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A murmur passed through the room. Suddenly, what should’ve been a simple job—anchor the Great Ward—became a lot more dangerous. Blackstone was a vile human, but I couldn’t deny he’d been a brilliant planner.

“Have you determined what their goals are?” I asked.

“Not yet,” Avie said grimly. “The weapons we recovered were dangerous, but nothing capable of breaching the Great Ward.”

“For now,” Bart said, tapping the table with his index finger. “Blackstone planned for centuries before he made his move. He identified mages to take his place and seeded sites with the tools to achieve his goal.”

Although it wasn’t cheery news, Bart was correct. No plan launched the moment you decided to act. “Cinaed and I will keep a closer eye on any unusual black magic.”

“I don’t mean to sound the alarm bells, but we’ve also detected someone attempting to access Blackstone’s frozen assets,” Dad said. “We don’t know who it is, but they appear to be well-informed.”

“Have we found his base of operations?” Jan asked. “I can’t imagine he had time to wipe it clean right before he began the final phase.”

“Again, not yet,” Avie said, sounding frustrated. “We believe it’s in Eastern Europe, possibly Romania, but our attempts to find it have been unsuccessful.”

“ We should see if we can help with that,” Cinaed said through our link. “Our connection to the Ward might be useful.”

I agreed, but until we knew for sure, I didn’t want to suggest it to the group. “We can talk to Bart and Cael tonight at dinner.”

“Let’s move on to the next item on the list,” Dad looked at the ard ri. “What’s the status on the medicine wheels?”

Tadgán stood and looked around the room.

“We’ve identified thirty-seven medicine wheels across North America that show signs of contamination.

Some are heavily corrupted, but most only have traces of dark magic.

All need to be cleansed or they could become focal points for future attacks on the Great Ward.

“The wheels, however, are integral to their tribes. We can’t just erase them,” the ard ri continued. “They require more than standard cleansing methods.”

Cinaed’s desire to help came through our link. Because I asked we hold off, he now hesitated to suggest this was something we could do. “Our new position might be useful. What do you think?”

“I think you read my mind,” Cinaed said, almost preening that I agreed. “Should I make the offer?”

I found his hand under the table and gave it a squeeze. “Yes.”

“Rod and I can help with this problem,” Cinaed said, breaking the silence. “Our connection to the Great Ward helps us purge runes meant to summon demons.”

“We would welcome the help, Guardians,” the ard ri said, nodding his approval. “The Earth will be grateful for this healing.”

The rest of the meeting was a blur of details and new assignments.

Conall was going to remain alpha for the time being, but would transition to a new role with the Shifter Assembly.

His oldest brother Kelton would assume the leadership of the pack.

That had been the plan when Conall expected to step down to become the Eastern Guardian.

He and Jan wanted a larger position in interspecies relationships, and this would allow them to take on that role.

The decision was easier for them when Anso and Leifr announced their return to gryphon territory.

Leifr would serve as champion to the alpha, ensuring no one would challenge Kelton for control of the pack.

Anso purchased a large farm and planned to test agricultural magic.

He wanted to improve the lives of the farming community in the area.

Bart and Cael would continue teaching at the university.

The new dean, Darius, gave them more independence than Blackstone to create new and innovative courses.

Ignatius was going to teach the history of the Great Ward at both the high school and college level.

The Mage Council wanted all future students to understand the danger demons presented and the sacrifices a few beings had made to protect the world.

No surprise, Otto and Thal remained in their diplomatic roles, and Percy and Gio remained in Transylvania.

The big change came when Thal’s grandmother, Elana, finally agreed to move to Wyoming to be with the rest of the family.

The former guardians used their adopted daughter’s departure to move their library to the unicorns’ ancestral home.

They had plans to turn their new home into a new interspecies school.

Their eyes sparkled with excitement as they discussed the new project.

The biggest surprise, however, came from the northern guardians—former and present.

Gund would remain king, and Hro would act as an advisor.

Leo, however, decided on a fresh path. He and Rhydder created a renewable energy business, hoping to address the world’s energy needs.

The big shock came when Eldwin joined the pair as a full partner.

“This is my world as well,” Eldwin said. “The company will bring innovation and jobs to Prescot Isle and the surrounding area. The area has struggled economically in recent decades. This will turn Northern Maine into an economic destination.”

