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'Do you know what happened to Agrian in the end?' asked Worwal.

'His reaper released him, supposedly,' said Garovel. 'Against his will, that is.'

'Mm. And the reaper's name?'

'Cantorix. Ever heard of him?'

'Afraid not.'

'Shame. If by some chance the reaper is still alive, he might prove useful in getting the Candle back up and running.'

'I admit I was thinking that as well,' said Worwal, 'but it would be incredibly unlikely.'

'Of course. If Cantorix had survived, then this Forge would almost certainly not have been abandoned.'

'Yes. It would have probably become a national treasure of Lorent, instead.' Worwal's hollow eye sockets fell to Hector for a moment, but he said nothing further.

'That, or it would've been destroyed,' said Garovel. 'In fact, I'd say that would've been the more likely scenario. How many Forges have there been throughout history? And how many have survived to this day?'

'Fair point.'

"Regardless, the Candle requires a renewed name," said Abbas. "I thought the two of you should decide, seeing as it is technically not my Forge."

'Wow,' said Garovel. 'That's... astoundingly honorable of you, Lord Saqqaf. Were you not tempted to give it a new name and claim ownership for yourself? Would've been a real dick move, but Forges are insanely valuable, and we wouldn't have been in a position to stop you. Hell, you might've even been able to keep us in the dark about the whole thing and act like nothing had changed.'

Abbas' expression remained blank as he met the reaper's gaze steadily. "I would have to be quite the heartless wretch to stab you in the back after all you have done for me and my family."

Garovel chuckled. 'I'm glad you feel that way, because I've known many people who would not agree with you.'

"As have I."