Epilogue
Lahur stood in the forest clearing, feeling the warm breeze on his face. The others were gathered around him, their faces as familiar to him as his own. These people—the ones known as the Elders—were among the few whose company Lahur could tolerate for more than ten minutes at a time.
“So what now?” Sheura asked, watching him with her calm dark gaze.
Lahur looked at her. “What do you think?”
“I think it’s time,” she said quietly. “I think we have to do it.”
“I agree.” It was Pioren, Sheura’s partner in the experiment. “We can no longer stand by and observe. The project has succeeded all too well. They’re like us. Our best and brightest are now mating with them.”
“Yes,” Lahur said, “they are.” Seeing the curly-haired human girl by Korum’s side had been a revelation. She wasn’
