When her eyelids dragged open, Waverly was not very certain what she was looking at.

Her blurry vision could make out stone. Like a roof above. She made no attempts to move because she had no strength to. Her system was quivering with equal measures of frailness and pain.

The environment was foreign. She could sense it even without looking around. If anything, she thought she had been taken into a different part of Hekate's castle.

But, when she moved her arms and heard nothing, she glanced down.

Both shackles were gone from her wrists.

Then, she did glance around, though weakly and slowly. She was inside a cave. And what was more, she was underneath a blanket.

By now, confusion was gradually setting on her, but her spirits were now too broken and disoriented to dwell on anything for long. Her attention span was shorter than a pine needle. Turning her head to face the wall, she began to drift into disturbed sleep.

Only moments later, the sound of whooshing wind woke her. Whether or not she was imagining it, she had smelled fragrance. Like fresh flowers.

With a lot of physical effort and weak cries of pain, she pushed herself up. Now standing upright, her vision tunnelled and she crashed sideways into a stone table some feet away, bashing her left temple against the surface as she fell. Even though it hurt to madness, the sudden hit forced her to become more alert.

Again, she managed to get up and toddle to the cave entrance.

Her eyes struggled to adjust to sharp daylight and the crystal blue waters that spread out all the way into the horizon. To the left of the cave were surreal fields of green, stretching as far as her weak eyes could follow; and to the right was the rest of the mountain she stood on and a pathway that led down it.

She trudged to the left toward a large piece of rock and leaned against it to look further into the fields. In her mind, the landscape was amazing to behold. But it was an unreachable daydream. As were the seas, the blue sky, and chilling wind.

As she stood there, contemplating no particular subject, she overheard rattling stones and wheeled about.

Behind her, a figure stood frozen, holding a great big bundle of things in his hands. Cautiously, he dropped his load on the ground, staring at her with excessive emotions that rippled through his features one by one.

She had no clear idea who he was.

He said nothing, only approaching like a frightened pup. When he closed the gap between them, she was a bit surprised to see tears rolling down his eyes.

"Hlsana?" His fingers reached out to touch her face.

Alarms went off in Waverly's head and she stepped away, scrambling to hide behind the rock. Her heart raced with uncertainty and fear. She could not understand why the stranger had wanted to touch her or why he looked so full of pity. To her, both were causes for alarm. Besides, he looked very much like a threat.

From her vantage point, the fields appeared nearer, and for reasons she could not quite fathom, she was beginning to think about going to it.

Just then, the stranger peeped from around the rock corner and she flinched with a terrified gasp at the sight of him, wanting to melt into the wall.

"It's okay, it's okay!" He cooed in the softest voice, holding out his hands in placation. "I will not hurt you."

Waverly stayed pressed to the cold wall, assessing him with wary eyes. He could have possibly been sent by Hekate to torture her. However, something about him felt different. He did not reek of evil, like all living things in the Edge of Nys did. She realized, as he closed the space bit by bit, that he was the source of fragrance she had perceived earlier.

Her brows knotted, though her pounding heart did not relent.

The stranger opened a hand to prove that he meant no harm before touching her forearm.

"You are safe now." He whispered, staring deep into her eyes. "I promise."

Waverly's voice felt lost. In fact, she could have forgotten how to use words by now. She only stared blankly.

"You're hurt." He pointed at her bleeding head. "I will dress the wound so it does not get infected."

His hands closed around her wrist, issuing a bloodcurdling scream out of her. Her flesh was burning and it burned deep into her soul. The stranger was so startled by the unexpected outburst that he fell back.

"Forgive me." He panted, looking over at her for the possible cause of her reaction. Then, he paused, focused on the blackened marks on each hand. "The chains! They left marks that replicate them."

Waverly stared cluelessly at him, breathing through her parched mouth. She was too drained to do anything else. The stranger's eyes filled with hurt that made her wonder if he could feel the pain she was suffering.

"Waverly," he began, inching forward again. "You have to let me bring you inside. Your wounds go beyond the physical, but I will cure you of every one, I promise." He paused, staring expectantly. "You just need to come with me. I will not hurt you, alright?"

She wanted to bring herself to nod. He knew her name and his face was beginning to seem like a distant memory; a blurred one that had taken place in a time when her consciousness was as weak as a child's. She could not place a finger on it at all. Yet the feeling was enough to banish mistrust from her mind.

