Tears crept down the ancient Rider's face as he cradled the glittering stone he held in his hand. The cave concealing him was crumbling inward at the corners, and it would only be a matter of days before he'd have to search for a new home. He could use magic to help the structure stay erect, but he hadn't used magic for eons. Not since his dragon had been slayed.

He was bent down on his knees, head resting on his shaking hands. His tattered clothes exposed his bony torso, and a foul smell clung to his unwashed body.

Then the familiar voice came from the stone: Stay strong . . . We have both been dealt a great blow when your dragon was lost. While you have lost your soul mate, I have lost my beloved child. Pain has consumed me for all these years, yet I still wait. I still wait for the new Rider.

The Rider's face drained of its color, and his entire body violently shook. When he spoke, his voice was filled with an aching sadness so deep, the Eldunarí knew that he would not be able to continue enduring for much longer. You have lost your child, yes. But I – I have lost my soul mate, and with it, my sanity. A dragon lays many eggs, but a Rider only has one dragon.

The Eldunarí vibrated with pity, but when her rebuke came forth, it was firm. Yes, but I did not merely lose a single child; I have lost all of them. My children – all of them! Believe me, I understand your loss.

No, you don't! Now the Rider stood, and an insatiable fury gripped him. He withdrew his pale blade from its withered scabbard and, with a howl, thrust it against the side of the cave. An audible clang emanated as the sword buried itself in the wall, where it lay quivering. You don't! he repeated, his mental voice shaky. No one does.

Seeing the Rider's reaction to his loss reawakened the painful void within the Eldunarí as well. She did not want to see his anger, to hear his cries. It was all too painful. I beg of you: stop! Please, for me, just wait one more year. One more year . . . and if by then the Rider and his dragon don't come, we will both slip into death's slumber, and you will have my blessing to do so. Her voice shook with emotion as she continued: Don't you want vengeance? The Rider shall help us accomplish just that, and if we are persuasive enough, we can convince him to finally eradicate magic from the face of the world once and for all.

A sparkle of dim hope illuminated the Rider's slanted eyes, but it quickly vanished as his skepticism began to grow. What makes you think the Rider will come here, to this island? We are thousands of miles away from all of the major lands.

He will come, she confidently responded. He is not yet aware that every mainland in the world – every single one of them – is either currently inhabited or uninhabitable. But in time, he will find out. He will have to come here; it is inevitable.

The Rider's hunched shoulders straightened, and he immediately felt a restraining stiffness spread through his back. Ever since he had fallen into his relentless depression, he had rarely stood upright. He realized that even an elf's flexibility could disintegrate with time. A reluctant sign or resignation then crossed his face. Fine, a year. A year! But do not go back on your word, Old One, because if he does not come by then, I will have surely fallen into the merciless clutch of the void.