"We made a great team," said Hunter. Alisa looked pleased. Which reminded me. I got up and checked the back of her head. She'd stopped bleeding an hour ago, and she said it didn't hurt that much anymore. I had given her some arnica montana to take every six hours for two days, and I knew she'd heal pretty quickly.

"I can't wait for other witches to hear about this," I said. "For so long no one's had any defense against a dark wave. Now they do. It's like you discovered penicillin, Mr. Niall."

"Please call me Daniel," he said,"or Maghach."

Thank the G.o.ddess, I thought. He was finally accepting me. Besides, my tongue kept tripping over "Mr. Niall," and we'd already been through a tth menma together.

"I'm hopeful that the spell will work in other places, when needed," Daniel said. "As long as the specifications and limitations are adjusted accordingly. But yes, this is wonderful news for the whole witch community."

"I still can't believe what it felt like, when I felt the power flow through me," Alisa said. "It was . . . really . . . "

"Indescribable," I said, and she nodded.

"In a good way," she added.

"Good," said Hunter. "Now we have to start teaching you things. But first, I'm starved-I haven't eaten in a week, it seems like."

"I'm hungry, too," said Daniel.

"Pizza would be good," Alisa suggested.

"Yeah, we could-" I stopped and gasped, then looked at the mantel clock. "Oh, no, I am way late!" I said, scrambling to my feet. I still felt like I was recovering from the flu, but I knew I was getting better, and that made it okay. "Mom is going to kill me-this is the second time this week."

When I looked up, three pairs of eyes were watching me with amus.e.m.e.nt."What?" I said.

"You just saved all of Kithic," Alisa said, snickering.

"And you're worried about being late for dinner," said Hunter.

"Do you want me to call your parents?" Daniel offered. "I could explain why you were unavoidably delayed."

We all broke into laughter, and I shook my head.

"I really should get home," I said. "But I'll see you guys soon."

I got into my coat, and Hunter walked me out to the front porch.

"Can you make it home okay?" he asked, putting his arms around me, holding me tight.

"Yeah." I snuggled closer. "We really stopped it. We stopped the dark wave."

"Yes, we did." His hand stroked my hair, which I knew still had gra.s.s in it.

I looked up at him. "Now we have to look toward the future. Like figuring out what you want to do if you leave the council.And if we're ever going to have time alone together," I said meaningfully, and he grinned.

"Yes, we must talk about that soon."

We kissed good-bye, and I walked out to Das Boot. The dark wave was no more. Ciaran was no longer a threat to me or anyone else, and someday I hoped to come to terms with how that had happened. Hunter and I were thinking about our future-together.

When I pulled into my driveway and walked slowly up the path, I felt unnaturally light and free. The humidity and weight were gone from the air. I almost felt like skipping.

Then my gaze fell to the ground beneath me. I knelt down to get a closer look, and when I saw them, I let out a gleeful little laugh.

My mother's crocuses, bright purple and yellow, had miraculously sprung back to life.

end.