As all of Endërland was rapidly enveloped into darkness, inside the confines of the Shadow Forest, the General detached himself from his tree, stopping for a moment as if to sniff the air about. Sensing the same, the rest of the shadows gathered all around him, awaiting his orders. There were hundreds of them, all lurking around impatiently, and smelling the air like a pack of starving dogs waiting for their bone.

  ‘Do you feel it, my children? It’s gone, it’s really gone. We are free at last.’

  The shadows exploded in a triumphant cheer and applause, though it sounded nothing like it.

  ‘Now, we have work to do. Before anything else, we must take care of this Visitor, and I know just where to find him. You shall all pay him a visit; go, climb the mountain and give him a kiss he will never forget. Then you are free to feast on all the flesh you can find; it’s time to rid this land of its current population. A new world order is at hand, and we will be its sole masters this time.’

  Gliding above ground and between trees, the armada of shadows headed towards the Northern Mountains and the cave where Daniel and his friends were.