Hekate's goons could not act considerate to save their own heads.

Carefully, he reached for her legs first. When she did not flinch, his arm went around her back and he picked her up. His scent was much stronger up close, but she fought against nestling into it. Even if he was not a thug for the witch, it was likely he was something worse.

An illusion.

Inside the cave, the stranger set her down on the slab she had been sleeping on, then went out again to recover his bundle. Waverly watched him with unflinching attention as he took several things apart, placing them in order, until there were piles of every thing. Then, he picked up each pile and arranged them on the stone table.

For a length of time, he stood there in silence and all she could see were his hands, moving quickly from a spot to another. It was curious how he would often take a vigilant gander at her every single minute like a bird watching its young.

She was falling asleep when he appeared next to her with a bowl and a small cloth.

"This might sting." He mumbled and placed the cloth on her temple.

The sting felt dull, but it startled her nonetheless, soaking through her head like water.

"I need to see your shoulder." He said gently. His voice was always soothing and calm. "There is a stab wound. Did she do that to you?"

Waverly could not answer. She only continued to stare.

He walked off to the table and returned with a small knife.

At the sight of the blade, Ãghar flashed in her mind and Waverly's eyes widened in horror.

He noticed at once and panicked a little, gesturing to his own shirt. "I will only tear through the fabric with it. I promise I will not hurt you."

Still, she watched with wary eyes as he lifted the material of her dress gently and cut it with one fluid motion.

Then, he set to work.

She had no idea if he knew what he was doing neither did she know what he was doing, but he seemed to be immensely concentrated on doing it.

First, he used several measures to clean up her wound, applied both liquid and solid forms of medicine before proceeding to seal it with bandages. Then, he held up a transparent bottle filled with rose colored liquid for her to see.

"Rosemary and thorn-apple tincture. It will help you sleep."

Waverly allowed him drain most of it into her mouth. It tasted nothing like apple, but it was not bitter either.

Soon, her eyelids began to droop. The kind stranger seemed to fade away each time she blinked.

The last thing she thought to herself before drifting off was – he would not be there when she woke and neither would the cave.

Contrary to that thought, Waverly awoke in the cave and found the stranger tending to flames inside a hearth. It was dark outside, indicating nightfall, and a chilly wind blew all around, but the blazing fires kept the space warm.

As if sensing her prolonged gaze, he turned and rose to his feet. His wing almost caught in the fire.

"How do you feel?" He whispered, crouching right next to her.

She said nothing. Until he removed a wet warm cloth from her head, she failed to even realize it was there.

"Are you cold?" He asked again, readjusting her covers so that they concealed her exposed neck region.

He looked at her for a long time then seemed to realize something. His eyes became sad. "Do you remember who I am?"

Waverly stared at him with a blank expression.

Did she remember him? Not at all. Did she think she remembered? Perhaps.

It was a complex matter. But, like always, her attention span did not permit her to think it through. Instead, she looked away.

Days went by.

Little by little, the cave transformed into a more homely place.

The stranger covered the slab on which she slept with plush, blankets, pillows, and an old tapestry to drape the wall with so that whenever she sat up to lean back, her body did not meet cold stone. He brought in baskets upon baskets of ripe fruit; nuts and berries, meat, herbs and vegetables, linen, kegs of clean water; he burned incense, grew flowers in little pots that he stationed by the wall, crafted a door to lock warmth in, bought new blankets, ointment, and cut logs, which he piled up in heaps for fuel.

Before she knew it, the cave became a place she never wished to leave.

By now, Waverly had concluded that whatever trickery of a lifestyle she was living in was meant to last long enough so that it hurt worse on the day it would vanish for good.

The kind stranger – Jud, as he introduced – worked hard and selflessly to keep her comfortable. She noticed that a delicate part of him was broken, perhaps because of her predicament. But she was yet to understand why it affected him so greatly.

The transition of day to night felt like nothing because she spent most of that time asleep. Her dreams were devoid of life; she hardly ever saw anything, except everlasting darkness and suffered intense suffocation til she awoke.

She knew very well that her torment was because of Ãghar – the cursed blade once buried in her shoulder. It infused darkness with agony, not just in her body, but in her soul as well, forcing every part to become incumbent to its will.

