Epilogue
Ena
Twenty-seven years later…
Ena walked into the Great Antre, her footsteps echoing across the aged stone. Daemons passed by her, greeting her politely as she entered, but she only had eyes for one.
Ty sat upon the golden throne, his chin resting on his fist, and Ena didn’t even need her Knowing to tell how he was feeling—he looked incredibly grumpy. He was surrounded by daemons at the Convening table, and while the discussions seemed even-tempered, her husband seemed displeased.
But then he looked up, caught sight of her, and his eyes lit up.
“Let’s reconvene at another time,” he said to the daemons around him. “I need to speak to my wife for a minute.”
The daemons politely nodded their understanding and stood, making their way out of the chamber as they nodded and smiled at Ena on the way out.
One of them—Lara—stopped to whisper in her ear on the way out. “Good luck with that one today,” she said, nodding towards Ty. “He’s in a mood. Almost as bad as Steig,” she added, smiling teasingly. “Glad to have you home.”
“Glad to be home,” Ena agreed, wrapping her arm around her friend’s shoulder and giving her a squeeze.
Releasing her, she made her way over to the king.
“My love,” Ena said, a small smile on her lips. As soon as she approached, Ty reached out to grab her face, pulling her in for a kiss. He tasted the same as he always did—stone, cedar, woodsmoke, and honey. Like home, and safety, and she relished the feel of his lips against hers.
“Fuck, I missed you,” he said against her lips. “You were gone too long.”
She pulled back to study him, stroking her hand down his beard lovingly. It was streaked with gray now, giving him an air of maturity he’d never had before, and she not-so-secretly loved it.
“I know. I missed you too,” she said, standing before him and holding his hand.
“But it was a successful visit with Greya. You know we’ve been working on Imbuing a few objects with witches’ Gifts to create useful combinations, and I think we figured out how to Imbue glacio directly into a clay jar.
It kept milk cold for days!” Ena explained excitedly.
Ty smiled warmly at her. “That is quite impressive, viper,” he said.
“Thank you,” Ena said, warmed by his praise. She loved working with Greya too. Her sister had really grown into her role as matriarch, and despite her hidden stryx heritage—which she intended to avoid awakening at all costs—she was a powerful witch. Together, they were quite the team.
“But what’s going on with you? Lara hinted that something was up,” Ena asked, concerned about what it could be.
“Well, first of all, there was another mine collapse,” Ty said, his frustration evident.
“It’s been great that our metal goods are in such demand with mortals, but we’re having trouble expanding the ways we want to.
” He sighed. “I’ll figure it out, though.
Just gotta sit down with Dev and look at the maps again. ”
“Is that it?” Ena asked, knowing that his agitation over Underworld matters was usually second to…other concerns.
“No,” Ty said, looking at her with purpose. “That’s not it. It’s also your son.”
“My son?” she said, not missing the tone, but smiling slightly at the teasing. “What about him?”
“He’s being a fucker,” Ty said, his voice echoing through the cavern.
“Don’t call your son a fucker,” Ena chastised, though it was hard to keep the amusement out of her voice.
Like father, like son, and the two of them, while they loved each other fiercely, did tend to butt heads occasionally.
“He’s under a lot of pressure,” she added.
“And besides, if I remember correctly, you were sometimes quite the fucker yourself at his age.”
Breaking into her house and kidnapping her came imminently to mind.
Ty grunted in reluctant agreement. “That’s true, I won’t deny,” he said. “But he’s gone too far this time.”
“What did he do?” Ena asked, concern fluttering through her stomach.
“I have no idea,” Ty said. “He’s missing. He’s been gone for weeks—almost as long as you have.”
“He’s gone?” Ena asked. “Did he say where he was going?”
“No,” Ty replied. “Turner and Xena told me they saw him leaving on horseback when they were coming back from a hunt, but he didn’t say anything to me.”
Ena sighed. That was slightly concerning.
Ladon was under a lot of pressure—she knew that.
He was all at once the heir to the Underworld, the stryx’s prophesied savior, and an entirely new race of magic, along with being a powerful witch.
He was in high demand by all three groups, who expected things of him.
Expected him to be and act a certain way.
Ena had noticed that after his Awakening recently, when he’d been given his Power and his ability to Change, he had seemed all of a sudden…
restless. Smothered, in a way, by all his responsibilities.
Not to mention, the Change itself had been rough on him.
She understood that it could be overwhelming the first time, but Ladon’s was…
intense, to say the least, given what he’d Changed into.
“What do you want to do?” Ena asked him. “Go after him?”
“No. Yes. Maybe,” Ty said indecisively. “I don’t know. He’s a grown man now, after all.”
“He is that,” Ena said, biting her lower lip in contemplation. To be honest, she was at a loss for what to do too. She was concerned about his wellbeing, but she also knew that if she held on too tight, it could backfire and push him away further. “Maybe we should just…let him be. For now.”
Ty looked at her, extending his hand, which she took gladly. He pulled her over to sit on his lap, and began stroking her back. “Is this how you feel when you don’t have control?” Ty asked. “This tightness in your chest, like the worst might happen?”
“Yes,” Ena said, chuckling slightly at his distress. She rubbed her hand across his broad chest in an effort to relax him. “Exactly like that.”
Ty sighed. “I guess we have no choice but to let him find his own way then.”
“He’ll find it,” Ena assured him. “Just like we did. The future is always unknown—always changing, always full of chaos and balance, in equal measure. I think he’s just in his chaos right now.”
“When did you get so wise and self-assured?” Ty asked her, teasing as she lowered her head onto his shoulder.
“What are you talking about? I’ve always been this way,” she said with faux arrogance.
“Mmm,” Ty said in agreement. “You have always been amazing, that’s true.”
He kissed her on the forehead then, surrounding her with his safety and warmth, and she was filled with such gratitude for him.
Because despite her concern for Ladon, she knew Ty’s love would always be there to support her.
He was the steady rock to her growing vine, and the roots from which she had grown.
His love was her fertile ground, holding her as she had become the woman she’d always wanted to be: wild, free, safe in herself, and loved.
Always, always loved—through all the unknowns they had endured, and whatever chaos was yet to come.
THE END