The sounds of battle ceased just before dawn. The woman who used to be Hëna pushed open the heavy door and walked out into the balcony. To her surprise and delight, the eagle, the wingman and one of the soldiers were still alive. The soldier seemed to have been hurt and Séraphin was tending to his wounds. He seemed to have suffered numerous cuts himself, but was still standing. The eagle also looked like he had seen better days; he was slumped on the floor and was apparently desperate for a little rest. But when they saw Hëna walking towards them, they both stood up and moved towards her.

  ‘Hëna,’ Séraphin said. ‘Where are the others? Is everything alright?’

  She looked at him and then at the eagle, her mind quickly working out a plan.

  ‘Yeah, they’re fine,’ she answered, buying time. ‘They’re on their way up. I was worried about you, so I ran ahead. Are you hurt?’ She pretended to worry about Séraphin, getting closer to him as if to check his injuries.

  ‘It’s only a few cuts and bruises; I’ve been through worse,’ Séraphin said, feeling a bit suspicious of her odd behaviour. He noticed the dripping sword on her hand and one of his old knives hanging on her side. Blood also stained her sandals and feet. He knew then that something had clearly gone wrong, but before he could even say anything, she slid her sword between his ribs so deep, that it came out of his back between his wings. Séraphin screamed from the pain and fell down on his knees, his wings limp and his hands clatching the murderous blade penetrating his chest. Junior was next to him in a heartbeat, having no idea what just happened and why.

  ‘Why did you do that?’ he screamed at the woman, who was still holding the sword that had pierced through his friend’s flesh.

  ‘Here’s the deal,’ she spoke very calmly and very seriously. ‘I know you care about this wingman; he’s the closest thing to family you have right now, isn’t he?’

  Junior drew back only a little, lowering his heads in submission.

  ‘Yes,’ he answered.

  ‘Very well, then. If you want him to live, you will fly us both away from here. We’re going to take him home, to Endërland. They have magical water there that can heal him and if you fly fast enough, he might just make it.’

  ‘What about the others, where are they?’ Junior asked, not sure he should be so quick to just do as she said.

  ‘They’re all dead,’ came the answer, prompting Junior to take another step back. He thought of Nazir and their mission; if the terg was dead, then he had failed his leader and he might never find out the identity of his namesake. But this he didn’t want to believe.

  ‘You’re lying,’ he screamed, now stepping forward in a menacing position. He suddenly looked very large and very threatening. ‘Why are you doing this, Hëna?’

  ‘I’m not Hëna,’ the woman bellowed and twisted the sword inside Séraphin’s chest, causing another wave of screams and pain. ‘Now, do as I say, or we are all dead, starting with your dear friend here.’

  Horrified, Junior paused, not knowing what to do. He looked towards the gate leading inside the castle, but no one was coming out from there. He looked at Séraphin hoping for some form of advice from his friend, but he was too far gone to stay conscious; only the pain of the steel inside his chest brought him back to awareness every time it moved. His friend was in horrible pain and he would not last long like this. Junior had to do something to at least save him. He had to try; he owed it to Séraphin.

  He finally surrendered to the woman’s will and fell down on the floor of the balcony, stretching a wing so that they could climb on top of him. She swiftly pulled the sword out of Séraphin’s chest, and that led to him losing consciousness and falling face-forward on the pavement. She then dragged him up and over Junior’s back, arranging herself behind him. When they had settled, Junior spread his wings and took to the morning air, exhausted as he was. He didn’t know whether the others were alive or dead, but there was nothing he could do about them now. He had a chance to save Séraphin, however, and he promised himself that he would do all that was in his power to do so.

  Once high enough in the air, he turned his head towards his new master and asked.

  ‘Which way?’

  ‘Head northwest, over the sea. If you follow my instructions exactly, we will be there in no time. But I’m warning you; try and deviate even a little, and we will be lost in The Void for eternity. So, I wouldn’t do anything stupid, if I were you.’

