Epilogue
I slipped my ballot into the box and headed out to the vestibule of City Hall, where Ben was waiting for me.
Although no campaigning was allowed within a hundred feet of the voting area, I didn’t think anyone was going to mind the small “Vote Right — Vote Cartwright” button clipped to my purse strap.
Eliza was still worried about how everything would turn out, but I had a feeling her fretting was more wasted energy than anything else.
After the departure of Dr. Rosenthal and her DAPI agents, everything had settled down here in Silver Hollow, including the electromagnetic energy from the portal.
The readings had finally stabilized at levels that wouldn’t interfere with daily life, although they remained high enough to keep the gateway between worlds accessible when needed.
I had to admit it was kind of weird that I could sense those readings, could simply reach out with this weird gift of mine and know exactly where they’d landed on any particular day, sort of like having a permanent electromagnetic weather station taking up residence in my brain.
“So,” Ben said as we stepped out into the genuine sunshine of that late July afternoon, the first truly clear day we’d had in weeks, “feeling good about democracy in action?”
A smile tugged at my lips. “I think Silver Hollow’s finally about to get the leadership it deserves.” I glanced back toward the big stone building where people were still filing in to cast their votes. “Have you seen Linda Fields around anywhere?”
“She was holding court near the parking lot earlier, but I think she’s moved on to harass voters at the elementary school…
from a legal distance, of course.” Ben’s mouth also quirked in amusement.
“And it sounds like she’s launched an eleventh-hour campaign slogan: ‘Transparency and Accountability.’”
“Too bad her version of transparency involved trying to expose federal secrets for political gain,” I said, and he nodded.
The past few weeks had been the deep exhalation we’d all needed. After Dr. Rosenthal’s abrupt departure, Silver Hollow had returned to normal. No more federal agents skulking around, no more mysterious equipment failures, no more shadow stalkers lurking at the edges of perception.
Just Silver Hollow being Silver Hollow, the way it was supposed to be.
“Want to grab some coffee while we wait for the election results?” Ben asked, inclining his head toward Eliza’s café, a few blocks away.
I’d noticed earlier as I was walking to work that she’d put a sign in the window announcing she’d be serving free coffee and donuts to voters all day.
Her restaurant usually wasn’t open past two, but I guessed she’d decided to keep the café running until the polls closed, most likely as a way to distract herself.
As Ben and I made our way down Main Street, I found myself thinking about how much had changed since that first day I’d read Agent Morse’s thoughts after she came into my pet store.
Luckily, those unexpected glimpses into other people’s thoughts had grown far more infrequent as the energies in the area stabilized, and now I found myself hoping they might retreat altogether.
One crazy extra-sensory gift was enough, thank you very much.
“Penny for your thoughts,” Ben said, and I realized I’d been quiet for almost our entire walk.
“Just thinking about how different everything feels now.” I reached out and took his hand, grateful as always for the solid warmth of his presence. “Three months ago, I was convinced my life was falling apart. Now….”
“Now you’re a guardian of interdimensional portals and dating a cryptozoologist,” he finished with a grin. “Not exactly the career path they prepare you for in veterinary school.”
“No,” I agreed, and couldn’t help chuckling. “Although I have to admit, it hasn’t been boring.”
His hazel eyes twinkled as he reached out to open the door to the café.
The interior was buzzing with conversation, filled with voters taking advantage of Eliza’s generous offer.
The atmosphere felt celebratory rather than tense — such a contrast to Linda’s chaotic “emergency meetings” from weeks past.
We grabbed iced teas and apple cider donuts, then found a small table near the window where we could watch the steady stream of people heading to and from City Hall.
Just seeing everyone going about their daily business made something unknot deep inside me.
We might have gotten close to the brink, but everything seemed fine now.
“Hey,” Ben said, after taking a bite of his donut, “I got some good news this morning.”
Good news was something all of us could use. “Oh?”
“The Nature Channel wants to move forward with my documentary proposal. The one about conservation efforts in areas with cryptid sightings.” His smile was cautious but pleased. “I guess Bigfoot still sells.”
