Epilogue
Aurelie sat on a cot in her temporary quarters at the Iron Fortress, cupping a now-tepid mug of tea in her numb hands. Uncle
Leo’s voice was a faraway drone in her head, in part thanks to her concussion, though she wasn’t sure she’d be listening even
if it weren’t for the head wound she’d suffered at Everard’s hands. Des was gone, or as good as, and it was all her fault.
“Aurelie, please. You must eat something.”
She looked up from her mug to see Uncle Leo holding out a plate of unidentifiable meat, potatoes, and a vegetable that had
probably once been green but was now a brownish gray. “I told you, I’m not hungry.”
“I understand that. But sometimes we have to force ourselves to eat anyway.”
There was an undercurrent of frustration in Leo’s voice, which Aurelie could hardly blame him for. She’d ruined not only her
own life, but his as well. The university had become its own fortress of sorts, their cottage commandeered by Everard, the
entire campus surrounded by his thralls. No one would get near the portal as long as Everard lived. And beside him was the
man who had once been Des.
Now, he was as much a shell as Everard. Or had been, the last time she saw him, after he bound himself to the gatekeeper demon, and, in a way she still didn’t understand, to Everard himself.
No one knew what his plan was yet. The veil was holding, though only by a thread, and demons had killed dozens of people before everyone started to realize that decapitation was now the only way to finish them off.
Fresh tears sprang up in her eyes, blurring her vision.
“Come now, don’t cry,” Leo said, setting the plate of food aside. “We’re going to figure this out, my dear. The very best
minds in the kingdom are working on it.”
She couldn’t help thinking that she had one of the very best minds in the kingdom, and instead of helping, she was here, imprisoned alongside her uncle, where
she could be of no use to anyone. But then, what had she expected? She’d brought ruin upon Wisteria; of course no one would
ask for her advice.
It had all happened so fast. One moment the monstrous portal demon had seemed to be passing back through, and the next she
was on the ground with a splitting headache, Des standing beside Everard. She’d touched the back of her head, felt the blood
congealing in her hair.
She had called to Des, hoping to make sense of what was happening, but when he looked at her, there was no recognition in
his gray eyes. In that moment, she’d understood what he had given up to save her.
Now, as Aurelie and Uncle Leo awaited trial, there was little news of the world beyond the fortress gates. Their only sources
of information were Daisy, Jasper, and Gareth, and they were forbidden from seeing them. Occasionally, Daisy would slip a
note under their door. But the last one had been days ago, and Aurelie was left to imagine the worst.
Everard had complete control over the portal now, which he had never planned to destroy.
He was using it to allow whichever demons he deemed useful through, though what his plans were beyond that remained a mystery to Aurelie.
She’d heard rumors that King Gabor was in negotiations with him, or preparing to go to war, or was already dead.
“You know,” her uncle said, placing a careful hand on her shoulder, “the entire time I was in Everard’s basement, the only
thing I prayed for was your safety.”
Aurelie swiped at her tears bitterly. Better he had prayed for Aurelie’s death. Uncle Leo had indeed gone to visit his friend—who,
he finally shared, had been his lover many years ago—and waited until he died peacefully at home. On the way back to Wisteria
City, Leo’s train had broken down and he’d run into a tall, redheaded man at the station who was also returning to the city.
Everard offered him a ride as a ruse for the kidnapping. He’d been told very little during his captivity, only enough to know
that Aurelie had been lured into a dangerous scheme involving an invention.
Aurelie set her cold tea on the floor and was about to curl up on her cot when a knock sounded on the door of their quarters.
Uncle Leo called, “Come in,” just as the door opened, revealing the hardened face of Commander Yew.
Aurelie had been interrogated by the man several times, so she assumed he was back for more questioning. She was already rising
when he held up a hand. “Grab your belongings, Miss Blake. You won’t be returning to this room.”
She and Uncle Leo shared a startled look. Aurelie’s mind raced through all the possible scenarios, consistently returning to “hanged for treason.”
“What’s going on?” Leo demanded.
“The judges have conferred. They’ve finally decided on what to do with Aurelie.”
She closed her eyes, bracing herself. Courage, Aurelie.
“What does that mean?” Leo pressed, standing beside her. He was still thin after his captivity, no more interested in the
food provided by the Iron Guard than Aurelie, though he did a better job of choking it down.
Commander Yew took Aurelie by the upper arm and led her toward the door. She was sure he wouldn’t tell them anything, but
he must have taken some pity on Uncle Leopold, because he paused on the threshold and turned. “They’ve officially lost their
minds, is what it means. They want her to join the Iron Swords.”
End of Book One