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His dark hair had become lighter, and his almost-black eyes were hazel now, with golden flecks in them.
“You’re alive again.”
Erol hugged me tightly against him.
“I love you, too,” I said. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For saving me.”
Erol shook his head. “You saved me.”
“We saved each other,” I added with a smile.
Erol climbed to his feet, offering me a hand to pull me up.
“There’s more,” he said. “Palgia is freed, too.”
I was confused. What did he mean? Erol took my hand, and we made our way back through the dungeon, climbing the stairs to the castle.
Everything was filled with light, and it had a shimmering quality to it that I’d never seen in Palgia before. Erol led me through the castle hallways and out the front door in the courtyard.
When we walked to the gardens, I gasped.
Palgia wasn’t the ugly, forsaken land I knew. It was beautiful. The gardens had been restored—the hedges were evergreen and perfectly trimmed, roses and Lettles and other flowers in full bloom. Perfect rolling lawns stretched as far as the eye could see, and the fountain in the center babbled happily as water poured out of it.
When I turned to look at the castle, it was like new, with climbers all over the walls.
The rest of the kingdom was beautiful, too. The trees were lush, the shrubbery thick and healthy. The orchard beyond the castle bore fruit, and the small stream behind the castle sounded like a roaring river.
“Oh,” I breathed.
“The people have returned to the light,” Erol said to me.
He pulled me closer to him again, looking deep into my eyes. “They’re safe. They’re happy. They’re home. This kingdom is one to be proud of, and we can live our lives in peace.”
“Where’s Cyrene?” I asked.
Erol shrugged. “Who the hell cares?”
He burst out laughing, and the sound was contagious. I laughed with him, and the world seemed to relish in our joy.
I touched Erol’s shimmering face, cupping his cheeks. I looked into his eyes, stood on my toes, and kissed him.
Terra had been right—the sun had come out again, and the darkness was gone.
We’d just had to have faith.
“Hazel!” someone cried out, and when I turned, Mom ran toward me. “I thought we would lose you!” She pulled me into a hug.
Zita joined us, holding onto the two of us tightly.
“I’m okay,” I said. I reached for Nylah and hugged her, too, when she joined us. “You were right.”
Nylah smiled and looked at Erol. “It’s even more than I could ever have dreamed. He’s pretty handsome, too.”
I giggled and blushed. Erol was so attractive, I could barely stop myself from grabbing him and kissing him again. It wasn’t just his handsomeness, though. It was everything about him—most of all, the light that shone from inside him.
