Second Epilogue
Gallowglass picked up the photo in the old silver frame. The frame was an antique, a gift from Ysabeau on the day of his marriage to Ciara. In it was a very recent photo someone had taken of Ciara, in the field near Castle O'Connelly in Ireland, on their wedding day.
She was dressed in a simple long white dress, her hair curling around her face and over her shoulders, with a simple flower wreath on her head. Whoever took the photo had approached her from behind, because she was looking back over her shoulder and smiling. It was his favorite photo in the world.
They had married in the Spring when the wildflowers were in bloom. They kept it small, only family and very close friends. Given the size of her Irish family and his vampire family, that still amounted to more than a hundred people but it was nothing like the large Cathedral wedding her cousin Caitlin and Baldwin de Clermont had a few months earlier.
All of the de Clermont's had been brimming over with good cheer and affection for the couple, and happiness that Gallowglass was back among them again. It had been a spectacular day, followed by a month-long honeymoon on a private island in the South Pacific that Gallowglass had owned for centuries.
Now they were home at his London flat, and she was spending her days doing the historical research that was her professional life, often working alongside Diana and Phoebe. Ciara was a noted historian and scholar, specializing in Norse and Celtic history. She called him her "reference desk" since he had lived through the entire time of her research focus, and he helped whenever she asked. But truthfully, she was so good at it, he really just shortened the time it took her to get to an answer.
And Gallowglass spent his days catching up with friends and family in London. He spent hours with Fernando who was Matthew's second in command in his scion. Sometimes he helped Marcus with the Knights of Lazarus but that work had subsided a bit with the elimination of Benjamin's family, Gerbert and Domenico. Now it was about building to be ready for future challenges.
Some days were spent working on his motorcycles. Or a little sailboat he'd bought and had moored at St. Katherine's Docks. On a warm summer night, he and Ciara would occasionally sail up the Thames in the moonlight. She was expecting in a few months so longer trips would have to wait until the baby came, and was old enough to accompany them.
The idea of having a child with this woman who now meant more to him than life pleased and scared him in equal measure. But no matter what, it filled him with a profound joy that he had never even imagined could be his.
Still, he often felt like he was supposed to be doing something, but he could not figure out what it was. He sat, staring out the window at the Thames and modern London and tried to find some of the landmarks that had been important to him in at various times over his many lives.
He checked the clock every few minutes. At five in the afternoon, he would meet Ciara outside the British museum and they'd walk somewhere to get a glass of wine and catch up on each other's day. He hoped Phoebe or Diana might be with her as he would have very little new to offer again tonight.
A knock on the door startled him. Usually he'd hear someone approaching the door of the flat, and anyway the doorman should have called up to say he had a visitor. He opened the door and was surprised to see his two uncles, Baldwin and Matthew de Clermont, with Matthew's wife Diana right behind them.
"Come in," he said. "Is something wrong?"
"No, not wrong," Matthew said. "Just not right."
"Okay," Gallowglass responded. "How can I help?"
A look passed between Diana and Matthew that was as loud as Diana shouting, "I told you so!"
"What's going on?" he asked suspiciously.
"Not much on your end," Baldwin said. "It's time for your vacation to end. You have work to do."
"Baldwin!" Diana protested.
"What? We all have things to do. How long do we need to beat around the bush?"
The witch shook her head. "I just think we could lead up to it—"
"No need to lead up to anything, Auntie. Just tell me what you need."
"Diana's expecting again," Matthew said.
Gallowglass grinned. "Congratulations," he said to them both. "When? Are you feeling all right?"
"I feel fine," she said firmly. "I'm only two months along, and healthy as a horse. But… with the twins in their terrible two's, and another one on the way…. Plus my teaching and my research, I'm overloaded."
"Weellll, I don't know how I can help with any of that but—"
"No, that's not it," Baldwin said. "You need to take over the de Clermont seat on the Congregation, Gallowglass. Diana has to step away now. With two new vampires, and two new witches, Agatha needs an experienced hand in the mix. Someone who knows the history of the Congregation intimately. And we need a de Clermont. So… we all decided it has to be you."