The fact that her caretaker was doing his best to heal the evil inside her became the first genuine proof that he was, in fact, friend and not foe. Though he could not understand her strange behaviours and was hurt each time she acted dismissively, he did not appear to be discouraged.

It made Waverly wish she could remember all she had known about him in the past.

One morning, she woke up in a different setting. A real house. The change in environment made her panic and grow tense with anxiety. She feared the regular cave illusion had shifted, which usually meant that something terrible was about to unfold.

However, she calmed a bit when Jud entered into the room. He was very sensitive to her needs and swift to notice that she was upset.

"It's alright." He assured, coming to touch her arm. "I have brought you into town."

Disbelief passed through her face. There were no towns in the Edge of Nys.

He studied her for a few moments, then squatted in front of her. The last surviving part of her brain with an atom of normalcy registered that he was a very handsome young man. Beautiful, in fact.

"You are no longer living in that cursed realm." He clarified with a little smile. "This is home. Do you understand?"

Gently, she nodded.

Later, she realized she had only been brought in to a private inn for general grooming. The kind lady in charge, Brynhild, was devoted to making her look less sickly.

"You have lots of curls in your hair, my girl." She noted whilst brushing out Waverly's hair with care. "It's best you keep them tangle-free or it'll give you quite the work every morning. You can come in whenever you like, you know. I'll help dress them to the envy of your peers."

After Brynhild was done, Waverly could not help feeling much better. Her old shabby dress was replaced with a freshly washed, blinding white one. She watched from behind a curtain as Jud thanked Brynhild and paid her in silver coins. The scenario made her fill with emotions she had believed were nonexistent.

There and then, she confirmed she really was free of Nys – of Hekate.

Curling up in the bed, she shed quiet tears, until Jud came in.

His smiled wiped off and he hurried to join her, pulling gently at her limbs. "Are you alright?"

Still, she could find no words to speak. Instead, she let him cradle her to sleep.

When she woke, her bones felt renewed. It was a marvelous feeling. The last time she felt that way was beyond remembrance. Her eyes roamed the quiet room and caught hints of green in the air. It did not seem like natural daylight and had no particular source. Until, she looked up and saw the same light streaming out of Jud. Since he was fast asleep, she thought he was unaware of the phenomenon himself, but when he roused awake, the aura grew stronger.

"Do not worry." He assured as usual, patting against her arm and gestured to the light. "It is only going to make you better."

Truly, the light made her strong enough to stand without feeling lightheaded.

"It is quite the spectacle outside right now." Jud said, draping a hooded cloak over her. "We must leave undetected."

Outside, Waverly was stunned by the number of people she saw. The environment was indeed rowdy, but colorful, and she heard music. He led her carefully through the crowd to a small wagon and they climbed into the back.

Even then, she kept her eyes on the numerous fleeting scenarios, unable to digest it all. It made her tingle with excitement and wonder. It felt like being introduced to the world all over again and helped kickstart most of her fondest memories of a marketplace.

The trip was slow and bumpy, but she enjoyed it far too much to complain. Alas, it came to an end when Jud led her by hand back up the mountain route. She wanted to ask why they could not stay in the town, but reasoned that he knew best and said nothing.

In the dead of night, she heard voices outside the cave, like excited, overlapping conversations.

Rising quietly as possible, she went to perch near the door and saw Jud on his knees, speaking to someone she could not see at all.

"I have no idea, Qar." He was saying in the most heartbreaking voice. "I think she has no memory of me. . . of us."

Waverly inched back inside, frowning. The way he spoke suggested they were something more than friends, or at least they had been.

When?

She could barely recall being with anybody. The only person she remembered well was her tormentor, Hekate, whose horrifying face she saw each time she closed her eyes. A bit of conflict rose in her chest as she went back to sleep and, for the first time, her attention stayed on it for hours.

She fought with herself to recall tangible things about her caretaker. It suddenly made sense why he always used an Elvish term of endearment for her and why he always stared at her with such tenderness in his eyes. She might be wrong, but there were instances when in her sleep she had felt his kiss on her forehead or on the back of her hand. Many times she dismissed those acts as unreal figments in her mind.

Now, it seemed to not be so.

In the morning, when Jud left to gather supplies, she met the creature he had spent over half the night speaking with. A Burrower. She knew about such creatures. He was standing by the stone table, stealing peeks at her while she slept.