  Junior had no intention of doing anything stupid; Séraphin’s life depended on it. He would make sure that his friend healed first and then they would deal with this Hëna or whoever it was that had taken over her body. Yes, that’s what he would do.

  Everything had felt different to Serena these past few days; everything had changed. All worries seemed to have disappeared from her mind. She no longer spent her time anxiously thinking about getting back home to her parents, worrying about their wellbeing, or about the Order coming after her. The fear was there, somewhere in the back of her mind, always present, but somehow it had been overshadowed by her current state of bliss. And she knew the recent change of status between her and Freddie was the reason; that and the fact that they knew now that she really was the Dreamer of the prophecy. Her powers had finally manifested themselves and it was only a matter of time before she would learn to use them as her father did.

  They had tried to replicate the success of the morning again later that day, and many days after, but with no luck. It clearly was not something you could just force. Freddie had advised her to be patient and that these things took time. So in the meantime they had busied themselves with other things, not the least of which was enjoying each other’s company.

  ‘So, would you say we know each other better now?’ she asked Freddie one late morning, reclining on the couch with him, her head resting on his bare chest. She loved both the look and feel of his chest; it was smooth and strong, with hardly a trace of hair anywhere. Hers wasn’t really a question, however; she already knew the answer to that. The past few days they had indeed come to know each other better in more ways than one. No, she had just remembered something and thought time might have now come for Freddie to finally talk about it.

  ‘I guess so,’ Freddie replied, wondering where she was going with this. Serena beamed at him and continued.

  ‘Then, would you tell me how come you still look so young, even after all this years? And how old are you, really?’

  Freddie laughed out loud. He had not forgotten about this.

  ‘I was wondering when you were gonna bring this up again.’

  ‘Well, you promised,’ she said. ‘I think I’ve been patient enough, don’t you?’

  ‘Yes, you have,’ he answered. ‘And I think you should be rewarded for that.’ He bent his head down to kiss her and she let him for a moment. His lips were too tempting for her to pass on the opportunity. But after a while she pushed him away, laughing.

  ‘Nice try, mister, but I’m not falling for that. Spill it.’

  Freddie laughed again. She was just too cute.

  ‘Are you sure you really want to know?’ He then added. ‘You might not like what you hear.’

  She shook her head affirmatively, like a very excited little girl. He thought about it for a moment. He wasn’t ready to do this, tell her this. It would certainly change things between them and he didn’t want that, not yet. On the other hand, he knew there was no “them”, not really. He’d been fooling himself all these days that this moment would not come, but it was unavoidable. So, reluctantly he decided to speak.

  ‘It’s nothing magical or anything,’ he began, now sounding a little more serious than just a second ago, ‘but it is a little complicated. The fact is that, the Freddie that you see before you and the one your father and Sam knew are not the same person.’

  ‘What? What do you mean? It wasn’t you twenty years ago?’

  ‘It was me,’ he explained, ‘but I did not look like this. I was using a different body back then.’ She now sat up and faced him,
her eyes wide with inquiry. He continued. ‘I do not really live in this world, Serena; I live in my own dreamworld. But my job requires me to visit here very often, and I can only do that by inhabiting the body of a young man who has agreed to host me for a time. This is all taken care of by the Order, of course; it’s been like this for centuries.’

  Serena could not have been more shocked if he had suddenly slapped her in the face. She sat there in front of him, unmoving, her face scribbled. He wanted to reach over and draw her close to him again, but felt that she would not let him this time. Imagine if I actually told her the whole truth, he thought. Even this hurts so badly.

  ‘So, this is not what you actually look like. This is not your body,’ she said, just to understand.

  ‘This body belongs to the current host. They usually commit for a five-year service, for which they get handsomely paid. Most of the time, I visit only a couple of days a year, Serena, so it’s a pretty sweet deal for them. But this time, I have to stay longer, because of you.’

