Finding Home - The Light

Epilogue

Epilogue

Sara blinked her eyes rapidly to clear the colorful spots as the light around her faded. Alexander stood to her left, staring at her with his serious black eyes and his sword held loosely at his side.

She glanced to her right to see Vlad staring at her with his jaw hanging almost comically low. Sara blushed as she giggled at his expression. He audibly snapped his jaw shut before he wrapped his arms around her and lifted her off of the ground.

She glanced around over Vlad’s shoulder, her eyes widening as she took in their surroundings for the first time.

Short trees covered in purple leaves were widely but evenly spaced around them. Tall lush green grass waved in a slight breeze. Sara felt the stone that was still clutched in her hand vibrate slightly. She shoved herself from Vlad’s arms and swung around just in time to meet Alexander’s blow.

His black eyes burned into her as she stared up at him. Sara sent a gust of wind at him, knocking him back a few feet while she tucked the red gem into her pouch. She stood in a defensive stance as he regained his footing.

“This has nothing to do with you, little one,” Alexander said coldly, staring over her at Vlad. “It is between him and I.”

“No, I am between you and him,” she answered.

He glanced at her before rushing for Vlad. Sara quickly surrounded him in a wall of rock, wincing as she heard a thud on the other side. She rolled her eyes when she heard Alexander pounding away from the inside, just as Vlad had done.

“When you’ve calmed down enough to talk, I’ll let you out!”

Sara was surprised when the noise abruptly stopped. She leaned closer to the stone wall, careful to keep her concentration on the thick rock surrounding him. She felt more than heard his panting through the ground she was connected to.

She shrieked when strong hands gripped her arms. She shook her head violently as Vlad tried to pull her away. His grip grew tighter for a second before falling away completely. Sara ignored the cold feeling that flooded her chest at the absence of his touch.

She felt Alexander’s breathing slow as he calmed down. When his heartbeat returned to a normal pace, she risked speaking to him again.

“Are you ready to talk yet?”

She heard a grunt before he answered, his voice laced with defeat. She could image the look of frustration on his face.

“It appears you are victorious, little one. I don’t know what that will mean for this world, but you have won nonetheless.”

Sara turned to glare at the incessant tapping on her shoulder when she remembered their strange surroundings.

“Where are we?” Vlad asked, finally getting her attention.

The stone wall collapsed as she turned to take in their surroundings. Sara was reminded a little of the Twin Oaks Christmas tree farms she used to visit every year as she looked at perfectly even rows of trees. She only took a second to survey her surroundings before swinging back to Alexander in a defensive stance.

His black eyes burned her as Sara stared into them. She faked confidence as she smiled at him. He held his sword ready to attack as the last of the earth fell back into the ground.

Sara stood slowly and let Vlad’s sword fall from her hand. It barely made a noise as it bounced off of the soft earth. She could feel Vlad standing close, his warmth seeping into her.

“I am not standing against you,” she said lowly as she walked toward his sharp blade. “I stand in the light, with you. We fight not for honor but for what is right.”

Sara reached out and grabbed his blade, shoving it to the side before standing directly in front of Alexander. She gestured over her shoulder while never taking her eyes from his.

“We were victorious! I have delivered your land from its so-called evil just as promised! It may not have been the way you wanted, but I did everything I said I would!”

Sara mistook the sparkle in Alexander’s eyes and turned to storm away, but a warm hand on her shoulder stopped her. Alexander surprised her when he pulled her into a bear hug.

“Umm… Thank you?” Sara gasped.

“I apologize little one,” Alexander said as he turned away from her. “You have done more for my people than anyone else can claim, including ridding that world of the scum that plagued it for centuries”

He shot a dark look toward Vlad as he spoke, but his tone remained soothing. Sara relaxed against his arm, smiling sincerely at him as he took in their surroundings.

“Where are we?” he asked, echoing Vlad.

Sara stifled her laugh as she looked around her again. Vlad was leaning nonchalantly against a tree not far from them. The purple leaves drew her attention, but she looked past them and felt the through earth what lay beyond her sight.

“Well, we’re still not in Kansas,” she mumbled to herself.

Alexander gave her a confused look before turning to Vlad with his burning black eyes.

“It isn’t over between us,” Alexander growled.

Vlad turned his back, dismissing him as they all studied the strange new land. Sara rolled her eyes at his back, tired of their animosity. The distant sound of water rushing pulled her away from the others.

Sara found herself at the edge of the trees, standing at the edge of a high precipice. She let the toes of her boots hang over the edge as she looked down. A waterfall rushed over the cliff to her left, sending a fine mist into the air. Sara glanced over her shoulder to see that both Alexander and Vlad had followed her through the trees.

A mischievous smile slowly spread across her face. She quickly kicked her boots off and grinned back at the two of them before diving off of the cliff. Sara let out a shout of joy before she was engulfed in the cool water.