THE ROSE BOOK // A NOVEL

EPILOGUE

"In the end, there was only war and death."

The moment the pair's breathing evened out, Lukas was already jumping down Dai's throat.

"What was that?" he snapped, grabbing the Mutare by the collar of his tunic. "Where did you learn to do that? Where did he go? Is he dead or was it just a way to buy time for us to heal?" He was shaking Dai more vigorously than what was truly required for this situation. But there was this nagging voice inside of him. Something telling him that everything about this was wrong. "Well?" he demanded.

"He's... not coming back," Dai said, looking away. He seemed far too worn for this type of questioning, but Lukas couldn't help himself.

Dai was keeping secrets.

"Dai," he said. "What was that?"

Dai knocked Lukas's hand off of his tunic. He was trying to look bigger than he really was, trying not to collapse under the weight of himself. "It's fine. Just... accept that. He's not coming back."

"Dai I don't like forcing you to tell me things with magic but I will!" Lukas spat. He was tired too and just wanted a straight answer for once in his life. Besides, Dai was his familiar. If there was anyone in this life who should be giving him a straight answer, it was Dai.

But Dai's tail just thrashed. "Not much a choice if you'll just force me to do it regardless."

"It's more of a choice than any other god would give you!" Lukas snapped.

For a moment, the pair just stared one another down. Neither seemed willing to back down. Lukas knew that he couldn't. Dai was keeping things from him and they'd promised to put an end to that. If he couldn't keep such a simple promise... well he was a child of Moon. That put a lot about him into perspective.

"Dai," Lukas said, conclusively. "Answer the-"

"You guys!" a voice called. Lukas snapped his head just in time to see Honey throwing herself at both of them. "You're alright!" she wailed once more. "I saw a bright light and I got really scared and-" Her chest was rising and falling at a rather rapid rate and dried tears stained her cheeks. She was good friend. A true friend.

One who would answer a question if he asked it.

"Are you both okay?" Honey asked, wiping at phantom tears. She must've been crying so much that no more were coming out. "Please tell me you're okay!"

"We're good, Honey," Lukas said with a smile.

"Yes," Dai said, dipping his head in agreement. Honey sniffled once more, before her eyes widened and she looked down in her arms. She was holding Dai's cloak so tightly against her chest, Lukas had half the mind to think she didn't want to give it back.

"Oh," she said, stumbling forwards. "You probably want-"

And that was when Honey fell flat on her face. Usually, either Dai or Lukas would have had the reflexes top catch her but today they were so worn that when the Lekki stumbled, neither of them noticed in time. Just... one moment she was standing and the next she'd collapsed.

"Honey!" Lukas cried.

"Clumsy Lekki," Dai grumbled, bending over to pick up his cloak, not the girl. However, when he did so, a red book came tumbling from inside, right to Lukas's boot.

Looking back, Lukas would pay any price to see Dai's expression in that moment. To watch the horror of what was about to come play out on his features. Instead, Lukas bent over and picked up the leather bound book. It was nothing impressive, just a regular journal with roses imprented into the leather and words that read, so clearly to him.

In an instant he knew what it was.

"You guys found it," he said with a sigh of relief. "I was worried the Dark Master might've moved the Rose Book since he was here first-"

"The Rose Book?" Honey asked, frowning as she looked at the book in Lukas's hands. "No, no that's not right. The Rose Book wasn't there. This is Dai's. He uses it to write down stories he hears." 

For a long moment, Lukas processed those words. He processed all of their meanings and then those meanings before he came to the conclusion he should have reached long before but found himself unwilling to. He looked up. He wanted to see guilt. To see remorse. To see shame. To see anything at all in Dai's golden gaze.

But instead... those lovely eyes of his were entirely void of emotion. Nothing seemed to penetrate or startle.

"You... had the Rose Book," Lukas said. "This entire time... you had it..."

"Yes," Dai said. It sounded so calm.

Honey's head whipped between them, her eyes wide with shock. Lukas wasn't surprised. Or well, he was but he couldn't feel it. "Why didn't you tell us?" he cried, much louder than was truly necessary. "You could've saved us so much time! Why didn't you tell me?"

"You never asked," Dai said. His ear twitched.

Lukas growled with frustration and lashed out. Dai was sent to the ground by the sheer force behind the blow. "I could have had my sister. I could have had her back by now- or at least figured out what happened to her but- you- you!" Lukas felt as if he were tearing the hair from his scalp. "You've known this entire time, haven't you?"

Dai's lip curled. "Of course," he said. "I was the one who put her there. With Sun and Moon and the Dark Master now too!"

That was blow Lukas hadn't been expecting. Dai was... Dai was the reason he'd been alone for such a long time. Dai was the reason his sister was gone. Dai was the reason that so many people had suffered and died. Dai, Dai, Dai! Lukas was burning. He was burning up and he couldn't see straight. He'd been made a fool!

"Lukas..." Honey said. "I know your mad but you should probably-"

"Shut up!" Lukas snarled, lashing out at Honey too. This time, however, his flames actived with the blow. Honey howled in pain, clutching the side of her face that Lukas had burned.

Dai's eyes widened as he scrambled to her. He could heal the wound. Make it like it never happened. But it did happen. And Honey deserved it. She'd gotten far too familiar with a god. "Stop," Lukas said with all the magic he could manage in his voice. Dai froze. Lukas wasn't even sure if he was breathing. He didn't care much either. "We're going to find my sister. Now."

And with that, he and Dai returned to the heavens, Rose Book in hand, leaving the poor mortal Honey all alone, wailing in pain.

The burns would mar her body and she'd lose the vision in one eye completely, but when she was able to get to her feet once again, she screamed to the heavens. She screamed all her hatred and all her happiness. She screamed and screamed and screamed. And when she was done screaming, she turned to the Wild Woods and entered their domain once more.