  Serena got up and started to pace in front of him, all the while trying to make sense of it in her head. This was all too confusing for her. The person she knew as Freddie was apparently two different people. The body belonged to some boy who had no idea who she really was, and the soul inside of it was the man who looked after her, but probably looked nothing like this boy did. Which one of the two was she in love with?

  ‘How old are you?’ she suddenly asked.

  ‘Very old,’ came the evasive answer.

  ‘Where do you live? What is your dreamworld called?’

  ‘I am not ready to discuss that with you just yet; sorry, Serena.’ Another unanswered question. What else was he hiding?

  ‘How long? How long do you have left in this body?’ How much longer could she love him looking like this?

  ‘I’ve been with him for only a year,’ Freddie answered, his voice low, his eyes guilty.

  ‘Why didn’t you tell me before? Why did you let me fall for you?’

  He got up. She stopped, not sure she wanted him to touch her just now. Still, she let him, afraid not to. He put his hands on her forearms and drew her close.

  ‘I did not plan for this, Serena; I did not see it coming. But now that it’s here, I don’t want it to go away. I cannot help how I feel about you.’

  She wanted to look up into his eyes, but she couldn’t. Those were not his eyes; these were not his hands holding her. She slowly drew away from him, but did not go anywhere. Neither did he attempt to hold her again. He just stood there awkwardly in front of the couch and looked at her. She seemed lost.

  ‘I know this is all messed up, Serena; believe me, I do. But I promise you that we will sort this out, together. I just need you to give me a little time. But, right now we need to concentrate on the most immediate issues, and that is teaching you to take control of your powers. There’s a lot of things we have to worry about, but we should take this one step at a time, okay? One problem at a time. If we don’t solve this first, we might not be alive to worry about us. Look at me, please. Say something.’

  She didn’t. She couldn’t. What exactly could she say without sounding capricious and selfish? He was right, of course he was right; if she did not manage to master her powers, they both risked being killed by the Order. They risked being killed either way, but at least with her powers she could protect them, and maybe even open a portal to return to Endërland, if she wanted to.

  But somehow, that was not what she cared about right now. Which one of them did she love? And which one of them could she be with? This good looking boy she was so attracted to belonged to a different soul, one who did not know her at all. In four years he would be a different person, not the one she was in love with right now. How could she deal with that? Why was this happening to her? Here she thought she had found the one thing that made all her other worries fade, and now she found out that it had been fake; it wasn’t real. Why had he done this to her?

  Saying nothing and not daring to even look into his eyes, Serena retreated away from Freddie and went to sit outside in the patio. The garden was still looking beautiful and full of life from the miracle of a few days ago, but to her it felt drab and dead. She didn’t even want to look at it now.

  The boy did not follow her there. Instead, he let her go and sat back down on the couch, cursing himself for the umpteenth time for letting things get out of hand. Weak, pathetic excuse of a man.

  He went to her only hours later, with his mobile phone in his hand. David was on the other end of the line. She spoke to her grandad and he sounded well. The wound no longer pained him and he felt as good as new, well as new as a sixty something year old could feel. Her uncle Damien had also returned from the States to be with her grandfather. He quickly told her he would be checking his dad out of the hospital and drive him home later that day. They promised to talk again afterwards and arrange to meet somewhere safe. It was agreed, however, that going back to the house in Horsham was not a good idea. Serena was anxious to meet him and get news of her parents.

  Right after that phone call she got a really bad sensation that they were both in trouble and in need of help. She couldn’t say how she knew, she just felt it deep in her soul. She could suddenly see their faces in her mind, clear as if they were standing right there in front of her, only there was no joy in their eyes, only sorrow and pain. Without realising it, she started to cry, her tears racing down her rosy cheeks.

  At first Freddie thought it was because of him and felt bad, and in part, it was. But when he asked her what was wrong, she didn’t make much sense. He only understood that it was something to do with her parents. Unable to do anything else to help, he just held her in his arms and rocked her softly like a baby, until the feeling weakened enough and her sobs abated. It must have been hours.

