He’d let his mother’s family know it was because of her—because of the knowledge that she’d tried so hard to rescue them—that he’d gathered every ounce of his strength that night he’d been shot, and continued on.
The trials for the crimes of the remaining guild members—the ones who hadn’t perished at the bottom of Novaatngar—and guilty parties in the town of Farrow, were still being splashed across news articles nationwide. He believed justice would be served, at least that which was handed down by man. He also firmly believed they’d have an additional price to pay when their time on earth was done.
Camden set Georgia’s letter on the counter, turning his head to gaze out the window at the forest beyond. He still pictured the way the sheriff—his father—had flown off that cliff. Had the sheriff wondered why God had forsaken him and sent a horned demon to drive the spear of an ancient people straight through his heart and toss him into the canyon where their ancestors had once been cruelly murdered?
As far as Farrow, where evil had once presided over it, now new people were moving in. The town was growing, though slowly. Some were still apprehensive to begin a life in a place that held so much tragic history. In ways both big and small though, the remaining citizens were reinventing their town, and he loved what it was becoming. Scarlett’s business was helping in that effort. It brought traffic, tourism, happy events. It was a small slice of heaven in what had once been the midst of hell.
Ruby Sugar. Right there at Lilith House. Kandace would have liked that. She would have liked that a lot. Her daughter grew more beautiful by the day and despite the grief of losing the woman who’d raised her, Millie was thriving. She was an integral part of their newly-formed family.
They’d found something else among the proof of who their mothers were that Kandace had smuggled out of Lilith House. The proof that had it not been for her, would have never come to light. A letter, dried blood staining the edges of the piece of paper, had been placed inside the bag later, one penned in Kandace’s own shaky hand. Last words that had probably been written as Kandace lay moments from death after just having delivered Amelia in a cave on the side of a cliff. A cliff where an ancient midwife had made a perilous climb and attended Kandace in her final moments. She had not died alone.Dreamboat,
I tried. I tried so hard. Somehow, a boy who looks just like you carried me. He’s strong and gentle. He saved me. They both saved my baby. She’s beautiful, tiny but perfect. I wish I could tell you everything. I wish I could know my daughter. I wish. But I’m fading now. I did all I could. I hope you know that someday.
Promise me you won’t stop being brave. No matter what, promise me you won’t hide your heart, even if that seems like the easier thing to do.
You’re stronger than you think. That’s what Scarlett told me and she was right. She was right about me, and I’m right about you.
You’re stronger than you think.Forever,
KandaceIs anything forever?
He’d once asked his wife that very question. Kandace’s final words had helped him find the answer. Love. Human resilience. The power of grace over condemnation. The God-given ability that resides in every human heart to distinguish right from wrong, truth from falsehood, and love from pain.
Camden’s life was overflowing with love. In two beautiful girls who were his daughters by heart. The unexpected brother who had lived through multiple tragedies yet still laughed. Loved. A wife whose heart was simply and undeniably heavenly. Matchless.
It was all around him, every single place he turned. Forever.