Epilogue

FIVE YEARS LATER

M orrisey, Farren, Arianna, and Jessa stood by Morrisey's SUV on cracked asphalt, grass poking up between some of the cracks, the sounds of the city a distant droning. The sun shone brightly, a breeze fluttered the tops of the pine trees at the edges of the parking lot, and a few puffy clouds dotted an otherwise blue sky. The perfect Atlanta day, in Lio's opinion.

Bel hugged Farren, Arianna, and Jessa. Morrisey scowled for a moment before accepting a hug. Lio didn't offer a choice, hugging his mentor. If Morrisey's eyes misted, well, no need to point that out.

Arianna took Lio's hand and placed it on her swollen belly. "He's pretty active today. Telling his uncles goodbye." She'd give birth in two more months.

He'd wanted to wait, but already he and Bel had pushed back their departure as each new excuse presented itself. They traveled light, one backpack each. They wouldn't need material goods where they were headed, and they could no longer put off their journey..

Bel reached into his bag, retrieved Albert, the purple dog, and handed it to Arianna. "Give this to the baby from his Uncle Bellamy."

Tears spilled down Arianna's cheeks, but she didn't bother wiping them away. She pulled a plastic container from her oversized purse. "I baked you some cookies." Her laugh sounded shaky. "Don't worry, nothing too weird, just chocolate chip."

Bel took the container. "Thanks." He hugged her.

"And English peas." She finally wiped mascara-colored tears from her cheeks.

"Thanks for everything, y'all," Lio drawled in an imitation of the local dialect. He waved before turning away from the friends he'd made here, something he'd never had before. If tears fell, well, it was no one's business but his own—and Bel's.

He'd miss the team at FAET, but he'd had five good years to get to know them and learn from them. Five years of hamburgers, hotdogs, baseball games, playing Halo , picnics, borrowing cats, and loving Bel as a human. They'd even attended Jessa's marriage to a human. He'd take plenty of good memories with him.

Lio held Bel's hand as they passed beneath the "Welcome Traveler" sign. His heart gave a bit of a lurch.

Errante met them, resplendent in his black jacket, vest, and slacks. He hadn't changed a bit in the past five years—probably not for the past five hundred or more. Ringmaster Rafe hovered a few feet away, nearly touching Errante but not quite.

"Welcome back, Travelers," Errante said, smiling wide. "I see you have made your choice of which Path to take."

Hearing the words struck Lio as ironic, for indeed, Bel and he were travelers in more ways than one.

"Come into my office, and we shall talk." Errante strode away, and Rafe fell in step beside him. Though five years had passed in the outside world, the Carnival of Mysteries might have experienced mere days or decades. It still looked the same as the last time Lio came here.

He glanced back one more time, waving to his friends who hadn't moved. Then he and Bel strolled away, not speaking again until they were in Errante's office with Errante behind the desk, Rafe perched on the surface, and Bel and Lio sitting in chairs. It reminded Lio of meetings with Farren. Morrisey's office wasn't nearly this tidy.

Errante gave a sad smile. "Again, I am deeply sorry my enemy caused your homeland's destruction, necessitating your course of action."

"You had no control over that," Bel said. "And all has been dealt with. You know, they taught our young that our realm was dying because Tenebris were hunted to extinction."

Errante inclined his head. "Partly. And partly because a power-hungry wanderer drained Domus. It is up to the two of you to decide what history will say."

"We want to go back," Lio blurted before he could lose his nerve. A wave of comfort came over his bond with Bel.

Errante lifted one perfectly shaped eyebrow. "You are aware of what you ask?"

A knock came at the door, and Madam Persephone swept into the room. "I believe you need my counsel."

Errante's smile turned welcoming. "You always know."

Another chair somehow appeared, which Lio ignored. He no longer questioned anything that happened at the Carnival.

"We've always heard that a Lux-Tenebris couple started Domus." Lio drew from Bel's love and support to continue asking for something he'd never tackle on his own. "A pair started Domus. We want to restore it. Last time we talked, you believed it possible."

Errante and Madam Persephone exchanged questioning glances. She nodded and shrugged. "The Fates agree."

Errante regarded Lio and Bel for several moments. "Your Paths diverged, but now I See a coming together. It is unusual. You will transform into your spirit forms as you did when you made the journey to Terra. It may take hundreds of years to create an environment livable enough to reform corporeal bodies."

"Hundreds of Carnival years?" Lio asked with a grin.

Madame Persephone inclined her head. "Perhaps."

