Doylis nodded at me before following his men back up the hill. Shyna stood at the top of the hill searching the field below. Her eyes found Demos, and she smiled, then turned to join her people gathering their dead.
I pulled my eyes from them and combed the field. Pop held a sobbing Afton, while Kayla rubbed her back.
Nana hobbled across the field in their direction.
Jaran wrapped an arm around my shoulder. "Are you hurt anywhere?"
"I don't think so. You?"
"Surprisingly not."
Demos sat in the mud beside us. "I'm knackered. I have never seen so much blood in my life."
Lei came to my other side and slipped her arm around my waist. "You did good, ducky."
"Help!" A faint cry came from the cliffs. "Can someone give me hand? Or a rope would be good."
Nick?
Another faint cry: "Help."
"Nick!" The sound of his voice replaced the darkness shadowing my heart with the light of hope. He was alive. Alive!
I ran so hard to the cliff my thighs burned. After dropping to my stomach, I scooted out to the edge and peered over. Thick bramble covered the entire side of the mountain. Lying on his back, Nick balanced on the prickly branches.
Arik skidded to a stop and glanced over. "I'll find a rope." He hurried off.
"What are you doing?" I said, which was probably the most ridiculous question to ask in this situation.
"Oh, just hanging around." Nick gave me that annoyed look that used to drive me crazy but totally lifted my heart right then.
He was alive.
Afton dropped down beside me. "Nick, you're alive! I'm going to give you the biggest kiss when you get up here."
"Deal." He looked down, shaking the bramble, and he grabbed the branches. A frightened look crossed his face.
"Don't move," Afton said.
"Good idea," he said.
The shadow of a large bird passed over us. Cadby sailed through the air and dove, scooping Nick into his arms.
"Oh my God," Afton squealed. "I love that bird guy."
Cadby lowered Nick to the ground, and I pushed past Afton, not caring that she wanted to kiss him or whatever. Not caring about anything but Nick. I almost tackled him in a hug and cried.
"Oh Nick. You were dead." I took a breath. "I thought you were dead."
"Gia," he whispered. "I'm here. We're okay. But can we make a deal, though?"
I pulled back and nodded. "What is it?"
"Let's stay in our own world for a while, okay?"
I laughed. I laughed hard. Nick was alive. We were alive.
"Um, do you think … ?" Afton bit her lip. "I mean, can I get a hug, at least?"
Nick snaked an arm around Afton's waist and tugged her to us. We held each other so tightly I could hardly breathe. Over Nick's shoulder, I spotted Bastien heading our way. I kissed Nick's cheek, and then Afton's, before untangling myself from their arms.
Shortening the distance between us, I met Bastien almost in the middle. He cupped my face in his strong hands and kissed my lips. He kissed them as if he'd never kissed them before, urgent and frightened. My hands, dirty from battle, gently touched his cheeks.
"Bastien," I whispered around his kisses. "I love you."
"You could never love me as much as I do you." His warm breath tickled my lips.
I smiled against his mouth. "Says you."
Uncle Philip.
"There's something I need to do," I said.
He followed me as I made my way to Uncle Philip. Father Peter was making the sign of the cross over Uncle Philip's lifeless body as I approached. He stood and nodded at me.
I dropped to my knees beside my uncle. "We did it," I said, lowering my head and resting my forehead against his chest. "I'm going to miss you bad. You've been the best uncle a girl could ask for. Say hello to my mom for me when you get to wherever you're going. She'd be proud of you for taking such good care of me. I couldn't have survived this without you." I lifted my head and kissed his cold cheek, tears dropping from my eyes and falling on his skin. "I love you and will carry you with me for the rest of my life."
My legs shook as I stood. Two men waited with a makeshift stretcher to take Uncle Philip's body. A cry tore from my mouth, and I covered my face with my hands. Bastien's arms went around me, and I bawled against his chest. I couldn't hold myself up anymore, so he held me instead.
"I'm here," he said.
We had lost so much, but gained even more. There had been so much pain, so much suffering, but the sun was coming up, and a new Mystik world was dawning.