"It is a very great honor to finally behold my lady." The Burrower said with a noble bow, his deep purple eyes sparkling. "My master tasked me with making certain you sleep soundly. I am Qar, my lady."

To her own surprise, she accepted his little handshake and smiled a bit.

"You must forgive me for not joining my master in his search for you, my lady." He went on, now in a dejected tone. "I was delayed by many obstacles in many places. I did not wish to delay him either, but I dearly wish I had been there to assist. Am I forgiven, my lady?"

She gave slow nods, and Qar jumped in a little leap.

"Oh, joy! What a relief! It gladdens my heart, my lady. You truly are compassionate, amongst other things, as he says."

Waverly slid to the ground to sit because it seemed like the Burrower was not done talking. He rambled on and on about all of the marvelous stories Jud had told him about her. Listening to him speak stirred her spirits. That old feeling of familiarity she felt upon first seeing Jud came back in heightened floods.

Whilst she sat in conversation with the Burrower, it began to rain. For hours, he talked about many things, most of which she remembered well.

At some point, Jud returned, soaking wet.

Waverly stood in a corner, watching him instruct Qar on where to place the new supplies. She looked around for a towel, picked it up, and walked to his side. He fell into an obvious daze when she held the cloth out.

Nonetheless, he received it. "Thank you!"

She watched him curiously every now and then and would often catch his face redden when their eyes met. His presence began to feel more comfortable, even to extents she found alarming. But the feeling made her understand that there could be some truth about them being something more than friends.

As her shoulder wound healed on the outside and her wrist scars faded to almost nothing, Waverly discovered she had more energy to move about without aid, though with much care. Sudden motions caused her to feel weak and tired.

In spite of that, all of her medications and ointments did nothing to mend the inner torment.

Darkness owned her in her sleep and if she saw anything at all, it was Hekate. Because of this, she grew sleepless.

One day, she fell asleep under the sun whilst watching Jud hammer nails into wood.

He had been at the same task for weeks now although she never got to see where all the timber really went or what he used them for. Once, she caught him out in the fields, surrounded by air spirits. Derews. Hundreds of them. Each one brought a bundle of things she realized were supplies.

That instance was one of many that she found interesting about him. It even made her suspect that he was royalty, because he was often treated that way. Meanwhile, he did not act pompous or pigheaded about it. If anything, he was humble to everyone.

When Waverly woke from her slumber, she found him staring with furrowed brows, as if he just witnessed a chilling sight. Thankfully, Qar was standing right beside him. She liked that the Burrower did not find it difficult to say what he thought. As expected, he spilled the reason behind their gawking.

"You were glowing in your sleep, my lady!" He exclaimed in awe, coming forward. "Like a million stars converged on the surface of the ocean!"

Waverly stared at Jud for more insight.

He put the hammer down and wiped at his brows. "I think you should spend more time under the sun. It will speed up your healing process and perhaps, chase away whatever remnants of Nys are in you."

After that day, she spent every afternoon out in the open. To her utmost relief, the strategy proved very effective. Light reflected in her dreams and kept the darkness away. In a manner, this contributed to her healing even more than all the medicine put together.

On an occasion, she was brought into the fields. Jud brought along a small basket of ripened grapes and grains to a small picnic site where they sat together, watching Qar dig up a hole for which he aimed to plant a new tree.

The smell of the sea was overwhelming inside the fields and the weather was crisp. Waverly admired the view as if they were the last sights she would ever behold. From the basket, Jud passed her berries, which he kept right on the palm of his hand.

Since she was unfocused, she failed to notice when they ran out and only his open hand was outstretched. Empty. Awaiting hers to fill it.

His gaze was soft. She felt a bit conflicted about taking his hand, but did anyway. It brought a full smile to his face.

"I did it!" Qar's head popped out of the hole. "Twenty feet deep!"

"Is that not too deep, Qar?" Jud asked, leaning back against his elbow.

Waverly stared at their linked hands, wondering if he would let go. Her heart was racing for no clear reason.

"Is it, sire?" Qar was puzzled. "I may have lost true count of the number of feet. Say, what comes after nine?"

"Ten." Jud chuckled. "I think you did lose count, but your dig will do just fine for a much greater tree than you intended, maybe a—"

"Say, sire," Qar interrupted, gazing into the distant horizon. "Those are the oddest birds I ever saw."

