EPILOGUE

Two(ish) Years Later

Rogan and Lissa Fireborn's Midwinter's Eve party was the event of Bel Kaba's holiday season. The mistress of the house was glowing as she danced around the room, and not just because of how jealous her neighbors were. A little Fireborn was expected in the spring.

I smiled at the thought of a tiny, ferocious miniature Rogan running underfoot. Lissa was very certain the baby would be a boy, and the happy couple was intent on naming their firstborn after Hugh. With the way Hugh's reputation had exploded after what was now known as the Battle of the Rising Tide, I almost felt sorry for the poor child. Being the namesake of "The Great" Captain Hugh Seeker would certainly make growing up in Bel Kaba interesting.

Hugh hadn't heard the announcement yet. I knew he'd be mortified, but secretly pleased. He considered the Fireborns family, after all, since they'd always been kinder to him than his own blood kin.

That was something I understood myself.

Everyone at the party avoided me, not that I minded. I was enjoying a huge slice of creamy buttermilk pie and a warm mug of "the best cider in the North", which was all I really wanted. Occasionally, a guest would glance in my direction. They'd squint a little, as if they weren't sure what they were looking at. If they stared too long, I'd turn my head so they could see my Water scar, which flickered blue in the dark. I had two such marks from our fight against Leviathan, a little sliver that looked like a shard of glass above my left eye and the very bad one across my stomach, about the size of my fist, which looked like a cage of gnarled tree roots trying to hold in a bag of water… or my guts, whatever was actually in there. Though noone could actually see that one, for me it was a constant reminder that I now had as much magic as blood in my body, if not more.

I couldn't count the number of times I'd wandered into a tavern and overheard someone whispering about my exploits. There was a little admiration underneath it all, which was reassuring… but mostly, people were terrified of me.

I didn't blame them.

Completing my Signing had opened my eyes to the Ways, which were beyond anything I'd ever imagined. The distances were staggering. Time meant nothing, and the greatest power I possessed, more of than not, was totally useless against the various things that wanted to own or eat me. It had been almost two years, give or take, of normal time, since we'd beaten Leviathan. For me, personally… it had been a bit longer than that. Four years? Six, maybe?

I still felt like I needed more time alone. I didn't like being alone, but I had to consider very seriously how much danger I might put someone in, just by being near them.

As I had when I'd first departed Seven Stars, I survived mostly by using my wits and not really considering the potential consequences of my actions. The Guardians were quiet. I did not expect they would stay that way.

The question of Midwinter's had been an uncomfortable one. When everything had still been in ruins and food was rationed, no one could imagine celebrating. This year, Allen, an expert on avoiding anything he didn't want to face, had accepted a scouting mission for the Elun Ordas and was gone somewhere further north. The twins, following his example, were working on something they expected done by spring, and they'd sent Uncle Cory their apologies. I sent him mine as well. High Reaches wasn't far for me… I could be there immediately for a very small Price, but I didn't want to go alone.

Malcit had also invited me to celebrate with him, but his parties were dangerous. The last time I'd gone to one, I'd woken up a week later in the library of Seven Stars. Someone, probably Sinnifer, had thought that was a very good joke.

Taking the Fireborns up on their invitation seemed like something I could handle, and I hadn't seen Hugh in awhile. When I'd left on the Ways, he hadn't asked me when I would come back. After losing Dak, I think he understood that I needed time.

"Where's Hugh?" Rogan asked.

I smiled slightly. "Someone spotted Kanen at the Dancing Pig. Hugh is dragging him down here."

"Are you sure he wants to come?" Rogan wrinkled his nose. "The last time he wasn't terribly sociable."

That was a nice way of saying that Kanen had thrown a glass of wine on someone. I'd brought him to a dinner party I wasn't even invited to myself, and had introduced him to everyone as a Seeker and a friend. It had all ended explosively, which probably shouldn't have been a surprise. Kanen had gotten better in public, but he still flew off the handle when folks were rude to him, which was most of the time. I wondered why he hadn't gone back to Frost. It seemed to me that he could've finished his Chain in the time he'd already had it.

"That's fine," I sipped my cider. "I'm not sociable either. Kanen can sit with me."

"You know, you don't have to hide from everyone," Rogan said.

"If I make my presence known, half your guests will leave," I informed him.

"So what?" Rogan snorted. "You are our friend! More than a friend, really. Family. I never want you to feel you're not welcome here."

