Claire was in desperate need of a nap, but she did not rest until the stegoceratopses were safe. She brought them to the land that surrounded her cabin and gave a long, confused speech that didn't make much sense. Her words were starting to muddle, and her tongue wasn't quite responding to her commands. She apologized for this, but no one really cared. They were well aware that she was in no state to be speaking publicly, and although many of them wished to thank her for her deeds, they abstained from disturbing her, instead sharing each other's warmth in a scaly quilt that went on for miles. Only a single stegoceratops dared greet her that evening. Claire seemed to know the child from somewhere, though Penumbra wasn't sure when they had met and why they seemed so close. In any case, that didn't matter now. The infant waddled away to her parents, and Claire retired to her room. Owen did not join her, because he was busy assisting the stegoceratopses with their needs. Penumbra, however, followed her upstairs, standing guard by her bed like a watchdog. She wasn't sure that Claire knew she was there, because she had laid down on the mattress without saying a word, but just when she appeared to be sleeping, she spoke gently.

"Penny? . . ."

"Yes?"

"I wanted to thank you."

"For what?"

"I don't know, exactly, but I think I ought to."

Penumbra cocked her head.

"Okay . . . But I should thank you first. You saved me . . . in more ways than one."

Claire waved her foot droopily, still barely lucid.

"No, no . . . You're just being nice. I'm glad to help."

There was a long silence. Claire snorted gently.

"Penny, I think I might need to sleep now."

"Go ahead."

"In the morning, we should talk. I've been thinking about things, and I need help with stuff. Can you help me?"

"Like an assistant, you mean?"

"Yes, that's the word. Anyway, you don't have to decide now, but don't leave until we have a chance to talk this through, okay?"

Penumbra nodded.

"Okay."

"Good."

Claire fell asleep shortly after. Penumbra did not intend to leave, as Claire suspected. In fact, she was pretty sure that her answer to Claire's question was "yes".

***TLS***

In the welcoming glow of a summer's day, the stegoceratopses watched their new homes being erected across Claire's ranch. Humans and raptors from another world built the houses, and Claire insisted that no stegoceratops should be made to work. Not for now, at least, since they weren't being paid. She would have to come up with a way to integrate them into the modern world eventually. Truth be told, she didn't have much of a plan. There was no harm in that: as long as stegoceratopses ran free, she was happy. All that was left now was the loose ends. Claire had already scolded Luke for disobeying her, but hardly anything stuck with him at all. What was a mother to do with a starry-eyed boy who was reckless enough to brave the depths of the Beneath for someone he only knew through text? Well, at least June was back. She'd gone to the other world, apparently, and Claire was ready to check up on her, considering she was planning to visit said world very soon. All she needed was her assistant.

"Penny!"

The stegoceratops turned, stood up, and trotted away from where she, her mother, and Monsanto had been having a picnic. They were getting along well, it seemed, though Claire couldn't guess what was happening behind closed doors. She imagined there were still issues that needed to be resolved, but the three of them were well on their way to coming to terms with what had happened so many years ago. Monsanto, after all, had learned to sleep with the lights on, so that Penumbra would never again have to find herself in the darkness that haunted her memory.

"Claire, this is better than I ever could have imagined. I always dreamed that my people would find a place to live, but . . . God, this is perfect."

Claire nudged her playfully with her beak.

"Don't set your hopes so high. There's no such thing as perfection."

"Still, this is where survival ends and life begins. I owe you, Claire."

"You don't. I think we've both made enough mistakes that we ought to just call it even for now."

"Sounds good to me."

Suddenly, a green reptile came skittering up to them. She was gurgling with worry.

"Claire, I have to tell you something. You didn't exit the Beneath alone. I was in my hot air balloon when this big, shadowy thing-"

"Sarah, I'm kind of busy."

"Yes, but this shadowy thing looked very evil."

Claire gave Penumbra a side glance. They both had an idea of what this monster was.

"It's okay, Sarah," Claire affirmed, "It can only latch onto someone with darkness in their heart, and I'm pretty sure I don't surround myself with evil people."

Sarah gulped.

"Claire, that thing looked bad."

"It's very bad. Downright evil, in fact. But I've defeated it before, and it can't possibly possess anyone powerful enough that I won't be able to put an end to them. Relax. I have this covered."

At the time, it sounded like the kind of thing that would come back to haunt her. She couldn't have known just how accurate her sentiments were.

In any case, she was far too busy to concern herself with evil shadows at the moment, so she traveled to the other world for a meeting that was long overdue. Penumbra joined her, of course, as well as Owen, Lily, and Luke. Together, they entered a large library on the top floor of a palace, where a very grumpy dragon was waiting for them. She gave a curt nod, then flicked her tail like a baton.

"Claire, Penny, Lily, Other Child, Owen . . . It's a pleasure to see you again, especially since I was met with hostility when I tried to assist you in your endeavors."

Owen smiled sheepishly.

"My memory was kaput. How was I supposed to know who you were?"

The dragon rolled her eyes.

"Whatever. I'll let it go this once, but don't think you can get away with these things just because you're hot."

Owen chose not to react.

The dragon climbed a ladder and pulled a book off the top shelf. After blowing dust off the cover, she handed it to Claire.

"I think you'll find that the key to this wing-antler mystery is inside. You'd better appreciate this book, too, because I spent hours looking for it in the Asterparan library."

"Then why was it in this library on the top shelf?"

"More dramatic. That's why I covered it in dust, too."

Claire opened the book on a nearby table and frowned. The pages were adorned with strange symbols, unlike anything she had seen in her entire life.

"What language is this?"

"No idea. Something new to us, but old to the Universe. You'll have to learn how to translate it. I have a vague idea about what it could mean, but I'm too lazy to go through it all."

Owen peeked over Claire's shoulder.

"Whatever it is, the magic is strange. We've come back from the dead more than once with random appendages-"

"Not random," the dragon corrected, "There's a pattern. It's the will of The Star. Whatever is going on here, it's important."

Claire flipped to the last page, then close the book with a heavy thud.

"Well, this will take a long time to translate, but I'm up to the task. Of course, I'll be busy with other things . . ."

Penumbra skidded over on her haunches eagerly, like a dog on a Slip-n-Slide.

"I can help. That's what I'm here for. We can take turns translating."

Claire sighed uncertainly.

"Sounds good. I just don't know where to start."

With this, the dragon smirked and handed her a piece of paper.

"Luckily for you, I already translated the most important word."

Claire looked at it and nodded.

"Yes, I don't think I could have gotten this one on my own."

Owen yanked the paper from her front feet, but handed it back to her in less than a second.

"That's not a real word."

The dragon shrugged gently.

"Not to us. Perhaps the knowledge of its significance has been lost-"

"-but that's why we're going to find out what it means," Claire finished.

And with that, she tucked away the paper that read "Triskmenonthion".

The End