“How did you get everyone to the Velvet Woods so quickly?” asked Gwen.
“Once we’d walked through the tunnels, your Dad had the great idea to rent a couple of big vans. We drove them all to Amberlaine, and I made a portal. It wasn’t hard to find the battle—we weren’t far away—and we came in with guns blazing, so to speak.”
“You weren’t fighting, were you?” said Gwen with a frown.
“They made me hang in the back, but I brought down one fighter,” Aidan said with pride. “But I mostly let the tribeless ones take over. They were ferocious, mainly because they’re so glad to use magic again.”
“I wish I’d been there to see,” said Bran wistfully.
“You were in the battle,” said Gwen in surprise.
“Well, yes, but Aidan tells a good tale of the journey.” Bran looked over at Faolan, who was gesturing to his people to prepare to leave. “Will I see you soon?” he asked. Gwen and Aidan glanced at each other.
“We’re leaving,” said Gwen. “Going back to Vancouver, I mean. I don’t know when we’ll be back.”
“And we can’t rely on the portals always opening,” Aidan added. “If one of our anchors dies, we can’t pass through. We’re reliant on them. Think of Finn.”
Bran deflated. Gwen didn’t think she had ever seen him so sad. Gwen bit her lip, then looked at Aidan and touched her necklace. Aidan looked surprised, then he laughed aloud.
“If you want.”
“Bran, I’m going to give you the locket, but you have to promise to use it carefully.” Gwen pulled the necklace off her neck.
Bran looked dumbfounded. Then his face split open in a wide smile.
“Truly?”
“Let’s make it a little safer,” said Aidan. He plucked a few hairs out of his head and folded them into the locket. “You know my father Declan, and here, let me show you my mum.” Aidan touched Bran’s temple with one hand.
“Cool trick,” said Gwen, impressed.
“Nice, right?” said Aidan. “I gave Bran a mental image. Hopefully, it will stick. Anyway, now if something happens to one anchor, he’ll still be able to get home.”
Gwen whirled toward Bran.
“And for goodness’ sake, don’t tell your father I gave you this. He would hunt me down, human world or not.”
“Are you kidding? This is a secret, for certain. He gave all the other amulets to Loniel, apparently. Loniel wanted to burn them in his bonfire. What a waste. This is incredible! I can visit the human world!”
“And who knows, we might meet again. Perhaps one day I’ll open a consulting firm in the Otherworld,” said Aidan, laughing. “Ingenuity for hire. What do you think?”
Gwen bumped his shoulder with hers.
“I think you’re crazy.”
Kelan and Finn approached them.
“Bran, Kelan,” said Finn. “I’m eager to include the tribeless ones in my realm, but I’m not naïve. I know there will be resistance, despite their new role as stewards of the realm. Would you be willing to work with me on improving relations between tribeless ones and other Breenan, both here and in other realms?”
Kelan nodded, and Bran quickly followed.
“We would be honored,” said Kelan. “If Father agrees, of course. He is our king, after all.”
“I passed the idea by him,” said Finn with a smile. “He approved.”
Gwen sighed a happy sigh. Corann was finally dealt with, the realm and its people were safe again, and she was going home. She looked over to the pillar where Corann was. Only a bundle of ropes remained.
“Finn!” she yelled. “Corann’s gone!”
Everyone spun around at Gwen’s words, but Corann was no longer in the ballroom. The other rulers showed some consternation, but Finn shrugged.
“He’s no longer a threat. Let him run—we have what we need here.”
“If that is your decision, then I will abide by it,” said Faolan. He strode forward to speak quietly to Finn, and Gwen had to strain her ears to hear. “Corann confessed that he took control of the realm by harnessing the power of a group of forest people, in conjunction with his own magic. The combination of magics seemed enough to wrest control, enough for a battle, at any rate. I recommend you keep that information to yourself, however. We do not want to give unscrupulous subjects the power of usurpation.” In a louder voice he said, “I will take my leave. Farewell, King Finn, and I will anticipate your arrival next week.”
They joined foreheads in the customary Breenan greeting, and Finn said farewell to the other rulers. Bran folded Gwen in a hug, then touched foreheads with Aidan. Kelan did the same.
“Goodbye, my friends,” said Bran. His voice caught. “I wish things were a little different.”
“Bye, Bran.” Gwen’s eyes misted. She blinked quickly and pasted on a smile. “Thanks for always being there for us.”
He and Kelan followed their father out the door, and Aidan gave her a one-armed hug.
“You never know,” he said. “Perhaps one day.”
Finn waved at a figure across the room. Isolde looked surprised but glided over.
“Isolde, my sister,” said Finn. “Thank you for joining us.”
Isolde bowed her head in acknowledgement.
“I have found some humans locked in the castle,” She waved at the side of the ballroom, where a man and a woman stood shivering. “You may wish to return them to their home.”
Finn nodded with approval.
“Excellent.” He glanced briefly at Gwen. “I have a request for you, Isolde. As many have pointed out, I have little experience with ruling. I would be grateful if you would reside in the castle with me and act as my advisor. Your understanding of the realm and its people would be invaluable to my rule.”
Isolde’s eyes softened with pleasure and relief, although she did her best to hide it.
