Luna refused to show her face the night the Prodigals returned. Even now the Ragabash seemed to mock the night. Zoe crossed her arms and held her tongue as Brave in War and Eaton regaled the King with tales of the Abyss and Mocks’ sacrificial act.
When the meeting convened, the Theurge wanted nothing more than to go home and sleep for days, but as she passed the Wolf’s Den, she remembered she had one last thing to do before bed.
Hears-the-Song closed her eyes, inhaled deeply, and walked into the bar. Silke was behind the bar drying a glass. Zoe cast an inquisitive look and the kinswoman motioned up the stairs with the nod. At the top of the stairs, the door to Harriet’s home stood slightly ajar.
Taking a step inside, Zoe saw Kefka’s wife backing slowly out of Jacob’s room, closing the door in front of her. She jumped slightly at the sight of her guest, her eyes narrowing in confusion then widening in joy.
“Zoe? You’re not who I expected to see tonight! Come here, old friend!” The women embraced in a hug, grabbed a couple of glasses and a drink from Mocks’ stash, and took a seat on the couch.
“Now what brings you here, Zoe O’Toole Kostas O’Brian? Do you have exciting news for me? You and Connor finally gonna make Miss Agatha a big sister?”
Zoe sat quietly, not drinking her drink. Harriet placed her hand on her leg.
“Zoe, hun? What’s going on?”
Inhale. Exhale.
“He’s gone, Harriet.”
“Wh-who’s gone? Connor?”
Zoe’s head shook slowly from side to side.
“Kef-“ Zoe choked, then cleared her throat. “Kefka’s gone.”
Harriet sat quietly for a few minutes. Zoe couldn’t tell if she was in shock or if she had expected such news to come a long time ago.
“Mommy? Aunt Zoe!” Jasnah, who had snuck out of bed, ran over and jumped into Zoe’s lap, giving her a bear hug. Her bright green eyes looked up into Zoe’s, expectantly.
“Where’s Daddy?”
Zoe looked to Harriet, eyebrows raised. Harriet tried to speak then shook her head. The Theurge turned Jasnah around to face her.
“Jasnah, sweetie, your daddy isn’t here.”
“Why? Where is he? Is he at the caern? I’ve always wanted to go there, but he says I have to wait until my first change. When will that be? Will it be soon? I can’t wait to go out with Daddy and you and Uncle Sly and Uncle Eaton and Elijah and Uncle Zas on missions and stuff!”
“Oh, honey…” was all Harriet could get out before her sobs became uncontrollable.
Jasnah looked from Zoe to her mother and back to Zoe.
“He’s not coming back, sweetie.”
The little girl looked confused.
“Serving Gaia always comes with great risk. We are never guaranteed to return home. We pursued the enemy into the Abyss to retrieve an ally.”
Scenes of the Abyss, Lucian, and Mocks’ final moments flashed through her mind.
“Jasnah, your father was fearless, loyal, and strong. He made an impossible choice to sacrifice himself for the good of the pack, the sept, and Gaia.”
“Sacrifice? You mean...he’s...dead?”
Zoe nodded slowly as Jasnah burst into inconsolable tears. Harriet reached for her daughter and the two wept together. Jasnah buried her head in her mother’s chest, as Harriet hid her face in her daughter’s hair. The Iron Rider slowly left the room, closing the door behind her, letting her friends grieve privately.
She returned home, kissed her sleeping daughter good night, and fell into Connor’s arms, weeping gut-wrenching tears over the loss of Harriet’s husband, Jasnah and Jacob’s father, Kefka Kevianov, Mocks the Night, her beloved friend and brother.
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