I glanced out the window. The sun was still high in the sky. “But it’s only mid-afternoon.” I’d expected to be here until dark.
Selina shrugged. “I think you might have your prince to thank.”
I pushed to my feet and took the same path from the room Fergus had taken earlier. Just as Selina had said, there was no one left waiting to see me. I wandered outside to find the marketplace far from empty. Stallholders lined the outside selling their wares, but the busiest part was the center where a large group congregated. All of them looking at the sky.
I followed their gazes to find Fergus on Obsidian’s back, and riding around the castle turret. As he approached the marketplace, everyone moved back, allowing them a place to land.
Fergus lifted a child I hadn’t seen sitting in front of him into the waiting arms of a parent. “All right,” he grinned, looking at the fae crowded around him. “Who’s next?”
“Me!”
“Me!”
“I am!”
Hands shot into the air, and Fergus pointed to one. A boy older than the last one walked up to Obsidian. His friend rushed forward and gave him a leg up, helping him onto Obsidian’s back. The crowd stepped away, and the horse took flight, completing a loop of the castle before dropping back into the marketplace, accompanied by the unabashed giggles of the young rider. I knew that feeling.
I wandered over. “Prince Fergus.”
He met my eye, grinning. “Queen Briony.” He’d taken to using my full name when we were in formal situations. Or when I addressed him in the same manner.
“Did you forget about our plans tonight?” I lifted an eyebrow.
He shook his head. “Of course not. But you don’t look ready to leave.”
I still needed to change. There was no chance I could ride Raven dressed like this. “Neither do you.”
He grinned. “Sorry, kids. Got to go. Should we do this again next week?” He jumped from Obsidian’s back and led him over to where I stood, a chorus of cheers following in his wake. He was a hit with the people of Seelie, and I wasn’t even surprised. He was good with people. When he spoke to them, he gave them his full attention.
I wandered beside him to the stables. “Do I have you to thank for my short day today?”
He feigned innocence. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Yes, you do. The line of people wanting to see me at the start of the day was far longer than the number of people I actually saw.”
He shrugged, leading his horse into a stall and checking there was water for him. “I talked to them. That’s all. Half of them don’t have a grievance, they just want to meet their new queen.”
I tilted my head to one side. “Or their new prince.” And I wasn’t that new.
Another grin creased his face. “Well, I am pretty special.”
I hit his arm.
His face turned serious. “They just want to know they’ll be heard.” He glanced at me sideways. “I hope they understand we will always listen to them.”
Anything that made my day easier, I was all for. “I’m going to guess they do, since half of them decided they no longer needed to speak with me. And what was that with Obsidian?”
“Just another way of making ourselves available to your people. I think it kept them happy.”
I thought so too, judging by the giggles and the cheers. “Thank you.” I could no longer imagine life here in Seelie without him.
He took my hand and led me out of the stables. “You’re welcome. Now get changed so we aren’t late.”
Crystal and Jax were already in the air on their horses, waiting for us when we flew over Lanwick Island, the sky darkening.
Fergus grinned. “Are you ready?”
“I can’t wait,” called Jax.
“Me neither,” called Fergus, silently commanding Obsidian to gallop. He glanced over his shoulder, checking we were following, and seeing we were, made Obsidian duck and dive so we couldn’t catch them. Buttercup barked without stopping.
Raven gave chase, making my stomach drop and giggles burst from my lips. I loved riding her this way.
At the Crossing, we brought the horses down and walked across the border, the mood suddenly somber.
Jax now officially lived on Lanwick Island, though he spent a decent amount of time at the Seelie Castle. Just as Fergus spent a lot of time on Lanwick Island. Crystal no longer lived on Lanwick. Willow had offered her Jax’s old role as head of security at the Unseelie Castle. Willow joked that the question hadn’t even left her lips before Crystal accepted. And with Fergus and me at the Seelie castle, it wasn’t often we all saw each other.
Tonight, we were out with the Wild Hunt.
Fergus’ vision of the Hunt.
We took to the sky again after passing through the Crossing, and flew over Holbeck to the neighboring village of Estom with Buttercup heralding our arrival.
