Five years later.
Five long and tiresome years of waiting. Of walking the earth and never stopping because I am still a wanted woman.
The “Event”, in which three thousand and twelve people suddenly disappeared in the blink of an eye, caused somewhat of a stir. Three thousand and twelve people that believed they were human, who lived human lives, held human jobs and had human families, suddenly vanished. They had no idea of what was going to happen to them. No idea that they were Descendants at all. And one of those people was a member of the British Royal family. I still chuckle at the idea of the royal waking up in a world full of magic and far from their servants and chauffeurs.
But the world didn’t find it amusing.
With the Hunter organisation now disbanded, the police took over. I mean… there are no witches left to hunt. No magic to fuel the hatred in their Hunter-marks. But after I was seen on CCTV in Portugal a year and a half ago, I’m public enemy number one and the blame for all the missing people landed at my feet.
So I kept moving. Living on the road with nothing but my wits and the ever-loyal Lois Quinn by my side.
Five years.
But it hasn’t been all bad. The wealth of the Kendryk fortune found its way to several good causes. We made sure of that. The missing works of art were returned to their former homes and The Orchard was donated to a charity which housed orphaned children.
And for the first time, I have had a loving mother in my life.
It’s been a long few years, and as we sit on the cliffs at Land’s End, looking at the ocean, I strangely don’t feel nervous. But relieved.
We both are, sitting here with blisters on our feet and a few frostbitten toes after we got cornered on the side of Everest. We share a bottle of rum and watch the sunset.
‘It’s almost time,’ I say happily, handing her the bottle. She sips and nods before giving it back.
‘Nervous?’ she asks, pulling out a pistol and checking the chamber. There’s a single bullet. Once it’s ready, Mama Quinn hands me the weapon and pulls out a second, and this too is loaded with a single bullet.
‘Nah. I’m too tired to be nervous. You?’
‘I’m one more sip away from peeing myself,’ she tells me with a giggle.
‘Then no more rum for you,’ I tease, sipping a little more from the bottle.
My watch starts to beep, the preset alarm. We waste no time in leaping up and facing each other.
‘How do I look?’ she asks, flattening down her hair. I try not to smirk at the fact that her hair is fine, but neither of us has showered in over a week and our skin is filthy.
‘Stunning,’ I grin, neatening her locks a little.
‘Doubtful, since you look like crap and no matter what, you always look better than me, so I probably look like death’s ugly sister.’
We both let out a bout of excited giggles and take each other’s hands.
Her smile starts to slip.
‘Lilly, if this doesn’t work-’
‘It’s going to work!’
‘But if something goes wrong-’
‘Then we’ll be dead. It’s kinda all or nothing here.’ I tuck the journal into Gabriel’s leather jacket pocket and slide the Bloodstone between our knotted hands so we’re both touching it. ‘Together. You and me. We either get home today, or we die trying.’
Her hand rests on my cheek.
‘I love you, girly.’
‘And I love you, Mama Quinn.’
The sun sets, and in the horizon, the flickering of a shooting star comes into view. We both take a shaky breath and face the sea, looking at the Flos Dirigentes. The comet that also happens to be a Bloodstone infused with magic after countless centuries circling the world and soaking up the power spilling out from the witches that lived here.
‘I really hope Rebecca Hopper is right about this,’ she mutters almost melodically.
‘Her instructions were crystal clear. The Flos Dirigentes is still infused with magic and when it passes this spot, I can tap into it with the Bloodstone we made.’ I hold out the necklace. ‘And they will connect to the same Bloodstones in the Arcane Realm, making a bridge. One last bridge. And we just walk right over it. Assuming that someone is in this exact spot right now in the Arcane Realm with the Bloodstone I left behind there.’
‘Sounds real simple,’ she mocks. ‘Shame we had to wait five bloody years!’
‘This is gonna work. I’ve already missed too much of my daughter’s life. Five goddamn years. Fuck.’
The Flos Dirigentes draws closer and I grip her hand in mine with the Bloodstone sandwiched between our palms. The Bloodstone that contains both our blood and Gabriel’s blood which we took from the bleeding journal.
‘We’re connected. This will work.’
Please let it work!
The star grows closer and we face each other, looking into one another’s eyes with nervous trepidation.
‘Ready?’ I ask. I take the gun, loaded with one bullet, and rest it at my temple.
‘Ready.’ She pulls out her gun, nodding nervously as she copies my actions.
Both our heads turn up to the heavens. The star approaches.
‘Here goes everything!’
‘You got this,’ she whispers.
I scream the words out into the world with all my might as the star passes overhead. The words Rebecca Hooper and Gabriel wrote in the journal with blood. The words that she promised would return me home.
They echo all around me, dissipating into the night air. When I speak the final word, I squeeze Lois’s hand, signalling that now is the time.
In order for us to get to the Arcane Realm, for the spell to work, we need to die.
So, together, we pull the triggers.
Click, click.
Neither gun works. Neither gun fires!
