Epilogue

SHEETS OF COLD, icy rain fell from the black clouds obscuring the skyline of London. Big Ben tolled nearby. A red double-decker bus zoomed by. Elijah Delomary, in his trademark blue parka, leaned in closely to Austin Kang Jr. A golden retriever outfitted in a yellow slicker stood between the boys.

They stared at the small, bronze plaque affixed to the brown stone facade of the Edificea sie Dêtillus, the Hall of Dragons, the home of the Còngréhassa sie Estàntus. The center of the Magicals Alliance.

“I can’t believe Mom convinced the Còngréhassa to do this.”

“Your mum is pretty powerful, yeah love?”

“Yeah,” he said. “Your gran helped twist some arms too, I’m sure.”

Both boys looked at each other happily.

“It’s the right thing to do, Master!” the dog said.

Elijah peered at the bronze plaque, rivulets of rain running down the front. A tribute, written first in the Old Language then in English below, read:

 

Veo Gàrasimenta Ãe Paràsàfàna, Empra siec Oscùrimenta porga eucraficeo aqel ensaàunoco Allégansa Qu’elicantu.

 

“In Gratitude to Persephone, Queen of the Gloom, for her sacrifice that saved the Magicals Alliance.”

 

“Zid’dra was very close to unravelling the Alliance,” Austin said, pulling Elijah close to him, kissing the top of his head. “If he had killed you, he knew the Alliance would crumble and the monsters in the coven would crawl out of the Gloom and take over the Shimmering.”

“A horrible thought,” Elijah said.

“Terrifying, Masters!” the golden retriever agreed.

A gust of wind sent a torrent of water falling over the boys from the gilded dragons lining the top of the Edificea looming high over them.

“Come on, wankers,” Barn, Austin’s cousin, called over, “I want to get dim sum.”

“It’s cold,” Katie, Barn’s girlfriend, added.

“I was not meant to be in this type of weather,” Stylo said, huddled in a voluminous black puffy jacket, a black beanie pulled over her head, with a bright-red scarf pulled across her mouth. Her bright black eyes sparkled at the boys. “I am from a tropical paradise. I don’t like cold.”

“Burbank is tropical?”

“Sod off!”

Barn shivered, thrusting his hands into the pockets of his gray ski jacket.

“Can’t you take a picture of that soddin’ plaque and be done with it?” Barn said, pulling Katie toward him, wrapping his arms around her.

Elijah turned around and snapped his fingers. In a flash, Barn disappeared. Katie frowned, staring down at a barking poodle at her feet.

“Not fair, Elijah.” She frowned. “Turning my boyfriend, your brother, into a dog.”

“He behaves like one.”

“Turn him back!” Katie insisted. The dog yapped at Elijah’s feet.

Boxey wagged his tail. “Master, be kind, turn Barn back into a human.”

Elijah tuned out Boxey.

“We want dim sum!” several other kids nearby chimed in. Elijah’s group of friends who had traveled to London to be with him as he saw the plaque that honored his friend who had sacrificed herself so he could live. They had, of course, traveled on his family’s deluxe luxury jet.

“Fine, fine,” Elijah said, “just because I get sentimental over people who saved me, I guess I wouldn’t expect my friends to feel the same.”

“I do,” Austin said, winking at Elijah and pulling out a stuffed octopus from his red jacket.

“Ah, it’s our son.” Elijah laughed. “Little Ocho.”

“Elijah.”

“Yes, Katie.”

“Turn Barn back into a boy, please.”

“I like him more as a poodle. He’s on a leash and quiet for once.”

“Elijah.” Katie glared at him.

“Fine, Katie,” the boy with the strawberry blond hair said, “but I’m still going to punish him by making him talk like Mickey Mouse for a half hour.”

Barn reappeared as a boy, very angry, shouting at Elijah in his small mouse voice.

The boys looked at each other. Barn’s voice returned to normal. The boys howled, putting their arms around each other.

“You’re a wanker.”

“You love me, Barn.”

“Oi,” Austin said, “get away from my boyfriend.”

“We’re the Three Musketeers.”

“My favorite candy.”

“And we’re your favorite Coaugelos in the whole world.”

Stylo turned. “What am I, chopped liver?”

Elijah wrapped his arms around Stylo, who complained, “Yuck, hugs!”

Elijah, Barn, Stylo, and Austin caught up with their friends huddled under a yellow awning outside a brightly lit restaurant in the shadow of the Houses of Parliament.

“Dim sum!” Tina shouted. “Soup dumplings! Hurry up. It’s freezing out!”

“Yeah, I am hangry!” Letitia added.

“She’s mean when she’s hangry,” April lamented.

“Violent too,” Kevin exclaimed, standing between April and Letitia.

“Coming!” Elijah called back to them. As they waited for the light, he whispered to his friends, “By the way, there’s a headless horseman haunting St. Paul’s Cathedral. You want to hunt some monsters after we eat?”

Barn and Austin exchanged glances. “Hell yes!” They high-fived.

“Food, friends, and kicking monster butt,” Stylo said. “I love London.”

The friends reached the doors of the restaurant, disappearing inside into the warm establishment where their close group waited for them as carts of steaming dim sum circulated around, the intoxicating and comforting aromas embracing them in the warm hug of food, friends and family.

“I’m not normal,” Elijah realized, “and thank God for that. I’m magical.”