But at least I had some small hope of healing and a better hope of learning how to live differently, without having to hide from the Fae or the gods of various pantheons anymore. And in the darkness of time that stretched before me, I saw a small winking light that could be forgiveness. Perhaps it would be others forgiving me my trespasses, or me forgiving myself. I hoped I could make it there, regardless, to let it shine on me.
In the meantime, there was an entire planet to nurture and a couple of hounds who hadn’t forgotten that I promised them a romp on the beach after dinner. And I realized with a start that there was no longer any reason for me to hang on to my American accent. I shed it and returned to my old Irish one, and it was like wrapping myself in a favorite blanket.
“What d’ye say, hounds o’ mine? Ready for some sand and surf before we settle down for the night?”
Oberon and Starbuck didn’t wait but immediately took off toward the wet sand in the day’s last light, tongues flapping in the salty air like pink pennants. Oberon’s mental voice floated back to me, taunting.
I grinned as I chased them onto the beach. Yes, I am an old Druid. And I plan on getting much older. I have many, many years to go before I see my final sunset.
For Tricia,
the Metal Editor who made all this happen
Acknowledgments
egad, it’s strange and wonderful and sad to come to the end of a series like this. Bittersweet. Dolofabolo, as Slomo would say.
I may return to this world later on with some adventures featuring Owen’s apprentices, but the story of the Iron Druid, at least, is finished. Ye may assume that Atticus and Granuaile are still out there in the world somewhere, looking after Gaia, and that Oberon is still fond of sausage and poodles. (And Orlaith likes Newfoundlands, by the way. Dogs are not monogamous, so there’s no need to worry about their relationship.)
In the meantime, I’m writing two new series. I’d be honored if you’d try A Plague of Giants, out now, and the soon-to-be-released Kill the Farm Boy, co-authored with Delilah S. Dawson.
I’ll always be grateful to my agent, Evan Goldfried, and my editor, Tricia Narwani, for taking a chance on me. And I will always be grateful to you for reading, because without you buying the series and telling your friends and family about it, I never would have been able to finish it as I wished.
The following peeps were kind to group-source Polish translations for me: Loë, Bartosz Grabowski, Piotr Warzecha, Anna Pyrich, Edi Skrobiszewska, Anna Flasza-Szydlik, Dagna Korosacka, Miłosz Kasprowicz, Aleksander Glaz, and Andrzej Stępiński.
The two lines of Wang Wei’s poem, “Reply to a Magistrate,” were translated from Mandarin by Sam Hamill.
Many thanks to the folks on Twitter who helped me out with the two whole words of Latin that Granuaile spoke. Conjugating verbs is rough and I’m much obliged, and I also hope you know who you are since I don’t.
Humongous thanks to Fang-Chin Chang of Gaea Books in Taipei, who was so gracious and helpful regarding my questions about the city. Any inaccuracies are of course mine and not hers. And more generally, thank you to the people of Taiwan for being so wonderful. I enjoyed my visit to Taipei in February of 2017 immensely.
Shoutout to my copy editor, Kathy Lord, who has saved me from many mistakes great and small and deserves all the whiskey.
High five to audiobook narrators Luke Daniels and Christopher Ragland, who have brought the series alive for so many listeners.
I’d also like to thank artist Gene Mollica and designer Dave Stevenson for the outstanding series covers. They’ve made plenty of folks pick up the books and they’re very good at their jobs.
Much appreciation for Ryan Kearney, Julie Leung, David Moench, Keith Clayton, and Scott Shannon at Del Rey for the work they do getting the series out there.
I am always grateful for the love and support of my family, friends, and doggies. I’m also thankful to y’all for coming along on this ride. Hope you had as much fun as I did, and may harmony find you.
BY KEVIN HEARNE
THE SEVEN KENNINGS
A Plague of Giants
THE IRON DRUID CHRONICLES
Hounded
Hexed
Hammered
Tricked
Trapped
Hunted
Shattered
Staked
Besieged
Scourged
THE IRON DRUID CHRONICLES NOVELLAS
Two Ravens and One Crow
Grimoire of the Lamb
A Prelude to War
OBERON’S MEATY MYSTERIES
The Purloined Poodle
The Squirrel on the Train
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
KEVIN HEARNE hugs trees, pets doggies, and rocks out to heavy metal. He also thinks tacos are a pretty nifty idea. He is the author of A Plague of Giants and the New York Times bestselling series The Iron Druid Chronicles.
kevinhearne.com
Facebook.com/authorkevin
Twitter: @KevinHearne
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