  She was not able to eat after that or think of anything else for some time. She just sat there, being sad for a good little while, until Freddie managed to eventually take her mind off of it. She put her parents out of her thoughts for the time being, but somewhere deep inside, she knew that something terrible had just happened.

  Late that afternoon, he finally convinced her to eat something and sat her down on the kitchen table where they both ate of the meal he had prepared. It had grown cold by now, so he had to microwave it first. He’d done so twice. No one spoke of the other thing, the big elephant in the room. They each decided it was best to avoid the subject; not much good talking about it now anyway. So many things could happen in four years.

  So many things can happen in four minutes, or even seconds, too.

  They had just cleared up the table and were washing the dishes together in the kitchen, when they heard strange sounds coming from the back garden. Freddie leaned over the small kitchen window and spotted a tall guy sneaking in past the bushes, a gun in his hand. They’d been found.

  ‘They found us,’ he said to Serena, grabbing her hand and leading her towards the main door in a hurry. ‘We gotta go, now.’

  Serena did not argue but followed him, dressed the way she was in her indoor clothing. The man was almost at the steps leading to the patio when they left the kitchen and the living room, heading through the corridor towards the exit. Without thinking, Freddie quickly opened the door, only to be stopped by another man, an Indian looking guy, also with a gun in his hand. Quick thinking as he was, he had no time to do anything, for in the space of a millisecond, the gun went off and he took a hit right in the chest, falling down backwards at Serena's feet.

  Serena screamed behind him, terrified for her own life, but did not run away. The horrible fear of actually loosing Freddie was much stronger than her survival instincts. She bent down and clasped Freddie’s face in her hands, slapping him gently and calling his name. But Freddie would not wake up. Tears began choking her words; her chest crushing under immense pain.

  Both men were now on top of her and she knew she was done for. How could this happen? Freddie had promised her they would b
e safe, but now here he was, lying dead at her feet. Anger rose inside of her, wild as the sea of Endër in the heart of winter, and right then she thought of her powers. She could almost feel them brewing inside of her; she would make them pay. They had no right to do this, to take away the man she loved, just when she had finally found him. They deserved whatever punishment she would give them, and there was only one thing she could think of right now; she wanted them dead. Dead, just like her dear Freddie.

  Before she could even look up at them, however, the man’s gun went off a second time and she fell down on top of her love.

  It didn’t happen right away. First she felt the numbness, then the cold, but oddly enough no pain. Her eyes closed and darkness took hold of her. The last thing she saw in her mind’s eyes was she and Freddie kissing, and she was overcome by a great sadness that she would never get that chance again. Then, she was gone.

  It felt so good to be up in the air, flying so high and fast above the mountains. Sure, it was a little cold, but Drakeon did not mind the cold; he’d had worse. The kind of cold you felt in The Void could not be compared to, or even described in words. It was what remained when you took all the source of light and warmth from the universe, a sensation so painful that you felt it deep into the very core of your being, every cell of your soul; that is, if the soul even has cells.

  Drakeon didn’t even want to think about it; he’d finally left that place, thanks to his young friend, and had no intention of ending up back there, ever. The mere thought of feeling the sting of absolute darkness again made him physically ill. He’d come so close though; a couple more days and the Erinyes would have gotten to him. Damn creatures; didn’t they have enough of him the first time around? He’d made it easy for them, he hadn’t gone away, had not fought them; he’d just stood there, welcoming them to his flesh. Of course, had he known what fate awaited him afterwards, he might have thought twice about it. He would have tried everything to stay alive and away from them, just like he was doing now. But they seemed hell-bent on getting to him again and he knew there was only one way now for him to escape. Only, he wasn’t ready yet; the pieces were still moving on the board and they had yet to fall into place. He needed more time, time that Sam and New Endërland could no longer give him. So when Daniel and Hëna had providently appeared, he’d taken the chance to relocate to a new world. Hopefully, this one would resist the Erinyes long enough for his plan to work. Sure, the woman he had just possessed could not host him for too long; she wasn’t a Dreamer after all. But it didn’t matter. He just needed her to get to Endërland; from there, he had just the perfect candidate, until time came for him to make his final move and re-join the world of the living.

