Epilogue
Reyden sat in what served as his office. He was a busy man, as he always had been, chasing round after other people. He was still haunted by many things, but times had changed, and he had more pressing concerns than old ghosts. He had newborns to keep an eye on. Reyden himself was no longer one of these. He was older, but he was not old. Reyden had began to take the life-prolonging Harluca, but it was not because he wished to live forever. The plan that he had been thinking about when he bid farewell to Ayari had developed over the following weeks from her departure. Reyden felt that he should protect the remaining Mortalists, not just the current ones, but those that were being born. His own daughter, too. He felt that he could not do this properly if he were to grow old, so had decided to take Harluca. Ezala had supported him as much as she had supported Ayari. She did not go so far as to also take Harluca, but she had been a great help. She still was. They were determined that what had happened to them should never be repeated. Reyden concentrated on the paperwork in front of him.
"Father?"
"What is it?"
"I want you to meet someone." Jayse sounded urgent, so Reyden stopped his work and looked up at her. She smiled at him, and he followed her sky blue gaze towards a young man. Reyden nearly jumped out of his chair in fright. Turin had been dead for years! Then he realised that it wasn't Turin. He certainly looked like him though, from the side at least.
"Father, this is Kai," Jayse said. "Kai, this is my father."
"Pleased to meet you," Kai said. Reyden blinked.
"Kai, is it?" he asked.
"Yes."
"Ah. Kai. Yes," Reyden said, not believing his eyes. He looked carefully at the young man, and met a pair of familiar green eyes. Ayari's eyes. He couldn't mistake those. Reyden was now certain that this was Ayari's son. But how had he kept the name "Kai" after he had been snatched from Ayari's arms?
"Are you okay, father?" Jayse asked, concerned. Reyden nodded.
"Yes, Jayse. Kai just reminds me of someone I used to know, that's all."
"One of mother's friends?"
"Yes."
"I see. Well, we're off into town. Would you like anything?"
"No, I'm fine thank you."
"See you later then," Jayse said, then both she and Kai left. Reyden sat puzzling over Kai. He would have to find out where he had been all these years.
"Small world," he said to himself. But both Ayari and Leorie would have been quite happy to see their children together. He thought some more. Ayari and Leorie…what was it about those two that made him think that they could answer the question of Kai's name? Something glinted on his desk. Then he remembered back to that fateful day when they had gone for a walk and Ayari and Kai had been taken. Kai had been wearing a jacket with his name on. Perhaps that was the answer. Or maybe it was simply coincidence. It didn't matter. What mattered was that Ayari's son was safe and Reyden could keep his promise to look out for him. He looked up at the sky, not for the first time.
"It's all okay, Ayari. Wherever you are."