“So the Jordaks gave him up?” Trent asked.
Oliver took the lead. “Not willingly, but once Selig got involved, I think they knew they had to. Legally, Selig’s laws can override the valley towns. They have left well enough alone in the past, but the Dark Dimension posed a threat to them too, so now they are sitting up and taking notice. I have had some long conversations with the chief of police in Selig, and they have taken my advice very seriously. While we have banished Igor Doskominov to hell—in a pretty battered state, may I say—demons have been known to escape the hell realms. It could, of course, take centuries for him to regroup, maybe even longer, since his troops have been, erm, eaten by crows. But Selig realizes there is dark magick that cannot be ignored if we are to stop it regrouping in the future.”
“So what happens to the Tween Council of Towns?” Beth asked.
“Their power base will be threatened. They may well lose their mining rights into the valley, and the laws regarding Motham will no longer be theirs to make.”
“We are looking at a very different future for the valley lands, I think.”
“Gods be thanked,” said Grayson. “Maisie and I have dreamed of this happening.”
“The trial of Matteus Kominsky will also take place in Selig,” Oliver said. “I have that confirmed. There are too many Kominsky influences in Motham that might cause mischief.”
“And you think they will order Matteus to be unfanged?”
“Yep. Selig will not hesitate to unfang or unclaw the worst felons if needed. That is how they’ve developed a multicultural society, by keeping dark forces at bay.”
“Well, let’s hope their fairer policies spread over the mountains at last,” Saul said.
Everyone murmured their agreement.
“We would like to extend a big thank you to you and Clare.” Saul added joining them at the front of the room. “We know this didn’t happen without exposing yourselves to huge dangers, and we are deeply grateful for your efforts. We’d love you to both stay on here at the PD but I guess that’s your decisions to make.”
Oliver glance at Clare, and her eyes gave him consent. “Clare and I need to come clean. We are in a personal relationship. In light of that, it may not be appropriate that we remain working here.”
For a moment there was silence, and then Beth applauded. Everyone else in the room soon joined in, all smiles.
“It won’t be the first time. Remember Nancy the fae and the bear shifter, Ryan? They were at it hammer and tongs it for months before anyone knew,” Beth said with a grin. “All the best to you both. You make a lovely pair.”
Oliver glanced at Clare as heat spread under his beard. She was blushing rosy too.
“Invites to the wedding, please,” Saul chortled.
“Oh, it’s a bit early for that,” Clare prevaricated.
Oliver gave her a quizzical smile. Only last night they’d chatted about marriage, how many children they would have. But true, they hadn’t even told her parents yet—that was this weekend’s little task.
As Clare left the room to get on with tying up case details, Oliver walked out with Grayson.
Grayson waggled his eyebrows at him. “So Maisie was right all along.”
“Yep. She’s an insightful human, that one.”
“Well done for choosing a human yourself. You couldn’t do better than Clare.”
Oliver looked at his feet, said nothing.
When he glanced back up, Grayson’s eyes were narrowed. “She is… human, isn’t she?”
Oliver paused. “Not anymore.”
“You bugger. You turned her.”
“It’s complicated.”
“Either you turned her, or you didn’t. There’s no half measure.”
“Well yes, technically I turned her, but there’s a lot more to Clare than meets the eye. Her human form was never all that it appeared.”