The star passes over and carries on, not even noticing us. There’s no connection made. No surge of power. Not even a tickle of it. We stare in despair as it carries on, disappearing over the hills of the Cornish countryside and vanishing for another unknown amount of years.
‘No…’ I whisper. ‘No, no, no!’ I open up the gun chamber to find it completely empty. ‘NOOOO!’ How. Someone did this! Someone took the damn bullets!
‘I-it’s going to be okay,’ Lois says with no conviction whatsoever. ‘We’ll be okay. We can try again!’
I drop her hand, the Bloodstone landing with a light thud between us and I have to fight the urge to stamp my foot down on it in vengeance. I toss the gun, screaming like a lunatic as I watch its empty shell fly through the air before landing in the grass. Everything inside me burns with heartbreak and disappointment. The same grief that consumed me the morning I awoke in Gabriel’s bed starts to swallow me whole. I try to speak. To form some kind of sentence, but there is absolutely nothing to say. Nothing that will ever fix this. Nothing that-
‘Hello, Beautiful.’
My heart stops right then and there and relocates to my throat.
‘Lois…’ I lift my gaze to Lois, who has her eyes firmly on mine. ‘Did you hear-’
‘I certainly did,’ she whispers in response, her eyes wide.
‘Was that-’
‘I think it was… yeah.’
‘Are we in the Arcane Realm?’
A dragon swoops overhead.
‘Erm… I think so… yeah.’
Together, we turn.
I slam my hand over my mouth and choke on a sob, my eyes already filling with tears.
‘About time!’ Gabriel beams, his face exploding into a blissful grin. ‘About bloody time!’
As he sprints towards me, laughing a booming laugh, I stand there like a stone statue. It takes a nudge from Lois to return me to my senses and with an excited scream of utter joy, I run to meet him. Our arms are wide and our delight comes out in tears and laughter as we race towards the other half of ourselves.
We collide.
My arms are thrown around his neck and his around my waist as our lips crash into each other.
We reclaim what has been lost to us both for so long. His tears and mine, they meld together. But this time they’re tears of joy. Of love and euphoria. He lifts me and spins me as he laughs gleefully into my mouth, not once breaking away from our long overdue and desperate kiss. He slows and lowers me to the floor, resting his forehead against mine as he lets out a long and content sigh.
‘I have fucking missed you, Beautiful.’
‘I’ve missed you too.’ I drag my hands through his hair and stroke his face, caressing his lips and feeling the hammering of his heart beneath his shirt. ‘I can’t believe you’re here! I can’t believe I’m here I can’t believe-’
‘MUUUUUMMMMMMYYYYYYYYY!’
The high pitched squeal has me shoving Gabriel out of my view and I watch as the most perfect little girl, with waist-length curly hair and wearing the sweetest little blue dress comes barreling towards me.
‘Callie!’
Her arms are wide and wanting. Her little hands reaching and her angelic giggle makes my heart grow ten times bigger.
‘I’ve shown her memories of you every single day,’ Gabriel tells me. ‘She knows you, Beautiful. You’ve been right here for her. And she’s been waiting.’ Gabriel steps aside. ‘Go on. You two have waited long enough. Go hug our daughter.’
‘CALLIE!’
I run to meet her, my arms are just as wide and desperate to be filled as hers. I drop to my knees and she crashes into me with all her weight. Her tiny arms squeeze me tight and I bury my face in her mess of curls, breathing her in with every breath. Her scent is everything. Her breath on my neck is everything. How her hands grip at the ends of my hair is everything.
She is everything.
She always was and she always will be.
I pull her into my lap and cradle her, kissing her over and over and over again.
As Gabriel sinks down beside us, wrapping his arms around us both and planting kisses on us one after the other, I catch another perfect sight.
Connor and his dad are embracing Lois. The three sobbing and clinging to each other as they reunite.
Collins wipes away a tear as he stands with one arm around a heavily pregnant and joyfully weeping Amara and a sleeping boy the same age as Callie slumped on his shoulder. Tobias stands by their side, smiling and sobbing just as much as the rest of them.
And also, my father.
He tries hard not to let his lip tremble but fails tremendously. I reach out my hand.
‘Get over here. All of you!’
They waste no time. None of them.
Collins, Amara, their babies, Tobias, my dad, Connor, Mama and Papa Quinn.
They all rush over and fall to the floor with us, embracing those around them and spilling happy tears.
I watch the shooting star that brought us here blink out of sight and thank it with all my heart.
In the distance, by a group of horses and carts, I catch a glimpse of Rebecca Hooper watching on proudly.
‘Thank you,’ I mouth to her. She gives me a smile and a small bow before fading from sight.
I cling to the little girl in my arms. I kiss the man by my side. And I embrace my family in a mess of joyful tears and entangled arms.
My hair returns to its former red and the power of the Arcane Realm reclaims its place in my body and soul.
I know now, without a doubt…
That I am home.
I am absofuckinglutely home!
We all are.
The Last Witch 3
The End.
