Prison of Hope (42 page)

EPILOGUE

I
t was a few weeks after I’d left Hades’s compound in Germany when I finally got the information I needed on Mara and her witches. Almost everything else had been dealt with, but I wasn’t about to let someone who used her own daughter as bait and helped Cronus escape the compound get away scot-free.

I found myself sitting in the dark, in a small meeting hall in the New Forest. I’d been waiting for about an hour when the front door opened, and the lights switched on. Emily Rowe and Mara Range walked in, Emily closing the door behind them.

Emily wore casual jeans, a white T-shirt, and trainers, and Mara wore a bright yellow dress that on anyone else might have been called pleasant. On Mara, the happiness and joy the yellow signified were diminished by her presence.

“I wondered how long it would take you,” Emily said, removing a revolver from the back of her jeans waistband and holding it by her thigh.

“Well, I had a few problems tracking you down,” I explained.

I looked around the room. It was also used as a hut for Scout meetings and other occasions that would need the dozens of chairs stacked up against the walls under the barred windows. There was a small stage behind me, and although it was only a foot off the floor, it still had curtains on either side.

“I wondered if you guys put on plays?” I asked. “
Macbeth
,
for example.”

“Is that meant to be a joke?” Mara asked.

I shrugged. “Take it how you wish.”

“Why are you here?” Emily asked.

“Put the gun away. I’m not going to attack anyone. I came
to talk.”

“Sorcerer’s lies,” Mara said.

“If I wanted you dead, you’d both be dead. I know where you live. I know where you drive every other day at 1:00 p.m., Mara, when you go to meet that lovely man who’s married, while he’s on lunch break. I know a lot about you. About you and all thirty-eight members of this coven.”

Emily put the gun away.

“What are you
doing
?” Mara screamed at her.

“He’s right, if he wanted us dead, he could have attacked at any time.”

“Thank you,” I said. “I’m most disappointed in you, Emily. You lied to me. Mara’s not just a member; she runs this whole coven. And you’re their enforcer.”

Emily shrugged. “People lie. I’m not going to feel bad about it. You’re right, though, I am the enforcer. I didn’t lie about everything. Too many witches do follow Demeter and Hera without thought. And Mara is an idiot. But she’s also the coven leader and I’m honor-bound to protect this coven.”

Mara glared at Emily, who pointedly ignored her.

“That’s why you killed those Vanguard in Germany, yes?” I asked. “Because they screwed up and let Cronus escape? But they also knew too much, didn’t they? Did Sarah know you were going to do it?”

“It was her idea,” Emily admitted.

“You used the same chameleon potion you brewed in your hotel room to cover yourself. The one you gave to Cronus. It was obviously a good potion.”

“How’d you know it was me?” she asked.

“Because you just told me.”

Emily’s smile faded. “So you’re here to take us to Avalon?”

I shook my head. “There’s no evidence. Anything between Mara and Sarah is never going to be found, and while I’m loath to allow Chloe to stay with the psychopath who used her as bait, I can’t really do much about that. Mara behaved in such a way as to ensure all attention was on her at all times. The annoying, shrill pain-in-the-ass who berates people and says unpleasant or unnecessary things. I imagine it didn’t take much acting on y
our part.”

Mara’s face darkened.

“But,” I continued before she could interrupt, “there’s no evidence you did anything other than act strangely and brew a potion in your hotel bath. At best, you may have to pay a hote
l fine.”

“Then you can leave,” Mara told me. “This place will have to be cleaned as is, just to get your stench out.”

“But you’ll wash away all of your lovely runes.”

Mara’s eyes grew wide and she readied a spell, but nothing happened.

“I had a friend of mine, a lovely lady by the name of Lucie . . . well, ‘friend’ is the wrong word. I get the feeling she doesn’t like me, but she does trust me. An odd combination. Anyway, she’s an enchanter. She can’t remove the runes placed by another enchanter, but she can remove the ones put there by a bunch of witches. All of them are gone, replaced with brand new ones that stop anyone from using magic.”

I glanced down at the rune on the back of my hand, and I clicked my fingers, drawing a small flame onto them. “Except for me, of course. I can still do magic.”

“What do you want?” Emily asked.

