"So she's all alone in that hole in the ground screaming her lungs out," Sorgan said. "I think I'll go with Longbow on this one. Let her scream. She's not close enough to any town to keep the people awake."
"Not exactly all alone, Captain," Omago said. "My dear Ara grabbed the bug-woman called Alcevan and jammed her into the Vlagh's nest as well. She'll never see her mother, but she will hear her screaming. She'll scream as well—and probably for just as long. I'm sure that most of you have come to realize that you never want to do anything that offends my mate, and Alcevan stepped over that line when she pushed Aracia into Lillabeth's playroom. Aracia ceased to exist, but Alcevan will exist—and suffer—for all eternity."
"That goes quite a bit farther than getting a plateful of raw beans for supper," Rabbit said.
"A lot farther, yes."
"That pretty much brings an end to all these wars here in the Land of Dhrall, doesn't it?" the Trogite Commander Narasan said as Zelana and her young brother Veltan entered the room.
"Not yet, friend Narasan," Rabbit's captain declared. "Things aren't over here until we've stored all that gold we found in Aracia's temple on board our ships." He pursed his lips and then spoke to Zelana and Veltan. "Why don't we just forget about the gold you two offered us to come here and fight this war?" he said.
"Generosity, Sorgan?" Zelana said with a certain surprise.
Sorgan shook his head. "Not really," he replied. "Caution would be more accurate. We've got tons of gold down there in the temple, and too much gold would probably sink our ships."
"Wise decision there, Captain Hook-Beak," Veltan agreed.
Then Eleria and her big sister Balacenia came in to join them. "Where have you been, Bunny?" Eleria demanded.
"Several of us had to go out into the Wasteland to put the Vlagh out of business, baby sister," Rabbit replied.
"Isn't he just the nicest person we've ever seen?" Eleria said to the others as she climbed up into Rabbit's lap. "You do owe me a lot of kisses, though, Bunny," she said. "Fair is fair, after all. When you all took off like that you didn't leave anybody at all here to give me kisses, so it's time for you to start paying me what you owe me."
"I'll get right on it, baby sister," Rabbit promised.
The discussion of what had happened in the nest of the Vlagh went on for most of the rest of that day. Then at the supper table when they were all feasting on Ara's magnificent cooking, the warrior queen Trenicia turned to Commander Narasan.
"Now that this is all over here in the Land of Dhrall, what are our plans, brave leader?"
"We have plenty of time to discuss that, dear Queen Trenicia," Narasan replied.
"How much time?" she pressed.
"I'd say the rest of our lives, glorious Trenicia," Narasan replied bluntly.
"You said what?" she demanded.
"I thought it was very clear, dear queen," Narasan said. "Get a firm grip on this, Your Majesty. You will not leave me—not ever. You are mine now."
"And you are mine," she replied just as fervently.
"We can discuss this when we're alone," Narasan said, looking slightly embarrassed by his own possessive remarks.
"Right," Trenicia replied, standing up. "Let's go. I've been waiting for this particular discussion for months now." Then she paused. "What took you so long?" she asked.
Narasan actually blushed at that point.
It was much later that night, but Rabbit found that he just couldn't sleep. His memories of all the things that had happened here in the Land of Dhrall kept coming back to haunt him. In an odd sense, he was no longer totally a Maag. He still hungered for riches, of course, but that wasn't all that unique. Keselo found gold to be at least as pretty as Rabbit did, and Prince Ekial was also attracted to gold. Longbow, however, was indifferent to it. His central goal in life had always been the destruction of the Vlagh and all her offspring. At the last moment, though, Longbow had set his arrow aside after Omago had advised him that in her current state of total isolation, the Vlagh might have welcomed four or five arrows to end her eternal grief.
"This is the strangest place," Rabbit murmured as he wandered around the dark corridors of Gunda's fort. "I'm quite sure that I will miss it—and the friends I've met since I came here. My life will seem sort of empty for a long, long time, I'm afraid."
Then he drew in a long breath. "This isn't going anywhere," he muttered. "I might as well go back to bed and see if I can get some sleep."
He was quite sure that he wouldn't, though, but he went back to give it another try.
EPILOGUE
IN THE LAND OF DREAMS
Chapter One
"I'm not sure that this is really a very good idea, Vash," Balacenia said to her brother as the younger gods and their elders gathered in Dahlaine's home inside Mount Shrak. "Dahlaine's people-people have access to this place. I'm sure that they're nice enough, but this is a matter they probably shouldn't know about. There are almost certain to be some arguments, and I don't think we want people to know that the gods don't agree about everything, do you?"
"You may have a point there, dear sister," Vash agreed. He squinted at Omago and Ara, who were standing somewhat apart from the others. "I'll go mention your reservations to Mother and Father. Where would you say we should go?"
"Where else, Vash?" Balacenia replied.
"That place is ours, Balacenia," Vash objected.
"I know, and it's so beautiful that all the others should agree with almost anything we say. We have had a few visitors there from time to time, and they've always agreed with anything we tell them."
"I'll see what I can do, mighty leader."
"Why are you throwing that in my face, Vash?"
"You might as well get used to it, Balacenia. You will be the Dominant this time. I'll go see what Mother and Father have to say."
"Oh, bless you, Vash," Balacenia replied.
"Bless?"
"Just practicing, baby brother. I haven't been the Dominant for a long, long time. If I remember right, blessings make the others wiggle like puppies."
Vash grunted and went off to speak with Omago and Ara.
"Do you pick on him like that all the time, Big-Me?" Eleria asked.
"Only when it's necessary, Little-Me."
After Vash had spoken briefly with Omago and Ara, he came back across the chamber. "They agreed that this might not be the best place to have this meeting," he reported. "They'll speak with Dahlaine about it. He'll listen to them, but he might resent it if you and I were the ones who make the suggestion."