Lio stared into Bel's eyes. "Everyone we know will be gone. We could stay here and live out human lives." That sounded wonderful, too, as long as they remained together. Yet he couldn't forget the twin purple suns, the lavender waves washing the seashore, the beauty of Domus…

Bel bumped his shoulder against Lio's. "Or we can go to where we're needed."

Lio still couldn't believe such a thing might be possible. But the "hating travelers" movement had grown in Terra. If any Domusians survived, they needed their own home. "How will we get there?" he asked.

"It will be difficult. However, if you are convinced of your course of action, I will take you there."

Bel's words were steady despite all the indecision he and Lio had dealt with over the past few months: "We are. But what are we supposed to do?"

"Exactly what you've been doing: collect and focus energy. Instead of healing, you'll rebuild a civilization. Power remains from Domus, and the twin suns provide more. The universe constantly replenishes itself, and Domus created no waste. Even tree leaves reabsorbed, and the energy you channel will restore the atmosphere that will one day feed your people."

Yes, to open oneself to the ether and soak in nutrients without eating. Lio would miss coffee and popcorn, but he wanted to be home again, to spread his wings and fly... to be home, where he belonged, with Bel, and to give many others the same chance.

"But what about the people?" Bel asked. He and Lio had often wondered about the population.

"I believe when you journeyed to Terra, Udeall sent others. You watched them disappear before reaching their destination."

Bel's brow wrinkled. "Yes. How did you know that?"

"I know many things, Bel Am'I." Errante winked.

While Bel weighed Errante's words, Lio asked, "Those souls didn't go to the great beyond, and they didn't go to Terra, so where are they?"

Errante looked up, waving his hand toward the ceiling. "They are still there in a state of limbo, ready to be called home."

Would repopulating Domus be so easy? Lio shook his head. He and Bel could really rebuild their home.

Errante stood from behind his desk before Lio could ask. "Meet me at the Carnival gates at midnight, and I shall escort you on your way."

As they left the office, Errante and Rafe joined hands.

The RV appeared exactly as Lio remembered, except a larger bed had replaced the two smaller ones, and Albert no longer sat on the foot. Hard to believe Lio had once been afraid of the little purple dog. Nothing scared him anymore, not since forming a bond with Bel, except for the possibility of losing him. Was he apprehensive about their course of action? Definitely. Scared? No.

Bel had lived here longer, though both had stayed only a few days. "Do you miss this?" Lio asked.

Bel tipped a hand back and forth in a so-so gesture. "The Carnival was a part of my journey that I'll always appreciate, for it led me to you."

They showered together, and when they dried off, they found flowing robes in a rich purple reminiscent of Domus. Bel made a pot of coffee, and they enjoyed one final cup before leaving.

Lio turned in a circle, taking in the sitting area, the tiny kitchen, the bathroom, and the bedroom where he'd slept his first night at the Carnival. Perhaps soon, someone else in need would find their way here and use this place as their haven, as Lio and Bel had.

Hand in hand, they left the RV and ambled through the darkened Carnival barefoot, strolling past the Big Top and other tents. When they reached a game booth, Lio swore he saw a replica of Albert among the prizes. The eerie quiet made it feel as though they were the only souls left in this world—until they spotted Errante waiting at the gate.

Midnight. When all guests must be gone, and residents should be in bed asleep when Errante moved the Carnival.

Errante met them at the entrance. "Good evening, my friends. Have you changed your minds?"

"We have not," Bel said, speaking for Lio, too.

"Then we shall go. Stand close to me. Do not step away until I tell you to." The darkness of Errante's eyes swirled with color, specks of light flashing and going out.

The three of them rose, and the world underneath faded away. Lio glanced down to see Emilio and Kevin's bodies lying on the ground, still holding hands. Goodbye, old friends.

Stars grew closer, and the swirl of Errante's eyes reflected those stars. He turned them toward an area of complete darkness.

The pit of Lio's stomach dropped, as much in anticipation as in fear. This was the make-or-break moment when either their dreams came true or failed miserably. He gave quiet thanks to the human Emilio, who'd allowed him to live, find love, and decide where his Path led. He caught an image of his host with another man: Dave. Emilio was happy, as was Lio. He gradually glanced down, but he and Bel both appeared as shapeless voids, dark in his case, light in Bel's.

"Go with my regards. Good luck to you both." Errante's rich voice seemed to come from far away.

Though the touch was no longer physical, Bel remained with Lio. Together, they set a course for the dark spot that had once been home.

And would be again.