In the skirmish, Max is awed by Tisaanah’s ferocity; he sees her as “[a] goddess of death and vengeance and utter, indiscriminate destruction” (393). Tisaanah’s mind is taken over by Reshaye; she attacks anyone in her way, including Max. He tries to distract and weaken Reshaye but is no match for the entity. Finally, Sammerin uses his powers to immobilize Tisaanah’s body. When she awakens, Tisaanah learns that the raid was a success. However, she notes that she is being treated differently: “They were afraid of me. Witch, their shuddering thoughts said. Monster” (403).

That night, Tisaanah wanders out to a hillside and watches the stars. She is joined by Max, who talks about the aftermath of hosting Reshaye. It took him years to get past the devastation of the war. When he saw that some people are still trying to do good, he planted his garden to create life instead of death. Tisaanah gave him the same feeling of hope. Tisaanah reflects the same feeling back to him: “You are the best of men, Maxantarius Farlione, no matter how much you try to convince the world otherwise. Promise me that you’ll keep fighting your battles even if I lose mine” (408).