by A. G. Howard
Lyra’s heart pinched unbearably. Vesper pulled her against his chest, his chin knocking her crown slightly off-center. She closed her eyes and let the tears fall. Crony was worth every one of them.
Lyra wasn’t sure how long they stood like that at the bottom of the stairs. She felt Luce’s hand squeeze her shoulder, heard him promise to see her again on the morrow. She listened as Dyadia’s footsteps followed his and grew distant until they faded to silence.
When her king at last pushed her to arm’s length to wipe away her tears and straighten her crown, she met his concerned gaze. There was more to Crony’s departure . . . I feel like they’re still keeping secrets.
Vesper’s expression changed upon her remark, his eyebrows crimping. “I sense it, too. But I also sense they’re respecting her wishes. So we should do the same. We can honor her most by being good rulers. And by chronicling everything she did for you . . . for us . . . in our histories.”
Lyra nodded. Behind him, she spotted the winding staircase and thought it looked rather like a mountain. All the weight of the past few days had settled in her feet and nailed her to the floor. Without a word, Vesper lifted her effortlessly, cradled her to his chest, and proceeded to carry her up the steps.
She wrapped one arm around his nape and leaned her head against his temple, the powerful thud of his heartbeat kicking close to her rib cage. She tightened her free hand around the jar that held her songbird voice. I can walk . . . it just seemed daunting for a moment.
Vesper scoffed. This from the girl who used to beg me to carry her every day for five years straight.
She laughed, her eyes burning with tears again—though these were bittersweet. You’re right. It slipped my mind that you have a payment to make. ‘Only when the sun and moon share the sky.’
Vesper laughed this time. He stopped and leaned his shoulder against the wall to balance them on the stairs so he could look into her eyes. “Just so you know . . . I’m much more receptive to such requests in this form. So never hesitate to ask.”
He bowed his head to kiss her—his mouth coaxing hers to open slightly—engaging her in a gentle, slow dance of lips and tongue. When he pulled back with a tantalizing smile on his stubbled chin, she quivered in anticipation of more. His ascent started again, though this time much faster.
She admired how the moon streamed through the windows during their climb, how the light gilded Vesper’s crown and strong profile with soft, silvery tremors. Tomorrow she would awaken within his arms, and she would see that precious face awash in yellow sunlight.
The world had indeed changed. She had reclaimed her kingdom and herself, and somehow, she and Vesper had won the skies. And along the way, she’d won the Pegasus’s heart. Now at last they would fly, though not to escape as she had once dreamed. Instead, like Crony, they were to rise to grander schemes.
Epilogue
Most fairy tales, no matter how tragic the once-upon beginning, end with a happy ever after. However, Queen Lyra and King Vesper were far too pragmatic, due to their own experiences, to believe their future would always be roses and rainbows. Their world was filled with monsters, thorns, dark magic, and curses, however far beneath the earth those now dwelt. So, each stepped into their married life sharing only the hope of peace and unity for their two kingdoms, and the wisdom to work through challenges and dangers together, hand in hand. Most importantly, to never be too proud to take help when needed, however unexpected or humble the source: bugs or shadows, a dwarfish gardener with a penchant for bunny suits, a toothless cook, a greedy goblin, a capricious air elemental with the sneer and cunning of a fox, or a horned witch, old and withered, with quagmire eyes and a smile that could wilt the sturdiest weed. In time, the two kingdoms of Nerezeth and Eldoria came together as one, and adopted the name Nevaeh, for it was believed the reunited heavens had unified the people. Following the example of their young monarchs, the citizens of Nevaeh learned to accept one another again—content with their changing days, nights, and seasons once more. And for this they were rewarded with a more altruistic and attainable ending, in which they shared a hopeful ever after.
Acknowledgments
First and foremost, my gratitude goes out to my husband and children: Vince, Nicole, and Ryan. It takes great patience to live with an author. You’re my true heroes and I love you more with each passing day. A special thank-you to my son, Ryan, for his incredible artistic contributions during the brainstorming phases of this story, and especially for the maps he helped design so every reader could see this fantasy world through my eyes. Thank you also to other family members who support my passion for writing and are always eager to read my next manuscript.
Heartfelt appreciation to my critique partners: Jennifer Archer, Linda Castillo, April Redmon, Marcy McKay, Jessica Nelson, and Bethany Crandell. I’d never have the courage to release my stories into the wild without knowing every word must first pass your careful and wise scrutiny. Also, sincerest thanks to my #goatposse for providing a safe place (aka, our cyber-pasture) where anyone in our herd is safe to vent or seek advice.
Thank you to my fantastic and devoted agent, Jenny Bent; also, to my discerning editor, Anne Heltzel, whose insights helped me get the most out of each scene. Much gratefulness to my savvy marketing team: Sam Brody, Hallie Patterson, Jenny Choy, Nicole Schaefer, Patricia McNamara O’Neill, Jody Mosley, my publicist, Melanie Chang, and the publisher of the children’s books division, Andrew Smith. Gratitude also to copy editors, proofreaders, and all the unsung heroes behind the making of every beautiful book at Abrams/Amulet. Thank you once again to Nathalia Suellen for crafting such imaginative and stunning designs for my covers that so perfectly capture the story within, and to our in-house designer, Hana Nakamura, for the fairy tale interior art. Also, gratitude to Tomislav Tomic for refining Eldoria and Nerezeth’s maps.
Special hugs to online supporters and beta readers: Stacee (aka @book_junkee), Heather Love King, and Jaime Arnold of RockStar Book Tours. And to my Facebook Splintered Series Fan Page and RoseBlood fan-page moderators, whose help I value so much. Also, *waves* to all of the fan-page followers. And deepest appreciation to booktubers and bloggers and to all my Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest, blog, Goodreads, Instagram, and Facebook followers—foreign and domestic—for keeping my books alive through interactions online. On that note, thank you to Natalia Godik for maintaining and contributing to the Pinterest Splintered fan art boards. I’m always excited and awed to see the newest renditions of my characters and world.
Also, a hat tip to the books and movies that inspired my own dark sensibilities. I cut my creative teeth on novels like The Lord of the Rings, Howl’s Moving Castle, The Princess Bride, and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Violent and unsettling folk tales by the Brothers Grimm played their own distinct role, as did many movies from the ’80s and ’90s. The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, Edward Scissorhands, Ladyhawke, Legend, Willow, The Never-Ending Story, and The Crow are but a few that fed my love for all things fantastical and unbalanced. Thanks to myriad talented writers, directors, and producers, I came to love Gothic fairy tales and dark fantasies and can only hope the stories I craft will help inspire a new generation of readers and authors to follow the same path.
And last but not least, I thank my God for the ability to weave worlds with words and for providing connections with people who champion reading in all its facets. Most of these kindred spirits I would never have met, had I not been give the opportunity to tell my stories in print.
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