Evangeline’s days were marked by grieving her son’s disappearance and her daughter’s death. Omen had left the world far too soon, and with her a piece of Evangeline herself. She stayed strong for her two remaining children - yet there was a part of the star-smattered Aves that would never recover from the death. She loved all four children dearly, the gifts left by Uzi. She valued them greatly. And Abaddon pulled away, Omen was dead, Derringer had gone missing. He . . . he had likely gone wherever the other vanished individuals had gone, wherever that was . . . perhaps portals had opened up. Thrown these wolves out of Starfall. And somewhere among them was Evangeline’s son.
She heeded Mabbit’s summons with great speed, darting toward the throne which Queen Themis had once sat, staring up at the king. He looked tired and defeated, no doubt because of the many disappearances . . . which included his mate, the Sunset Queen. Evangeline stared around silently, noting a new face or two. Bullet, Yesimire, Persephone . . . and here was Elane, gliding in right behind Leona and Vaughn.
Leona, Vaughn’s daughter, had been depressed and withdrawn. Elane had told Eve that the young Elemental had had a soulmate, a member of the Hawthorne royal family, but the plague had carried him off. Elli had been tending to Leona, trying along with Vaughn to coax her to eat, exercise, drink. Evangeline could practically see Vaughn’s despair from here, a living thing. She knew his struggle . . . she had tried valiantly to keep Omen alive, and she now hoped that Vaughn would have more luck. A parent was never in any worse pain than when their own child was suffering.

“Strange things did happen here, no stranger would it be.”