  The eaglet was getting tired, he could tell. Flying and fighting for three days straight would do that to you. Still, he had to hand it to the big double-headed bird, the likes of which Drakeon had never seen before; he wasn’t giving up. Not only was he flying as fast as he could, but he made every effort to ensure his riders were as comfortable as they could be. Not for his benefit, Drakeon was sure. No, the bird was concerned about his winged friend, and that suited him just fine. The wingman was barely alive, mostly out of it during the whole time, but Drakeon hoped he’d last at least until they’d make it across the invisible border and into Endërland. After that, he could dispense with both of them and get on with the second part of this plan.

  ‘You won’t get anywhere near my home. I won’t let you.’

  Drakeon smiled as Hëna’s proud voice finally made her presence felt inside her head. He’d been expecting it, knowing it would be inevitable, just like with the others before her.

  ‘Well, well, it was about time you showed up,’ he spoke to her consciousness. ‘I was beginning to think I was gonna be all alone in this body and without any form of entertainment.’

  ‘Is that what this is to you, entertainment?’

  ‘No, not really. This is what I call survival. The entertainment part is just a bonus, a time-filler if you will.’

  ‘Why are you doing this? You got all those people killed down there, an entire world. How could you let that happen?’

  ‘Well, in my defence, I didn’t know it was gonna happen; I had no idea those hags would reappear and chase after me again.’

  ‘What do you mean, again? This has all happened before?’

  ‘Once,’ Drakeon answered as if through his teeth. He wasn’t overly fond of those memories. ‘They first appeared in my dreamworld, not long after I died in the real one. I’d grown tired of living then and was waiting for them with open arms. Only, they would not come for me until they’d killed everyone else in my kingdom. There was nothing I could do to stop it, just like I could not escape my own death for a second time. Only, when they killed me, I did not go where everyone else goes when they die; instead I fell into The Void. And let me tell you, there’s no pain, no suffering that can be compared to what I went through out there. You think all those people killed by the hags suffered? Think again, darling. I would take their death a thousand times a day, if it meant not ending up back in The Void.’

  For one single moment, his fear and anguish became Hëna’s, and she actually felt sorry for him. She could tell he was terrified of The Void and imagined that it must really be a dreadful place.

  “I am sorry that happened to you,’ she said. ‘I’m sorry that you had to end up in that place; no matter what you’ve done, no one deserves a fate like that. But I don’t see why other people, entire worlds of them have to suffer and die as well. Why go to Endërland, when you know those things will chase you there too and kill every living person before they get to you? Don’t you care?’

  Drakeon sighed, pretending to be annoyed.

  ‘Ugh, not this again. Well, I guess since we are in the same body and I cannot shut you up, yet, I might as well. Honestly, darling, I just don’t care. When you’ve been to where I’ve been, felt what I’ve felt and suffered for as long as I have, a couple of minutes of agony and pain preceding a blissful eternity, are tolerable, insignificant even. Even if it’s entire populations we’re talking about. Life goes on even after leaving these worlds, but they should all count themselves lucky, for they all go where I cannot.’

  ‘So, this is what, revenge on everyone else who gets to enjoy their afterlife except for you?’

  ‘Not at all, darling. I may have a cold heart, but it is not my wish that the Erinyes kill everyone; I’d have none of that if it was up to me. This is just a by-product of me trying to survive. They are all just casualties of this meaningless war; unwanted, but unavoidable, I’m afraid.’

  ‘A better man would have found a way to avoid entire worlds being destroyed just to save his own skin. A better man would have chosen to die instead.’

  ‘If you’re trying to shame me, or appeal to my better nature, don’t waste your breath, darling. My conscience left me a long time ago and has never found its way back. But even if I had one, I would kill it all over again, believe me. I would do that a thousand times over, before I let my soul slip back into the abyss to suffer for eternity. Trust me, there is nothing I won’t do to stay alive for as long as I can.’