We headed for the brightest lit house, our pace decreasing. There were no masks tonight. The Wild Hunt was no longer for terror.
When the horses landed in the yard, Fergus promptly climbed down and indicated I should do the same. Jax also climbed from his horse while Crystal stayed where she was.
The front door of the house opened before we reached it, the lady of the house inviting us in with downcast eyes, and perhaps a little trepidation. It would be a long road before humans were no longer terrified of the Hunt. They’d been conditioned for many years to keep away from us. “Upstairs,” she whispered, pointing to the staircase. “First door on the left.”
I followed Fergus and Jax up on quiet feet, my heart beating hard. I knew what was about to happen here, and I was mixed with sadness and apprehension.
Fergus tapped on the door, then opened it just enough to let ourselves in. The room was small, filled with an enormous bed—the man we had come for lying in the center—and four chairs on which crying relatives sat.
They sat straighter when they saw us. “Is it time?” one asked. “He’s in a lot of pain.”
When I looked more closely at the man, I could see they were right. His face was tense and his hands balled, and every so often he groaned and writhed on his bed. There was a clump of pygmy root on his bedside table, but even that didn’t seem to help his pain.
Fergus nodded. “Almost. But there is time to say your goodbyes first.” He gave me a weak smile, and walked to the man, while Jax went to stand beside the window, holding the latch but not opening it. Fergus bent and touched the man’s forehead. “John, it’s time for the next stage in your journey.”
John opened his eyes, foggy with pain. With Fergus’ fingers upon his forehead, his eyes cleared, his hands relaxed, and the tension on his face disappeared. A tranquil smile filled his face.
One by one, John’s relatives got up and went to the bed, whispering to the man. They squeezed his hand and kissed his cheek, told him they loved him, and he replied the same. When they were done, they moved to the back of the room.
With his goodbyes said, John drew a deep breath and closed his eyes. Slowly, his chest deflated for the last time.
Fergus waited another few seconds, fingers against the man’s forehead. When he drew them away, he was holding an orb of light. It was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. A soul. John’s soul.
Gently, he stood and walked to the window. Jax opened it and stepped aside. Outside, Crystal waited on the back of her horse. Fergus passed the soul to her.
She looked through the window at John’s family, gave a nod, sympathy filling her eyes. With the orb of light tucked tightly to her chest, she took to the sky.
The family moved to the window, watching her leave until she was no longer visible. She would take John’s soul and set it free, somewhere high in the clouds, where the next part of his journey would begin. Without our help, human souls remained trapped in the place they died, often taking decades to get to the place Crystal would go in minutes.
As she disappeared, t
he wailing started. Wailing like I’d heard from Selina’s family the night the Hunt took Tobias. The family hugged each other, and as we left, hugged us, too. We let ourselves out and traveled back to Faery in silence.
“What did you think?” Fergus asked as we walked back to the house on Lanwick after leaving the horses with Father—he wouldn’t allow us to tend to them.
“Sad. But amazing, too. And beautiful.” And appreciated. The family tonight had been grateful for what the Hunt did. Grateful they had the opportunity to speak with their loved one before he left this world.
Fergus grinned. “I hoped you’d like it. The people of Iadrun are slowly beginning to trust us and allow us inside their homes for their loved ones final moments.” He bounced on his toes, more excited than I’d ever seen him. Fergus had never done what made him happy. I was glad he could now.
“It’s a good thing you’re doing, Ferg. And the—”
“Surprise!”
We rounded the end of the house to find Willow, Selina, and Indira sitting at the table beside the pool in their most beautiful evening gowns. Their hair was pulled back in immaculate updos, and they wore jewels in their ears and on their fingers. The piano was out from under the cover.
Fergus stopped dead. “Did you arrange this?” He looked between me and Jax.
Jax shrugged and shook his head, a bemused smile on his face. He gave Selina a questioning look. She shook her head innocently as if she hadn’t helped me arrange the surprise.
“Happy birthday,” I answered.
He shook his head. “This is … amazing.”
