Song of the Blackbird (Albatross Prison #1) (32 page)

Epilogue

Freedom at last.
The day had finally come. Maxim drove Emma up Skyline Drive to hike the nearest mountain surrounding the prison. She usually didn’t like to backpack but this wasn’t going to be just another hike, much as she loved spending every minute with Maxim. He’d planned it perfectly, he said. Up they trekked along the winding trail, each carrying his and her special cargo. Maxim no longer needed his sling and had full use of his shoulder again.

Emma’s heart thumped hard with each passing minute. When they reached the pinnacle, she inhaled the clean, crisp air and soaked in the beautiful scenery. Snow-peaked mountains rose majestically around them while far below, a small stream wound its meandering course through the thick woods. Bursts of marigolds and bright yellow and orange poppies dotted the hillside. Off in the distance, a cloud of blackbirds sailed through the air.

“Ready?” Maxim asked, his beautiful eyes shining softly at her.

“I guess so.” Emma swallowed the lump in her throat and uncapped Sam’s urn. The ashes felt like fine sand as they coursed through her fingers. She lifted a handful and tossed it high into the air. Some of the ashes drifted down but most were carried away by the strong wind. “Be free, Sam,” she whispered. “I’ll always love you.”

Maxim unlatched the cage he was carrying and swung open its door. Phineas perched still for a moment, his eyes darting back and forth between the two of them. He finally spied the strewn ashes and cried out a loud chirp before lifting his wings and gliding out of the cage. His black wings glistened in the golden sunlight. For a brief second, he turned and looked back at them, his bright eyes blinking rapidly.

“Be free, my friend,” Emma said, scattering the rest of the remains into the air. Phineas sang his trademark birdcall before soaring away between the falling ashes.

Maxim embraced her from behind, pressing a kiss to her hair. Emma blinked away her tears and leaned back into the warm shelter of his arms.

OTHER BOOKS BY

DB MICHAELS

For an excerpt of DB’s upcoming second book in the Albatross Prison Series, please visit
www.dbmichaels.com
.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

DB Michaels is a life-long reader who fell in love with the field of medicine during college. Double boarded in internal medicine and emergency medicine, she enjoys using her skills to help those in need. Working as a doctor in the prison system inspired her to write
Song of the Blackbird
, the first installment in her Albatross Prison Series. Though the book is fictional, it illustrates the power of love, hope, and second chances.

DB’s first passion has always been books and she is happiest when she is absorbed in a great novel or writing. When she has time off, she likes to watch old movies, dally in the sun, and spend time with her family.

DB loves to connect with readers on her website
http://www.dbmichaels.com
and on her Facebook page
http://www.facebook.com/DBMichaelsAuthor
. You can also sign up for her newsletter at
http://eepurl.com/bQOaZL
.

Copyright © 2016 by DB Michaels

Published by Dream Tower Publishing

ISBN: 978-0-9972798-0-1

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is purely coincidental.

By payment of required fees, you have been granted the
non
-exclusive,
non
-transferable right to access and read the text of this book. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented without the express written permission of copyright owner.

Cover Design and Interior Format by The Killion Group, Inc. www.thekilliongroupinc.com