. Worse than seeing Micah trapped in the same nightmare. Worse than finding out his parents were both dead. Worse than having to fight his way to freedom by taking the lives of the people standing in his way.
Losing Lily was worse than every single one of those things put together. It ate away at him every minute of every day. Part of his grief was not knowing what’d happened to her. But most of it was from knowing she was gone. The result was the same, no matter what had brought it about. It would feel no better if he knew she was dead. Because although that would bring him closure, it would also extinguish his hope. And hope was what kept him alive. It was what had always kept him alive.
As he walked through the palace grounds, his eyes scanned the open land in front of him. It was habit now. His eyes were always searching for his daughter in the hope that one day he’d see her running toward him with her arms open wide.
It wasn’t just Lily he’d lost that day in the desert. He’d lost his wife, too. Rose hadn’t been the same since. She’d withdrawn, not just from him, but the whole kingdom. Not in physical presence, as she still had a job to do ruling the kingdom, but there was a part of her that she no longer let anybody see, including him. It was the vulnerable part that trusted without limits. The same part of her that he’d fallen in love with.
Seeing her in the garden now, he went to her, the pull between them just as strong as ever, despite their grief.
She looked up from where she was sitting under a large willow tree and smiled—not with her eyes for they’d lost their ability to show any joy, but she smiled with her heart. She still loved him.
“My Queen,” he said, sitting beside her and reaching for her hand.
“My Prince.” She stroked his hand with her thumb.
“What are you thinking about?”
“She’s been gone such a long time,” she said.
“She has. She’d be all grown up by now.”
“No, not Lily,” she said. “Although she’s been gone a long time, too. I was talking about Micah.”
“Oh.” He nodded. “She said she wasn’t going to return without Lily.”
“What if she never finds her?” Rose plucked at a blade of grass. “I don’t want you losing your sister as well.”
Jeremiah wasn’t sure what to say. He didn’t want to lose his sister either, but he was still glad she’d gone. If anyone could bring Lily home, it was Micah.
“I joined in with the whispering this morning,” he said. “It felt different somehow. Like the words were really working their magic. I feel like Micah will return soon.”
“Let’s hope she’s not alone.”
He reached out and tucked a long strand of blonde hair behind her ear. She was still the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. “I’m going to go down to the Valley today to see how Tallis is doing.”
He didn’t ask if she’d like to come with him, as she rarely left the palace. She didn’t like him leaving either, always worried something would happen to him.
“Would you like some company?” she asked.
“You mean… you?”
“Of course, I mean me,” she said and just for a moment, he thought he saw a flash of the old Rose in her face and his soul lit with hope.
“Do you think that…” He grimaced. Finding the right words wasn’t easy. “Do you think that if Micah comes back alone—or not at all—that we can… find a way to be at peace with all of this?”
Rose shook her head. “Never can I be at peace with it. But maybe we can find a new kind of peace. Find a way to say goodbye to our sweet child, while we make space in our hearts to welcome another.”
Jeremiah’s eyebrows shot up. Was she saying what he thought she was? They hadn’t been able to have any more children after Lily. It was like Rose’s body refused to put itself at risk of such heartache again. They could have whispered for it, but Rose hadn’t wanted to, saying that if it was meant to be, then it would happen.
Rose moved his hand to her stomach. “We’re having a baby, Jeremiah.”
Never one to usually express his feelings too openly, Jeremiah was surprised to find tears flowing down his cheeks. He was going to be a father again.
“Are you happy?” he asked her, pressing his lips lightly to hers.
She nodded as she broke away. “Of course. Although, no child will ever replace our girl.”
“You don’t need to say that.” He kissed her lightly once more again. “I know.”
“So you’re pleased?” she asked.
He nodded. “I can’t remember being this happy for such a long time.”
“Let’s go and share the news with Tallis,” she said. “Then he can tell Micah as soon as she returns home.”
Jeremiah got to his feet and held out his hands to help Rose up. “Shall I organize a carriage.”
She shook her head as she took his hands and stood. “No, I want to walk. We can always use one to get home later if we’re tired.”
He wrapped his arm around Rose’s shoulders as they made their way toward the palace gates. Several guards would need to accompany them, but they’d keep their distance. As much as he liked his privacy, he’d prefer his wife was kept safe.
As they got nearer to the gates, they could see the guards allowing some people to pass while they stopped to talk to Tallis. It seemed they wouldn’t need
to go to the Valley after all.
