“Get down!” Hongo shouted.

The burly Kenyan tackled Tiyana and Virgil. As they lay huddled on the roof, they felt gale-force winds hurdle over them. Particles of rubbish and pieces of the wrecked facility were flying around at dangerous speeds. The chaos, however, was over in an instant. The winds subsided. The howling stopped. The trio looked up. They saw Malacoda and Shenouda clambering to their feet and looking over the edge. They hastily joined their former captors.

“I don’t believe my eyes.” Malacoda said incredulously. “That plucky bastard did it.”

“Malacoda.” Shenouda said pleadingly. “What happened?”

She looked afraid.

“He’s gone dear girl. He’s gone.” Malacoda replied solemnly.

“What?” Shenouda cried in a tone of panic. “How? Why?”

For Shenouda, life without Ghaelvord was unknown and frightening.

She grabbed Malacoda by the cloth around his torso and shook him. He whipped around like a ragdoll. She was inhumanly strong.

“Calm down, Shenouda! Calm yourself, or I’ll declopse!” He seized Shenouda’s wrists and she relaxed, somewhat.

He went on, “Shenouda, our Commander is gone. He is gone. We had a few glorious battles, but our time is over, at least for now. You are a wonderful young girl. You have your whole life ahead of you, a very special life. Do not waste it mourning him. Our kind do not need mourning. You would do us no honor by your tears.”

Shenouda was livid. The terrible events that shaped her life had left her with utterly mercurial emotions.

“I have no tears.” She said.

She narrowed her eyes at Malacoda. A lesser man would have cowered at her glare.

She went on and started confidently, but became unsure of herself, “I am the only one of my kind and I do not need you. Is he really gone?”

“Yes, he is really gone. You saw it yourself.” Malacoda answered.

Shenouda fell to her knees, heartbroken at the loss of Ghaelvord, but she did not cry. She just stared out over the edge of the building. Inside, she felt lost. She had been unsure of her identity when she woke up in front of the sylvan throne. From the verge of death, her savior brought her back, but what kind of life had he given her? What would she be without him?

Tiyana, Hongo, and Virgil watched this colloquy with wide eyes. It felt strange to be so close to their enemy, but they felt no anxiety. The fight was gone out of these two.

“What do you mean he’s gone?” Tiyana asked in Malacoda’s general direction.

Malacoda chuckled, “You saw what you saw. Your man did something reckless and now they are gone. I am beginning to respect him.” Malacoda nodded and grinned. “He is a worthy replacement for Rohjarrat.”

Tiyana was now the brokenhearted one, “They are both gone? Hunter is gone? What does gone mean... dead?”

She was practically screaming at the man. Malacoda just shrugged cryptically.

Virgil piped in, “He is a hero. He saved us all.”

“Saved? As in past tense? Don’t do this to me. Don’t tell me he’s gone.” Tears streamed down her face.

“He is Dahjaat. Things are not always what they seem.” Virgil said with characteristic mystery.

“Don’t give me that mumbo-jumbo this time, Virgil. Tell me what you know.”

This time, Virgil was the one to shrug.

“Neither of you know what just happened?” Hongo butted in.

He had an incredulous tone to his voice.

“We know what happened.” Malacoda replied. “Your clansman tapped into the aether. Then, hell broke loose. He could not control it. It destroyed him, along with my clansman. Now, it is over.”

Hongo looked at Virgil, who was nodding.

“He is a brave man and we will pray for his soul.” Virgil said.

“Will he be back?” Tiyana asked.

Virgil looked off into the distance. He seemed to be seeing something that no one else saw. He did not say anything for a long time.

Finally, he responded, “The epoch has only just begun.”