“Well, I considered burning this place down as a warning, but that was counterproductive as it’s in the middle of a forest. So I was going to threaten you to leave, but I don’t have the time to go around checking that you’ve actually done anything.”

I stood and folded the chair, placing it over by the rest. “No, I figured I’d come here to tell you that, while no one has any proof of your wrongdoings, we all
know
what you did. This coven has been marked because of your actions, and Avalon will be keeping a very close eye on you. Not because we believe you’re doing anything wrong, of course, but because you were involved in a traumatic event in Germany, and they want to make certain you’re all okay.

“There will be site visits, probably at random, maybe in the middle of the night. There might even be interviews with all the members, just to verify that everyone is happy and healthy.”

“You can’t do that,” Mara said with barely contained rage.

“I’m not. Avalon is—well, technically, Lucie is, but she helps run the place, so she’s probably qualified to tell whether people here are happy and healthy. Did I mention the random visits?”

“You think this is funny?” Emily asked.

I shook my head. “I think it’s deadly serious. A group of witches used by Demeter and Hera broke Cronus out of Tartarus, witches who used the coven leader’s own daughter to get the job done.” My stare could have bored holes in Mara.

“Emily, I’m not going to underestimate you again. I promise you that. And Mara, dear sweet Mara. Your daughter is a delight. If you remove her from school, if you hurt her, if anything
happens
to her in any way that results in my friend’s daughter telling me of her unhappiness at your parenting, I will come find you. And I promise, once I’m done, no one will ever find out what happened to you.”

I made my way toward the door, my piece said.

“You think that you can threaten me, Mister Garrett?” Mara said, her body shaking with anger.

I continued walking and opened the door before pausing for a second.

“You can’t come into my coven and demand things,” Mara continued. “You’re a thug, a man with no vision who does what his masters tell him. I’m not afraid of you. You don’t scare me.”

I didn’t turn back toward the two women as I spoke, “Then clearly you haven’t been paying attention.”

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

M
y wife, Vanessa, is always going to be the first person I thank, and not just because I don’t want to sleep on the couch for the next month. She’s supportive, helpful, and allows me the time to write. I can never really thank her enough.

My three beautiful daughters, who inspire me to write every day. Except when they’re misbehaving; then they inspire me to buy a shed and live in it.

My parents, who constantly sound interested when I talk about the next tiny plot detail. Thank you for your enthusiasm.

My family and friends: without their support I wouldn’t be where I am today.

The incredible D. B Reynolds, Michelle Muto, and Melissa Olson, all three of whom helped make the book what it finally became. I’m very lucky to know you all and to be able to call you friends.

My agent, Paul Lucas, whom I’ve enjoyed working with very much. I look forward to where the future leads.

Denise Grover Swank, Richard Ellis Preston Jr., Mark Barnes, Amber Natusch, Jack Horn, Stant Litore, and all the other 47North authors who help create a group of people I’m proud to call my friends. Never have I met a greater hive of scum and villainy, and I couldn’t be happier to be a part of it.

Sana Chebaro, Emilie Marneur, Neil Hart, and everyone else with the Amazon publishing UK team: Thank you for time, friendship, and help; it’s been great working with you all. It means a lot. Also, to Britt Rogers, the force behind the 47North US team: you were a joy to work with.

My editor, Fleetwood Robbins. An awesome name for an awesome editor. I look forward to working with you in the future.

Ken McDaniel, who’s always available to answer questions about the military or weaponry—thanks, man. Any errors that ever exist to do with those things are mine and mine alone.

There are probably dozens more people who should be
mentioned
by name, but to everyone out there who has
supported
me over the years, thanks. It means a lot.

Last, but not least, thanks to Scott Hollander, Zoe
Mountain
, and Kyle Felis Key, the three people who won the chance to name a character in book 4. They picked Sarah Hamilton, Magali Martin, and Robert Ellis, respectively. I hope the three of you enjoyed reading about the fates of the characters whose names you picked.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Photo © 2013 Sally Beard

Steve McHugh is the author of the
popular
Hellequin Chronicles. He lives in
Southampton
on the south coast of
England
with his wife and three young daughters. When not writing or spending time with his kids, he enjoys watching movies,
reading
books and comics, and playing video games.