They paused and then spoke as one, their voices merging in an eerie yet harmonious symphony that sent shivers down my spine. “Lord Zane, we always knew you would drink the vial. We also knew that Princess Lorelei’s power could bring you back. We had to present the task in a way that would ensure the Tree of Transformation received the willing sacrifice it needed to end the curse. A descendant of Balazar Warrick. Someone of black blood. When Lorelei shared her essence with you to bring you back, you, in turn, shared a part of yourself with her. Your bond is now even deeper than before. Her heart is now black because of it, and yours is red.”
I heard Zane release a soft sigh of relief. “So she’ll be all right?” he pressed.
The Wise One furthest to the left nodded and added, “She isfine. However, you will both find that your magic has been altered in some ways.”
Altered? What did that mean? I frowned, but before I could ask, Zane seemed unbothered by the revelation and continued.
“You know,” he said, “I would have gladly drunk the vial if you’d simply asked.”
The Wise Ones glanced at one another, their expressions unreadable but tinged with what might have been amusement. “Had we done that,” the central Wise One replied, “Lorelei would have drunk the vial to save you, and she would have died. You would not have been able to bring her back.”
Zane turned to me then, gently cupping my face in his hands. “Is that true?” he asked, his voice low and searching. “Would you have sacrificed yourself to save my life?”
“A thousand times over,” I said without hesitation. “If I had known you would go behind my back and read the note, I would have hidden it from you in the first place.”
His gaze softened as he searched my eyes. “When it comes to you,” he said, his voice thick with emotion, “there are no lengths I won’t go to in order to make sure you are happy, safe, protected, and loved.”
And then his lips were on mine. The kiss was full of tenderness, and my heart melted at his touch. It was done. The curse was broken, Zane was alive, and we were together. We did it.
When we finally parted, I noticed the Wise Ones had left, their shadowy forms now distant silhouettes at the top of the hill.
“One more thing,” their combined voice echoed in my mind. “The faestones from each of the princesses’ daggers have the power torestore what the curse destroyed. Plant them in the earth and combine your powers to heal the lands. What is healed in Faerie will also heal in Ethereum.”
With that, they crested the ridge and disappeared from view.
“They’re kind of freaky,” I said, breaking the silence. Zane’s laugh was rich and warm, filling the space around us.
He glanced back at the portal nestled between the halves of the split tree. A whistle echoed through the air, and further down the tracks, I saw a light moving steadily toward us. The train was arriving.
“Did you say this village was on the outskirts of Windreum?” I asked.
He nodded, a curious look in his eyes.
With a grin, I tightened my grip on his hand and took off running toward the portal, dragging him behind me.
“Wait, Lorelei, what are you doing?” he called after me, his tone filled with equal parts amusement and confusion.
“The curse is destroyed. I want to see the other princesses, and I’m sure you want to see your brothers. I want to see where you live and ride on your train,” I said, excitement bubbling over.
Zane yanked me to a stop just before I could step through the portal. “I would love that, but I have Nellie waiting for me back home, and the puppies we bought,” he said, his tone gentle but cautious. “And the Wise Ones just told us we need to heal the land with the daggers.” He patted the pouch at his side. “What if we go through and can’t come back?”
I stopped pulling on him, his words giving me pause. He was right—I hadn’t thought about that possibility. “I don’t think it’sa one-way portal,” I said with hope. “The Wise Ones said we could travel safely back and forth between the worlds. Can’t we just go for one day? We can return tomorrow to head back to the Spring Court and plan our journey to the other Courts to heal the land. I used up so much magic bringing you back, that I need to replenish anyway.”
Zane rubbed his bottom lip contemplatively, his gaze fixed on the shimmering portal behind me. I turned to follow his line of sight just as a train pulled into the station on the other side. Its loud whistle pierced the air, startling me.
Before I could say anything, Zane let go of my hand and suddenly leaped through the portal. My heart stopped for a moment, but he quickly reappeared, stepping back through with an exhilarated grin on his face.
“It’s open,” he exclaimed, his eyes shining with delight.
We laughed, holding hands as we ran together through the portal and boarded the train.
I wasn’t going to wait one more second to start living my happily ever after.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Dawn
Islept for another few hours. I could feel more of my strength returning each time I rested, so I allowed myself to continue to do so. After I woke, Aribella helped me roll the babies into the sitting room to wait for Zander and Isolde to return from the hospital. Aribella tried to convince me to sit while we waited, but there was a restless energy inside of me that wouldn’t let me just relax, so I paced back and forth.
