Nothing had stirred in the ruins since Falkar and Delorax had left. No vulture came within ten miles of the stench of death. A scorching wind blew sand down the streets, coating the rotted corpse of the vatrilos that Belkai had left in the dirt. There was a heaviness in the air that went beyond the oppressive heat of the sun. The silence wasn’t disturbed by the two boys who came from the desert. They both looked as if they were twelve years old, with shaggy hair and a steady walk. Their skin was bright pink, not from the sun’s affliction but by nature, and their eyes were yellow like the sun itself. Their steps were light, not leaving so much as a single footprint in the sand. They moved wordlessly, pausing only when they stood over Adrianna’s body. Her dress, ruined by her fight with Belkai, had since fallen away, leaving her naked in the sun. There was no sign of decay, and an unsuspecting traveller might have thought that she had fallen asleep. The boys weren’t fooled. They lowered their heads and stood in silence for a minute, then followed the scent to the decapitated wolf a few streets away. It took a good fifteen minutes for them to carry Kane’s remains to Adrianna, and they gently laid the brother’s body next to the sister’s. The boys stood still then, not speaking a word, and a harsh wind blew. The sand beneath the twins began to sink until the bodies were covered over. The boys glanced up at the sun, and it seemed as if a dark cloud came out of the sand and entered their bodies.

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They still made not a sound as they turned and walked back into the desert, leaving not a trace of their existence. They had completed their task. The Sons of Retribution were buried where they had fallen, awaiting the day that they would be summoned once again.