Chapter Thirty
Normal life. I wasn't sure I knew what that was anymore. The mirror was not my friend. It distorted my reflection, making me look a little askew. I frowned and straightened my black cocktail dress.
The pendant with Pip's feather inside hung from the corner of the frame. I touched it, thinking about Uncle Philip. It had been a month since his funeral in Asile. Thousands of Mystiks had been in attendance.
There were so many funerals we attended in the week following the battle. Buach's in Tearmann. Edgar's in Asile. And Pia's in Santara. I wondered if the hole in my chest from all our losses would ever heal.
But none of the funerals compared to Sinead's ceremony in the Fey nation. Sinead was draped in a shimmery white dress and glitter dusted her skin. It was private and in the most beautiful garden. Carrig was proud that day. Having known her love would carry him to the end of his days.
He and Deidre had moved into a house down the street from us in Branford. Carrig was now the guardian of Peyton, Dag, and Knox. He'd train and raise them in the human world. No one knew there were three from the eight-year-old Sentinels who had survived the disease, and Carrig was determined to keep it that way.
In the last few weeks, Deidre and I spent many hours together playing basketball at the park or watching comedies late at night. I'd abandoned my love for horror movies. I'd seen enough of them in my nightmares lately.
Lei, Arik, and Demos had returned to Asile to help get things in order.
And Jaran? Well, he moved in with Pop, Nana, and me. Pop and Carrig had finally finished renovating that extra bedroom in our Victorian home, which sat at the end of a quiet road with a crooked street sign.
When Pop had asked where we wanted to move, we all voted for Branford, Connecticut. It surprised me, too. I never believed I wouldn't return to Boston. But I was ready for a quieter life with less traffic until I went to college, which could be a year from now, since I'd missed sending in my applications. And Jaran was ready to get to know a certain student body president better.
"Are you going to stare at yourself all night?" Deidre sighed from her old bed.
Emily shifted on my bed to give her a stern look. "We're not rushing her tonight. Take your time, Gia."
Deidre groaned. "By all means. Take forever."
Nana's familiar, Baron, and my cat, Cleo, lay at Deidre's feet bathing each other with their tongues. Momo climbed up on the bed and sniffed them. Carrig had brought Momo back from Asile for me. Momo was living the good life since leaving the Somnium. It was the least I could do for the ferret for alerting me when danger was around while in the Somnium. Pop spoiled her with sips of the last bit of his creamy coffee in the morning and dry cereal when I wasn't looking.
Momo burrowed under Deidre's leg. "Hey, girl." She picked Momo up and ran a finger over her fur.
"I don't get why we have to do something so fancy," I said. "Can't we order pizza delivery instead? It's just a girls' night. We could rent movies."
"We have to go out," Emily said and crossed the area carpet to me. "Remember your therapist said getting out was a good thing. And it's November first."
My therapist was an eccentric woman from Asile-because there was no way I could see a human one, not with my stories. She'd jump to the Branford library for our sessions, since I needed time away from the Mystik world.
I picked up my root beer flavored Lip Smacker and slathered my lips with it. Yes, I had reverted back to balm over lipstick.
"What's so special about November first?" I asked.
Emily gave me a shocked expression. "It's All Saint's Day."
I pushed a loose strand of hair behind my ear. "Then shouldn't we go to church instead of dinner?"
"Your neck looks so long with your hair pulled up," Emily said, glancing over my shoulder and smiling through the mirror at me. "You're beautiful."
My cheeks warmed, and I lowered my eyes. "Thanks. You look amazing, too. I love that dress on you."
She ran her hands down her blue dress, which matched her eyes perfectly. "Now I'm blushing."
"You guys going to kiss now or what?" Deidre stood. "We have reservations. How about we not be late for them."
"Reservations? You guys really went all out for tonight."
"Yeah, we thought it would be nice." Emily grabbed her jacket from the bedpost. "Let's go."
Emily drove five miles per hour under the speed limit for me. She parked in front of the D'Marco's restaurant, and I raised an eyebrow at her.
"We never have to make reservations here," I said, getting out of the car and following them to the host stand.
Deidre walked by it and headed for the banquet room.