“If you want to go, I can come with you for assurance,” Nathen said softly to her. “Greer sort of likes me, and she does seem like one of the least problematic ones.”
Morgryn cocked his head, still wearing that thin smile. “Well, I shall take my leave in a moment. Is there anything more you wish to say?”
“No, let’s go.” Umber beckoned for everyone to follow, and Eva wondered if Morgryn might ask for the belt back. He didn’t say anything, however, and watched them go, chin tilted upward, never dropping that eerie smile.
They left the tower, going down the stairwell and exiting into the four-door corridor. The barrier shimmered, the distortion beyond the door vanished, and everything became quite normal, no longer influenced by the fae.
The professors thanked them both, smiled, and departed. Nathan stood with Eva, and a weary kind of sadness went through her.
“You’ll have to go, won’t you?”
“I will,” he said. “But I plan to stay in touch. You should finish your education. Don’t undersell your gift, Eva – you could change a lot of people’s lives for the better with the things you can do.”
“Unless I get chained in some Unseelie basement or something.”
“Yeah.” He chuckled. “I think you’ll be fine. I think everything will be fine.” He leaned forward to kiss her and held her like she was precious and fragile. Those eyes seemed so kind, and she allowed herself to be lost in the embrace, absorbing his scent and everything about him that she liked.
“I’ll still miss you, all the same.”
“I’ll try to find opportunities to visit. It won’t be as often. But there will be times. I’m willing to work for this if you are.”
“I am.” Of course, she’d try.
It would feel strange, returning to her normal lessons after knowing everything they’d done to help turn the tide in their favor, to stop those random fae pockets damaging their land and region, to keep other people safe.
The chaotic nature of magic ensured that things wouldn’t exactly always be… normal. But perhaps just a little saner compared to before.
She smiled at the thought that she might be able to prevent more situations like what happened to her brother. While she hadn’t been there for him when he needed her most, she did at least try to make up for it afterward. In the end, if more people got to live normal lives because of the little things she could do – then it all was worth it in the end.
Holding hands with Nathan, she walked away from the corridor, the future feeling much brighter than before.
