Zeke’s final days were spent with Raf and exploring life on Nohu Mangrove, fully ignorant of his approaching doom.

His first final day was spent building a shelter. The giant crab/squid/former human prince was infinitely helpful. Not only was Tzik-Inu able to collect and carry heavy logs quickly, but they also had the memories of Rafael Avalyn, a human trained in survival by Reynard himself.

Raf taught Zeke how to drink coconut water and all sorts of edible fruits and plants. The otters watched him constantly but Zeke ignored them. By the end of the first day, Zeke had a sturdy roof over his head and soft moss under it.

-8-

His second final day was spent sitting in the shade on the sandy beach, drinking coconut water, and asking Raf questions about the people inhabiting Nohu Mangrove.

In this, too, Raf was profoundly knowledgeable. They were happiest explaining cthulian people and customs. “You will see a spectacle in two days! We are the only chosen by the Deep One stationed here at Nohu Mangrove, but many more of our kind will come here to be reborn under Haven’s protection. Our kind shed many times throughout long lives. When this happens, our shells are soft and vulnerable. So we gather here each full moon to shed our old selves.”

“Who is the Deep One?” Zeke asked, curious.

“The Deep One connects all ocean life. He honored our people with the symbiote, and we honor him with our lives.” Raf answered serenely.

Something about the sound of that made Zeke’s skin crawl. “Can you tell me more about the symbiote?”

“Of course. Our symbiote is over a thousand years old. We have lived more than a hundred lives. And every life lives on in us.”

“How did Rafael Avalyn get a symbiote?”

“The angel Sophia led him to us. They desecrated the tomb of a revered queen of our people, stole our symbiote, and tricked us into bonding with him. At first, we were upset. But when we read his mind, there was so much to surprise us. We chose to help him. We were sad when he died, but also proud, for he died accomplishing his goal.”

“What was his goal?” Zeke asked.

“To free his sister Morgan, and punish the demon tormenting her.”

“I have an Aunt Morgan,” Zeke said offhandedly.

Raf nearly toppled over. “Morgan lives!? She survived the destruction of Crescent?”

“Yeah. And she gave me this longknife. I mean, Aunt Gwen gave me the longknife, but Morgan gave it to her, so it sorta comes from Morgan.” Zeke unbuckled the weapon from his waist and offered it to Raf.

“And little Gwendolyn lives!” Raf’s bizarre voice sang of grief and joy. They tucked their abdomen forward, extending four wriggling tentacles to delicately hold the longknife as if it were a sacred relic and lifted it to their elongated compound eyes, investigating every detail.

If a crab/squid could cry, Zeke imagined Raf would be sobbing. Instead, they lovingly returned the longknife to Zeke’s careful hands.

“We hope to see them again someday,” said Raf, their voice strangely rich with emotion. “Thank you for this knowledge. You’ve eased Rafael’s burden immensely.”

Zeke could only nod. He had no idea what to do with other people’s strong emotions. His parents were always so composed. So Zeke looked out of his shady enclave and noticed a bunch of otters, still watching him at a distance. Some hid behind branches and under fallen palm leaves, thinking to be discreet. Others sat plainly in the sun, hardly blinking or looking away.

“What’s the deal with the otters?” he asked Raf.

Raf collected themself and answered, “The kush people. Their elders planted the seed here that grew into Haven. They sculpt and garden Haven’s structure, with guidance and permission. They don’t like you very much. Don’t worry. Their fight is with Rowan, not you. They just don’t trust you yet. But the kush can be brought over to your side. They’re usually more fun to be around than this.”

“What do you mean?”

“They’re usually playing some sort of game. And singing. They’re usually singing.”

Zeke thought of a game he might challenge the kush to play. “And what about Haven itself? What was that leaf storm that threw Ma… that threw Rowan out into the ocean?” Zeke wasn’t sure why ‘Mama’ suddenly felt childish. She was like a stranger to him now, with so many sides he hadn’t known before.

