*** A NEW BEGINNING ***


Here she is again, the impossibly beautiful Sinéad, trying her best to stitch her life back into something resembling normality. With so much of her time poured into helping Róisín rebuild her world, she’s been forgetting to tend to her own.

Róisín still pretends she’s fine now, but Sinéad sees the truth in those quiet moments when her friend stares off into the wild blue yonder, shoulders tight, breath shallow. But after everything she endured, a bit of jumpiness is only natural... though it still twists something in Sinéad’s chest every time she notices it.

Still, the two of them have been training hard. And Róisín, well, she’s become dangerously good with weapons. Good enough that a Viking might rethink his skills and life choices if she gave him a stern look.

The pair of them are a force to be reckoned with, and they’re already looking forward to little Máiréad joining them on their next, and hopefully final quest. Word has it she’s become quite the tiny bad‑ass herself.

The fact that they’re running out of nasties to clear from the land has made Sinéad happier than she’ll ever admit out loud. And watching Róisín claw her way back to her former self, even with the occasional stumble, fills her with a quiet, fierce joy.

Now it seems Méabh has plans of her own: she wants to gift the girls a beautiful stretch of land near her home on the mountain, a place where they could build a house and finally settle down, if they choose to stay in Tullamore.

Of course, Sinéad will have to return to Carrickmacross to sell her old home, a place she won’t miss, save for the sunsets over the Mourne Mountains. Róisín, on the other hand, has already declared that Tullamore’s mountains are every bit as good, also a whole lot safer, and she never wants to set foot in Carrickmacross again for as long as she lives. And you know what?... who could blame her.




To be continued…