Copper Ravens
Page 22
That journey back to the manor was as joyous as the last had been somber. I’d never been so happy, knowing that I was going to spend the rest of my life with such a wonderful, amazing man. Never, not once as a kid, and definitely not during my less than perfect adulthood, had I ever thought I’d find someone to love me, never mind marry me. I was, without a doubt, the luckiest person in the world, Mundane or otherwise.
“I will challenge you for that position,” Micah murmured when I shared my feelings.
Even though I was, without a doubt, happier than I’d ever been, a few less than awesome thoughts kept nagging at me. First and foremost, we needed to resume our search for Dad and figure out what was really going on with all those copper gifts in the atrium. And, there was the fact that I owed the crone…something. Man, Micah was going to freak when he found out.
“What are you thinking, love?” Micah murmured. I decided to shelve all of those niggling concerns for now and just enjoy my wedding day.
“Nothing,” I demurred. “Just about how much I like being married to you.”
Micah brought my hand to his mouth and kissed it. “I was thinking exactly the same thing.”
When we reached the manor, we learned that while we were off in the Mundane realm, the silverkin had put together quite an impressive feast, and a whole new heap of gifts from the Whispering Dell was piled before the entrance. Word sure travelled fast in the Otherworld.
Just as I suggested that we invite those from the village to the feast, because we had plenty of food, and weren’t weddings supposed to be big and loud and boisterous, the silverkin suddenly swarmed Micah, chirruping and chittering away. Mom and Sadie looked thoroughly confused, but I’d learned quite a bit of their birdlike language. Someone was coming up the main walkway, someone unknown and…powerful.
“But, who could it be?” Micah asked, while Mom demanded to know what was wrong with the silverkin now and didn’t we regret putting them back together again? I looked down the walkway and saw a form approach, a man’s form. He walked with a purposeful swagger, almost cocky, his bright hair flashing in the sunlight. Recognition flared, and I threw open the door.
“Dad!” I cried, and I leapt into my father’s arms.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
For all of you who remember Copper Girl’s acknowledgements (riveting reading, that), you know that the process of creating this little stack of pages is arduous at best, and at worst… Well, let’s not go there.
Anyway, what I declined to mention is that all of those little straws that pile up on the author’s back are multiplied a hundredfold when one is working on a series. Plot holes? Multiply them times four. Worldbuilding? Better remember all those awesome details. And, while you’re plotting the next few installments, please try not to stray from the overarching theme of the whole thing.
Sheesh.
But, you know what makes it all worthwhile? You, the readers. For every one of you that left a positive review of Copper Girl, thank you! As for those reviews that weren’t so positive, I took them all to heart and tried to learn from my mistakes to make Copper Ravens the best story it could be. And, for the woman who came up to me at New York Comic Con (Rachel!) bearing a slightly worn Copper Girl and demanding my autograph, you not only made my day, but my year.
Without all of you, the readers, this would be all for naught. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jennifer Allis Provost writes stories about faeries, orcs, elves, and the occasional zombie. She’s a native New Englander who lives in a sprawling colonial along with her beautiful and precocious twins, a dog, two cats, a maroon-bellied conure, and a wonderful husband who never forgets to buy ice cream. As a child, she read anything and everything she could get her hands on, including a set of encyclopedias, but fantasy was always her favorite. She spends her days drinking vast amounts of coffee, arguing with her computer, and avoiding any and all domestic behavior.
Find her on the web at jenniferallisprovost.com.