He looked more closely at the group of people. There was one man with white-blonde hair, a woman with dark hair, a child, and two females, both with distinctive red hair.
Rose stopped very still and Jeremiah turned to look at her, not daring to believe what he was seeing.
“Jeremiah.” Rose had tears rushing down her cheeks and she blinked, not taking her eyes away from the palace gates. “Jeremiah.”
He looked back at the group of people, his eyes drawn to the two red-headed women, one of whom was unquestionably Micah. And the other… so much like Micah but slightly taller and quite a bit younger.
“Jeremiah,” said Rose again. “It’s her.”
He’d imagined this moment a billion times before and in his mind’s eye, he’d run to his daughter, his feet tripping over themselves to get to her. But now that it was finally happening, he couldn’t move. Instead of tripping over themselves, his feet were glued to the spot, his arm still draped around Rose as he gripped her tighter each time she said his name.
Micah looked over and saw them, pointing them out to her companions, her grin clearly visible, even from a distance.
The four of them stilled their steps, until Lily did what Jeremiah and Rose were unable to do.
She ran for them, her feet moving swiftly and her hair blowing back behind her as it caught in the wind.
Rose broke out of her trance first, taking a step toward their daughter and Jeremiah followed, his heart beating faster than he ever knew it to pump before.
Their daughter was home. Sweet Lily. Their beautiful girl. Micah had actually done it. She’d brought their daughter back to them.
With one arm still wrapped around each other, Rose and Jeremiah both reached out with their free arm and Lily flew into them. As they enclosed her in a circle of love, Jeremiah pressed his cheek to the top of Lily’s head, just as he used to do when she was small, drawing in the sweet scent of his daughter, hardly able to believe he had the chance to do it again.
Fighting the urge between wanting to hold her and wanting to drink her in with his eyes, he found his arms making the decision for him as they refused to let go.
They stood there like this, their small family of three that was soon to become four.
Eventually, Lily broke the embrace, her dark eyes scanning their faces and it occurred to Jeremiah that she was just as eager to look at them. They both looked older, the stress of their situation visible in the lines on their faces, but hopefully they were still the parents she remembered.
“You’re so beautiful,” said Rose, reaching out to touch their daughter’s face.
Lily shrugged away the compliment. “I missed you so much.”
Jeremiah bit down on his tongue to stop himself from asking where she’d been all these years. There’d be plenty of time for questions later. Now was the time for reveling in the reunion, not lamenting their lost years.
“I can’t believe you still wear it!” said Lily, reaching for the lucky walnut shell Jeremiah wore around his neck. “I remember this.”
“It seems it’s still lucky.” He smiled. “It brought you home.”
“Aunt Micah has one now, too,” said Lily. “Only she keeps it in her pocket.”
“Who’s that with you?” he asked, hardly daring to believe this was really happening.
“Obviously, that’s Aunt Micah,” she said. “And the woman in the red cloak is Azrael. She’s from The Sands of Naar. She helped Micah find me. The child is Gabe. I’ll let Micah explain to you who he is. And then there’s… Raphael.”
There was something about the way Lily said Raphael’s name, that made Jeremiah stop and pay attention. Had his little girl fallen in love? It didn’t seem possible. But looking at her now, he knew that it was. She was no longer his little girl. She was undoubtedly a young woman.
“Is Raphael from wherever you’ve been?” asked Rose, who’d clearly picked up on the same thing he did.
“No.” Lily shook her head and her cheeks went a pink color. “He’s the Alchemist from Wintergreen. He also helped find me.”
“Queen Jasmine’s younger brother?” asked Rose. “Oh, I thought I’d seen him somewhere before.”
Jeremiah supposed there could be worse matches for his daughter than the brother of a Queen, even if he was from a neighboring kingdom. And if he’d helped bring Lily home, then he already had Jeremiah’s approval.
“I’ve been in Feldspar.” Lily’s voice broke with emotion. “I tried to get back to you. But I couldn’t. I was in a lighthouse and—”
“Lily,” said Jeremiah reaching out for her and bringing her to his chest. “We don’t need to know everything right away.”
Not missing the opportunity, Rose stepped closer and Jeremiah opened his arms wider to include her. He had plenty of room in his arms for both his girls. And once the baby was born, he’d have plenty of room to include one more. His heart was limitless, especially now that finally it would have the chance to heal.
