The Second God (46 page)

Sho was treated as a hero, too, and rightly so, for his help had been essential. Whatever power of gods or ancestors had brought about a second
byan shar
, we could never have defeated the Dragon God without him.

He had brought back with him two lions whose riders had been killed, and was thrilled to have his own bonded beasts again. A
byan shar
can communicate with any bonded beast, but for most Clanfolk, a beast of their own was part of adulthood, and the loss of that bond would leave them a hollow shell, eternally grieving. Sho chose to stay in Kingswell so that I could help him to manage his magic, and when he came into his full powers he planned to return to the Clanlands to lead his people. But I wondered how much he would want to go back after fifteen years or so in Bennamore. Ly had become very settled in far less time.

But it was Arran who was the favourite of the citizens of Kingswell. Yannassia and the nobles heaped honours on him, entertainments were held solely for his amusement, gifts were showered on him, and he could have married a hundred times over if he hadn’t already been committed. Yannassia insisted on giving him a new title, drusse-consort, with the same status as a husband, so that for the first time in his life he was entitled to walk alongside me and Ly, and not two paces behind.

Perhaps the proudest moment of his life was when the statue of him, three times life-sized, was unveiled in Mellonan Square, with banners fluttering and women squealing with excitement and bands playing all his favourite tunes.

“I daresay we shall have to pay to talk to you from now on,” I said, as we flopped in our apartment that evening. Ly had Arrynyor on his knee, and Arran and I were playing jumping stones with Callon and Amandissia.

“I hope you will always kick me if I get too big-headed for my hat,” he said seriously. “All this excitement will die down, and in a few years, people will read the inscription on that statue and wonder who on earth Arran abre Teynia fen Hextor was.”

“Nonsense,” said Ly. “The poems and books are already being written about your heroism.”

“Yours, too,” Arran said. “And the paintings and engravings and songs. I like to think of people singing about us hundreds of years in the future, telling stirring tales of our heroism. It did not feel very heroic at the time, but perhaps history will add a little shine to it.”

“It needs nothing added,” I said quietly. “What you did – what
both
of you did – will shine down the ages as clear as the sun. Everyone who hears the tale will understand your bravery, and the sacrifices you were prepared to make. No embellishment is needed.”

“But they will never understand the full story,” Ly said. “No one can imagine what it is like to be blood-bonded, to be so close to someone that you are literally the same person. That was the greatest risk any of us took, but look how well it turned out. I used to resent you, Arran abre Teynia fen Hextor, because Drina loved you so much more than me.”

“And I resented
you
because you were Drina’s husband, and I could never be more than a drusse. I was terrified of losing her to you.”

“And I tiptoed round the pair of you, hoping it would all work out and I could somehow keep both of you happy,” I said, laughing. “Now I can. No more jealousy, or taking turns, or wondering if I was neglecting one or other of you. All that has gone for ever. I don’t have to ask if you’re happy, it’s right there in your heads.”

“And we know how happy that makes you,”
Ly said to both of us.

“Yes. We’re together, always, the three of us. Isn’t that perfect?”

The contentment radiating from both of them was all the answer I needed.

THE END

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The Brightmoon Annals is a series of books all set in the same world, some five thousand years after it was reshaped by a magical catastrophe. The disaster almost destroyed magic – but not quite. The many different ways in which the pre-catastrophe mages tried to keep magic alive forms the theme of the series.

There is one trilogy set in the Brightmoon world, and several stand-alone stories which can be read independently of all the others. However, some characters and artifacts from earlier books make an appearance in later books, so there are fun references to enjoy for those who read the series in order.

See all the books and buy.

Books published so far in the Brightmoon Annals:

1: The Plains of Kallanash

2: The Fire Mages (The Fire Mages Trilogy Book 1)

3: The Mages of Bennamore

4: The Magic Mines of Asharim

5: The Fire Mages’ Daughter (The Fire Mages Trilogy Book 2)

6: The Dragon’s Egg

7: The Second God (The Fire Mages Trilogy Book 3)

Forthcoming books:

8: Findo Gask’s Apprentice

9: The Dragon Caller

10: The Return of the Mages

Any questions about the Brightmoon World?
Email me
– I’d love to hear from you!

See all the books and buy.

I live in the beautiful Highlands of Scotland with my husband. I like chocolate, whisky, my Kindle, massed pipe bands, long leisurely lunches, chocolate, going places in my campervan, eating pizza in Italy, summer nights that never get dark, wood fires in winter, chocolate, the view from the study window looking out over the Moray Firth and the Black Isle to the mountains beyond. And chocolate. I dislike driving on motorways, cooking, shopping, hospitals.

I also write Regency romances under the name Mary Kingswood.

Thanks go to:

Lin White of
Coinlea Services
for beta reading and proofreading.

Glendon Haddix of
Streetlight Graphics
for the cover design.

Colleen Sheehan of
Write.Dream.Repeat Book Design
for the map; map elements by Ignacio Portilla M. at
DeviantArt
.

Additional beta readers: Axel Blackwell; Michael Omer; Kira Tregoning of
Fantastical Reads
.

Last, but definitely not least, my first reader: Amy Ross.