Raf pretended not to notice. “Haven is a forest spirit. Their form relates to their function and environment. Our environment is a sandbar surrounded by mangrove trees. So Haven takes the form of leaves in the wind. Haven is neither male nor female, but we think Haven acts like a boy. He’s silent most times. Some mornings, he plays games with the Kush, teasing them with berries and bugs, making them chase him. He’s surely watching and listening. Like the Kush. Like that merman over there. Do you see him? He’s been watching you, too.”

Zeke had noticed Toa’s silvery hair shining in the sunlight. Zeke was ignoring him.

“Speaking of merfolk, who leads them, and how long do they live?”

The enormous crab/squid laughed. “When Rafael was alive, he thought the chosen were merfolk. Human education on ocean life is so inadequate! No one leads the merfolk. But the old maids are usually listened to. Merfolk can live for hundreds of years. Only a school of fifty live here at Nohu Mangrove. So they’re a tight-knit and closed-off community. It’s unusual to see only one mer. This one must have a rebellious spirit. The merfolk avoid us. Our kind don’t mix well.”

“Yeah, I witnessed that on the way over here. One of your… chosen… attacked us. I think I killed it-them but I lost my weapon. Raf! Can you swim down and get it back for me?!”

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Raf considered the request. Finally, they said, “We can try, but the ocean floor is vast. It could take weeks or more, and someone might have already made off with it. Is this weapon worth the time and effort?”

“It’s important!” Zeke whispered, “It’s the Ivory Blade. It was my prison.”

Again, Raf was silent. They were likely debating hundreds of ideas. Finally, Raf picked up their spear, marched to the open beach, and said, “You are Eden’s Ikon of Space. You can bring the blade to you from anywhere.”

Zeke blanched. “What? No, I can’t! I need that sword to channel my powers!”

“Not true. Your fear and indecision hold you back.”

“I am not afraid!”

“You are afraid. And worse, you’re passive. You always do what you’re told.”

“I do not!”

“Stand and face me!”

Zeke got up and stood his ground.

Raf made an inscrutable gesture. “What do you want, Zeke? Rafael Avalyn’s want was clear. He wanted to free his sister. What do you want?”

Zeke drew a blank. He had never given a thought to what he wanted. He was supposed to defeat Adam and Lilith. He wanted revenge against Adam.

“I want Adam to pay for his crimes,” Zeke answered.

“Is that what you want, or what Rowan wants for you?”

Again Zeke was stumped. What did he want? Suppose he wanted to hold Dook again. Or maybe he just wanted his papa back. But was any of that possible?

“I don’t know,” Zeke confessed. “I don’t know what I want.”

“Our training starts there,” declared Raf.

-8-

Most of Zeke’s third final day was spent in guided meditation, with frequent pauses so Zeke could eat meals of fruits and salads. He was down by the shore collecting berries when Toa came close enough to say, “I’d like to bring you some food my family cooked.”

Zeke shouted, “You threatened to break my neck, Toa! I’m not just going to forget that over a bowl of soup!” And Zeke marched away.

“Rowan was going to kill everyone, and I stopped her! I convinced Haven to give you sanctuary! Me! I saved your life, twice! I’m not the bad guy!”

Zeke was already far from the shore, but through the trees, he heard Toa shout, “Zeke, I’m sorry!”

Zeke tried to ignore it but he was starting to cry. Then he remembered the Kush were watching him, judging him, so Zeke blew his nose and went back to camp.

Meditation wasn’t helping, at least not at first. It wasn’t until late in the evening as Zeke started to doze off that anything happened. He was supposed to be meditating on the question, ‘What do I want?’ but Zeke’s mind kept returning to the caverns. He wondered where Dook was. Zeke wanted to go home. He hated it here. He wanted to go back to the way things were. But there was no going back.

Ugh, enough indulgent self-pity.

Frustrated, Zeke opened his eyes to find himself home in bed.

A great beam of sunlight cascaded through the ceiling. Birds danced in the golden air. Zeke’s home was mostly demolished, but the plant-bug monsters were gone.

He was home. How did he get home?