I couldn’t help smiling. “But I assume you’ll slide a chupacabra in there somewhere.”
He returned my grin. “Of course. But the beauty of it is, I can frame the show from an environmental protection angle without having to reveal anything supernatural. Focus on preserving ecosystems that science doesn’t fully understand yet.”
“That’s brilliant,” I said, genuinely impressed. “And it will give you a legitimate reason to keep monitoring things here.”
Meaning that he had even more justification for sticking around Silver Hollow.
“Exactly,” he replied, and sipped some of his iced tea. “Plus, the show’s budget will let me upgrade some of my equipment and maybe bring in a graduate student to help with data analysis. Electromagnetic energy isn’t exactly my main field of study.”
That comment made me raise an eyebrow. “If you do get someone to help out, please make sure they’re a little less zealous than Marjorie Tran. We’ve got way too many secrets to keep.”
“Duly noted,” he said, and smiled again as he broke off a piece of donut and popped it in his mouth.
Despite my reservations, I also thought that having additional resources to help protect Silver Hollow would be a good thing.
Whatever challenges still lay in wait for us, I hoped we’d be better prepared than we’d been when Dr. Rosenthal had descended on us with her theories about weaponizing dimensional instabilities.
Ben and I hadn’t seen any more carvings on the trees, so whoever had been causing the vandalism seemed to have left the area.
We’d speculated that the unknown vandal might have been part of Rosenthal’s team, but since she wasn’t around to ask, for the time, we just had to be glad that the forest was now being left alone.
Around six-thirty, people began heading over to the auditorium at City Hall for the vote count.
Unlike Linda’s emergency meetings, this gathering had an almost festive air.
Someone had strung lights around the entrance to the auditorium, and the historical preservation society had set up a table with homemade cookies and cider.
Ben and I found seats toward the back, close enough to hear everything but far enough from the front to avoid being conspicuous.
I spotted familiar faces throughout the crowd — the Hendersons, looking more relaxed than I’d seen them in months; Hope Hayakawa, who waved when she saw me; Tory Beacham, taking a break from manning the historical society’s cookie table; even Agent Morse, who, in a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved T-shirt, her straight blonde hair loose on her shoulders, looked utterly unlike herself.
Eliza appeared in the auditorium a little after seven, beaming as Mayor Tillman — who seemed genuinely relieved to be handing over the reins — stepped up to announce the results.
“With all precincts reporting,” Tillman said, his voice carrying clearly across the crowd, “Elizabeth Cartwright has been elected mayor of Silver Hollow with seventy-three percent of the vote.”
The cheers were deafening. I found myself grinning as I applauded — not just because Eliza had won, but because the margin was so decisive.
That kind of victory pretty much ensured that we wouldn’t have to worry about any more fear-mongering and false promises from people who didn’t know what the hell they were talking about.
I noticed that Linda Fields was notably absent from the celebration.
Eliza took the small stage, her face glowing with genuine happiness and determination.
“Thank you all so much,” she said once the applause died down.
“I know these past few months have been challenging for our community, but tonight proves that Silver Hollow knows how to come together when it matters.”
More applause, and I experienced a warm glow within that had nothing to do with my supernatural abilities. This was what Silver Hollow was supposed to be — a place where neighbors looked out for each other, where local leadership actually meant something.
Where the ordinary magic of small-town life could flourish alongside the more extraordinary magic hidden in our forest.
“My first priority,” Eliza continued, “will be working with PG&E to ensure our power grid remains stable. I’m happy to report that the recent issues appear to have resolved themselves, but we’ll do whatever we can to prevent future problems.”
I exchanged a glance with Ben. Eliza didn’t know the real reason the power problems had stopped — and she never could — but her plan to keep an eye on things was sound. If the portal’s energy patterns shifted again, we’d need early warning.
After this announcement, people got up from their seats and milled around, congratulating Eliza and discussing plans for the future. I noticed Agent Morse making her way over to us and tensed slightly, but her expression was friendly enough.
“Sidney, Ben,” she said in an undertone when she reached us. The use of our first names told me this wasn’t an official visit…not that I couldn’t have already guessed that from the way she was dressed. “I’d say that was a decisive victory.”
