The Dreg Trilogy Omnibus
Page 97
“Well, you know Alex will come if Ella will be there.”
Alex had begun recruiting his fellow Guardians to form a group of protectors who would travel the continent and fight threats that popped up. No one wanted to risk another Cadmus rising to power. For now, Alex had moved to Merrowhaven and set it up as his base of operations. Something told Ethan that he’d end up staying there permanently, so long as Ella was there.
“Do you think Steel and Mikkal will come?”
She looked so hopeful . . . he hated to disappoint her. “I wouldn’t count on seeing them anytime soon.”
After the battle, Steel, Mikkal, and Lucinda had returned to Crystalmoor. Steel abdicated the throne, passing the title onto his sister. He agreed to stay as her regent until she came of age, but afterward, no one knew his plans.
“But,” he continued, “Tomar might come.”
Her face lit up and stole his breath away.
“Oh! I meant to tell you—Tamil had his first viper hunt. He managed to get bitten no less than twenty-six time. As you can imagine, he’s ecstatic.” She rolled her eyes. “He wants to visit us in Stonehollow next summer and asked you to list all the potentially deadly things he can find around here.”
“I’ll try my best,” he said, fighting to keep his face straight as Mara muttered something about ‘crazy Kerani’ under her breath. He glanced over at the stove. “Can I help you with dinner?”
“Don’t worry about it, you go relax a while.” She shooed him away and resumed her chopping.
Ethan sank into the sofa and pulled out his alchemy book, marveling at how different life had become in the last six months.
The Order had been officially disbanded. Bitter disciples had taken care of most of the destruction, and now, nothing remained of Order Headquarters except rubble. The surviving disciples left to start a new life, and the novices, initiates, and acolytes returned to their families. But for some, the Order was home. They stayed behind to turn Order Headquarters into a proper town.
Halder returned to Tregydar where they were building a permanent settlement now that the threat of the Order had passed. Most importantly, he began sending out missives all across the continent to inform everyone of the truth about Gifts.
Magi were stripped of their titles and positions. Now, children would be allowed to develop their Gifts naturally instead of having them forced. When Mara realized that no baby would grow up to be a dreg she’d cried for two days straight.
He watched her as she hurried around the kitchen. Her hair was a wild mess and she had what looked like flour smudged on her cheek. His eyes softened. She was perfect. He patted his pocket to reassure himself that the ring he’d bought for her was still there.
Yes, the future was looking very bright, indeed.
-The End-
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