Lara turned to Kaliq. “Will we stay with my brother, or our son?”

“Let us decide while we walk,” Kaliq said. “It is not far, and the two castles are separated, as you will recall, by a garden.”

“Good night, dearest Dasras,” Lara said, kissing his soft muzzle.

“Good night, beloved mistress,” the stallion replied. Then he turned and trotted back to where a group of mares stood grazing.

“It is so peaceful here,” Lara said as they walked across the green meadow. “I had forgotten what true peace was like.” She bent and picked several yellow-and-white flowers. “In recent months even Shunnar seemed to hum with an underlying throbbing of some sort. What will happen to it, Kaliq?”

“Shunnar no longer exists,” he told her. “It was our creation, and made possible by our magic. Our departure removed the last piece of magic holding it together. The realm of the Shadow Princes on Hetar is now all desert. No trace of us lives there any longer.”

“How sad,” Lara remarked.

“Aye, but we will rebuild Shunnar in our new world, and this time we will not dwell side by side with mortals, Lara. This world will be only for our magic, my love.”

They had reached the edge of the meadow, and now stepped onto a pretty winding road that brought them to the king’s castle. The guards at the gate were for a display of authority more than anything else. Belmair was a peaceful world. Recognizing the king’s mother and her companion, the Shadow Prince, they straightened up and saluted as the couple strolled past them.

Dillon, son of Lara and Kaliq, had watched his parents as they walked toward the castle. He ran downstairs and into the courtyard as they entered to greet them. “Mother! My lord!” Catching Lara up, he swung her about, laughing. “You have come at last! Then Hetar is finished. I’m sorry for it.” Born when his mother had been little more than a girl, his magic blood ensured that he remained youthful. He was a handsome man, whose dark hair held the sheen of a raven’s wing. His bright blue eyes were those of a Shadow Prince. “Marzina is here with Grandmother. How lovely she is, Mother. We must find a husband for her sooner than later. It would sadden me to see her end like my sister, Anoush, alone and forgotten.”

“Anoush chose to live with her father’s people,” Lara said quietly. “She was happy among them, and content with her life.”

“She sublimated her gift of prophecy for them, Mother. It was wrong,” Dillon said. Then he set her down, saying, “Let us go inside. Cinnia is waiting.”

“And our grandchildren?” Lara asked him.

Dillon shrugged. “Out of doors probably, indoors… I can never keep track of them, but you will see them, Mother.” He led his parents into the Great Hall of his castle, where his wife, the sorceress Cinnia, was waiting along with Lara’s brother, Cirillo, and his wife, Nidhug, the beautiful Great Dragon of Belmair, who waved coquettishly at Kaliq.

He grinned and waved back.

“Do not encourage her, my lord,” Lara whispered. “You know how it upsets my brother when she flirts with other men.”

“Which is why she does it, my love. To this day Nidhug worries that Cirillo will leave her for another, although she would be horrified to learn that I know her secret. So she flirts with other men to make him jealous, and reassure herself that he loves her.”

“But he does!” Lara said. “He adores her, and our mother has never quite gotten over it. Only Parvanah’s birth forced her to realize that Cirillo was not going to pick some faerie maid to get an heir upon.”

Dillon’s wife, Cinnia, the sorceress of Belmair, came forward to greet her in-laws. “Welcome to Belmair,” she said, “although I could wish it were under happier circumstances. I am sorry about Hetar, Lara.”

Lara shook her head. “It is over and done with,” she answered, “though part of me would wish it otherwise. Thank you for sheltering Hetar’s magic world, Cinnia. I know they are grateful to you and Dillon.”

“Mother.” Marzina was by Lara’s side. “What is this Kaliq tells me? He says that you and Kolgrim fought when he found me gone. Poor Kolgrim.”

Poor Kolgrim? Lara was astounded by her daughter’s words.

“You didn’t harm him, did you?” Marzina asked.

“I bloodied his arm to make my point after Andraste broke his weapon, a rather nasty blade named Jasha,” Lara replied. Poor Kolgrim, indeed! But then to her surprise Marzina laughed softly.

“I’ll bet he went off in a fine temper.” She giggled. “Kolgrim is really a very bad loser, Mother. He had the sword known as Jasha especially forged to do battle with your Andraste. He knew of her and was jealous so he created Jasha to defeat her,” Marzina responded. “He was, of course, once again seeking your attention.”

“He gained it,” Lara answered drily. “A pity I could not have killed him.”

“Mother! What an unkind thing to say,” Marzina cried.

