“You can do this?” she said.

“My brothers and I, working with the Munin, can do this,” he replied. “The Munin owe us one more favor for rescuing them from Kol and the Dark Lands.”

“But Kol will not forget what has happened,” Lara said.

“Nay, he will not,” Kaliq answered her. “It is a punishment for him that he will remember that once he possessed a most beautiful faerie woman called Lara. No other will ever please him again. But he will be too busy with the sons you gave him to spend much time grieving. He must hold on to the Dark Kingdom from within his prison and in the face of the growing threat Kolbein and Kolgrim will present to him. And without the presence of their lord to hold them in check, the giants, the dwarfs and the Wolfyn will run rampant throughout the Dark Lands,” Kaliq said.

“Then I am safe,” Lara murmured. She was growing very tired and slumped against Kaliq’s shoulders. “I need to sleep,” she told him.

“Come,” he said and led her to the magnificent apartment that had once been hers.

“We will eat our evening meal in your garden.” Then he left her.

She was truly alone for the first time in months. And she was in a familiar place. Slowly Lara looked about her. She stood in the little antechamber where he had first brought her all those years ago. And then Noss had come in, and they had been so glad to have found one another again. Lara smiled with the memory. Could either she or Noss have ever imagined the future before them then? She doubted it.

Everything seemed to be the same within her apartment. It was a spacious accommodation with a dining chamber, a dayroom, a small bedroom where Noss had slept and a large bedchamber that had been hers for little over a year. There was also a small tiled bath with its own bathing pool. Lara looked down to see the same fine wool carpets in shades of ruby, sapphire, amethyst and emerald adorning the marble floors. The sheer, pale golden silk curtains blew in the soft warm breeze and beyond was a lovely green garden. Lara knew that Kaliq’s chambers were on the other side of that garden. The furniture was ebony accented with gold, as well as plush covered in silk, and was strewn with plump pillows. She walked into her bedchamber and smiled again. She had always loved this room with its pale wood walls painted with all manner of desert animals. Curious, she opened the wardrobe to see it filled as it had always been with silk robes and little leather sandals in just her size.

Her bed beckoned and pushing aside the gossamer draperies that shielded it, Lara lay down. Her destiny had been fulfilled and she was amazed by what had happened. Recalling how she had always disliked the oblique mysteriousness of her peers when that destiny was referred to, she had to laugh. Despite the magic in her, despite the powers she now possessed, Lara knew that had she ever been asked directly to do what needed to be done, she would have refused. She would not have left Magnus and her children.

And yet it had been necessary for her, for their worlds, that she fulfill that destiny. Without her the deception could not have been played out. She wondered if Kol’s Book of Rule had actually said that he would take a faerie woman for his mate, or if that had been but another part of the deception. Perhaps what had been written had not even mentioned a faerie woman at all. Perhaps that was just something that had been inserted by a power far greater than the Book of Rule’s magical author. And who had that author been? she wondered. His essence would have had to have been completely erased from memory for another to overcome the magic in the book. She had so many questions to ask Kaliq and she wondered whether she would ever receive her answers. Her eyes felt heavy suddenly, then Lara lapsed into a deep and healing sleep.

When Kaliq had left her he had gone down into the valley below to find his horse master and young Dillon. He found them in a paddock. In the few days his visitor had been in Shunnar, Og had helped the boy by getting the yearling Dillon had chosen to accept him as his master. Kaliq watched as Dillon, holding a long rein, cantered the animal about the enclosure. He had a natural ability with horses, the prince could see.

Spying the prince Dillon brought the animal to a halt. Together he and the horse bowed to Kaliq. “My lord prince,” Dillon said, “I thank you for my fine mount.” His hand reached up to rub the beast’s muzzle.

“What is his name?” Kaliq asked.

“Amir,” the boy replied. “It means king.”

“Dasras may have something to say about that,” the prince noted with a smile.

“He descends from Dasras!” Dillon said excitedly. “Both his sire and his dam were born from Dasras’s seed, although on different mares. I am certain Dasras will be very pleased to meet him!”

“Provided he acknowledges Dasras’s superiority, lad,” Og remarked. “Dasras is a great stallion. None finer.”

“My lord, does Amir have the gift of speech?” Dillon wondered.

“He will one day,” Prince Kaliq said. “He is still young. Now, Dillon, today you are to go home to Terah. You will carry a message to your stepfather for me. Amir will be here awaiting you when you come to me for a visit or for your schooling. You must tell your stepfather that your mother will shortly be returning home to you all.”

“She is here now,” the boy said. “I always sense when she is near.”

Kaliq was surprised by Dillon’s words, but then he said, “Yes, she is resting. You will not tell the Dominus she is here for she is in a weakened state and needs to remain in Shunnar for a short time in order to recover and regain her strength.”

“She was in the Dark Lands, wasn’t she?” the boy said quietly.

Kaliq nodded. “She was and for a faerie woman to exist in that dark, cold place is difficult. She has fulfilled part of the destiny to which she was born and when she is well she will be returned to Terah.” Telling Dillon the truth now did not matter for when the spell was woven to eradicate the year past he would not remember any more than Lara, who had lived it, would recall. But for now, the boy’s natural curiosity was satisfied. “It would be wise, however, if you did not repeat what I have told you to your stepfather. Magnus Hauk is a passionate man and his anger could lead him to act foolishly, I fear. All he needs to know is that Lara will soon be with him.”

