Epilogue
M onths had passed since the incident at the estate. Winter had now passed, allowing spring to take over, and soft flowers boomed all over Frost Hollow. The town had slowly begun to rebuild itself. No more break-ins had happened for months, allowing old shop owners who had left the town months ago to begin to reappear and rebuild their shops. The tattoo shop owner with whom I had an apprenticeship returned and offered me the job. Needless to say, I took him up on the offer.
Maya and I ended up buying the building next door to the bakery and remodeling it into a home. She needed room now that she had officially adopted Emmett and Emery as her children. They helped in the bakery during the day, and Maya taught them their studies in the evening. The small children were still learning how to shift between their goat forms and human ones, leaving them occasionally running around with goat tails that would shake happily at the site of pastries.
"I'll be back home later this evening." I walk up behind Maya and kiss her on the shoulder. Maya hums in response, and I glance down at her ring finger, where a tattooed star sits. Then I glance at my own matching one.
"I'm making shepherd's pie this evening, so don't be late," she turns around and kisses me softly, and I return it eagerly. Maya was the same as before. She took her new powers seriously and did her best to be a guiding light to all humans and spirits. I no longer had to be the terrifying sin of punishment. I now guided souls to their end, offering them a peaceful hand through their death.
As I left the shop, the town no longer had a heavy blanket of shadow. For the first time, it felt as if it had life. Though the two children were young and still had a long way to go to learn their new power, the small town would forever be protected by the permanent spirits of punishment, light, and gift.