“Your sister,” Lara said to Dillon “is fascinated by her dark brother.”

“He is fascinating,” Dillon agreed, “but extremely dangerous. I think it is a good thing you are in Belmair now. Pretty little faerie girls can get eaten up by Twilight Lords.” Dillon ruffled Marzina’s dark hair affectionately.

Marzina stuck her tongue out at him. “Do not be so superior,” she said to him.

Lara went to her mother, who was seated by one of the hall’s large hearths. She sat next to her, taking Ilona’s hand in hers. “I am sad, too,” she told the Queen of the Forest Faeries.

“I am letting Thanos and the others rebuild before I join them,” Ilona replied. “To have had to leave the forests of our faerie ancestors to Kolgrim breaks my heart, Lara.”

“And yet you and the rest of our magic brethren let me bear him,” she replied.

“There was no other choice,” Ilona responded. “Even when you know that the darkness is going to come eventually, Lara, you think its time is distant. But with each day that passes it grows nearer, but it still seems distant until suddenly it is upon you. Had Hetar chosen a different path we could have held the darkness at bay perhaps forever.”

“Never forever,” Kaliq said, joining them. “There must be a balance, as you know, Ilona. The light will prevail in Hetar, but it will be centuries before it returns in force. You must not grieve, my dear friend.”

Ilona smiled at her daughter and Kaliq. “I am weary,” she admitted. “The last few months have been exhausting. How was the Terahn wedding?”

“Overly ostentatious with Hetar and Terah each trying to outdo the other in splendor. Lara and Kolgrim provided the final entertainment by battling before the guests,” Kaliq said mischievously. “Andraste blooded him, and he was quite annoyed.”

“How did such an incident occur?” Ilona exclaimed.

Lara shook her head. “For some reason he chose to challenge me to combat. I think he meant to impress his hosts, to make a point. Of course he did neither, and then stormed off in a temper. Ethne warned me of it this morning, and so I was not surprised.”

“I cannot believe he did such a thing,” Ilona said.

“It did not help that both Cadarn and Palben fell all over him offering him the services of their personal physicians.” Lara smiled. “It but added to his embarrassment.”

The evening meal was served, and Lara was delighted to see that Dillon and Cinnia’s children had appeared to join them. There were six daughters. Maysun, Rima, Gormangabis, Abella, Jolan and Zeta. While they all possessed some magic, it was Rima and Abella who showed the greatest talent. Their brother, Biton, however, seemed to have the strongest magic of the seven. They were excited to reacquaint themselves with their Hetarian grandparents, great-grandmother and other relations. It was not long before Parvanah and Marzina were laughing and exchanging information with them.

“You must teach them what Cinnia and I cannot,” Dillon said to his parents. “Especially Biton, who will one day inherit this throne.”

“The purple sands in your life glass are still almost filled to the top,” Lara noted.

“Oh, I shall reign for many decades to come, Mother,” Dillon said. “I know that. It will give Biton time to learn all he can for one day the darkness may reach out to Belmair. Remember Kolgrim will soon have a son. He will not be satisfied to wait for my half brother to die so he may rule. He will want his own conquest.”

“Before we leave you I shall cloak Belmair so you are protected from invaders,” Kaliq said. “Such a near-perfect world should not be disturbed.”

“And when will you go, Father?” Dillon asked. It was rare he addressed Kaliq in such a manner, usually calling him my lord.

“I am not certain yet,” the great Shadow Prince said. “Your mother and I will know when it is time.” He reached out to take Lara’s hand in his.

“You know you are welcome to remain as long as you desire,” Dillon responded. He was to his great dismay realizing that when Kaliq and Lara left it was unlikely he would ever see them again. Suddenly within what seemed a very short span of time everything was changing. Hetar as they had known it was no more. In a Cosmos that had always been friendly, his world would now have to be cloaked to keep it safe.

THE EVENING ENDED WITH LARA and Kaliq deciding to shelter with her brother, Cirillo, and Nidhug for a few days before staying with Dillon and Cinnia.

“Now that we are free of Mother you can tell me,” Cirillo said to Kaliq and Lara as they walked across the large garden separating the two castles. The faerie prince was as handsome as he had ever been with his wavy golden hair, and faerie green eyes.

“Tell you what?” Lara asked her brother. “I think we said everything tonight.”

“Where are you going?” Cirillo wanted to know.

“I don’t know,” Lara answered him honestly.

“Then how can you know you aren’t meant to remain here?” he demanded.