Epilogue - Clover

EPILOGUE – CLOVER

No one protested more about having Ike Monroe's funeral in the Revival tent than Collin. But after I passed Lowyn the note that Ike gave me addressed to her, and explained how many ways both Riggs and I owed him our lives, he gave in.

Of course, the entire town of Revenant was insisting on it, especially Ike's twin brother, Lasher, and this seemed to be a sticking point with them. They would not back down when Collin initially said no. It's not like Collin's even in charge of Disciple, so it wasn't even his decision.

But then again, he kinda is and it kinda was.

Anyone from Disciple can request a Revival funeral, just as they can request a Revival wedding. But only the leaders of Bishop and Revenant are afforded the same courtesy. Otherwise we might be having funerals and weddings every weekend. All things need limits.

So here we sit on the first day of fall and the entire county has been shut down so we can honor Ike Monroe with a proper Trinity County sendoff and there's not a damn bit of space, both inside and outside the tent, that isn't being filled with a person.

And, of course, they did come to see Ike off. But that's not the only reason this place is packed.

They came because Collin Creed is gonna speak after the sermon. He's gonna stand here on the Revival stage and say something to us.

There isn't a single person alive in Trinity County over the age of twenty who hasn't been waiting for this. Not whatever it is he's gonna say, but just him. Up there on that stage. Where he belongs.

So we quietly sit through the children's choir singing ‘Amazing Grace,' and we try not to fidget as Simon, our replacement preacher, gives Ike a nice sermon—having us all reflect on the idea of redemption—and we say our ‘amens' and a few people even faint because we're so conditioned to do these things during Revival, some of the older ladies forget this isn't a show.

But when all that is over, and Collin Creed stands up, there is a collective holding of breath as he makes his way up the sawdust aisle, climbs the steps to the stage, and takes his place behind the pulpit.

Simon, who I suspect has always known he was nothing but a fill-in-the-blank until the real preacher of the Revival decided to take his place, has the good grace to stand aside and bow his head.

Of course, Collin's not gonna be the preacher, so Simon isn't at all worried about his job.

That's why everyone from all of Trinity County is here. This is probably the only time we'll ever see Collin up on that stage and whatever he says next will be the only gospel he ever speaks.

"Ya know," Collin starts, "when I left here after high school to join the Marines, I couldn't get out fast enough. Of course, I think I had a really good reason to feel that way, even though some of you never understood it." He flicks a passing glance at the guilty party—Jim Bob, of course—then puts his attention back on us. "I was away for twelve years and I can honestly say I didn't think about Disciple, or miss it, for a single moment of those twelve years. But after six months of being back, I can't imagine ever leaving again."

This is what we want to hear. Me more than most, I suspect. We want to hear that we're doing it right. That we're not missing out on anything out there in the wild, wide world. That home is Trinity County, and Trinity County is where we belong.

I didn't come back on my own accord. And if I hadn't been forced by Hattie and her sneaky plan to trap Riggs, I might never have come back. Sure, I was renovating my childhood home to turn into a wedding venue, but it wasn't a priority. If it had been, the place would've been finished years ago.

"I think about my father," Collin continues, "every time I hear the call to Revival. Because these words meant something to him. And they mean something to you all, too. Because why would they be the call to Revival in the first place if they didn't?"

We all nod. Because those words are special.

"Each part of the call has meaning. ‘Behind the rumble comes the glory' is about stickin' it out. ‘The echo on the water' is all the things behind you. All the things that make you you. But the part I think about most these days is ‘the comfort in the brave.' Because that's who we are."

He pauses here to point to us, then himself.

" We are the brave. But not because we do heroic things. We're the brave because we have each other. And that's all we need. It is the ‘we' that gives us comfort."

There is a lot of murmuring here. A lot of agreeing.

"And this is what I want to tell you today." Collin looks over at the casket holding Ike Monroe's remains. He points to it and my heart flutters because there's a second here where I think he might say something mean about Ike. Who would deserve it, one hundred percent, but not in this moment.

But Collin doesn't say something mean. He says, "Ike Monroe was one of us. Even though we didn't know it until after he was dead. And that needs to change. We need to know each other. We need to trust each other. Because the world doesn't like people like us. And I'm not talking about weird hill people who play pretend for profit. I'm talking about people who stick together. And the reason the world doesn't like us is because out there"—he points down the sawdust aisle at the open flap of the tent—"out there is the damage. Out there is the danger. Out there they are nothing but angry liars. In here is where we find grace."

We all let that breath out. Everyone looks around, whispering the same question. "Did he just rewrite the call to Revival?"

He did.

Because of course he did.

We are the brave and it is our commitment to each other that brings us comfort.

"From now on, it's all about us ." Collin points to the left side of the Revival tent and his finger sweeps across the crowd. " Us . Everyone in Trinity County—above and below—is one of us. And everyone else…" He stops here and stares at the crowd for dramatic effect. "Everyone else," he says again, "is them . It's always been a coalition. Revenant depends on Disciple, Disciple depends on Bishop, Bishop depends on Revenant and all the dependence comes right back around the other way in a giant circle. We are the righteous. We are the brave. We are each other's comfort. May the circle be unbroken and may Ike Monroe rest in peace."

And then, like he really is the preacher, we all say, "Amen."

"Well," Riggs says as we make our way out of the tent after Ike's people, who are carrying his coffin, "that was some sermon."

"Oh, that wasn't a sermon. Collin Creed doesn't give sermons. That was a promise."

Riggs laughs a little. "Yeah, it sure was. And I feel like I slipped through that tent flap just in the nick of time. Because what I took home from that speech was that he is kinda pissed. Did I read it right?"

I just smile at Riggs, but don't answer him. We are entering the boneyard now. It's behind the tent and butts up against the private park along the river. Ike's big buckskin horse is waiting in here, like he knew Ike was coming. Lowyn's backyard is far too small to keep a horse in grass, so I brought him over here a few days ago. There's no gate that connects the boneyard to the park, so he must've jumped the fence. Which was never intended to keep giant stallions out, so it probably wasn't that hard.

But that's not really the reason why I don't answer, either.

It's that… seeing that horse makes me realize something. My dream is what got me here. And my dream was a horse. Without that dream, I wouldn't have bought that SUV. And if I hadn't bought the SUV, my house would not have been empty of workers. And if it hadn't been empty, I would've never been kidnapped. And if I hadn't been kidnapped, I wouldn't've have had to escape Blackberry Hill on a horse.

And that's that. Full circle. Just like Collin said. We are the unbroken circle.

Funny how dreams come true.

Funnier still that they never quite turn out the way you plan them.

I look up at Riggs and smile.

Because this dream is perfect all the same.