“Daddy!” I cried happily. I threw my arms out, and he rushed forward to give me a hug.
“It’s wonderful to see you, peanut. We had no idea where you were,” Daddy said, giving me a kiss on the head.
“Though we were sure you were safe,” Mama added, and she stroked my hair. “We had faith you and your friends made it out of the Institute.”
“Yeah, seeing as how we weren’tcompletelyconvinced you didn’t cause the fire.” Daddy laughed.
I cringed. He’d meant it as a joke, but it hit closer to home than I wanted to admit. I hadn’tstartedthe Institute fire, but I had let it burn… and that was still a decision I wavered on from time to time.
I noticed a certain red dragon was missing— my father’s companion, Julian. He almost never left Daddy’s side, and that worried me. “Did Julian make it?”
“Yes, peanut,” Daddy said. “Julian is too large to navigate most of the castle, so he’s spending most of his time with the Elvish military defending the city, but rest assured he is safe.”
“Are the others here?” I asked them.
“Your siblings are staying with us right here in the palace. The Emperor has provided us, as well as Kallie’s and Marcus’ parents, and your grandparents, with the finest suites in all the castle,” Mama said. “Your Aunt Imogen and Uncle Jonah, along with their families, are all in Ilamanthe. They have their own apartments in the city. We managed to get everyone out, even though some people couldn’t be saved.”
Mama gave Daddy a sad look, and I didn’t ask about home. I didn’t want to know what the angels were doing with Kinpago now that they had it under their control, because it would make me too sad.
Whatever the case, I was an Elvish princess. This was my home now.
My parents weren’t the only ones I knew. Everyone else’s parents were here, too. Nadine and Lucas were in the room, and both of them reached out to give Marcus a hug. King Ethan, along with Queen Emmaline, greeted Kallie warmly, pulling their daughter into an embrace.
Emperor Cassiel was surrounded by members of the Emperor’s Guards, two of which I recognized. General Ibrahim and Colonel Amilda, whom we had met in Forevermore, stood guard at his side.
Cassiel approached Charlie. His grandfather gave him a gentle welcome as Cassiel reached out to shake Charlie’s hand.
And Cameron. He was hanging back. I stared Charlie’s father down. Although he glanced away from my glare, it was only for a moment.
“We’re grateful to be together again,” Emperor Cassiel said, clapping Charlie on the back. “I had hoped our reunion would come sooner, but you are here now. Your father is here as well, Charlie.”
“Hello, son,” Cameron said softly.
Charlie’s tone became cold. “You haven’t earned the right to call me that. Youleftus in Forevermore! You just fled, so that we could be captured by the Warden, and we remained locked in his prison for anotheryear. How could you?”
“Charlie,” I said gently. My husband wasn’t on the best terms with his dad, but I didn’t think it was fair of Charlie to blame Cameron for leaving us in Forevermore. “Itoldthem to leave. They were standing by the Mirror of Ingress, and there was no way we were going to reach the portal with them by that point. They had to get out while they still had the chance, even if we didn’t. They didn’t need to be captured alongside us.”
“I never would’ve left if I had a choice,” Cameron replied, but Charlie only looked more disgusted by his response. “You hadthe chance to come with us, and you broke my arm to get away from me.”
“To get toAva,” Charlie spat. “You may feel comfortable leaving your family behind, but I would never do such a thing.”
By the ancestors, Cameron wasn’t helping.
Emperor Cassiel quickly stepped in. “We wanted to take you with us, but we had to make a decision at that precise moment. As Emperor, it was a choice I had to make for my people. I realized as Forevermore fell that three Elvish royals were in danger, and if all of us died, the monarchy died with us. Our people would be completely unprotected, and left vulnerable in our absence. It was our job to lead the Elves to refuge here in Ilamanthe. One of us can die, but not all three, otherwise, our nation will die with us. Believe me Charlie; as my grandson, you are precious to me.”
Charlie relaxed slightly.
“I knew the Warden would keep you alive, and there was nothing that would stop us from rescuing you in time,” Cassiel added. “We’ve spent the last year building Ilamanthe and getting our people back on their feet, so that we could come back and get you. We had an extraction plan in place and returned to Darke Island the first chance we got, but by then, the Institute had already caught fire, and you and your friends were gone. We’ve been tracking you ever since, and were lucky enough to gain the narrow opportunity to portal you back here. I know you’ve felt alone, and had to go through a lot of things by yourself. But you were nevertrulyalone, because I’ve always been trying to bring you back to the family, even if I wasn’t successful. Can you ever forgive me for the decision I made that day?”
Charlie’s hesitation was evident through the bond. It was clear he trusted his grandfather far more than Cameron— respected him, even. “I believe I can forgive you and learn tounderstand why you made that decision. We’re all here and safe, so I guess it all worked out in the end.”
I looked to the other people in the room, to those I didn’t know. There was a small brunette girl that had to be Marcus’ little sister. She appeared confident and held herself tall.
“I missed you, big brother.” Erica gave Marcus a one-armed hug. “I want to hear all about how you busted out of prison. I’m sure it was epic.”
“Hi, Erica,” Marcus said. “Sorry about… home.”
Erica shrugged. “Wasn’t much left of home once we had to leave, anyway. I’m not too worried. I’m sure we’ll get Octavia Falls back.”