"You're feeding me and getting me drunk. I feel very welcome," I smiled slightly. "By the way, this pie is magnificent."

"It is," Rogan agreed. "Do you want another piece?"

"And a cup of tea, if you would," I nodded.

"It'd be my pleasure, Lady Wells," he bowed dramatically. I shoved him and he almost fell on his rear.

That was when Hugh arrived. A servant opened the door and grimaced at the blowing snow. Three cloaked figures entered. The door slammed closed with a loud bang due to the wind, and all eyes came to rest on the recent arrivals.

"Hugh!" Lissa exclaimed. "You idiot! What were you doing out there, wandering the streets?"

"You know," Kanen said, wringing out his cloak. It was sopping wet. "I know you're not a Seeker anymore. But you are still very good at finding things that would rather not be found."

"You're supposed to say 'thank you" when I pull you out of a river to bring you to a party," Hugh advised, thumping him hard on the back. Kanen coughed up some water.

"Oh, Kanen! I didn't know you were in town! Welcome!" Lissa hugged him, a little gingerly, on account of how cold and wet he was. It was hilariously awkward, and Kanen looked embarrassed. "What happened?" Lissa asked.

"A centaur kicked me in the water," Kanen admitted.

At that moment, Hugh couldn't take it anymore. He laughed. "Because you pulled her tail!"

"Stars! Why would you do something like that?" Lissa gaped at him. She turned to one of her servants. "Fetch some towels, will you?"

"No need," I said. I drew the freezing water away from Kanen. As he became dry and warm, the Chain around his neck sparked with Fire, and he noticed where I was sitting.

He smiled slightly. "I thought you wouldn't be here," Kanen admitted.

"I told Malcit to piss off," I said proudly.

Kanen grimaced. He was, like everyone sensible, very afraid of the Guardian of the South.

"Don't worry. Your name didn't come up," I reassured him.

It had become apparent to the rest of the guests that a number of terrifying people were now in attendance.

I heard a jingling bell. A white cat… a familiar, long-haired white cat with enormous blue eyes snaked around my legs. I stared at it. There was a bell on its collar.

"Hugh, is this…"

The cat from the Seeker's Lodge? The one Assimya had brought home so long ago?

It had to be the same cat. But what was it doing in Bel Kaba?

The last person to enter with my friends removed her cloak. She appeared about my own age, but there was something about her that felt much older. Her short-cropped hair was black, and her eyes were an unmistakable color of blue, much like the cat's. She was dressed in unusual traveling clothes, clearly from some place I'd never visited before. Like Kanen, she was soaking wet. I reached for the Water, but before I could help her, she dried herself off with a swift gesture.

Malcit's signature on the back of my neck tingled, and as the stranger's magic brushed my own, our eyes met. I didn't need a Chain to tell me who she was.

"You're not going to believe who we just ran into," Hugh told me. "Well, to be fair, it was Kanen who found her first."

"You're Amanda, aren't you? My sister."

The woman nodded. Everyone came to sit around me, and suddenly my little corner was no longer so lonely. "I am. I'm glad we can finally meet, Hazel. I've heard quite a lot about you. Along the Ways, that is. You've made a lot of… entities understandably nervous. It's not every day that someone bests a Guardian," Amanda said.

"I didn't do it alone," I told her.

"Mm. Say rather, the Sword was not in your hand," Amanda replied.

"So what brings you here?" I asked. "Not to sound ungrateful, but we could've used your help when we were trying to save the world."

"You're still new to the Pact, Hazel. I had reasons for not returning sooner. Just as I have reasons for returning now," she said.

"Mm," I wrinkled my nose. "If you say so."

People gave answers like that when they knew you wouldn't like the truth.

Amanda laughed. "Oh my, you do look like him! I thought they were exaggerating."

I knew who she meant, of course. Though Darilyn Wells had at least a dozen illegitimate children, most of them girls… I was the one most recently referred to as "The Old King's Daughter".

Hugh rolled his eyes and tousled my hair.

"Thanks Hugh. I appreciate you undermining my dignity," I told him.

"You have dignity now?" Hugh echoed, as if that was a question. The expression on his face told me he'd do it again in a heartbeat.

Amanda sighed heavily. "I wish I was only here to celebrate, but the truth is, I'm in dire need of a Seeker, a wizard… and at least one good sword."

"Well, you've found all three of those things," I said. "And I suppose it has been a little too quiet around here, at least for me. So where are we going?"

"Frost," Amanda replied.