“Probably not.” The young Eladrin agreed absently. He didn’t see the distate on Ramar’s face as he concentrated on his handiwork in the fireplace. Moments later a tiny fire burst into being among the paper and wood. It took a few seconds for it to catch but once it did, the flame spread quickly on the paper which curled into tiny skeletal fists. “There, that should do it.” Jhendayre paused. “I never quit, you know.”

A word escaped Ramar’s lips in reply. “What?”

“I never quit being your student. I never will. When I pass, there are those who will remember me, Jhendayre Ahrimanes, as a student of the great Ramar Shadowsplitter who earned his name in the campaigns of Eld. I know that I have been a disappointment to you and I have come to settle the debt between us.”

Silence lingered as the warmth of the fire began to work against the cold of the storm outside.

Finally, Ramar leaned forward in his chair and with strain in his voice, said, “Why now? Why come after all these years? Why come when it’s too late?”