Faerie Lord

Epilogue

The Portal Temple was packed with revellers, but they fell silent at once when the great portal itself flared into life.

‘Is everything ready at… you know… the other side?’ asked Henry in a whisper. This wasn’t quite the most exciting part of an exciting day, but it came close. His eyes were locked on the cold blue flames.

‘Yes, sir,’ grinned Chief Portal Engineer Peacock.

‘He’s talked about this far more than he ever talked about marrying me,’ Blue said, smiling broadly.

‘I can attest to that,’ Pyrgus confirmed. He was colourfully dressed for the occasion and smelling of some particularly odious aftershave.

Henry licked his lips. ‘What do you do now?’ he asked the engineer. ‘Throw a switch or something?’

‘I thought you might like to do that, sir.’ Peacock indicated a red button.

Henry reached out, then hesitated. ‘You’re sure he’s there? At the other end? I mean, he hasn’t wandered off or anything. He wanders off a lot.’

‘We’ve modified the portal in accordance with the principles Gatekeeper Fogarty discovered,’ Peacock said. ‘There’s a lock on. All you have to do is press the button.’

Henry fought the lump in his throat. If there was anything that could have made this day more perfect, it would have been to have Mr Fogarty here. But this was next best thing in a funny way. Henry pressed the button.

The blue flames flickered as Hodge stepped through, his tail curled high. He stopped and looked around the assembled wedding guests. Then he sat down, placed one leg behind his ear and began to wash his parts.