The forest blurred in and out as Waverly ran, zipping past trees and ducking under low hanging branches. She spotted Dermot's shirt as a blur amongst the trees. It was her third time inside The Great Jungle and she was not loving it. The vegetation was a hundred times thicker than that of a normal forest, and there were more than a million deadly things lying around, waiting to inflict injury. There, the trees grew closer, allowing for monkeys to swing with ease and for wild tigers to rest on their branches.

Waverly heard one of them growl when she paased underneath a tree, hoping to catch up with Dermot, who seemed to know his way around better. As she leaped over a fallen tree, one leg caught onto something, and tripped her face first. She groaned and pushed herself up, brushing the dirt off.

Looking ahead, she found that Dermot had disappeared; obviously unaware of her misfortune. Heaving a sigh, she stood up and glanced around. A large tiger from atop a thick bough glared in her direction, licked its nose then looked away.

Waverly sat down on the felled tree to brush down her shorts, hoping that Dermot would come for her whenever he noticed her absence. She had spent the last two days fielding the jungle with him, committing its outer parts to memory because he claimed it would do her a lot of good.

"What good?" She had queried on the first day.

"Let us just say that sometimes, it is necessary to run." He had replied, stretching out lithe limbs.

The Great Jungle was accessible through the Woodlands and was the very fabric of Alpgeton as a realm. It stretched through the mountains, flanked the royal palace from behind and dragged on endlessly past untouched territory. Dermot had explained that the deeper parts of the jungle was uninhabited because of a horrible tragedy that had once befallen Alpgeton long before the days of the Great War of Realms.

"What was the tragedy? Did it involve Heron?"

Dermot had covered her face with his hunting cloak. "You're starting to sound like Diarmaid."

She moved away from the tree before suddenly becoming aware that her ankle was sprained. Her bones grated as she walked, drawing a wince out of her with every step. She considered calling out to Dermot, but judging from the sheer mas of the jungle, it was unlikely that he would hear.

Since she could at least remember the way back, she decided to leave. Her walk was slow and the underbrush was loud under her feet. The air was humid, making plants and growth in the jungle appear wet. It reminded her of Yena Urwald, the jungle where she took a Trial to capture The Twinn Jinn – identical transfigurative golden statues that could change to horses. As she thought of them, she wondered if she was in the same jungle. Desi had refrained from telling her the jungle's location back then and it made her even more suspicious.

What if the Twinn Jinn resided in the uninhabited parts of The Great Jungle which was probably Yena Urwald?

Diarmaid would drink water off Waverly's palm were she to tell him something as exciting as that. He would give up his entire life to travel to find the Twin Jinn.

A cluster of broad green leaves ruffled by the side, causing her to halt. At first, she thought it was a small animal scurrying from sight, but the disturbance was too prominent to have been caused by a tiny creature. Her thoughts immediately went to Dermot. She brightened at the idea that he had come back to find her, but when the intruder stepped into the clearing, her face paled.

"Fancy meeting you here." He said quietly.

"Levi!" Waverly spat. She steadied herself to make sure her broken ankle escaped his notice, but if he had been stalking her then the attempt was quite useless. Nonetheless, he was inattentive to her occasional limps.

"You seem to like lonely places." He started, advancing, still dressed in his armor which, like Phyllis, he never took off. Although, Waverly noticed that his gloves were brown instead of black.

"So do you." She retorted calmly.

"I saw you on the battlefield." He commented with a smirk. "Quite impressive the skills you have."

"I learned from the best." Waverly boasted.

"Did you now?" Levi taunted. "A larger portion of your strength is credited to you being part god. I wonder how well you would fight if you were a normal Human."

"I would still be able to take your tongue out of your mouth." Waverly growled.

She really hated Levi and the fact that he was so relaxed talking about her weaknesses. He did not radiate any sort of dark energy, but something about his eyes translated to great evil. She had forgotten to question Dermot and Diarmaid about their conclusions of him and what they had found from tracking him, but reminded herself to do so afterwards.

Levi laughed mildly, nodding in approval. "I like that you have such courage, but will you actually do it?"

"Do what?"

"Take my tongue out of my mouth?"

"Don't tempt me."

He halted to simply stare, then his gaze traveled to her feet. He tilted his head in silence then broke into a wry smile.

"You have a broken ankle!"

"What's it to you?"

"I can fix it." He offered.

"I don't need your help." She snarled.

"You know you're going the wrong way, right?" He pointed.

"That is none of your business."

"You must hate me very much. I do not blame you for that." He laughed then came forward.

Waverly stood still, daring him to take another step. Regardless, he advanced until they were nose to nose.

"Everything you do is my business." He whispered and gently grabbed her hand where Calaire rested. "Even now, you cannot bring yourself to walk away from me. I told you, light is attracted to darkness."

