Amantha had done us all proud and gone on to be a champion in the figure skating world. She was quite reputable now, and somewhat of a sports icon in Malovia. We’d attended her last performance, and although Emma had cheered, I’d recognized that sadness in her eyes. Despite being happy for our friend, she wanted to be out there with her. It was a grief she’d never let go of.
“How’s your knee?” I asked Emma as we made another lap.
She winced. “Sore. I think I’ll be done soon.”
It still, and always would, continue to bother me whenever she was in pain. “If I could make it better—”
“My life is still a good life,” she said. “I’ve come to terms with my illness and how my body works. I’m okay with how things are. And maybe one day, I’ll be well. They’ll be better treatments, more powerful magic.”
“We can only hope.”
“And if not,” Emma pressed. “It’ll still be worth it, to be here with you. The gods chose me to go through this so I could teach and inspire others. In that way, even my greatest trial is a gift.”
She had such a different perspective on things now. Since Emma had returned from the Great Hunting Grounds, things didn’t bother her as much as they once did. Nothing shook her iron resolve. It was both inspiring and unsettling. I was in awe of her at all times, and sometimes thrown off by her attitude to be resigned to whatever circumstance. She’d seen what lay beyond, things she could try to explain to me but that I couldn’t understand. Because of it, she was at peace.
While we skated, sprites that looked like snowflakes and pixies that were made of ice did pirouettes mid-air around us. The faekin of Edinmyre had traveled to Earth to live here, and there was always a new species to discover. Fae zoologists and historians had a mountain of a task ahead of them, documenting and learning about them all.
There was a giggling noise as others entered the Hall of Wonders. Theo’s voice echoed off the mountains as he shouted, “Girls, don’t get too carried away. Theodora—Theodora!”
A little blonde two-year-old was tossing snowballs at the pixies that flew around the room. The pixie whizzed out of the way of the snowballs, making indigent sounds as the toddler let out cries of glee. Theo hurried to grab her, carrying her away from the horde of misfortune faekin.
“What have I said about being polite?” Theo scolded.
Theodora laughed, then smashed a snowball she was holding against Theo’s nose. The alicorn shifter huffed and blew snowflakes off his lips.
Odette walked into the room carrying another child, who was identical to Theodora. The girl was sucking her thumb, and curled up against Odette’s chest. “I think they’re due for a nap. Odessa’s all worn out.”
“So am I,” Theo replied wearily. He rubbed his face before looking over his shoulder. “Kiara, hurry along!”
“Coming, Daddy!” A third child toddled toward them, falling face-first in the snow before she pushed herself up and hurried after her parents. Theo bent down to wipe the snow off her cheeks.
Theo served as the fae representative on the United Supernatural Union’s council. With the animosity of the other races toward the fae, we needed someone level-headed and gentle to help make international decrees and treaties. I couldn’t imagine a better choice. With his responsibilities on the council alongside running a ballet studio with Odette, the man was very busy.
Add to it the fact that he was raising triplet girls, and I don’t know how he survived.
“How was your trip to Budapest?” Emma asked as we came to the edge of the ice.
Odette sighed, then set Odessa down. “Unsuccessful. The alicorn girl we met was untalented. I expect it was a ploy by her family to get her into royal favor, but she didn’t have any special gifts that I could tell.”
Odette was attempting to rebuild the Alicorn Court, but so far, she hadn’t found any living prophets amongst the fae to join. I worried she was the only one in our entire nation that had inherited her ancestors’ talents for telling the future.
“Don’t lose hope,” Emma encouraged. “There might be another prophet out there yet.”
Odette sighed. “Gods, I hope so. Doing this by myself is exhausting.”
Theo and Odette put their skates on, then came to join us. They waltzed around the ice while their triplets played in the snow nearby. Being ballet dancers, their skating was refined and natural.
“Too bad you can’t be out here, babe,” Stefan said. He held Isaak’s hand as they did little circles on the ice.
“No thanks,” Delmare said blandly. “The bruise I got on my ass the last time was all the skating I wanted to do.”
“She can barely walk as it is,” Odette cracked as Theo spun her into a lift.
“Tell me about it. This kid gets any bigger, he’ll be fully grown by the time he’s born,” Delmare said, and she patted her belly with a bemused smile.
Delmare was with child again— another son. He was due any day now.
They planned to name him Alexei.
