Dragoncrest Cliffs Epitaph

Suzu felt a flood of both relief and sorrow when she was told by her returning aunt that there were survivors. Her mother was alive, as was Theo. Gentle Jorunn, as well as the dark man she knew only as Val, and the young one who had volunteered the idea of luring the bear away. As for her grandmothers...

Her world had been changed. They had never found Quennell, Swordfish or Stingray on the island- Meerkat and Njord had taken them somewhere else and she had pined for them, not knowing if they'd been drawn into the battle too, or not. Her friend Rykor had not shown up, neither had the stargazer, Rhaegal. Finding out about Erzulie had pained her- and to know Rosalyn was missing made her fear as well. 

The meeting felt too soon, to her. It all felt too soon. She feared the edge of the borders near the Tangle, where the mounds of fresh earth marked the graves of both Erzulie and Sobo. Tearfully, she tied to howl to commend the spirits of her uncle and Grandmaman to the skies but she found herself choking on her own grief, and sobbing. Etienne was cold, distant. Theo was wounded. 

There broken- and now, they had to gather the pieces, and try to make something new out of them.