“Not bad for a concubine.” Leo smirked at his siblings.

All eyes turned to me and Cinaed. Neither of us expected to provide an update. “No one said we were supposed to present on our life plans,” I said. “We’re figuring things out.”

“No new plans,” Mom asked, her interest hiding an unspoken agenda.

“None other than turning the house into a home,” Cinaed said. “We’re also learning to interpret the signals the Great Ward sends. It’s a work in progress.”

“We’re content,” I added. The others needed to hear we weren’t burdened by our new responsibilities. “The quiet life suits us for now. We’ll travel as needed for the cleansing work, but having a peaceful home to return to is essential.”

“Excellent.” Dad nodded, looking satisfied. “We all want you to know you’re not alone. We may not share the burden, but if you ever need support of any kind, we’ll be there.”

The meeting broke up, and people gathered in small groups. They were catching up and making plans to visit. Bart and Cael left Dad and headed our way.

“Still planning to join us for dinner?” he asked.

“Still planning to teach me to cook?” I shot back. “Cinaed is adamant I get cooking lessons.”

Bart’s eyes lit up. “I’ve got the perfect recipe. Even you can’t mess it up.”

He was trying to be funny, but after almost a hundred years, I had a lot of bad habits to overcome. “Challenge accepted,” I said dryly, earning an exasperated sigh from Cinaed.

“Don’t encourage him,” he said. “I’m the one who has to eat his experiments.”

“ G entle heat is key,” Bart said. “Don’t incinerate the garlic, just coax out its flavor.”

Bart hovered at my elbow, watching as I stirred the sizzling pan. The kitchen in his and Cael’s home was an amazing place. He’d somehow managed to get high-end appliances that almost perfectly matched the time period of the house. It didn’t help my cooking skills, but it was a great ambiance.

“Like this?” I asked, adjusting the flame beneath the pan.

“Perfect.” Bart passed me the crushed tomatoes. “Add this, but be careful. The oil will sizzle upon contact.”

I followed his instructions, surprised by how much I enjoyed myself. Cooking had never interested me, but it was satisfying creating something with my hands rather than magic. And if I could present Cinaed with something edible, it would be worth all the effort.

“You’re improving,” Bart observed as I stirred the sauce. “This might actually be worth eating.”

I’d take offense at the comment if it wasn’t grounded in fact. “Aren’t teachers supposed to encourage their students, not be snarky?”

“We’re trained to be truthful,” he said with a grin. “Would you rather be the emperor with no clothes?”

I side-eyed him as I checked the water for the pasta. “Cinaed might enjoy that.”

“Good point.” He moved the pasta from the refrigerator. “Remember your first attempt? Too bad I didn’t film it. No one believes me when I tell them you turned boiling spaghetti into that geological formation.”

How was I supposed to know instinctively that I had to stir the pot? “ That was a teacher failure. You shouldn’t have assumed I knew what to do.”

“I thought it was obvious!”

He was right, it should’ve been obvious, but it hadn’t occurred to me. “You know what they say happens when you assume.”

Our banter continued as we finished preparing the meal—a simple marinara that smelled genuinely appetizing. Bart tossed the salad as I cut the bread. Out back, Cinaed and Cael relaxed with glasses of wine.

I went to call them to dinner, but I stopped as I felt Cinaed’s contentment.

His presence was warm and steady in my mind.

I listened as he described the land clearing project to Cael.

We were gradually transforming Katarina and Adelais’s overgrown island into our new home.

The cottage itself had been surprisingly well-preserved, protected by ancient spells that had kept it essentially frozen in time.

The surrounding land, however, had grown wild over the centuries.

We agreed to tackle it in small bits at a time.

“I’m really thrilled for you two,” Bart said, standing next to me. “After everything you’ve been through, you deserve to be happy.”

The sincerity in his voice caught me off guard. I’d always tried to be a mentor to my younger siblings, but Bart had surpassed me in many ways. He’d said he looked up to me, but seeing the clarity of his soul, it was I who admired him. “Thank you.”

“Always.” He squeezed my shoulder briefly before turning back to the food. “Now, let’s get the food out so we can impress our mates with your culinary progress.”