Dillon nodded. “I understand,” he replied. “Magnus is a good man and his love for my mother is deep. While she is perfectly capable of handling any difficulty that comes her way, Magnus wants to protect her.” Dillon smiled. “Are all men in love like that, my lord Kaliq?”

Kaliq laughed. “Aye, to one extent or another, we are. You will be, too, one day when you fall in love. Love is paramount.”

“I hope that will not be for a long time, my lord,” the boy responded. “I have much magic to learn and I do not want to be distracted.”

“Then be content with lust, which can be a great deal of fun,” the prince chuckled.

“My lord!” Og gently scolded his master. “The lad is too young for such talk.”

Kaliq laughed again. “Come to my library in an hour, Dillon. I will give you the message for the Dominus then and send you home.”

“May I continue training Amir?” Dillon asked.

“Yes,” the prince said. “Enjoy your time with him now, then say goodbye. He is a fine animal.” Kaliq patted the dapple gray yearling with a gentle hand.

When the boy had gone off into the valley with the animal, Og spoke. “She really is here, my lord? May I see her?”

“She is here, but she is exhausted by her ordeal in the Dark Lands. She needs to rest, but she does want to see you, Og. Perhaps tonight, briefly.”

“So her destiny is partly fulfilled,” the giant murmured. He was dying to ask the prince what this part of Lara’s destiny had been, but did not dare.

“It was necessary for Lara to restore the balance between the light and the dark in our worlds, Og,” Kaliq told him knowing the giant’s thoughts. “The dark was becoming stronger and would have soon reached out to overcome us all. Thanks to Lara, that danger has vanished for the immediate future.”

“But it will come again,” Og said quietly.

“Sadly it will,” the prince replied. “But not for many years. The Twilight Lord who rules the Dark Lands is now confined to his castle and without him little can be done. His subjects are at a loss without strong leadership, and will quarrel with one another.”

“It was a great task then that Lara undertook,” Og said thoughtfully.

“It was a terrible task,” Kaliq replied, “but she was successful.”

“Praise the Celestial Actuary for that,” Og answered.

“Come to my garden at moonrise,” the prince instructed the giant and then he left. Returning to his library he took out a parchment, picked up his stylus and considered what he would say to the Dominus of Terah. Finally he began to write. He kept it simple and to the point. Magnus Hauk was not an easy man and his love for Lara was great. Kaliq considered how the Dominus would feel in the years to come when he began to age as all mortals did and Lara, being faerie, did not. When he had completed his brief message he rolled the parchment tightly and sealed it closed with hot wax into which he had impressed his seal.

Dillon arrived exactly on the hour. “I have said farewell to Amir for now,” he said. “Anoush will be very jealous when I tell her that you have given me a horse of my own, my lord. Perhaps one day you will give her one. Og tells me that Amir’s dam has just given birth to a little white filly.” He looked hopefully at Kaliq.

The prince laughed, ruffling Dillon’s dark wavy hair. “We shall see,” he replied. Then he drew out the rolled parchment and handed it to the boy. “For Magnus. Now, I will return you to the little chamber from whence you came, Dillon. I hope you have enjoyed being with me in Shunnar.”

“Very much, my lord prince, but I am disappointed that I learned naught of magic here,” the boy replied.

“It is not yet time for you to be educated by me, Dillon,” Kaliq said. “Remember that you were not to come to Shunnar at all until you were twelve. Your mother was not pleased when I told her you were here. But perhaps you can visit now and again.”

“But it does not really matter, does it, my lord? You will remove the memory of my stay from both of us shortly,” Dillon said with a grin.

Kaliq laughed. “I can see that you will be a fine pupil,” he told Dillon. “Are you ready now?” When the boy nodded, the prince gave a wave of his hand and his companion was gone from him. Kaliq sighed. He had enjoyed Lara’s son very much. He would miss him but the time would come soon enough that Dillon would return to be taught by the Shadow Princes. Leaving his library, he went to see if Lara was comfortable.

Entering her apartments silently he went directly to her bedchamber and saw that she was sleeping peacefully. He sat by the bedside and watched as she slumbered. Of all the women he had ever known, of the few he had loved, she was the most unique. It was not simply her delicate beauty, it was her indomitable spirit that reached out to him. Had he not been fully aware of the destiny that had been chosen for her he would have never let her leave Shunnar all those years ago. He loved her, a fatal flaw for a Shadow Prince, for while his race believed in love above all, they rarely gave their hearts to any one woman. Yet he had been fortunate in that her faerie nature had allowed her to accept him not just as a casual lover and friend but as her mentor. Kaliq slipped from the room as quietly as he had entered it.

When Lara awoke she could see, looking out into the gardens, that the day was almost finished. She stretched lazily and realized that she felt more rested than she had in months. Since the night she had been stolen away by Kol. The air about her was warm with the desert heat and fragrant with flowers. And then she saw Kaliq coming across the garden that separated their apartments. Rising, Lara went to greet him.

“Have you slept well?” he asked her, taking her into his arms and kissing her forehead. “I looked in on you and you appeared at peace.”

“I slept amazingly well considering my ordeal,” she told him.

“I am going to bathe you,” he told her with a smile.

“Magnus would not like it.”

“Magnus is not here and you will not remember this interlude,” he told her. “It is up to me to treasure you and help you to regain your equilibrium. Come!” He took her hand and brought her to the little bath that was part of her quarters. “We will not go to my palace’s baths. It will just be the two of us as it used to be.”

“I well remember how it used to be,” Lara replied with laughter.