The Penwyth Curse (35 page)

Epilogue

Sometime Else

T
HE PRINCE STOOD BESIDE
Brecia, his hand lightly touching her shoulder, pointing. “See, yon, my love, is where we will live when we are not in your fortress in the oak forest.”

They'd just stepped out of the prince's cave and were looking toward a promontory in the distance. On its very edge stood a large white structure that soared toward the heavens. It was like nothing Brecia had ever seen before. He said, “My parents wanted it like this. You see, my father said that an ancient people called the Greeks built many beautiful structures like this for their gods and god-desses. Now we have one as well.”

“It is beautiful.”

“Our son will grow up here. He will learn who and what he is within these walls,” the prince said.

Brecia turned to rest her cheek against his shoulder. “What will we name our son?”

He kissed her beautiful red hair, pulled her closer. “We will see,” he said, his voice a whisper of sound against
her temple, his breath warm and sweet as the incredible scent of the blossom he'd just plucked for her and woven into her hair. “He will be known forever, that I do know. We will select a name to fit him.”

“Thank you for coming to me in the oak forest,” Brecia said.

He remembered for a blinding instant lying there on his back, evidently sleeping just outside her forest, Callas standing over him, and he'd had no idea how or why he was there. But maybe he had known and just forgotten. Whatever had happened, it didn't matter. He smiled, stroked his fingertips over her smooth cheek. “Aye, I came for you. Thank you for saving my miserable wizard's life.”

She laid her hand over his, both lightly set against her belly, now swollen with their son. They looked toward the beautiful white fortress that wasn't really a fortress at all, and felt the sunlight warm them.

His hand stilled. “I can feel that all is well,” he said, and smiled. “In all times.” He looked back at his cave, and his smile widened. Then his full attention was on her. “Do you know, I feel like making you yell to the heavens.” He leaned over, pushed Brecia's heavy hair away, and nibbled on her ear.

She turned quickly, laughing, and grabbed him. “This is madness, prince. It's magic, what you make me feel so quickly.”

“No,” he said, his mouth against hers, “it's us. Just us.”

She laughed as she squeezed him tightly against her. “Then why can I streak my fingers through a cloud?”

Present
Penwyth Castle

Bishop felt a bolt of lust so great he nearly fell out of his chair. He didn't understand, but he didn't care, not a whit.
He lifted Merryn's hair away and nibbled her earlobe. She turned, laughing. “What is this, my lord?”

In the next breath, she was looking at his mouth, breathing hard, and pushing out of her chair to get closer to him. Her eyes were nearly crossed, she was trying so hard to kiss him anywhere she could reach.

It didn't matter that the great hall was filled with people, that conversations were slowing, stopping, as their people stared toward the dais. Nothing mattered but that they have each other. Fast.

Bishop couldn't stand it, couldn't wait another second. He leapt up from his chair, grabbed his wife, who he happily saw was in as bad shape as he was, and dragged her across the great hall, but only for a couple of steps. She was soon running beside him. The racket of so many voices raised in laughter didn't really touch them.
All is well,
Bishop thought as he raced up the stairs to their bedchamber, Merryn breathing hard beside him.
Aye, all is well everywhere.

And in every time.