  Drakeon almost yelled the last words at her. Junior could sense that his rider had grown troubled, even though there was never a word uttered out loud. But he kept flying, unwilling to slow down for any reason.

  ‘I understand you’re worried about your people,’ Drakeon continued his inner dialogue with Hëna. ‘If it’s of any consolation, they might be saved from the dreaded hags if things go according to my plan. You see, there is only one place where they cannot follow me, the real world. I have finally found the right host that will allow me to go back there, but I still need a little time. When my host is ready to receive me, then I will make my big comeback in the world of the living. And what a comeback it will be. I will have the power of the gods themselves and the world that rejected me the first time around will bow at my feet and tremble in fear.’

  ‘The G
reat Dreamer,’ Hëna said. ‘You plan to use Serena.’

  ‘I do,’ Drakeon simply answered, knowing very well that there was nothing Hëna could do about it.

  ‘And what will happen to her?’

  ‘Oh, nothing worse than what’s happening to you, I promise. She will be there, living it all, beside me. She’ll have the best seat in the house and she will enjoy it.’

  ‘Oh, but you don’t know my daughter; she will never give in to you. She will fight you.’

  ‘Ha-ha, I know she will. If she’s anything like you, she’ll put up a hell of a fight. But she will never win; no one has ever won against me, darling, no one.’

  Hëna went quiet for a while. It was dark around them now; she could still see through her eyes and hear through her ears. She felt the cold air in her face too, but other than that she did not feel much else. She couldn’t even feel her hands holding on to the wounded body of Séraphin in front of her, or Junior’s flesh and muscles underneath her legs.

  ‘We’re about to leave New Endërland behind,’ Drakeon said, as if sensing her inner thoughts. ‘We’re high up above the mountains now, but will soon be flying over the common sea and then enter your home world. You should be happy.’

  ‘What will happen to me?’ Hëna asked, her voice more docile and humble now. She sounded as if she had already given up. ‘When you’re done with me, what will become of me?’

  ‘Well, that all depends really. Usually everyone I possess goes a little cuckoo, if I’m honest. They can’t seem to be able to contain me; it’s too much for them. Like your friend Sam, for example. She might never recover from it; she fought me constantly, you know, and I have to say that I was particularly nasty to her. For no other reason than because I enjoy a good fight. But that doesn’t have to happen to you; I like you, Hëna, I really do. You remind me so much of someone I used to love in another lifetime. So, I’m gonna give you a choice I’ve never given to anyone else. If you choose to go to sleep on your own, hand me the wheel and let me do my thing, not only will you be spared everything unpleasant that will be happening around you, but you might even wake up sane and sound when I leave you. It’s an offer I’ve never made before and most likely will never do again, so I suggest you really think about it.’

  Hëna was indeed thinking about it, but not for the reasons Drakeon would hope. She’d thought of something and wanted to see where it could lead. She’d thought of everything that had happened until this day, everything that had brought her to this point and had enabled Drakeon to take over her body. And she finally understood.

  There was one thing that could be done; one thing she could try, and if it worked, it could save her daughter, her husband, her friends, her home and even the real world from this evil monster.

  ‘I don’t want to witness whatever you’re about to unleash upon my world, and I definitely don’t wanna end up like Sam. So, I think I will withdraw instead and let the Fates deal with you. And if I am lost alongside you, then so be it; but if I can’t beat you, I am definitely not gonna stand by and watch all that you do to the ones I love. But, I just need one favour, before I take my leave.’

  ‘And what’s that?’ Drakeon asked, intrigued. He had not expected this from her at all. He had thought she would actually fight him. Not so much like his Lily after all, was she?

  ‘I need you to let me say goodbye to my friends. I might never see them again and I want them to know how much they mean to me.’

  Confident that he could afford to give Hëna her voice back, Drakeon agreed. He still held tight control over the rest of her body, but her voice was all that Hëna needed.

