Getaf sighed. “I suppose Jedula spoiled me for any other woman. Any other person, really. My life is going to be much… duller, now.” His grimace didn’t much resemble the buffering smile he evidently intended. God-touched at least, then. Pen recognized that particular bereft longing left when a great Presence became a great absence. That heartbroken loss only known to those who, at some perilous apogee, had almost grasped that inchoate, indescribable essence.
