Epilogue: Eva

Three weeks later, Eva found herself in the tower with Nathan, Z'Hana, and Morgryn once more. Since they'd both returned to Dreadmor Academy, no one had bothered summoning Nathan, but they did ask for him to stay close by, so he simply made a holiday of it, spending many hours with Eva when she wasn't in lessons or with her friends.

They continued doing that dating thing, and both rather liked it, though many of their dates ended up being on the heated side and finishing with a bang, so to speak.

She very much liked the way things were, but there was a growing awareness that he'd soon have to go back to his own home and career, and there'd be considerable periods before they'd be able to see each other again.

She was willing to do long distance, though it meant something else on the list of things she was trying. Only time would tell if things would work out.

Her gaze drifted to Nathan, and she remembered kissing him by the door last night, and a delicious shiver went through her bones. He'd pinned her to the wall,

"How good to see you all," Morgryn said once Professor Umber joined them. "So, here's the update on my end. We've managed to recall a large majority of the Unseelie that were still out on the field making their little deals. We haven't gotten all of them, as some have decided they'd much rather go rogue than return to a boring life of normalcy in our realm. The damage they will inflict compared to before will be minimal, but we'll be searching for them, as I'm sure your task force will as well," he said, indicating Nathan.

Nathan nodded curtly, still not happy with the fae, nor was Eva. Both felt they'd been thoroughly hoodwinked by him – even though the result seemed to be acceptable to all.

"We've managed to clear away a couple of the patches on our side," Professor Z'Hana said. "Everything's going smoothly, but we still have a few areas being affected."

"About that," Morgryn said. "I believe some of them should resolve themselves once I detach this one from the tower. It seems that even with all my power, I was unable to prevent some of it from spreading. So, it will be imperative for me to be rid of it as soon as possible."

Nathan and Eva exchanged rather meaningful glances.

Yep, Eva thought. He absolutely engineered it.

"I… see," Z'Hana said, looking pissed off. "I seem to remember some assurances that this wouldn't happen."

"I was sure. But it seems things were even more unstable than I anticipated." Morgryn let out a rather dramatic sigh. "We're to re-sign the separation treaty, as this will appease the other fae realms. Then things should be much quieter on our end. That's not to say you won't find the occasional rogue fae that thinks it should do what it wants, but it should no longer be as damaging. Your precious academy and its surrounding region will be safe."

Professor Umber seemed to stand straighter, eyes blazing. "I should hope so since if we find out there's such interference with our side; it may end up being a little less pleasantly solved by politicking. Tensions can run quite high, as I'm sure you understand."

"Oh, quite." Morgryn smiled thinly. "Nathan, Eva, good work from you two. You were… adequate. Don't forget as well that you have an invitation from Greer with your potion work. I would recommend you take her up on it, as you will be able to learn things you've never dreamed of. Also, I believe you will be quite safe in your studies with Greer."

"I shall… think about it," Eva replied dubiously. She didn't like the idea of going back into the Unseelie Court's realm nor associating with such fae. At the same time, though, perhaps having direct relations with fae magic might indeed allow her to create some interesting potions if they didn't kill her first, of course.

"If you want to go, I can come with you for assurance," Nathen said softly to her. "Greer sort of likes me, and she does seem like one of the least problematic ones."

Morgryn cocked his head, still wearing that thin smile. "Well, I shall take my leave in a moment. Is there anything more you wish to say?"

"No, let's go." Umber beckoned for everyone to follow, and Eva wondered if Morgryn might ask for the belt back. He didn't say anything, however, and watched them go, chin tilted upward, never dropping that eerie smile.

They left the tower, going down the stairwell and exiting into the four-door corridor. The barrier shimmered, the distortion beyond the door vanished, and everything became quite normal, no longer influenced by the fae.

The professors thanked them both, smiled, and departed. Nathan stood with Eva, and a weary kind of sadness went through her.

"You'll have to go, won't you?"

"I will," he said. "But I plan to stay in touch. You should finish your education. Don't undersell your gift, Eva – you could change a lot of people's lives for the better with the things you can do."

"Unless I get chained in some Unseelie basement or something."

"Yeah." He chuckled. "I think you'll be fine. I think everything will be fine." He leaned forward to kiss her and held her like she was precious and fragile. Those eyes seemed so kind, and she allowed herself to be lost in the embrace, absorbing his scent and everything about him that she liked.

"I'll still miss you, all the same."

"I'll try to find opportunities to visit. It won't be as often. But there will be times. I'm willing to work for this if you are."

"I am." Of course, she'd try.

It would feel strange, returning to her normal lessons after knowing everything they'd done to help turn the tide in their favor, to stop those random fae pockets damaging their land and region, to keep other people safe.

The chaotic nature of magic ensured that things wouldn't exactly always be… normal. But perhaps just a little saner compared to before.

She smiled at the thought that she might be able to prevent more situations like what happened to her brother. While she hadn't been there for him when he needed her most, she did at least try to make up for it afterward. In the end, if more people got to live normal lives because of the little things she could do – then it all was worth it in the end.

Holding hands with Nathan, she walked away from the corridor, the future feeling much brighter than before.