Page 138 of An Invocation of Monsters

I more or less managed to forget all about Arianna Marsh after that.

Juno was returning to her island, and I was to visit her next—to meet the monster-baby she’d decided would be named Celeste, after—

“Oh my god, you’re naming your baby after a ghost ship?” I groaned.

Juno had always had a fascination with the Mary Celeste, but after the events I’d filled her in on, she’d decided to drop the first name.

“I mean, is it not appropriate?” Juno asked with an impish grin. She stood beneath the moon-silvered trees outside Deepwater Lodge.

Our monsters were talking quietly amongst themselves, giving us a little distance for privacy as we said our goodbyes.

“She’s going to find out about that one day,” I pointed out. “Because I’m going to tell her.”

After all, we were as close as sisters, and I was going to be this kid’s cool Auntie Elle. She deserved to know the provenance of her name.

We cackled for a moment, then hugged each other tightly.

Tears pricked the backs of my eyes; I’d gotten used to Juno being here, filling me in on the history of our family.

But we were both guardians. We had jobs to do.

I released her as Rask began to sidle over.

“I’ll see you next month, okay? Let us know as soon as you go into labor. I can be there to make you feel as good as new.” I twinkled my fingers at her; we’d already discussed the plan.

I would heal Juno after she gave birth, so there wouldn’t be much downtime for her and she’d be able to resume her ghost-herding duties right away.

Not that she liked the term ‘ghost-herding’; she’d thrown a pillow at me for it, but I refused to back down.

“Will do. Good luck, Elle. I promise, although it seems like a lot now, you’ll find your role in all of this.” She kissed my cheek. “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” I whispered, and watched as Rask delicately picked her up.

My own monsters had separated from the pack to surround me. I waved as Juno and her monsters headed deeper into the forest, and opened a doorway between two trees twined together.

Juno waved back as they vanished into the darkness, and then they were gone.

The doorway slowly faded from sight.

“Well, we’ll see them again soon enough.” My monsters had enjoyed speaking to the older, more experienced monsters from Duskwood.

Toth had gone under Voraal’s tutelage for these last couple weeks, learning what it meant to be a guardian.

Drazan and Zirin had visited the temple in the depths of the lake, and Kiraxis and Rask had spent hours demonstrating their physical prowess by chopping stones with their fists and trees with their foreheads.

Now it was time for us to decide what we were to do with ourselves.

“Anytime you wish to see your blood-kin, we will take you to her,” Toth promised me.

“I love you all so much, you know that?” I said. “Seeing Juno again, and her mates… it just makes me feel so lucky I found you.”

“No, we are the lucky ones,” Kiraxis said, holding me from behind.

We love you, Elle. For all of time. Drazan stroked my cheek with a tentacle, stealing away the single tear I’d shed as Juno left.

I hugged him tightly, and my monsters and I headed to our own doorway to the Void.

Kiraxis had torn down the shed for me, moving it to another location. Now the doorway outside the ruins was exposed, and as we ducked through into the ever-present twilight, we entered to black grass and swirling stars.

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