When The Heart Sings

Epilogue

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*  Six years later  *

Serena's POV:

I finished my song and took a deep breath as I came out of my light trance, "The rot didn't even start in this area this year. Once things dry up further south, I'll come back and remove the rot wherever it may have started."

The handful of svipers and Dranek who were watching me did not seem terribly surprised, although they were all happy for the news. I was sitting on Darien's lap and leaned against his chest while my mind cleared from the song. The song hadn't been that powerful and I hadn't done much, so I wasn't too tired.

Saphira put my daughter down and she crawled over to climb into my lap before sitting and regarding the area around us with her light brown eyes. She couldn't walk yet, but that time wasn't that far away.

One of the svipers shook himself and spoke, "The areas where you sensed the rot last year were places we had not been hunting. The faulia are getting more wary now. They are climbing much higher into the trees and hanging out on narrower branches during the storm season, so their droppings are not accumulating on the main trunk."

During the storm season, the ground flooded and the faulia nimbly climbed up the various trees like goats. Previously, they saw no point in climbing high and remained near the base of the tree where their droppings built up in a thick layer on the bark. That layer of dung was the cause of the rot.

We had truly discovered the cause of the rot, and the svipers were making a noticeable impact. The Dranek were quite happy with their new neighbors and both often worked hand-in-hand or traded for various supplies.

Another sviper came out of the trees with a giggling boy dangling from his jaws. Both the svipers and Dranek eagerly took turns supervising the little rascal on his exploring trips. At the request of the svipers, we had sewn a heavy duty handle on the back of Toby's coverall-like outfit. Such a handle allowed them to grab him and dart into the safety of the trees if anything threatened.

Darien got up with a sigh and set me on my feet, with Angela still in my arms. Toby held out his arms, "Daddy!" The sviper put him down and the five-year-old wasted no time running towards his father, full of energy and excitement.

Darien picked him up with a smile, "And where did you go?"

"Uncle Lucas showed me a waterfall!"

Darien looked back towards the trees, "And where is Uncle Lucas?"

"I think he fell in da water..."

"At least you didn't fall in. Good job." Toby giggled, and by the sviper's amused expression, it had only been his intervention that had prevented a similar swim on Toby's part.

We started walking back towards the waygate. I hadn't gone far into the trees, so it didn't take us long. It wasn't too surprising to find the waygate already open. A quick check by one of the Dranek ensured that it went to our destination and we passed through to the Tarulk world once more.

It had taken some work, but the gatemaster had built another waygate much closer to the Tarulk Council Building. It made things much easier considering that dozens of Dranek and svipers often came and went as they touched base with their representatives here.

There were various guesthouses for the Dranek and svipers in the forest near the Tarulk Council Building, although I rarely saw anyone on our trips to and from our home. We had permanently moved into the house that the Dranek and svipers had built for us near the Council Building.

One of the Dranek offered to carry Angela for me. I passed her over and she held the young girl in her arms. The Dranek seemed to love all children they came across. The svipers also had no problem supervising a child exploring the nearby forests.

Lucas came running through the waygate as he caught up, his clothes still dripping from his recent swim. Darien eyed him up, "And just what is your excuse?"

"Hey, how was I supposed to know that the edge of the creek bed was an overhang and would collapse?"

Darien's voice lowered warningly, "And if Toby had gotten injured?"

Lucas gulped, "Uh, I will be more careful next time..."

This was another reason that I happily healed any injured svipers or Dranek, regardless of how minor their injury was. They were more than ready to look out for my family. Word hadn't really spread among the Tarulk yet, but a few had come for healing.

Fiona still had no clue that I had actually healed her, and I saw no point in changing her perception. She and Alex were very much in love, and they also had a son who wasn't much younger than Toby.

I had a feeling those two boys were going to be quite a handful in a few years. I placed my hand on Darien's arm, "Taraar was there, and you know he would have been watching closely. I could have healed Toby as well. It wouldn't be the first time..."

Darien exhaled slowly as he calmed back down, he was quite a protective father. Toby's ambition and lack of fear had sent him for more than a few tumbles. A simple healing hum had often been enough to heal the many cuts, bruises, and scrapes he constantly managed to acquire.

We kept walking and I noticed that Saphira was holding hands with Draik. I was happy to see that, I knew she liked the large Dranek, but she took her position as my bodyguard far too seriously. With so many Dranek and svipers around, most potential troublemakers wouldn't even consider trying anything.

Not that any such troublemakers had appeared. All of the Tarulk now knew I was here, and other than a few grumblers, most didn't really see any reason to do anything about it. Many still didn't like to see a human on their planet, but with the corrupted Councillors gone and the Dranek now an ally instead of a foe, none tried to force the issue.

In general, everyone was happy and prospering. The Tarulk hadn't done so well in years, the svipers really liked how things were now, and the Dranek were no longer worried that their forests would slowly die out. I had made friends among the Dranek, svipers, and even the Tarulk. I knew those around us by name and had for years.

Darien started tickling Toby, who giggled and squirmed in his father's arms. Angela watched them in curiosity and gurgled happily. They were my family, and I loved all of them.

Darien was still the center of my world, and the bond hadn't let up any over the years. I loved him with all my heart and we balanced each other out perfectly. I pushed the dream image of the heart and shield into the front of my mind.

Darien swiftly wrapped an arm around my waist and drew me closer for a kiss. I couldn't remember the last time I had been so happy.

My heart felt like it was singing.