Chapter 803: Happy Endings
How was this for a happy ending?
Bittersweet, this walk down the halls of the newly restored mansion. I'd been through this before, but I knew this time, I didn't have anything hanging over my head.
I loved Liam. But I was finally marrying the man I was meant to be with.
The pressure was off this time too, our battles won. I could enjoy my wedding without worrying about Fate or the Brotherhood or Ameline looming in the near future.
Awesome.
I even found Wilding Springs was fine without the influence of the Gate, just as Fergus said. That it still felt like magic. Probably a combination of the century or so of the Gate's influence deeply mired in the whole town. Not to mention the presence of the Wild Hunt still snoozing in my back yard.
And the coven.
I didn't worry we'd have to move anytime soon. Good thing. I kind of liked being in one place for once.
Made me think of Sonja, of Liam again. His mother disappeared after the night she met Gabriel. I tried to look for her, feeling badly, wanting her to know her grandson, if he was willing. But I couldn't find her. Mom told me Sonja had been seen with Hortense Spaft, my old Vice Principal and co-conspirator to steal the Gate power with Venner, the Unseelie lordling I'd returned to the realm. But according to my mother, the horrid woman fell on hard times, being carefully watched by Enforcers regardless.
I strode down the hall, my parent's love for each other and for me joining in the middle, hugging me and making me smile through my thoughts. I glanced to the right, into one of the vast rooms, thought of the giant pre-wedding party held here just last night. Of talking with Sebastian, our gracious host, who kindly allowed Sunny's insanity to bully his new servants. He was making headway, Alison hovering at his side always. Which made me happy.
I'd asked her to join the wedding party. She cried but declined.
I wished she'd said yes.
All I could do was hope Sebastian gave her what she was looking for. He certainly seemed to treat her with great affection.
They both needed more of that in their lives.
I sighed as we passed the door, excitement forcing the air from my lungs. Was it worth it? Yes. All the pain, the suffering, the loss. It was. Because it had to be this way. I accepted that when Max showed earlier in the evening, came to see me before the frenzy of dressing began.
Handed me a paper flower, intricately folded.
"From Fate," he said. Smiled.
I kissed him, hugged him.
"Thank you," I said.
Forgave him.
And Max wept.
Seeing him did make me worry a little. About the future. His mention of Fate, no matter her sweet gift, so personal, clearly made by her hands, reminded me there was more to come.
But someday. Not today. And, hopefully, not in this lifetime.
I had many more to live. And we'd earned a little peace and quiet.
Trill's dark hair bobbed to the left as she rounded the corner. I thought of her and the new power she possessed, power I'd forced on her. She admitted at last she feared it would change her, though assured me it did nothing of the sort. I took her word for it. And I choked on a laugh at the memory of her brother, Apollo, hitting on every female vampire he could catch. Trill spent the whole party last night chasing him around, giving him a hard time.
When he came to me, kissed me full on the mouth while Quaid watched with a raised eyebrow, I laughed and hugged him.
Apollo winked at Quaid, shot him with his thumb and index finger. "That's how you kiss a woman like her," he said.
To which Quaid's answer was, naturally, to sweep me off my feet and, well.
Showed Apollo Zornov what a real kiss was.
Smartass fiancé.
Not that I was complaining.
The biggest shock was to see Tippy, Nicci, Donalda and Josie show up. I actually squealed and jumped up and down at the sight of my college friends, hugged them and Shenka at least a million times.
It was Tippy who begged me to let them join our coven. Shenka just grinned.
Her sister, Tallah, was just going to have to get used to losing witches to me.
I was amused to find Shenka distracted by Piers at the party, caught myself grinning and forced my eyes away. If Piers thought he could smooth talk Shenka, he was in for a shocker.
Yeah, good luck with that.
Since she seemed to be enjoying the attention, I didn't bother warning him off.
She'd give him the boot when she was tired of him.
We rounded the corner with Meira just ahead, caught sight of the girls walking down the length of the foyer toward the back of the house.