Waverly felt her broken ankle slowly and painlessly mend. It was a mystery to her why Levi had not made any attempts to harm her despite them being complete opposites. Instead, he seemed to be attracted to her in some strange, uncomfortable way. It also baffled her why she let him come so close when she could fend him off. His theory about light and darkness sounded stupid yet slightly sensible to her.

"I said I did not need your help." She hissed and stepped back, but Levi's grip remained. She hated that she remembered his smell – like figs.

"But you have it now." He said then stared into her eyes, a strong sense of determination on his face. "We don't have to be enemies, you know. You can join me."

"To do what?" She asked, tilting her head and pulled her hand free. "Kill with no valid reason? Abduct and suck the life from innocent children?"

"Indeed! We will create a new world." He said.

"What's happened to this one?"

"It is tainted with the age long mistakes and childishness of the gods. We will put an end to them – all of them – and all those who refuse to pledge loyalty. The world will burn and the gods with it, but a better world will be reborn, a world with just one master – Oculmus."

His tone was light and void of malice, and for a split second, it made Waverly feel like she was having a normal conversation.

"Your mother is a god." She pointed out.

Levi smiled. "I realize that, but it does not mean that I have any love for her. She is but a means to an end. Oculmus might keep her as a pet after he is done conquering the world because she has been loyal to him, but it makes no difference to me. A god is a god – Nysan or Entonian."

"You have a private agenda then? You do not completely see eye to eye with your Emperor, do you?"

Levi lifted an eyebrow. "Yes, I do. Yet, I have no interest in dominating the world. I crave powers of my own."

She frowned. "You have powers."

"They belong to my mother. Sadly, I channel them from her." He said bitterly. "I want powers that are not from the gods."

"And where do you expect to find that?"

He lifted a finger and wagged it. "Ah, but that is my business. I must admit, it is quite lonely going about trying to figure out one's destiny. I'm sure you can relate to that."

Waverly's left eye twitched. "I don't know what you mean."

"You're a very bad liar." Levi chuckled. "I was ordered to join the army, keep a low profile whilst watching out for that little god spawn running around without her head because she could be my undoing."

"Without my head?" Waverly felt offended. She had spent enough time around Diarmaid to know that such a phrase was insulting.

"I was afraid though, that I would have to put you down after our first encounter, but I thought; you have a lot of unrealized ability that could be put to good use. If only you will let me show them to you."

"How many times do I have to tell you that I do not need your help? I can realize my abilities all by myself."

Levi smirked and began to advance. A deep growl from above the trees made him glance up. The tiger perched on a bough was there still, watching them both. Levi ignored it and grabbed Waverly by the hand again.

"You don't even know how much power you possess. You can do what the gods can, but they will not tell that to you because they are counting on the fact that you will ignore it long enough for it to fade away."

"What are you talking about?" She asked, gritting her teeth.

"Come with me and I'll explain everything to you." He whispered, his lips hovering an inch from Waverly's temple. She felt the heat of his breath bathe the spot and it made her face tingle.

She looked up at him. "For someone who is supposed to keep a low profile, you sure have trouble following orders."

Levi smiled. "I guess that is where my weakness lies. I cannot follow orders."

Waverly stepped back and pulled her hand free again. "I don't care if you can follow orders or not. You're still a mole in the army, and soon enough, they'll fish you out."

Levi scoffed. "And then what? They cannot touch me even if they tried. Everybody hates our kind because they are afraid of us and the things we can do. I can understand why you hide your identity because whether you are friend or foe, if the Elf King discovers that you are a born of a god, you would either be dead or exiled."

"Is that where your confidence lies?" Waverly asked. "In the thought that their fear would stop them from harming you?"

"Indeed. Listen to me, there is no such thing as brotherliness even amongst Elves who preach it the most. Those brothers you associate with, did you know that your kind, our kind, killed both their parents?"

Waverly's face immediately fell.

Levi gave a triumphant smile. "Yes. Wait until they find out who you really are and see if they adore you so much then. That speedster, Bridonis, the Elf King is wary of him even until now." He chuckled. "Everyone is wary of him, except for his betrothed. She is literally blind to how dangerous he is. His mother is a Spirit Hunter, a powerful, smaller entity after the gods themselves."

Waverly watched Levi as he spoke. Her eyes traveled to the tiger on the tree branch. It was unmoving, watching Levi with a strange sort of precision.

"Do you know what Spirit Hunters are and what they do?" He asked tauntingly then laughed. "They are just like the Soul Hunters of Nys, which is why I say the gods are all the same. A Spirit Hunter and a Soul Hunter are both a god's assassin. They are sent to suck out the souls of whomever a god wishes to die."

Waverly felt all the blood drain out of her face. Her heart raced as Levi spoke and even though she tried to convince herself that he was only toying with her mind, a larger part of her believed his every word.

"Yes, the gods kill people for foolish reasons too. They do it even more. Again, you should ask your mother."

She frowned at that. Why did Levi reference Selene whenever he spoke about ungodly things?