Jud rose to inspect. At first, he was calm, then his eyes widened in terror.

"Lammers!" He exclaimed in horror.

The next thing Waverly knew, she was being entangled by weeds. She cried out in terror, resisting them with aggressive kicks. The birds finally reached them in no time, exposing aggressive talons, and she sighted Qar diving into his hole. Her heart all but stopped when one bird made a direct beeline for her.

Before it could claw her face off, it was yanked back with great force.

In fright, Waverly snapped the stems wrapping around her arms, panting aloud. Yet every attempt to get away made the plants even more relentless.

"Hlsana? Do not resist! Stay on the ground!"

Her head snapped up in time to witness Jud collide feet first with an advancing bird. An eagle. A different breed of eagle she thought to have seen once before. Altogether, the aggressive aves were three in number. Their individual size alone was terrifying, and the speed with which they flew over the fields caused the tall plants to bend to the ground. With how often they made intentional attempts to attack her, Waverly got the idea that she was the reason they had come.

But Jud did not let them get close enough.

She was able to glimpse the fury on his face when he caught a Lammer's giant wing in his hands and ripped it right in two. As he fought against the creatures, green aura and wind surrounded him that only intensified by the second and made her ears ring. The sight of him in such sphere of power was stunning and made her limbs grow weak.

He flew just as fast as the birds, if not much faster, intercepting them every time they neared her.

Eventually, she felt a talon scratch her back and fell face flat.

"My lady?" Qar's trembling voice called in alarm. "Are you hurt?"

Waverly gazed weakly at him. He stayed low, beckoning from the mouth of his hole. She reached out a hand, but felt startled by the earth breaking under her belly. In another second, she was sliding deep underground. The earth continued to break further, pushing her deeper and deeper, until she was swallowed up by complete darkness.

Panic rose fast.

She felt palpitations in several parts of her body, blinking hard and quickly in order to see, but the blackness was too thick. Hekate's face began to form in the dark as well as a thousand other horrors of Nys. Waverly shuffled back with cries of horror, trying to get away from them.

Then, the hole grew bright all at once, filling with fireflies that were filtering in from the hole above. Slowly, her anxiety and fear dwindled. Every inch of the earth became clear, awash with yellow light.

For a while, she stayed there in utter silence, staring at the calm insects that often came to perch on her nose or in her hair.

Then, many moments later, the earth groaned. She began to levitate, as if sliding back upward. The opening at the top became visible once more and she saw Jud looking down into it. She reached out long before he did.

When she was outside again, he smoldered her in a hug, breathing heavily. He was sweating so much that his hair went slack and his shirt looked like he jumped into a pool with it.

"I promised to protect you." He mumbled, stroking the back of her head. "She will never get a hold of you again."

"Will the birds return sire?" Qar questioned, climbing out of his hole.

"They have no wings to use for that. Come on!"

After scooping her up into his arms, he flew back to their cave.

That night, full memory returned like a flush of heat waves. It felt as though Waverly had been asleep with her eyes open for months then suddenly woke up. Yet she was caught in a state of betwixt and between that she could not do a single thing at all. Qar had left them to spend the night in the hole he dug earlier, but only after a powerful barrier was placed over the entrance by his master.

From her plushy bed, she watched Judson quietly destring celery and a bunch of vegetables.

Judson, that was his name. She remembered very well now. She remembered every thing that had taken place right before her dreadful descent into Nys.

Everything about him was. . . different now.

The curls in his hair were much and bigger; his eyes were still narrow with the grey in them appearing duller. His hands were wider, his shoulders broader, and his torso appeared more compact and masculine. With his head bowed in concentration, she could make out the outline of his nose ridge and jawline, both of which were defined to perfection. He had grown to fit his wings. They looked very very proportionate now, not as oversized as they seemed when he was younger.

She tried to think of how and when he had entered Nys. But her memory on that was unfortunately blank.

For a long time, she laid in silence, drinking in the sight of him. It was difficult to weep. It was too unbelievable, such that it stunned her eyes to remain dry.

Earlier, he sewed up the gash on her back, and she sensed from his quietness that her injury and the bird incident had upset him a whole lot. In addition, he did not glance her way as he often did.

Because of that, she rose slowly from her bed and went to him.