I'd thought it rather inappropriate to be married in the same room where Mom stood trial. But Sunny thought it was funny.
And it was the biggest room in the mansion, turned out.
Like I had a say in the matter.
The music swelled louder as we approached. Changed just as Trill reached the door.
She turned and met my eyes. Waved. Sighed. I grinned and blew her a kiss.
And the march began.
I floated down the aisle behind the girls, Mom and Dad at my side. The room was packed, the strains of music drifting from the front of the long room. Sunny clearly had control over the renovations because it seemed much larger than it was when Mom's life was in danger. Didn't matter now.
So many smiling faces turned toward me. I glanced around Meira to check on Gabriel, saw a fluffy silver tail at his side. Knew he was in good paws.
I'd spent a quiet few hours with my demon cat that very morning. Talking. Laughing. Crying into his fur. Curled up on my bed, listening as he told me stories of the witches he knew, the ones who came before. Wept himself for their loss.
Told me he now needed daughters, as much as he loved Gabriel. Since Galleytrot was hogging the boy and all.
We stayed there, cuddling, me stroking his fur while he purred in my ear, until Mom came to get me.
Best wedding morning ever.
The memory pulled away my remaining tension. Relaxed and beamed around me as we walked slowly past the people who came to see me marry Quaid.
And to celebrate our success. Our triumph over evil.
Charlotte's blonde hair caught the light as she passed under a floating ball of glowing power illuminating the room. She'd told me she had decided to return home. To take up her responsibilities as heir to the werenation. And, to find a husband.
I could only wish her as much happiness as I now felt.
It would be sad, not having her with me. But, if there was anything I'd learned from this experience, it was that family came first. And I would never, ever let the people I loved-blood related or kin of the heart-fall to the wayside or off my radar ever again.
They were too important to me to lose.
I drew a breath, smiled and waved at Erica. Still in shock about the shuffle in the Council. Only one day after marrying Dad, Mom resigned as Council Leader, to the dismay and fear of the rest of the Council. I was in a bit of shock myself, but understood.
Had to take a moment to process they chose Erica to replace her. Even Mom was surprised. But Gram rolled her eyes and told us of course they did. After all the terrible things that happened, they wanted another Hayle witch at the helm.
I just hoped Erica's weaknesses wouldn't be an issue. She was born to be a second. Not a leader. Time would tell.
At least we had that time.
Past her were the other Council Leaders, so nice of them to come. Femke beamed at me, waved, eyes sparkling with tears. Bindi Braylen, Australia's cheerful Leader, waved with great enthusiasm while Asia's Sumiko Himura bowed her head to me.
I turned my head at the feeling of Sidhe power, smiled at King Odhran and Queen Niamh. I'd taken a moment earlier to allow them and their Sidhe entourage across, knowing they'd be hurt if I didn't invite them to the wedding. I even nodded to Queen Aoilainn as Shaylee sighed over her mother's extravagant dress.
No match for mine.
So that was what Sunny was up to with my gown.
Giggling.
Eva Southway stood with her family, Felix with his hand on Clover's shoulder, Piers grinning at me. I wrinkled my nose at him, rolled my eyes.
As we neared the front, I spotted Lula and Phon Kennecott, sent them love through my power, felt their steady return. Beside them stood Esther and Estelle Lawrence who bounced with barely-contained excitement in matching pink dresses, these clearly new for the occasion. I paused and kissed them both, feeling the love of the family flow through them and into me as the coven, all of them packed in on the right, flooded me with love.
If I tried to fit any more inside me, I was going to explode.
I spotted Gram near the front, Demetrius leaning around her to see. They were too freaking cute, that pair. Gone to live at the stronghold, of all places, recruited by Pender Tremere to start training Enforcers with buried sorcery to access their power.
I'd say one thing for Pender. He might have thought he'd failed us all, but he was the best Enforcer leader I could have conceived of and exactly what we needed. With no word from Belaisle or his people, it made total sense to give the Enforcers the tools they needed to fight back just in case.
