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Derwa shrugged. ‘It’s fine by me,’ she said flatly.
‘You’re more than welcome,’ I told him, meaning it. ‘You’re absolutely right. We can’t just be a team of witches. This must be a true alliance of magical beings. Having a Shining One with us can only be a positive thing. Eventually, I hope we’ll recruit fae, and maybe other beings, too.’
‘Not vampires I hope!’ Sky said with a shudder.
I laughed. ‘I should think that’s highly unlikely,’ I said. I looked round at them all. ‘Thank you. Thank you all so much.’
Star looked embarrassed. ‘You don’t have to thank us,’ she said.
‘You really don’t,’ Trinity added. ‘I feel we’ve let you down. So many of us have declined your offer, you should be angry with us if anything.’
‘Angry with you?’ I shook my head, amazed they could possibly feel that way. ‘You’ve stuck by me through all this. I haven’t always been easy to live with. It was hard, finding out who I really was, what was expected of me. I was scared, afraid of failing. But you all stayed by my side. You did everything you could to make this easier. I may be the Great Guardian, but I couldn’t have done any of this without your help. You each played a part, and I’ll be forever grateful to you all. You may not be part of the Pendragon Alliance, but you’re part of my heart, and part of my family. Always.’
‘Oh, Wulfram!’
I don’t know how it happened, but suddenly I found myself in a group hug that almost took my breath away.
It was true. Wewerefamily. We always would be.
Chapter 57
Wulfram
I sat alone on the garden bench and pulled my coat tighter, gazing up at the dark skies and the gently falling snow. New Year’s Eve. The end of a year I would never forget. The year that changed everything. What, I wondered, would the next year bring?
We’d celebrated at Castle Lodge—our new home. So much had happened, even in the days since the winter solstice wedding, that I could hardly believe it.
As soon as the rest of the family heard about our plans to revive the Pendragon Alliance, a meeting had been called to discuss the future.
Emrick had been delighted to hear what I’d decided, and promised to help us in any way he could. I wouldn’t have expected anything less. As Merlin, he’d guided and mentored Arthur, and been at his side throughout the life of the first Alliance. I couldn’t have been happier or more grateful to have him at my side now.
‘We can’t stay on this island,’ Keely had mused, as we sat around the table in Peloryon House. ‘It’s just not feasible.’
‘I didn’t like to say so,’ Sirius admitted, ‘but with us running the school from here…’ He looked at Ewella. ‘I mean, obviously, this is your island, your house. If you want the Alliance to remain here it’s your call, not mine.’
‘It’s okay,’ I said hastily. ‘Keely’s right, and so are you. We don’t want to get in the way of your school. We’ll find another base for the Alliance, and another home.’
‘But surely,’ Iliana said, frowning slightly, ‘it’s obvious? You must come home to Castle Lodge. Castle Clair is the perfect place to set up the Pendragon Alliance.’
I wasn’t too sure about that.
‘But it’s your home,’ I protested. ‘And what about Castor, and Hector and Celeste?’
Castor had held up his hand. ‘You’ll get no protests from me,’ he said. ‘After everything you’ve done to clear my ancestor’s name and drag my family from the mud I’ll do anything I can for you. If you want to set up the Alliance at Castle Lodge you’ll be very welcome as far as I’m concerned.’
‘And it’s not as if we’d be tripping over each other,’ Celeste pointed out. ‘The house is huge. There’s plenty of space for you and Keely to live there. Why not?’
‘And Aidan and Derwa, too, naturally,’ Iliana added, looking at our other recruits.
Aidan didn’t look too sure about that, and I understood what he was thinking. Aidan was, after all, a Shining One. Working with witches was one thing. Living with them was another. He might have a witch wife, but maybe that was enough for him for now.
‘You know, our house is still standing empty,’ Sirius pointed out. ‘Trinity and I won’t be living there any time soon, if at all. Our place is here now. You and Derwa would be welcome to stay there as long as you like.’
Aidan brightened. ‘Are you sure?’
‘Absolutely,’ Trinity said. ‘You’d be doing us a favour. We really want someone in the place, keeping an eye on things.’
Fortunately, Aidan remembered in time that he was now a married man. He turned to Derwa.
