Poor Irving indeed. I thought it absurd to assume that a method which worked fine on an apprentice would automaticaly work on such a powerful man. I imagine that poor Cullen, who hadn't really wanted to do this to him in the first place, just got more and more desperate.

Shale was included just because I couldn't resist displaying once again how the dwarven mind works :)

Zev... Several readers hinted strongly that they thought Zev should be giving the Principessa an Antivan smile. I like to hope I went one better.

Part two of the epilogue will (hopefully) be issued next week. That will be the very last bit. I'm sad too, but also thankful. I've been on a writing schedule for a full year now and am pretty wiped out.