Dook! Where was Dook? Zeke whistled Dook’s call. He whistled again and again. Finally, Zeke heard squeaking in the distance. He ran toward the squeaks, and the squeaks got louder, until at last, a fuzzy little idiot bounced into his arms and covered his face in kisses.

Dook survived! What a clever noodle.

After a moment of bliss, Zeke picked up Dook and carried him home to bed. He cleaned up a little; just enough for Dook to climb into his bed. He shared with Dook the last of the dried meats.

And Zeke went to sleep.

-8-

He was in a hallway. The walls were exquisitely carved to tell a story. He recognized Adam, the brute, the tyrant, pushing a woman down. She fell for a long time. And as she fell, an angel came to her and gave her wings of butterflies and bats.

And the butterfly woman flew up and battled Adam, cutting off his hand and flying away with his sword.

A shadow stole the sword from behind the butterfly woman. As the shadow disappeared with the sword, the butterfly woman erupted in a torrent of flames. She was devastated and betrayed.

Zeke knew he shouldn’t open the door. He knew it was dangerous. But the other wall told a different story. It was the story of his papa in a cage, beaten and broken, helpless and in pain.

Zeke thought he knew what hate was. When he first saw Adam’s shade, he thought that was hate, but he was wrong. Because this new feeling was so much more. Zeke hated whoever did this to Papa. He wanted to hurt them.

So he opened the door.

He was in a blue candlelit room. The walls were obsidian, smooth and ornate.

And She stood there. Her wings were folded elegantly against her body, like a shimmering black leather dress. Her long black hair was silky and framed by two elegant horns. She had ashen grey skin and eyes of amethyst purple.

“At last, we meet,” Lilith said with a smile and open arms. On her right hand, she wore the Bone Gauntlet, the instrument she used to burn Papa. Another prison. Somehow Zeke knew his sister was in there.

Zeke didn’t hesitate. He drew his longknife and leaped across the room. Lilith smirked, caught the blade between two sharp fingers, and snapped the longknife into a hundred tiny shards that blew back at Zeke.

Zeke collapsed as everything bled and hurt. He was blind in one eye.

“That was very rude,” Lilith chastened, leaning over him. “And after I went through all that trouble to find you. The least you can do is hear me out.”

Zeke struggled on the floor. “You burned Papa and you took him!”

“Papa! Oh, my word. That is precious! Listen, yes. I have your papa. And I want you, too. The good news is, you get to decide how it happens. Come to me willingly and pledge yourself to my cause, and I will not harm you. Or your papa. The opposite! I will honor you above all others! You will be lord and commander of my armies.

“We both want the same thing, right? We want Adam to pay. So help me, and I’ll help you, and we’ll both get what we want. Or you can resist me. In that case, I kill your papa, and I put you back in the sword.”

Zeke was paralyzed and terrified. He couldn’t move or say anything.

“Think about it,” Lilith said. Then she put a finger on a shard embedded in Zeke’s forehead and pushed.

-8-

And Zeke woke up screaming in bed, drenched in sweat. He felt his face but the shards were never real. Dook had run off and was hiding somewhere. Zeke must have thrashed in his sleep. He got out of bed and walked down to the stream to wash himself. He caught a fish, prepared it, and cooked it. By that time, Dook had crawled out from hiding to investigate the smells.

He ate breakfast, fed Dook the scraps, and all the time, Zeke asked himself, ‘What do I want?’

“I want to rescue Papa,” Zeke decided. “I want to rescue my sister. And I want Lilith to pay.”

With his mind made up, a lot of things became clearer. He kissed Dook and said goodbye. He wouldn’t take Dook from his home. Dook was better off here with all the mice and rabbits to hunt.

With a wistful glance at his childhood home, Zeke bid farewell. Then he closed his eyes and began to meditate. Wanting to go home was a child’s wish. Zeke had grander ambitions.

It wasn’t long until Zeke heard the waves brush against the sand, and felt the cool ocean breeze on his cheeks. He didn’t need to open his eyes to know. He was back.