Sorrow places his own hand against her heart. “Go deeper.”
One lingering kiss later, they join their friends. Beneath a glistening sky, the archers shout with joy. They dive and swim and celebrate. And they love.
And now they know what that feels like.
Epilogue
Faith
He watches them. Spreading the leaves like a curtain, he peeks though the foliage and spies on the eight archers frolicking in the water.
What a silly, misfit bunch!
All that fighting and arguing and rebelling. All those captures and escapes. All those flying arrows.
He would have done it differently. Wouldn’t he?
The band chortles and capers in the lake. With a shake of his head, Faith cannot decide whether to giggle or purse his lips at the display. The archers have gone mad. They dash about, spraying water everywhere, some bare-bottomed, some with their clothing drenched.
They hug and kiss their soul mates. And at one point, they float on their backs and stare at the sky.
Hmm. Is this what fate looks like? Is this what free will looks like?
Faith cocks his head. Although he fancies his clover arrows, the thought of blessing an emotion rather than forcing it…well, it’s sort of thrilling. Also, it sounds godlier. He likes that.
Maybe he should thank this silly group.
Maybe he likes them a little. Okay, maybe a lot.
Maybe he’s looking forward to seeing them often, whenever their paths cross in the Peaks. And maybe it’s fun to see them like this, wild and happy.
When the eight archers depart together, Faith creeps out from behind the shrubbery and trots to the water’s edge. His longbow and quiver clatter against his back. Perching on the bank, he deposits the archery on the floral grass and dips his legs into the lake, which reflects the summit’s stargazer.
But where did the constellations go?
They were up there a moment ago, before the archers left.
With a crinkled brow, he cranes his head from the lake’s surface and inspects the canopy. Suddenly, it’s the strangest sky he’s ever seen, not quite nighttime any longer, not quite daybreak yet. Then again, he’s never been out at this hour, on the cusp of darkness and lightness, between violet and blue.
He’s not allowed. In fact, his Guide would flay him for sneaking out. And oh, goody. That means he’s breaking another rule!
Settling more comfortably, he returns to his reflection in the water. The burnished skin. The wide, fluttering, lilac eyes. The hooded cloak covering his slender shoulders. Nothing he hasn’t seen before, yet the firmament is so big and endless behind him, so that he resembles a tiny star that blinks in the sky.
There’s a star that blinks in the sky…
Right! Isn’t that how he began? His Guide had once told Faith the story of his birth. How funny that he remembers now.
Faith swings his head this way and that, surveying his appearance anew. His eyelashes fan out with a painted midnight sheen like ink. The ornamentation reminds him of that purple-haired goddess, who’d decorated herself with silver stars beneath her eyes, emitting specks of light. He’d wager she did that for herself. She’s raw and doesn’t try to impress others, and he fancies that about her.
That long-haired god is fairly likable, too. The one who bestowed Faith with a chore.
Shuffling through his quiver, Faith retrieves the small, leather-bound tome. He’ll have to return it to that group later, when he joins them to rebuild the Archives. But for this final hour, he flips through the pages and rereads the text, transfixed by what he finds inside.
It’s a legend.
It’s the one that silly, selfish, rebellious group had scribed with the Court when they’d congregated at the stargazer. At that point, he wasn’t supposed to be there, since everyone but the rulers and rebellious eight had gone home. But Faith had perched outside during the proceedings, content to sulk on the parapet.
He hadn’t known what they were doing inside the dome. Not until shortly after, when that god had presented Faith with the book. Endorsed by the Court and blessed by the stars, the pages include a prologue of mythic tales.
One tale is about a star that refuses to shine: a mischievous goddess who falls in love with a mortal.
One tale is about a star that flashes too harshly in the sky: a rebel god who falls in love with a misfit.
One tale is about a star that drifts in the sky: a wildflower goddess who falls in love with a devil.
One tale is about a star that winks in the sky, as well as a star that drowns in the sky: a vain god and spitfire goddess who fall in love with each other.
The book continues with the legend itself, of deities who live alongside humanity, both of whom exist in a world of destiny and choice.
The final page declares the most puzzling thing.
If a deity falls in love, it shall be a union of fate and free will.
Closing the notebook, Faith cocks his head and whispers to himself, “What does that feel like?”
Then he smiles, because now he’ll have the chance to find out.
When he glances toward the celestials, the sky shifts colors along with the hour. And his smile widens.
Finally. The stars are out.
***
Thank you for reading Sorrow & Envy’s story!
***
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Acknowledgments
Wow. As I sit here, I’m at a bittersweet loss for words.
I cannot believe that I’ve just finished another series—one that has taken me by surprise, introducing characters that I never saw coming and connecting me even deeper to the ones who’d already existed.
Love and Andrew are feisty little cuties, who have charmed me.
Anger and Merry are a passionate duo, who tugged at my heart.
Wonder and Malice are a force of bookish nature, who pushed me out of my comfort zone.
Sorrow and Envy are beautifully rebellious hotshots, who challenged me to write a new kind of relationship. I loved their vulnerabilities and strengths. I loved discovering more of their quirks and secrets. And I loved the intense spark they brought to this ensemble—and to each other.
Selfish Myths has been a labor of love, my bright little star of inspiration. As the series blossomed, I got to know this rebel band on a more raw, vivid, emotional, and memorable level. Spending time with these eight brave archers has been a gift. And I hope they’ve inspired you as well.
Great bit hugs to Michelle, Jessa, and Candace, literary goddesses and dearest friends.
Thank to you my family, my favorite constellation in the universe.
To Roman, from the bottom of my heart.
And to you magical readers. To my ARC team, the Myth & Tricksters reader group, and every one of you who keeps turning the pages.
Thank you for joining me on this journey. You are all stars in the sky.
Shine bright, sweetings…
About Natalia
Natalia Jaster is the fantasy romance author of the Foolish Kingdoms & Selfish Myths series.
She loves to dream up settings that are realistic yet mystical. She loves when raw angst collides with lyrical beauty, and when sweetness escalates to hotness. And she definitely loves treading the line between YA and NA.
She’s also a total fool for first-kiss scenes, fanfiction, libraries, and starry nights.
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Books by Natalia
Selfish Myths Series
Touch (Selfish Myths #1)
Torn (Selfish Myths #2)
Tempt (Selfish Myths #3)
Transcend (Selfish Myths #4)
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Foolish Kingdoms Series
Trick (Foolish Kingdoms #1)
Dare (Foolish Kingdoms #2)
Lie (Foolish Kingdoms #3)
Dream (Foolish Kingdoms #4)
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