Danica: Epilogue

The private rooms would open into an enormous common room, with an adjoining library and study room. A door in the study led to a tall tower, which had enough room in the round top for all four women to have their own individual area.

A short distance down the hall was a kitchen large and well appointed enough to host a royal banquet, but having smaller stoves and ovens for the day-to-day cooking needs. The stoves, ovens, and kilns would all heat by magic, and the sinks would manifest water of any temperature required by magic as well.

Farther down the hall and around the corner was the dining hall, also large enough to host a banquet, but having a smaller partitioned area at the front for normal mealtimes. Past the dining hall was the entrance foyer, with large closets to store coats and boots, and the laundry room – also enhanced by magic to make he women's lives easier.

Another common room lay beyond the foyer, before the next corner in the hall. Around the corner, the rooms for the copies were located. Each girl, as Danica now thought of them, would have their own room, but they also had a large common bedroom that they would likely share for some time, until they developed more individuality. They also had a common room and a study, though these would probably both be playrooms for a long time to come.

Turning again the final hall in the square led to the baths. Danica had enjoyed her time in the baths of Agreseus, and so she designed the Manor to have the full facilities – powered by magic, of course. The main bathing pool would be large enough for twenty people to stretch out in comfortably.

The center of the square provided more than enough room for a garden to grow food, herbs, and flowers. Windows were everywhere in the structure, to provide fantastic views of the enclosed garden and beautiful valley itself.

Darkniciad looked over the incredible design, warning that crafting such detail in an item would probably require an object so large that it would not be easily portable. Danica was unconcerned, as she only planned to move it once – from here to where it would reside.

Darkni and Danica concentrated their efforts on crafting the item, while everyone else turned to their studies, and teaching of the girls. In the end, it took the two accomplished crafters nearly three weeks to create the detailed model that would house the magic. It was approximately a foot and a half square, with the tower reaching a slightly greater distance above the roof of the manor.

Danica took Darkniciad's advice and rested for a week before they attempted the enchantment. The detailed crafting had worn both wizards out, and they needed to be at their best if they wanted to succeed in the tremendous undertaking of the final enchantments.

Two more days of exhaustive spell casting prepared the item for the final enchantment that would power it. Again, Darkniciad admonished a few days of rest before continuing, and as weak as Danica felt, she was in no position to argue.

When the time came, the most powerful wizards on the island, and the most powerful of his pupils who resided elsewhere in the world, joined together in the common room for the final enchantment. They cleared the furniture away, leaving enough room for the wizards to join in a circle around the item. Wizards of less power, and others on the island, stood ready outside the circle to provide aid if any of those joining in the enchantment should weaken and lose consciousness.

On Darkni's signal, he and Danica began the final incantation. All around them, the other wizards waited in silence until the appropriate moment, and then chanted the joining spell in unison.

The light surrounding the item when the magic took effect was far too bright to look at, causing the wizards who had all wisely closed their eyes during the casting to squint them even tighter against the burning glow. Many dropped to their knees, and a pair collapsed completely. By the time the light started to settle in upon the model, even Danica and Darkniciad were on their knees.

When the light dimmed to tolerable levels, Danica opened her eyes and smiled wide. The model hovered above the table where it had been placed, glowing with power.

Darkniciad rose unsteadily to his feet, aided by his wife, and announced, "Truly we have created something incredible this day. Behold, Danica's Magnificent Manor!"

Danica accepted Andrea's help to stand, her face flushing with color as Darkni dubbed the item with her name.

Darkni continued, "The enchantment will now be available in the library for all to study. I have little doubt this will be a unique item for many years, though, considering the unbelievable cost in coin and power it required."

Swaying a little on his feet, Darkni chuckled and said, "Now, I believe we would all do with some rest before Danica takes the item for its final testing. I have little doubt it will be all we have crafted it to be, but we will not know until it has been activated."

{*****~~o~~0~~o~~*****}

They waited a week, recovering from the exhaustion of the spell casting, before Danica summoned the Hellgate to emerge near the center of the valley. Andrea, Celes, and Marlena walked at her side, while the others waited on the other side of the portal within the Hellgate, corralling the excited clones.

Danica placed the item in the spot she had chosen, near the exact center of the valley, and then they all moved back a great distance to allow the item the necessary room to expand. Danica glanced at her friends with a smile, and then turned to the item and spoke the command word that would activate it.

"Home."

The four women hugged each other as the manor expanded, looking exactly as they had envisioned it. After a hurried inspection, they determined that every enchantment appeared to be working exactly as they had designed it to.

Walking together back out of the front door, they returned to the nearby portal and stepped through into the Hellgate.

Danica smiled and gestured to the clones. "Come, girls, let's go home."

The copies ran through the portal unimpeded, confirming that they too belonged in this odd, beautiful valley. They frolicked in the flowers and grass, and Danica knew they would be in need of the bathing facilities by the time they grew tired of their play.

"Congratulations," offered Darkniciad.

"Thank you," Danica replied, and then turned to her sister, hugging her. "I promise I'll come to see you, but this is home – I can feel it. I love you."

"You'd better, or I'll risk getting my skirt blown off to come here and paddle your behind for forgetting," Devan warned, and then added, "I love you too."

Danica ushered the great wizard and her sister back through the portal to Darkni's isle, refocused the portal on the valley and stepped through to stand next to the other women, watching the girls at play.

{*****~~o~~0~~o~~*****}

The stone sang in exaltation once more, and Tam smiled so wide his face ached. At his side, Vellana had an odd look on her face, as if she were hearing something for the first time.

"It's so beautiful. I think I understand now," Vellana whispered.

The guardian nodded, "Yes, I can feel the stone connecting to you. The bonds between you will only grow now."

"They are truly the ones the signs all speak of, aren't they?"

Tam laughed and wiped a single tear from his eye. "Yes, Vellana, they are. At long last, the Sisters of the Mists have come, and in them rest the hope of all."

Danica — and all the rest — would like to thank you for walking at their side through all the trials and triumphs of this tale.

I would also like to thank you all for your feedback, suggestions, and interest in this story —­ and your patience with my unpredictable muse. I hope you have all enjoyed reading this tale as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Although Book I has come to a conclusion, Danica's story is far from over.

Zoraster's mad schemes still threaten the world, despite his death. Meckataur's hellish spawn are a threat that cannot be ignored. Few know as much about —­ or are better prepared to deal with — these threats as Danica, Celes, Andrea, and Marlena. Therefore, they must stand on the front lines and hold the enemy at bay; else, the world might be consumed in darkness.

I plan to cut the size of the chapters in half for Book II, so they should come out with less delay than the final four chapters of Book I did. I'll also be running them through my editor from the beginning, and I'm sure Roust's insight will increase the quality of the story, as it has for every other work of mine he has touched.

This story is dedicated to my Baileykins, the love of my life, and the inspiration for Danica. Thank you for coming into my life and chasing away the darkness, Babydoll.

Thanks, once again, to all my readers, and I hope you'll all join me soon for Book II, Sisters of the Mists