“You’d better,” she told me. “I’m going to be particularly angry otherwise. I wish I could come with you. But the fewer who know where you are, the safer you’ll be.”
I kissed her once again and then left the hangar with Sky, Mordred, Elaine, and Hades.
“Don’t you need to perform the ritual?” I asked Mordred as we all climbed into a Black Hawk helicopter.
“Nabu and Zamek will complete it. Anyone in there is going to be affected, so it’s best I’m not in there.”
“What do you plan to do while I’m in the middle of nowhere?”
“What I’ve always done, Nate. Piss off Avalon and fuck their shit up. Only this time I’ll be doing it for the good guys. I’m looking forward to the change of perspective. Just so you know, Morgan sat by your bed a lot while you were out. She was worried for you. I’m not saying she loves you or anything, but when this is all done, you two need to sit down and talk. I know you’re in love with Selene, but clearing the air between you and Morgan would be good. I think there are things left unsaid, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s don’t do that.”
I nodded in agreement. “Yeah. I think you’re right. It’s something I need to do.”
The rest of the journey was a chance for Hades and Elaine to explain exactly what Arthur had done since I was considered dead. Occasionally I turned to watch the ground fly by at speed far below us, wondering if Arthur’s corruption had spread across the country, until eventually we landed in the middle of a forest in Clockwork, Oregon.
We all got out of the helicopter, and an elderly Asian man left a Ford Ranger truck and greeted Hades with a hug.
“This is Doctor Kuro,” Hades said.
The doctor shook my hand. “You’re going to be our guest here.”
“I guess that’s the plan, yes.”
“Your house is ready. We have a beautiful town. You’ll like it. It’s mostly peaceful.”
“Mostly?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.
“We’re a small town, not a boring one,” Doctor Kuro said with a smile.
I turned back to Sky, Elaine, and Mordred. “I’ll be seeing you all soon,” I said.
“Take care, Nate,” Sky said.
“Have a nice holiday,” Mordred said. “Try not to bring attention to yourself. Be a good little human.”
“Piss off,” I said to him, and he smiled and hugged me.
“I wish this had gone better,” Elaine said. “But now we know our true enemy. We know his power and influence are great. One day soon there will be a reckoning for him.”
“Our world has changed,” I said. “Humans know of our existence. They know of Avalon; they know they’re not the top of the evolutionary ladder. If they don’t know now, they soon will, that some of Arthur’s allies consider humans nothing more than food. Arthur is going to change the world, and we can’t stop that. There aren’t enough of us, and we’re fragmented and broken. But we won’t be. Not forever. We’ll show Arthur the kinds of people he crossed, and we’ll show him just how badly we plan on beating him and those who call him an ally.”
I watched them climb back into the helicopter, leaving me alone with Hades.
“Thank you for this,” I said.
“No thanks necessary,” he told me. “Be safe, heal, and then we’ll deal with what comes next.”
“We fight back,” I said with complete conviction. “That’s what comes next. Rebellion.”
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
So, here it is, the last Hellequin book. Not the last Nate book, I’ll hasten to add, but this is the end of the story of Hellequin. Thank you to those who stuck with it from Crimes Against Magic, which feels like a lifetime ago, but it’s only been a little over five years. I hope you hang around to see how I make Nate’s life worse . . . sorry, better, not worse—I’d never do such a thing.
There are always lots of people to thank, starting with my wife and kids for their love and support, and in my wife’s case for allowing me to use her as a sounding board for every idea I have.
To my parents, who have never wavered in their support and love, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
My friends and family always support, nag, complain, and generally just want me to hurry up and write more. Thank you—you’re part of the reason I never gave up writing, and it means a lot that so many of you still look forward to the next book.
A big thank-you goes out to my agent, Paul Lucas, for his belief, friendship, and help over the years.
And another big thank-you to my editor, Jenni Smith-Gaynor, who takes my vision and helps me mold it into something that’s readable.
D. B. Reynolds and Michelle Muto are the kind of beta readers and friends that you can only wish for. Thank you for all the time and effort you’ve put in to help me make my work better.
As always, I need to thank 47North for their help. Emilie, Alex, Hatty, Sana, you’re all awesome. And a huge thank-you to those of you who helped work on my books over the years. Whether you’re still at 47North or not, you know who you are, and you should know how awesome you are.
So, this is it. The last Hellequin book. It’s been a fun, exhausting, and at times difficult ride. I’d like to think I’ve grown as an author and as a storyteller, and I’m looking forward to what comes next.
READ AHEAD FOR THE FIRST CHAPTER FROM STEVE MCHUGH’S UPCOMING BOOK A GLIMMER OF HOPE
CHAPTER 1
Wisconsin, USA. One week ago.
Elias Wells had to admit to being genuinely impressed with the escaped experiment that sprinted through the snowy forest in search of her freedom. She had fled the prison she’d been in, along with two others, an hour earlier. They’d not only made it to the edge of the forest—a rare act that deserved respect—but the last of them, Liz Barnsley, managed to outpace the monsters that chased her.
Elias didn’t bother running. He didn’t see the point. Not only because he considered it a waste of his energy, but also because the snow beneath his leather-booted feet had begun to turn to slush. He didn’t want to slip on an unseen spot of ice and make himself look like an idiot. Elias jogged at an easy pace, making sure to keep the creatures he worked with in his view but allowing them the freedom to do their jobs. Besides, it wasn’t like Liz had a lot of choices when it came to an escape route.