“We didn’t get to celebrate together last year. And like you started a new tradition with the Hunt, I wanted to do the same with us.” Father would join us soon, once he’d tended to the horses.
Fergus looked at the piano. “Is that a hint?”
I nodded. “Now that there is nothing stopping you from playing, I want to hear everything you know.”
He grinned. “There never was anything stopping me.”
Willow jumped up and hugged him, handing him a gift. He walked over to his mother.
Selina got up and hugged me. “Can you believe how much our lives have changed?”
I shook my head. Honestly, I thought the same thing every morning as I climbed from my bed. “This is all because of you,” I whispered.
She turned to me, a frown creasing her features. “How so?”
“Because you once loaned me a dress to sneak into the king’s masquerade.”
She shook her head. “You would have got there without my help. And you would have gotten the prince’s attention no matter what you wore.”
I smiled. Perhaps. I guess our bond would have made sure of that. “I’m glad we did it.”
She nodded. “Me too.”
I gave her another hug. “I think it’s time for a toast.”
Two lines came to Selina’s forehead as she concentrated. Six glasses suddenly appeared on the table with a clatter, the wine inside them sloshing wildly. “Will that do?”
I grinned. “Your magic is getting stronger.”
“Jax is helping me.” She blushed.
I grinned, saying nothing. She and Jax were perfect together.
“A toast,” I called, handing out the glasses as everyone stood up and crowded around. “To the best friends a girl could wish for.”
Everyone raised their glasses except Willow, who shook her head. “Come on. We’re more than friends, surely.”
We were. I had more here than I’d ever dreamed of having when I lived in Iadrun. I had Father, who meant more to me than I could ever express. Indira, who gave me advice as if I were her daughter, and a kick up the behind when I needed it. And friends I could talk to about anything. “Fine. You’re right. To the best family any of us could ever wish for.”
As glasses clinked, Fergus walked over and dropped an arm over my shoulder. “Surely, since it’s my birthday, I should get my own toast?” His eyes danced. He would have gotten one. Had he waited just a little longer. But that wasn’t what he wanted. Not really.
I grinned. “Very well. You, Fergus Blackwood, are the best friend, advisor, confidant, and mate a girl could ever hope for. I am grateful every day that I met you at the masquerade.” I left the opening, hoping he would take it, because I’d never get sick of hearing those words.
He dropped a kiss on my lips, a wolf like smile on his, and whispered in my ear. “Why, of course. I’m all that and more. I am a prince, after all.”
___
Already missing Bria? For a different type of kick-butt heroine, try Maryanne in the Sherwood Outlaws series.
Sherwood Outlaws is a complete series, available for purchase or free in Kindle Unlimited on Amazon.
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Acknowledgments
Well, that’s it. Series complete. When you’ve lived with the characters in your head for more than a year, it’s a bittersweet thing knowing it’s over.
I do have a few words of thanks before I go, and since I feel like I always write the same thing in this section, I’m going to keep it short.
Thanks to my family for all your support. From begging for the very first copies of the books, to just believing in me, I appreciate it all.
Thanks to everyone that read this series. My best days are when I hear from one of you, telling me how much you enjoyed it. Or occasionally complaining because you didn’t want that thing to happen to that character. (Yes, I like that, too. I love hearing how invested you were in my characters). I hope you enjoyed the ending to this series.
Also by Hayley Osborn
ROYALS OF FAERY
Kingdom of Times Forgotten (prequel)
Kingdom of Yesterday’s Lies
Kingdom of Today’s Deceit
Kingdom of Tomorrow’s Truth
SHERWOOD OUTLAWS
Outcast (prequel)
Outlawed
Outplayed
Outlasted
About the author
Hayley Osborn lives in Christchurch, New Zealand, with her husband and three children, cat and dog.
Online, you can find her at:
www.hayleyosborn.com.
To connect with her on social media, you can find her on Facebook at HayleyOsbornAuthor, on Instagram at Hayley_Osborn_Author or on Twitter at @Hayley__Osborn. Or if you prefer to make contact via email, you can contact her at [email protected].
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