I grabbed Kitten’s hand as we headed toward the trailhead and wound our way into the forest that divided us from the pond. The scents of cedar and fir were thick, and even with the summer sun there was a perpetual feel of moisture in these ancient forests, with the moss and lichen trapping the dew from early morning.
“I wish Menolly could be with us.” Delilah frowned. “I know she can take all the walks she wants during the night but it seems so unfair that she can’t ever again see the sun.”
I shrugged. “It is what it is, you know? I know she misses sunlight, but the stars have their beauty and the moon shines down. It’s all lovely. I wonder, do you think there’s anything like a reverse-vampire somewhere? A person who cannot walk abroad in the night, where the moon will scorch them cold?”
Delilah gave me a funny look. “I don’t know, but that seems just as painful in some ways. Give me a balance any day.”
We rounded the curve leading to the clearing bordering our pond. As we entered the glade, the lapping of the currents on the pond were like music to my ears. We had been busy over the years, decking out the area with picnic tables and benches, with built-in grills and a stone circle in which to hold our rituals. I wandered over to the edge of the pond where we had placed a low bench that was perfect to sit on and think. As I sat down, Delilah joined me, cautiously edging onto the seat.
“You’re still afraid of water, aren’t you?”
She laughed. “You can take the girl out of the cat but you can’t take the cat out of the girl. Water will always spook me, I think.”
I picked up a smooth, flat stone and sent it skipping across the pond’s surface. “I think…I think I’m glad I’m staying over here, Earthside. I love Otherworld but somehow, Mother’s home feels comfortable to me.”
“Chase is going to have one hell of a transition to make.” Delilah leaned forward, elbows resting on her knees as she stared at the water. “Did you know when we went after the diamond?”
I shook my head. “Not really. Maybe I did, but if so—I can’t pinpoint any real thought about it. I just knew that Chase had to go with us. I wasn’t sure why.”
“How do you think this will affect his relationship with Sharah?”
“I think perhaps it will make it better. Maybe the elves will accept him as a Keraastar Knight more than they would as an Earthside detective? I don’t know. He’ll be living out at the Barrow, so he can soak up a lot of cultural mores that way.”
“Elves aren’t the same as Fae, remember. Except maybe for the Svartans. Everybody tends to forget they started out as a branch of the Elfin race.” Kitten shrugged. “I hope that it helps. It can’t make it worse, I think.”
“He knows about Sharah needing to bear an heir to the throne—a full-blooded elf child. He told me. I think he’s resigned to forever living separately from her. But somehow, I don’t think that will happen. When everything shakes out and is done, in the end, I believe they’ll get their happily-ever-after. Call me a romantic if you like, but I don’t think that the Hags of Fate will keep them apart.”
We sat there in silence, soaking up the sun, until Delilah suddenly leaped up and turned into her Tabby self. She bounded into my arms and I snuggled her, realizing this was her way of saying good-bye. Of acknowledging the changing seasons of our lives. I tickled her tummy and played with her paws, then let her down and she raced through the clearing with me after her, playing a game of tag. For a moment, we were children again, tossing our cares to the wind as we raced and romped. Finally, I gave up, flopping down on a patch of grass. Delilah shifted back, joining me.
“That was fun,” she said, laughing. “We should do this more often.”
“We still can, you know. I’m just moving a half hour away.” I rolled on my back, staring up at the sky. “Can I tell you something?”
She flipped over too, resting her arms beneath her head as she gazed at the clouds that lazily drifted overhead. “What is it?”
“I’m happy. I’m excited. Sad, yes, but Delilah, we’re growing up.” I rolled up to a sitting position, wrapping my arms around my knees. “We’re growing up and we’re really, truly, taking control of our lives. You’ll be getting married in a few months. We’ll all have our homes and families. Whatever children you have will know their crazy Auntie Camille and Auntie Menolly. And Auntie Iris. We’re lucky. Despite Shadow Wing and all the pain of the past few years, we’ll always have each other. Nobody can ask for more.”