EPILOGUE

EPILOGUE


Tayme was crouching down and concentrating on pulling out the weeds that were damaging her garden with its many colored roses, when she saw a bubble of water hover above her garden with a smile and begin to water it carefully. But her smile turned into a line of reproach shortly afterwards, when a bolt of fire passed through the bubble, causing it to explode and the drops to scatter everywhere.

She looked up and saw Bryan hiding his hand, with Firecold looking proudly at him on the settee just behind, and winking at her before running off into the house and leaving his brother Thor crying.

Tayme stormed into the house and glared at the large number of Firecolds there. It was a common situation. She went upstairs to her room to look for Baron, determined to demand that the Firecolds leave her house immediately, as they were a bad influence on Byron, but as soon as she opened her bedroom door, she realized that something was very wrong. Baron was lying on the floor. She approached him slowly and put her finger on his neck to feel his pulse and the door opened violently.

Five Firecolds entered.

“You can't go into that room!” Tayme said, looking around.

“We can do anything now, witch!” One of the Firecolds said and the others laughed. He looked at Baron. “He's no longer our leader. As of today, we are under the command of someone less... tolerant of inferior creatures.”

Tayme realized that the other four Firecolds had surrounded her and smiled.

“That's good news. And what do you intend to do now that you have new leadership?” Tayme asked as she opened a false floor next to the fallen Baron. But soon the smile died on his lips. The dagger that could kill those creatures was gone.

She would need to summon the elements to kill those creatures, but she feared what they could do to her children. There was no way to tell them apart from those things.

“Now we will enjoy your body and we will finally understand why our Baron became so weak after you were brought to this place.” Firecold said and they all began to open their belts.

With tears in her eyes, Tayme stood up and stretching out her arms, began to invoke the elements, her feet began to float slowly and the Firecolds continued to take off their clothes with debauched laughter.

Tayme knew that what she would do next would kill everyone, even her children, but she had always known that this moment would come and she raised her hands, palms facing downwards.

The creatures stopped, as if frozen, but their eyes were still watching them with mockery. Tayme frowned. It wasn't her who...

She looked at the open door to her room and Thor had his hand outstretched towards the Firecolds, his eyes glowing excessively pink.

The Firecolds began to break free of Thor's magic and Tayme raised her hands, but before she could command the mist to kill everyone there, the Firecolds' bodies were cut in two, she saw their top halves slowly slipping from their bottom halves and felt a small hand grasp hers.

“Come on now, Mommy!”  Her daughter, little Rose held her hand while the other held the dagger, still dripping blood and showing a green glow.

Tayme let his feet touch the ground.

“Where's Byron? We can't leave without him!”

“I'm here, Mom!” She looked over and saw him standing next to Baron and approaching along with Thor and Rose.

The footsteps of the Firecolds could be heard. They were getting closer.

Byron bent down and touched Baron and after feeling his mother's, sister's and brother's hands touch his shoulders, he looked furiously at the door and saw the Firecolds coming, before disappearing with his family.

...

Thalia sensed that something was wrong when she saw the weather cloud over. The days there were always sunny and the nights always starry and for all those years, she had never seen it any different. But Tayme visited her once a year and warned her that this would be the sign.

She ran into the house and Adam had the children ready.

“Where were you? I was afraid you wouldn't make it. Didn't you see the signs left by Tayme?”

“It took me a while to notice.” She said and, opening the curtain, saw many Firecolds approaching the house. “They're here.” She said as she turned to Adam and... He was no longer there. Neither he nor his two sons. In their place was Byron.

“I've already sent them to the Safe Place.” He said.

Thalia climbed out of the window and approached Byron.

“I think we'd better go too.”

“I need to talk to you about something first.”

“Not here, Byron! The Firecolds are at the door.

“They can't come in unless they're invited.”

Thalia looked suspiciously at Byron.

“That won't take long if they're determined to get in. Just say what you want.”

“Dad wants you to summon the Blue Moon.”

“I don't have the strength to do it myself.”

“He knows.”

Thalia was thoughtful and then looked in disbelief at Byron.

“He wants me to kill people to get the energy I need?”

Byron remained silent, but his eyes, so blue, shone and sparkled pink.

“I can't do that...”

“You can and you will if you want your children to be safe.”

Thalia reached over and touched Byron's shoulder.

“Come on, Byron. I'll do as he asks, but his intention is not to protect my children. He wants the Lens to regain their strength.”

Byron looked proudly at Thalia.

“Mom's right about you. You've always been the smartest werewolf.” He said and the two disappeared.

...

It was a sunny day and the inhabitants of JustPeople were outside, enjoying their freedom, when they heard a loud noise. This noise intensified. It was as if someone was hammering the ground hard and the ground began to shake slightly with each blow. They started walking into the house and day turned to night in less than thirty minutes. People were frightened and closed their doors and watched from their windows as the Firecolds boldly entered the town and besieged the houses, even when it wasn't their day to do so.

They watched in horror as huge bears appeared behind them. The bears started fighting with the Firecolds and crushed some of them, while other Firecolds remained indifferent to what was happening to their fellow Firecolds. This was unusual for them, as they were united and protected each other.

Zoe looked at everything, still feeling the house shake before turning back and meeting Anna's frightened gaze.

“They're here. We need to go.” She said, running up the stairs.

Everyone followed her. Byron was in Ian's room waiting for his family.

Anna paused with her hand raised before touching her grandson.

“What about the other people?”

“Those who stay inside will survive. They only came for the Lens.” The boy replied and Anna joined everyone else and touched him, then disappeared.