  ‘Hey, Junior,’ she called, prompting the eagle to turn his left head towards her.

  ‘Hëna?’ he asked, sensing the difference in her voice.

  ‘Yes, it’s me. I only have a moment to talk with you and, well, I just wanted to tell you that I am very proud of you. I know your mother and Ìskender would be proud of you too; you’ve been amazing these past few days, a truly brave and courageous eagle.’

  ‘Thanks, Hëna,’ replied Junior, ‘but what do you mean you only have a moment?’

  ‘Just listen, please,’ Hëna continued. ‘Back in Arbanon, when we first met and you grabbed me with your talons, hurting me the way you did…’

  Junior still felt rather bad about it and did not understand why she would bring back something he thought they had put behind them by now. But Hëna wasn’t done talking.

  ‘I know I got very angry with you back then, and I even hated you for it. Not because of the physical pain you caused me, but because I was afraid I would not be able to continue looking for my daughter. But I wanna tell you now that I am not angry with you anymore, and I forgive you.’

  ‘Noooo…,’ Drakeon screamed inside her mind, finally realising what she was doing. But it was already too late. Finally letting go of all her anger, resentment and any other negative emotion or feeling that had given Drakeon the opportunity to use her, Hëna had already gained control over her own body. ‘You bitch, you tricked me.’

  Hëna ignored him and continued addressing Junior.

  ‘Promise me just one thing, Junior. Promise me that you will not come after me, and that you will continue to fly straight ahead and take Séraphin home to be healed. Do not turn in any direction, or you will get lost. And please, tell my family that I love them and that I will always be with them. Take care of yourself, Junior.’

  Holding off for one last moment, Hëna lovingly stroke Séraphin’s unconscious face and gave him a kiss on the forehead.

  ‘Goodbye, Séraphin. I’m sorry, but I won’t be returning home with you. You’ll be alright, though; you’re in great hands.’

  Very much aware that Drakeon was fighting her, trying his hardest to regain control over her body, and afraid that he might somehow succeed again, Hëna finally willed herself to drop off of Junior and fall towards the distant invisible ground beneath them. Inside of her, Drakeon kicked and screamed and cussed the foulest things he could come up with, but to no avail. It was done. She’d fought and she’d won. He’d lost.

  As she fell, Hëna could hear the voice of Junior crying out after her, and at first she worried that he was following her. But she was relieved to realise that he wasn’t.

  She kept falling rapidly now, the ground approaching ever so quickly.

  ‘This is still my choice,’ she told Drakeon, who kept throwing the worst kind of insults and curses at her, ‘and you’re gonna share in it with me. I guess I have enough conscience for the both of us.’

  Damn her, she was like his Lily after all.

  Though her eyes were open, Hëna could not see much in the dead of night. She could feel, however, that her fall was about to end and she would meet the earth very soon. A pair of gentle emerald eyes and a sweet young face smiled at her, warming her heart.

  Daniel.

  She smiled back. Then, everything went black.

  Somewhere back in Endërland, a most bright star shining right above the City of the Lords suddenly shimmered and waned, while violent tremors shook all of the land below. The sea grew wild and agitated and the waves beat the shore with great fury and wrath. This went on for several long moments, and just as it had started, it suddenly stopped. When everything finally settled again, the earth was no longer shaking and the sea was much calmer. Up in the night sky, the star of the Great Lord also settled back into its place. Only, it now seemed to have lost a good deal of its radiance.

  Darkness, nothing but empty, freezing cold and pitch black darkness surrounded Drakeon once again, its sting piercing through his soul like billions of red-hot sharp needles attacking his non-existent flesh. He screamed and cursed, and then screamed some more as he swore that he would get his revenge. He still had his way out of this abyss and he would leave it again, but woe to those who’d sent him back here a second time, for they would pay dearly. Oh, they would pay.

  End of Volume II

  The

  ENDËRLAND
br />
  Chronicles

  Volume II

  ‘BOOK OF JOSHUA’

  Prologue