The stone table was surrounded by wall lanterns, illuminating the cave enough to achieve daylight brightness - an upgrade done to boost her recovery process. Also, as a means to disallow any iota of dark patches in the cave.

When he realized she was there, he gave her a fleeting glance and put the last bit of celery down.

"You still struggle to sleep."

Since she had made a habit of not speaking at all, he assumed every of his questions so that they did not need answering.

"I can cook up another tonic to help you sleep." He offered, reaching for an empty vial. The table was covered by so many various things that only made it look attractive.

She held his hand to stop him and shook her head.

"Alright." He nodded, retracting his arm. She held on longer and he looked in concern. "Do your wounds still hurt? Is there something you need?"

Waverly's brows furrowed as she stared into his face, suddenly unable to prevent the overwhelming wave of emotions seizing her.

Her croaky voice broke when she finally spoke up.

"I missed you so much."

Judson's face went slack. "Hlsana?"

She allowed him lift her up in his embrace, weeping into his shoulders. Because of the talon scratch, he held her carefully by bringing his arms down to the small of her back. Then, his grip tightened

"You remember." He mumbled with a little sniffle.

Waverly held him, her face pressed to his neck, and nodded repeatedly.

"Forgive me, Hlsana."

"Jud, stop it!" She sniffled as well, running her fingers into his hair and pressing her face further into him.

But he pulled her back to look straight at her. His face was tearstained and worn by grief. She could see it. It made her frown a little and out of curiosity.

"You have to forgive me for taking so long." He continued, speaking above the croak in his voice. "I gave up! I gave up at some point. I wish I had not stopped. Forgive me."

She stared searchingly into his sorrowful eyes from which tears continued to stream down and reached up to gently wipe them with a smile.

"I knew you were coming." She whispered, lovingly, caressing his chin. "I knew you would come. And you did. That's all that matters to me."

He broke a smile through the tears and hugged her again, gentler this time and more intentionally.

"What did you do to her?" Waverly asked, jerking her head back to look at him. It was unsurprising that, after all their years together and apart, his face was still her favourite thing to behold.

His eyes fell for a second. "We wrestled for the key to those horrid chains she bound you with. I was outraged by what she put you through."

She managed another smile even though she felt like collapsing. Her knees were beginning to quiver and she feared they would give out soon enough. Though she was healed, her innate strength was yet to be restored.

"And you won, didn't you?"

He smirked. By now, she had wiped his face clean with the sleeves of her dress.

"I had help!"

Her face mildly contorted. "What was it?"

"My love for you."

Waverly did not fight the grin that broke out on her face. She went back to caressing his face with both hands. He pulled her in.

"There wasn't a day that went by that I did not think of you." His breath fanned her cheek because of the proximity.

She shut her eyes, allowing her fingertips memorize the pattern of his developed features. Meanwhile he just nestled into her, allowing her touch send tingles through his senses until it felt numbingly unbearable.

Then, he pressed his face to hers.

"Hlsana, I—"

She cut him off by catching his lips in a gentle kiss. The sudden contact made him lightheaded and he staggered forward, still holding on to her.

Then, her knees did give out and she slumped into a heap at his feet.

"You still need to rest." He kissed her forehead, gathering her into himself.

"For how long?" She said through labored breathing. "No amount of rest will heal me. It's too powerful. Ãghar. I may never recover."

"Yes, you will." He dismissed casually. "I will not rest until you do."

She deflated further into his arms as he picked her from the ground and set her on the bed. This time, he stayed close by her side. She locked her small finger in his own.

"How are you going to do that? Hekate carries the powers of an Elemental Godhead and so does Ãghar."

She looked sideways to lean into her pillow and catch her breath.

"Sleep a while." Judson coaxed, brushing down loose strands in her hair.

"No. I can't." She turned to him again, a sob building in her chest. "I see her every time I do."

From the look he gave, Judson was clearly worried, but he tried not to say it. Waverly hated that she was now a burden to him. In that thought, another one surfaced.

"What is this place?"

He refocused on her, eyebrows lifted. "Juven. Remember it?"

She scoffed and shut her eyes. "Yes. We cannot stay in this cave forever."

"We won't. I have thought of a place where we can heal you better."

Again, Waverly's face contorted, but with a frown of sheer amusement. "Won't? Who in the world has taught you how to use words in that fashion?"

He maintained his gaze, a smirk lifting his lips. "The same people I intend to bring you to."