Diana took the de Clermont key from her pocket and held it out to him.
"No! No, that's not—that's not something I would be good at. I'm not a diplomat—"
"Neither was I," Baldwin snorted.
"What about Marcus?" Gallowglass asked.
"He's got more than enough to do with the Knights of Lazarus," Matthew said. "The rebuilding is going well and he cannot take his focus off that task. And he's still practicing medicine too. Besides, Philippe never wanted one person running the Knights and sitting on the Congregation. He said it was more than any one person could do well."
"He did both—"
"And that's how he knew it needs to be two different people," Matthew responded.
"Aunt Verin. Or Freyja? Or even Stasia would-"
"No, they have all had their turns, and believe me, none of my sisters is right for what is needed now. Nor is my daughter," Baldwin said.
Gallowglass agreed whole-heartedly about Miyako, which is why he wouldn't have suggested her. But he still could not picture himself in the role. "I really don't think I'm the best person for that job."
"Nonsense. You are exactly the right person for the role as it stands today," Baldwin said. "You have a wide network among vampires and are well-liked. They trust you. More so than almost any other de Clermont. You're an ancient vampire and the other two are young—"
"Amaru's four hundred years if he's a day."
"Yes, as I said, young. You've lived through the worst and best times of the Congregation for well more than a thousand years. You have always had the ability to anticipate and adapt, which is required now with all the changes the Congregation will oversee. You have excellent judgment. You're married to a witch so they won't think you're against them. And Agatha likes you. So does Janet Gowdie. You are the perfect family member for the job."
"He's right, Gallowglass," Diana said. "We all think you are the only one who can be the next de Clermont representative."
Gallowglass was shaking his head. If someone had told him his day would start out empty and end up with a huge new responsibility on his head, he would have suggested they get some professional help.
"And my wife is about to deliver our third child any day now so I have no more time to spend cajoling you. As the head of your family, I am ordering you to represent us on the Congregation. Give him the key, sister." Baldwin said with finality. It was clear he was done discussing. He turned to leave, calling back over his shoulder, "Congratulations on your appointment."
Diana cast a slightly rueful smile his way and placed the key in his hand. "Congratulations!"
"Yes, congratulations, Gallowglass," Matthew said. "You have our confidence, and our trust. And we're all here for you if you ever need a sounding board."
He met Ciara outside the British museum at the appointed hour. She greeted him with a grin, and a kiss that made some old woman mutter "Get a room" as she passed them. They laughed and both of them murmured a quiet "sorry" as they headed off to a little pub that they both liked.
Over two glasses of wine, she shared what she had been working on and ran an intriguing new bit of information by him. He smiled. "I think there's a couple of very old books at Sept-Tours that will help with that. First editions. You should check with Diana or Phoebe."
"I will, thanks. Marrying into a family with the resources of the de Clermonts was lucky for me! Not to mention I got this great, sexy husband in the deal. I liked your full beard but I love this new close-cropped look even more."
He laughed and signaled the waitress that they needed more wine.
"And how was your day, Eric?" she asked after the waiter had refilled their glasses.
"Weeellll, I have a wee bit of news…."
She was pleased for him but not surprised. "Caitlin and I have been wondering when they would ask you to take on that role. And so has Philippe." Ciara was the O'Connelly witch with the strongest ability to communicate with the dead. And Philippe was not exactly dead, although he did appear as a ghost to some of the witches now and then. It still gave Gallowglass a headache when he thought about it.
"Is he still bothering you?"
She giggled. "Your grandfather is not a bother. But he is a bit of a meddler. I wonder if he somehow kicked Baldwin and the others into gear on this. He's been saying you need to take over for Diana for a while now."
"And you never said anything to me?"
"It seemed like the kind of thing that should come from your family, when the time was right. But they're right, Eric. You're the perfect person for the times and the challenge."
And so he was.
THE END