EPILOGUE
Thom held my hand above us, his fingers threading through mine as we lay beneath a world of stars in the Pa’abo desert.
And it was as perfect as I dreamed.
Two semesters at university had flown by in a series of lectures, experiments, and discovering just how far my powers could stretch.
Somehow, my first internship still felt unreal.
Thomas had taken my words to heart, advocating for Amouridia to provide university scholarships to lower-income mages in the Capitol.
He’d even volunteered to lead the scholarship students on their first internship himself.
The sands shifted beneath me, and I rolled even closer to Thom’s warmth.
Looking up into the night sky, the moonlight kissing our faces, the Pa’abo desert was just as Thomas described in the letters he’d written me so long ago.
The letters I still kept with me at all times, although I’d never tell Thom that. The man already had quite the ego, although it was much smaller than I’d thought when we first met at the pond all those years ago.
During our first week of term, he’d brought me to his lab and showed me how to make the cure. Even after knowing his blood contributed to the potion, I’d stared at the vials and his scarred arms in disbelief, regretting yet again how much pressure I’d put on him during that fateful summer together.
Apparently, it wasn’t just Thomas’s blood—a serum made partially with the blood of any powerful mage could weaken the plague’s hold in a non-magical or weak-magicked human.
His work had taken years because it relied solely on him.
His own blood had helped cure Asha, and was now curing commoners all over Amouridia.
I’d told him about the research I did while he was away. Awe had filled his eyes as I explained how much I uncovered without the royal resources he’d relied on his whole life.
We still weren’t exactly sure where the plague had originated, although we had tracked down Lee, surprisingly, with the help of Drea.
I’d long forgotten about her irritating presence until she sent guards to the palace with Lee’s unconscious body, ending the kingdom’s manhunt.
The rest of the Blackwoods were long gone, abandoning Lee to a life of interrogations in the dungeon.
The only other person who seemed to face any consequences was Mrs. Calloway, who was put on probation as a result of concerning reports from both Ella and me.
She decided to resign and return to a home in the countryside she used to serve.
Since then, we’d continued to research, study, and work toward making Amouridia better. Thom’s cure became mass-produced in Junira’s labs using donated blood from its students, sent all over the continent in hopes of turning the tide on the Quiet Passing once and for all.
And Thomas and I? We continued to know, grow, and fall more in love with one another.
He tickled my palm, right where my thread scar marked the sacrifice I’d made for him years ago. I giggled and pulled away. “You’ll lose hand-holding privileges,” I teased.
I felt his stare on the side of my face. When I finally turned to face him, the tenderness in his eyes made me gasp, my insides scrambling for order.
“I want more, Lyra.”
“Sorry?”
“I want a future together.”
I gave a shaky smile. “I’m not going anywhere, Thom.”
He adjusted, the sands shifting as he maneuvered to pull something from his pocket. A light green ribbon rested in his hands, the color of lily pads in the summer heat, the ones which once clustered by our pond. It fluttered in the desert breeze.
I bit my cheek. For once, he managed to hold eye contact without adjusting his glasses or rubbing his nose, and his face was inches from mine when I finally unfurrowed my brow.
“I won’t marry until I’ve finished my studies,” I said.
He grinned. “I expect nothing less from my top pupil.”
I laughed. “Your top pupil? You still haven’t ripped a single piece of parchment I’ve given you.”
Teasing outrage sparked in his eyes. “I’ll get there.” He turned onto his side, leaning over me, his head framed by thousands of stars twinkling above.
“You better,” I said, pulling him down by his shirt so his lips met mine. My insides fluttered, my breath quickening as one of his hands moved to my waist. Longing burned in my chest as we pressed against one another, our kiss unhurried and familiar.
A pang coursed through me when he turned away. “So… what do you say?”
“You’ll wait until I’m certain I’m ready? If that day ever comes?”
“I’ll wait forever for you, Lyranore.”
I took the ribbon from him and examined it. My fingers paused at the clasp on each end.
“You can always change your mind,” he added with a pointed look. “You’re free, and I want you to continue feeling that way.”
I pulled his mouth to mine again and got lost, breathless in the privacy of the sands, the other students snoring in their tents.
I came up for air, unable to stop the smile tugging at my lips. “Scared I’ll hop away?” I asked.
His expression tightened. “Very funny.”
“I’ll have to ponder…”
“I’m looking for a simple yes or no,” he mumbled.
“Can you speak frog? Ribbit ribbit.”
He kissed me again, and this time, it would be a while until another joke could make it out.
But I didn’t mind. I was happy, proud of myself and the life I’d chosen, and I had a long life ahead of me to enjoy it.
It wasn’t the life I’d once imagined for myself.
But this? Travelling the world, training to be a Mage Council member, helping others traverse the class divide?
This was infinitely better.