And those always sucked.
The women glanced at each other like they were trying todecide who was going to deliver the bad news.
It fell to Finnie, who I’d found out had been there thelongest.
“First, itisreally important that no one learnabout that world,” she said carefully.“So going back and forth, us there orpeople we love here, isn’t the smartest thing to do.For any of us.Second,Loren might feel differently, but we’ve all been separated from our guys in oneway or another.So, although they could come with, a total and complete absencelike that, of one but especially both of us, could be noticed.It’s beendecided amongst us that it’s better not to court that danger.It also must besaid that it takes an extreme amount of magic to travel between worlds.Valentine is powerful.She goes back and forth like it’s nothing to her, but itis.She doesn’t have aneverendingreserve of power.And she does take payment, but really, even if she hides it, she has thekindest heart you could know, and one of the fiercest.In the end, no diamondis worth the magic she expends to bring us something from home.It’s asacrifice for her.One she makes because she cares for us and looks after us.So please, be aware of that.”
She paused there, probably because all that was important,and she needed me to acknowledge it, so I nodded to her.
Then she continued.
“And last, our men know what we’ve given up for them.Ourworlds and everything we know, which is a really big deal.It hurts them tothink we pine for it, when we don’t.I love my friends.”She smiled.“I lovefluffernutter sandwiches.But I love Frey more than anything on two worlds.AndI can’t say I don’t experience nostalgia every once in a while, but there’snowhere I’d rather be than here, with him.”
“Yeah,” I whispered with feeling.
“It’s up to you, of course,” Cora chimed in.“We just askthat you be very, very careful.”
“Kingdoms depend on it,” Circe added.
“And think of Valentine,” Finnie concluded.
“Yeah,” I repeated.
There was a knock on the door.
“Yes?”I called.
Idina stuck in her head.“It’s time to get ready, LadySatrine.”
My heart jumped with happiness.
“I’ll be right there,” I told her.
She shot me a huge smile and ducked out, closing the door.
I looked to Finnie.“Please tell me they breathe fire.”
She shot me a huge smile too.“Oh yes.They breathe fire.”
“Awesome,” I whispered.
Circe shifted forward, lifting up her coupé glass(obviously, since it was my wedding day, and I was sitting around, gabbing withmy gals, we were drinking champagne).
“To savages in savage lands,” she toasted.
Cora sat forward and raised her glass.“To men onhorseback.”
Maddie did the same and offered, “To breeches and boots.”
Finnie mirrored her friends and said, “To love that spansworlds.”
It was my turn.
My glass high, I offered, “To gossamer in the darkness.”
Joyous, knowing smiles before we all clinked.
And then we all drank.