“Thank you, brother. I would be honored―” Isolde swallowed, then smiled. “To serve you.” She curtsied deeply, and Gwen was gratified by Isolde’s humility. In a more familiar tone, Isolde said, “The best guestroom will be ample for me, thank you.” She turned to Gwen and cautiously took Gwen’s hand in both of hers. Gwen didn’t resist. “Farewell, Gwendolyn. Whatever our differences, I am always grateful that I had the chance to know you, a little.”
Gwen didn’t know what to say to this, so she just smiled and squeezed Isolde’s hand in return. Isolde gazed into her eyes, nodded once, then gracefully moved away. Gwen shook her head.
“How do you think it’ll turn out having her as your advisor?” she asked Finn. He shrugged.
“It’s a big castle, and she is family, after all. But if she starts giving me too much unsolicited advice, we’ll have words.” He grinned, and Gwen laughed. Then she sobered.
“What about the humans Faolan mentioned?”
“Ah, yes. And those that Isolde found. Shall we go see about sending them home?”
Finn beckoned the humans over, and they approached warily. Outside and around the corner of the castle, a group of five figures in orange hazmat suits peered through face shields. Gwen hid a smile behind her hand.
“Friends,” Finn said. He approached the group with welcoming arms. “Are you lost? Where do you come from?”
The figures milled about and muttered among themselves. One stepped forward and cleared his throat.
“We’re from a place called Great Britain, Earth,” he said, his words clearly pronounced as if Finn didn’t speak English well. Gwen tried to keep her face expressionless, although it was increasingly difficult to not laugh.
“And I imagine you would like to go back there now. Your way through has closed, but my niece here can make you another one. Gwen? Would you do the honors?”
“Of course,” she said, and held out her arm. A wide portal ripped open to expose a soggy field with a hedgerow nearby. The man and woman from the castle sprinted toward the portal and disappeared without a word. When the other figures didn’t move, she said, “You’d better hurry. It wil
l close in a few seconds.”
Four of the figures immediately scrambled to be the first through the portal. The leader paused briefly before them.
“We have so many questions,” he said. “What is―”
“Quick!” Gwen said. “It’s closing!”
The man threw an agonized glance around the forest, then leaped after his colleagues. The portal healed shut. Aidan chuckled.
“They’ll be wondering forever.”
Gwen laughed too.
“Poor guys. Well, we need to go, I’m sure my dad is anxiously waiting.”
“Of course,” said Finn. “Thanks will never be enough, but you have mine all the same, both of you.”
“You too,” Gwen said. “Thanks for everything.”
They walked down the path until the castle was out of sight. Gwen was startled to hear a bird trilling in the distance. The sun peeked out from the clouds and a gentle dripping sound filled the air.
“A bit early for spring, isn’t it?” said Aidan, but his face turned to the sun with an expression of satisfaction.
“A little reprieve.” Gwen slipped her hand into Aidan’s. “And a promise.”
“Do you think we’ll ever come back?”
“Who knows? I have no idea what the future will hold, and that’s an amazing feeling. All I know is that it doesn’t involve being a queen in the Otherworld.”
“Or dancing forever.”
Gwen laughed, then squeezed Aidan’s hand.
“All I know is that it’s with you.”
He took her face in his other hand and kissed her deeply but slowly, leisurely, as if they had all the time in the world. And Gwen realized that they did.
She pulled away and kissed him lightly on the nose.
“Let’s go before we get stuck here again.”
Aidan nodded fervently.
“Let’s go home.”
Gwen raised her hand and opened a portal large enough for the two of them to walk through hand in hand, and they left the Otherworld. The portal wavered for a few moments, then shivered and mended itself. It grew smaller and smaller until at last the window to the human world disappeared.
The portal was closed.
Dear reader,
I hope you enjoyed reading Realm of the Forgotten. We’ve traveled a long way with Gwen and her friends since Mark of the Breenan, and it’s been a ride I’ve enjoyed sharing with you.
I have a favor to ask of you. If you’re so inclined, I’d love a review of Realm of the Forgotten, or any of the books in the Breenan series. If you loved it, if you hated it, if you’re somewhere in the middle—I want to know what you think. I write because it is a joy to explore Gwen’s world, but I also write for lovers of the fantastical. Reviews are difficult to come by, and you have the power to make or break a book. You can find my book list on Amazon.
If you enjoyed Gwen’s adventures in the Otherworld, you may enjoy my other series. Check out my webpage or sign up for my newsletter at emmashelford.com where you can receive news of upcoming releases and sneak peeks.
Happy reading!
Emma Shelford
Titles by Emma Shelford
Breenan Series
Mark of the Breenan
Garden of Last Hope
Realm of the Forgotten
Musings of Merlin Series
Ignition
Winded
Acknowledgements
My editors were exemplary as usual, and deserve all the applause: Gillian Brownlee, Wendy and Chris Callendar, Jude Powell, and Kathryn Humphries. Christien Gilston scored again with his beautiful book cover design. My husband, Steven Shelford, supports me always, in so many ways. And to Oliver Shelford, for bringing me joy and for teaching me the meaning of the word efficiency.
About the Author
Emma Shelford is the author of fantasy novels for adults and young adults, including the Breenan Series and the Musings of Merlin Series. She adores fantasy and history, which makes writing these series such a joy. She lives in Victoria, BC with her husband and young son.
Breenan Series Box Set Page 68