“Seventy-three percent sends a pretty clear message,” Ben agreed.
“True.” Rebecca Morse glanced around to make sure no one was listening, then continued in an even lower voice.
“I wanted you to know that the final report on Silver Hollow concluded that the electromagnetic anomalies were caused by previously unknown geological processes that have since stabilized.”
“And Dr. Rosenthal?” I asked.
“Has been reassigned to a desk job in Washington.” Morse’s small, slightly wicked smile told me she was all too happy about that reassignment.
It was as if someone had just lifted a twenty-pound weight off my shoulders. Clearly, Dr. Rosenthal wasn’t going to be a problem anymore…or at least, not for the foreseeable future.
“What about you?” Ben asked. “Still with the Bureau?”
“For now,” Agent Morse replied. “But I’m taking an extended leave — my vacation time has been piling up for years.” Her gaze moved to me. “If you ever need help again, I hope you’ll consider me an ally.”
I didn’t need to read her mind to recognize the sincerity in her voice. It seemed I’d gained more than just a guardian’s power from this whole experience. Now I also had an unexpected friend within the federal government itself.
“Thank you,” I said simply. “I’ll remember that.”
Morse nodded and melted back into the crowd, leaving Ben and me to absorb what she’d just offered.
“Well,” he said quietly, “that’s one more piece of good news.”
Later that evening, we made our way back to my house, taking a long, wandering route through the forest. Fairy-bell flowers along the trail glowed with their gentle bioluminescence and helped to guide us. Everything felt peaceful and balanced in a way it hadn’t for months.
“So,” Ben said as we paused on my front porch, “what happens now? Think you’ll reopen the pet store tomorrow?”
“Definitely,” I replied. “But I’ve also been thinking about what I can do to finish my degree.
Hope Hayakawa told me she’d be willing to help me put in the final clinical hours I’m missing, so if I can convince my advisors at UC Davis that working with her would fulfill that part of the program, maybe there’s still a way I can make it work. ”
I’d been putting off thinking about long-term plans while we dealt with one crisis after another, but with everything apparently stabilized for now, it felt safe to start looking toward the future again.
“That sounds perfect,” Ben said, settling beside me as we sat down on the porch steps. “A veterinarian who understands both ordinary and extraordinary animals would be pretty valuable around here.”
“Not to mention a cryptozoologist with a Nature Channel contract,” I added with a grin. “You know, Ben Sanders…I think we make a good team.”
“The best,” he agreed, then leaned over to touch his mouth to mine.
The embrace lasted a good long while, but eventually we pulled apart so I could lean my head on his shoulder.
This…this right here…this was what we’d both been fighting for.
Something flickered in my peripheral vision, and I looked up to see a familiar pale light moving between the distant trees. The unicorn, keeping his customary watch from the forest’s shadows.
I didn’t hear his voice in my mind this time, but I didn’t need to. His presence felt like a quiet acknowledgment — well done and until next time rather than goodbye. The portal was stable, following predictable patterns again, and the boundary between worlds was secure.
“Is that…?” Ben asked, following my gaze.
“Just our neighborhood watch,” I told him. “Making sure everything’s as it should be.”
The unicorn’s light faded back into the forest depths, and Ben squeezed my hand.
“Ready to go in?” he asked.
I took one last look at the woods, feeling the gentle pulse of the portal’s energy in the distance.
Whatever challenges lay ahead — and I had no doubt there would be challenges — I no longer felt like I would be facing them alone.
I had Ben, I had Eliza’s leadership to help protect Silver Hollow from mundane threats, I had an unexpected ally in Rebecca Morse…
and I had my own growing understanding of the magical forces that flowed through this place.
“Ready,” I said, and meant it.
As we headed inside, I caught a final glimmer from the forest — just a flash of silver that might have been the unicorn’s horn catching the starlight, or might have been my imagination. Either way, it felt like a promise.
For now, we would have a measure of peace.
The Legendary series continues in Trial by Fire, releasing in February 2026.