Epilogue

                                    

                                          
Six years later
I set the food on the table, and Poppy performs a simple cleaning charm for the dishes. Imelda is playing cards with Eliza and Ominis. Anne is pouring wine into glasses, even though she could make the bottle do it herself. Sometimes she performs such tasks to avoid using too much magic.
Natty and her husband Dorian haven't arrived yet, but when the doorbell rings and Evangeline opens the door, they enter. Natty is heavily pregnant, and Dorian has their son James in his arms.
"There you are!" Evangeline exclaims happily and embraces Natty, who gently pushes her away. "Careful," she says softly.
They greet everyone, and as Natty hugs me in greeting, she asks, "Is he in the garden again?" I nod.
"He can't help it,  the two of them would otherwise chase him halfway through Feldcroft," I say, taking her coat off. "But I should probably go check on them."
As I step through the back door of our house and into the large garden, I watch the spectacle with a smile. Sebastian's pants are rolled up, and he's running away from a little girl who's trying to catch him, while another girl with short arms is clinging to his back.
"Dinner will be ready soon!" I call out. The three of them stop in their tracks, and the girl who was on Sebastian's back jumps off and runs toward me. Her brown curls are tousled by the wind, and her green eyes shine as she looks at me.
"Mommmyyyy! Play with me!" Dorothea says, trying to pull me along with her. But I pick her up and gently shake my head as she looks at me with a pout. "No, we'll eat soon, and then maybe we can play."
"Sebastian, Imogen! Come inside now, it's cold!"
Imogen runs to her father and reaches for his hand. Together, we return to the others in the dining room. Most of them are already seated. The gifts under the Christmas tree are already arranged. As we sit down, I look at all my friends one by one.
Poppy and Imelda, who exchange furtive glances after a failed long-distance relationship. Natty, sitting next to her husband, helping her two-year-old son with his meal. Evangeline, giving Eliza a warning look as she conjures bubbles from her drink. Ominis, trying to listen to two conversations at once.
My two daughters, with a bit of dirt on their faces from playing in the snow, and my husband. My Sebastian, who saved me and whom I saved.