I hadn't heard a word on Payten's case.
Probably should have cared.
Mom squeezed my arm as we stopped, waiting for the girls to get in line at the front. She and Dad were happily ensconced at Harvard, planned to teaching in the winter, taking the fall to be together. Giggly and so joyful I could barely stand them sometimes without laughing.
The scent of smoke reached me, the giant candles at up ahead releasing enough I caught a whiff. Thought briefly of Maurice's burning the week before.
I didn't attend.
I heard Gabriel's giggle, the sound snapping me out of the moment of melancholy and into joy again. Everyone loved my son-me included, naturally-and he adored Quaid. Followed him around everywhere, called him Daddy ever since that day at Celeste's trial. Because of Cian and Liam and the most generous of souls. I felt tears rise as I remembered overhearing Quaid talking to Gabriel just yesterday. Telling my son he would be the very best Daddy ever.
Choke.
Quaid had to be feeling terrible about Liam. I was just grateful he loved my son like his own.
It was a hard decision to block off Gabriel's power of the Gateway. I left his magic intact, of course. I didn't want another Mia on my hands and really thought hard about doing anything to keep him bottled up. But when I found him sitting on his new bed, calmly pitching stuffed animals through a portal he'd made, I decided, in the best interest of all planes, my son would have to grow up a little before I'd let him explore further.
And winced at the thought of just where those bears ended up.
Galleytrot's giant form appeared as I passed the last of the onlookers. He'd been a little lost lately, but Gabriel was his focus, followed the boy everywhere. Who followed Quaid everywhere. Which meant the three of them were inseparable.
I could understand why Sassafras wanted some daughters to manipulate and maul.
And love.
I hadn't told him yet. Or Quaid, either. But his wish.
My command.
As my eyes lifted and met Quaid's, his face so full of love, his magic embracing me, I felt the hot power stir in the base of my belly, funneling both of our magicks to feed the tiny seed.
The soul just growing there would fit the bill perfectly.
Ethpeal is a great name for a girl, don't you think?
###
My very dear reader:
I can't tell you how much it means to me, knowing you've taken this journey with Syd over her incredible twenty volumes. I've had so much fun writing her story-laughing out loud, crying so many tears I'm sure I've decimated the tissue stocks of the world, wanting to be right there with her, battling the bad guys even as I've needed to just shake her at times for being so stubborn.
I know you know what I mean.
It's so hard to say goodbye. I feel like this is the end of something truly incredible-and you've made it that way as much as Syd has. Thank you, thank you, thank you so much for your enthusiasm and love and for buying these books. It means the world to me you've come all this way for Syd's happy ending.
Never fear. There is more of Syd available for you to dive into. But first, you'll be seeing her from new points of view. From Meira's and Charlotte's. From Zoe Helios's. The Hayle Coven Novels might be complete, but there are many stories remaining to be told in Syd's universe-including a full series from her starting with The Outcast, book one of the Hayle Coven Destinies.
The full list of the Hayle Coven Universe (and recommended reading) is here:
The First Plane Trilogy
The Planeless
Second Seat
Ruler
The Lychos Cycle
Weregirl
Revenant
Lychos
The Helios Oracles
Foresight
(Sanctuary and Phoenix are pending thanks to spoilers for the Hayle Coven Destinies)
The Hayle Coven Destinies
The Outcast
Steam Union
The Brotherhood
Lord of the Drach
Gateway
The Order
Dark Brother
Blood of the Maji
Also, in case you missed it, Sassafras has his own history:
Sassafras
And explore the beginnings of the Hayle coven with Syd's great-great-great grandmother, Auburdeen Hayle in the Blood and Gold Trilogy:
Smoke and Magic
Fire and Illusion
Steam and Sorcery
So much more of the Hayle Coven Universe to explore!
I'm leave you now with this letter. And my gratitude.
Sydlynn Hayle Forever.
With love,
Patti Larsen
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