Hill thought for a moment, then placed one round box in the pool and the other beneath the tree. He walked back under Lily and bowed in the manner of a Mage.
Though he said nothing and the garden remained silent, both boxes vanished from before him almost at the same instant.
Those two had been watching Hill all along, just as he suspected.
Hill had originally planned to put the boxes away for now. There might be more later, after all, and there was no need to return just two pieces to their owners immediately.
But he suddenly understood. Even if he believed Shar and Selûne would fight again, he could not show it. Each time, he had best treat it as the last.
A goddess's pride mattered even more than her dignity. That was true even of Selûne, who seemed not to care about anything.
As Hill returned to his study, Lynn happened to open the door. Falan, who knew the matter had come to an end for now, came over from the other side of the terrace.
"Hill," Falan said with a frown. "Is there anything you can tell me?"
Lynn, who had been about to speak, immediately closed his mouth and looked at Hill with concern.
"Don't worry, Grandfather." Hill gave him a helpless smile. "Selûne and Shar appeared together. This is already the best outcome we could have hoped for. Fortunately, Shar is focused on perfecting the Shadowfell and rebuilding a Shadow Weave."
"Selûne?" Lynn murmured. "She's no longer Sune? Already?"
Hill had not expected Lynn to focus on Selûne's return to Greater Divine Power rather than on how long she and Shar had managed to coexist peacefully. Corellon, Hill thought, would have focused on precisely the opposite. When the Father of Elves had explained