THE EVERNOW
Gabrielle smiled down on the Evernow, her eyes that were once blind could now see, and what she saw lit every part of her weightless soul.
When she’d had a human body, she’d had a vision of a King’s army whispering to the universe. She’d been locked away for her visions, but that hadn’t stopped them from coming to her. She’d seen peace across the Evernow. She’d seen the Whisperers. She’d seen an Alchemist mixing elixirs to cure the people. She’d seen healers balancing the body’s energy patterns. She’d seen tonics feeding the people with strength, and she’d seen crystals lighting the path ahead.
One by one, each kingdom had discovered its strength, just as she’d known they would. Each weak or vicious ruler had fallen, making way for the new generation who ruled with peace and kindness in their hearts.
She went now to Queen Rose in Forte Cadence, who stood with Jeremiah by her side and their newborn son cradled in her arms. A son who’d one day lead the kingdom when his older sister refused. He’d grow to be loyal like his father, wise like his mother, and brave like his Aunt Micah. A King who’d whisper for the good of all, ensuring the Valley of the Blessed remained exactly that. Blessed.
Gabrielle looked down on the Valley now and saw Micah sitting beside Tallis, with a horde of children who’d lost their parents at their feet. It’d started with Gabe, then another small boy came to live with them, then they’d been sent more children who’d run from the mines only to find their parents were no longer alive, and soon they had a home filled with children just as desperate to be loved as Micah and Tallis were to love them.
Gabrielle went to Wintergreen now, and saw Raphael in his apothecary, surrounded by tiny bottles of oils, a determined look on his face as he experimented with different combinations. The people of his kingdom depended on him, and increasingly people in other kingdoms, too. But no one more than his sister, Jasmine, and her husband, King Ari, who’d been pleased to have their brother home safely. They no longer hovered over their sons quite so much, focusing once more on their kingdom and each other. As Gabrielle looked at them now, she saw a bond that would last far beyond this lifetime.
But not everyone in the Evernow needed a mate bound to their soul. Some could find joy in other ways. There was one such soul like this in The Sands of Naar and Gabrielle went to her now. Azrael was one of the few people in the Evernow who understood the power of all the senses. One day, she’d find her joy in traveling between the kingdoms and teaching people how to unlock the power that existed in the world around them. She’d learn to trust, allow herself to be touched, and the joyful child that she’d once been would find her way out again.
The desert was a safe place to grow up now with Empress Rani and Colonel Aarow working tirelessly to implement a new way of life that made sure respect was at the core of every decision that was made, while raising their young daughters to believe the same. The population was flourishing once more and laughter could frequently be heard floating across the law
ns in the Round as the timekeepers turned over the giant Orbs of Time.
Now, Gabrielle went to The Bay of Laurel, to look in on the eldest daughter of King Tate and Queen River, a girl who was eagerly learning from her grandmother, Ariel, how to make tonics. With an understanding and passion for food that had been running through her veins for generations, she’d one day step up and be a powerful herbalist, while her older brother Jacob would be crowned King, continuing to ensure that everyone had access to tonics that would keep them well.
Next, Gabrielle went east to Feldspar to look in on Queen Philippa, a woman of surprising strength who’d discovered her true destiny had been to rule a faraway kingdom. She’d set the children free, married the Guardian who’d almost lost his life saving hers, and slowly the kingdom was healing as they established a new way to live. Even the trees were coming back to life, as if having hope in the air was what they’d needed to help them grow.
Having visited all five kingdoms, there was one last soul that Gabrielle wanted to check in on. Never quite sure where to look for her, she found her standing on top of a hill with her arms outstretched as she looked to the sky. Her red hair caught the sunlight and shimmered as it flowed down her back.
If Gabrielle could talk, she’d call out Lily’s name and tell her how proud she was of her. Here was a soul who’d been ripped from her home and been sent deep underground, only to be pulled back up to the surface and kept in a lighthouse, like a bird in a cage. But she was free now, a freedom that had only been possible due to a group of souls banding together and using all their powers so she could stretch her wings and fly away. That was why Lily could never rule a kingdom. Her spirit needed to be free for her soul to be happy. Instead, she’d learn to share her time between her old home of Forte Cadence and her new home of Wintergreen, where she’d immerse herself in her love for a man who’d promised to never clip her wings.
Lily turned her head and looked directly at Gabrielle, smiling broadly.
The Kingdoms of Evernow Box Set Page 115
