Thero nodded, sightless eyes seeking Seregil’s. “That’s one of the reasons I want you all as her guardians, in case Aralain should ever try to poison the queen against her cousin.”

“Elani is too kind for that,” said Alec.

“I think she is, now, but who knows what the future might bring? A hard streak runs through that branch of the family, and has a way of surfacing. I just want my daughter to live a long and happy life.”

Seregil and Alec each put a hand on their friend’s shoulder. No words were needed between them.

“Have you—I mean, can you use the wizard eye spell to see her?” Alec asked at last, giving voice to Seregil’s own concern.

Thero smiled. “Yes. Now, there is another matter I wanted to talk to you about. I believe you gamble sometimes with Duke Sera? Korathan thinks some of the gold shipments from the north are going astray under the duke’s stewardship. It needs looking into.”

“Of course,” Alec replied. “Isn’t he the one suspected of poisoning his nephew?”

“Yes. He’s a good deal more dangerous than he appears.”

“Ah, something worthy of our attention!” Seregil said with a crooked grin that Thero could no doubt hear, for the wizard smiled again.

“I’ll send you the details in a few days. You should go enjoy the celebrations.”

“No better time to sneak around in the dark than tonight, when everyone else is running around drunk in the streets,” said Seregil.

“Very well.” Thero held out his hands to them. “Luck in the Shadows, my friends.”

“And in the Light.”

Afterword

Afterword

MY dear, wonderful, patient, funny, supportive, creative, generous Readers:

So ends the Nightrunner Series, at least for the foreseeable future. I’ve been playing with the boys and their friends since the early 1980s, long before some of you were born. Back when I was writing in spiral-bound notebooks in pencil and getting fired from jobs because I was writing instead of doing my work. Yes, that happened. Back when “Alec” was just a placeholder name I borrowed from a beloved orange tiger cat because I couldn’t think of anything else at the moment of the poor fellow’s creation. Back when I conceived of quick-witted Alec as nothing more than a stalwart Watson to Seregil’s dashing Holmes. Alec was one of many characters who got away from me to become much more than I’d initially imagined: Thero, Klia, Korathan, Beka, Eirual, even Micum, just to name a few.

Bless you, those who have stuck with me since Luck in the Shadows first saw print in 1996. To those of you who have only just joined the party, welcome aboard and enjoy the ride! Seregil, Alec & Co. live on through your imaginations. And to you who have shared beautiful stories from your lives with me, or your artwork, your music, your enthusiasm, I have always felt very honored.