"Now, imagine if you were to be betrothed to the son of a killer, who undoubtedly is a killer as well. That is rather very unsettling. I say Javan was letting Bridonis marry his daughter because he simply is afraid of the boy. Were he to refuse this union, well, his entire household could as well be dead by morning."

"How are you even sure of all this?" Waverly asked, her eyes narrowing to slits. "They have been betrothed since they were—"

"Children?" Levi laughed again. "Are you gullible enough as to believe that nonsense talk? Who waits for someone for over forty years all in the name of love? There is no such love anywhere on earth."

Waverly frowned and glanced over at the tiger again. She felt that it was waiting for something, watching them for a reason.

"That is what I was told."

Levi strolled forward and took her hand then pulled her with him to the foot of a tree. He made her stand with her back to it.

"You should not believe those lies. These filthy Elves have lots of even filthier secrets, but they won't tell it to you. They cover it up with this. . ." He glanced about scornfully. "Guise that they have created. You have to discover the truth for yourself."

"Why don't you tell me the truth since you claim to know it all?" She asked.

He leaned in torridly. "If I told you, would you come with me?"

Waverly felt slightly disgusted. "No."

Levi smiled widely. He was very handsome, but she thought to put it out of her mind every time to prevent distractions.

"Bridonis was never betrothed to Aurora. He ran away when he was young. Do you want to know why?"

"He did not run. He went missing." She inputted.

Levi scoffed. "Again, lies! He fled. Back then, he grew very close to the princess. Yes, she liked him just as much, but he was a god's blood, one that was unable to control his budding powers. He was hunted by Ante even within these very borders, and whenever she attacked, poor little lovestruck Aurora was nearby."

Waverly gulped and waited for Levi to continue, but he seemed to be enjoying the suspense filled atmosphere he had created.

Thankfully, he spoke up again.

"The last time Ante struck, Bridonis had gone on a hunting trip with those brothers and Aurora herself. The goddess had tried to kill him, of course. He unleashed his powers and a tiny fraction of it touched Aurora and split her in half."

"What?" Waverly looked mortified. She tried to recall if Aurora had a body part missing from the last time she had seen the princess.

"It was not physical." Levi knowingly clarified. "Her spirit was cut in half and that portion of it joined with Bridonis. He knew what happened, but Aurora did not, and so to prevent any sort of suspicions, he ran away. Even after he left, well, the princess could not get over him despite all of the convincing and begging from her parents. She was bound to him. He held onto a portion of her and she would love only him until her death."

"Is that why she was able to wait this long?"

Levi nodded. "Obviously. If he had died by some accident, she would have remained alone until she eventually dies too. Now, nobody knows he carries a portion of the princess's spirit with him, and it is upon her request that they have to marry, whether the King and Queen likes it or not. Aurora is their only daughter and heir. They have to fulfill her wishes, and if her wish is to be eternally bound to a killer, they have to let her."

"Brijjet is not a killer!" Waverly defended, feeling her cheeks heat up. She was not very sure if it was as a result of Levi's powers or his statement.

"He is not, eh? He killed a god right before your eyes. What makes you think he will hold back that Heaven's Medal if you pushed him to the wall? If anyone pushed him to the wall."

Waverly felt her head cloud over. Was Brijjet really that dangerous and she had also been blind to it? She had noticed a good number of times the way his eyes lit up when he got angry. But he was always so playful, or was that a guise to hide his perilous nature? Regardless, she mentally defended him. It was not his fault that he was born that way.

"Even his so-called friends fear him – those sons of Laguna. A Zanaan took the life of their beloved mother, of course, they would be wary of Bridonis, but they hide it. He is a thorn in their flesh."

"They love him." She heard herself say.

"Do not lie to yourself. There is a fine line between loving someone and being afraid of them. Either emotions would make one bend to a person's wishes."

"Brijjet is a good person!" She defended further and pushed him away. "I don't care what you say."

Levi chuckled. "Believe whatever you want. I have told you nothing but the truth. If you will fool yourself that you are in love with him, I advice that you think again. He is not worth it, and besides, you should channel all that energy to people who actually truly care for you, like the Shade that currently hosts my master."

Waverly's face instantly hardened. "You talk about Jud one more time—"

"It is silently eating you up that you forget about him so quickly." Levi interrupted. "Do not worry, he remembers you and he will come for you when the time is right. You will join him to serve Oculmus."

Waverly lashed out with Calaire. It caught onto Levi's arm and she yanked it. He fell on his face, but stood immediately and grabbed the whip.

"The truth seems to trigger a lot of feelings in you, mostly fear. You are scared of things that be because you prefer the comfort of all the lies that they are not." He taunted.

Waverly groaned and pulled at the whip again. Levi sailed over her head and collided with a tree trunk. When he stood up, there was a long curved blade in his hand.

"I am trying to help you see why you have to leave all of this facade behind and join us, but you have decided to be as blind as the princess."

"I see perfectly and without your help."

He advanced and a sword clash began. Waverly found it easy to use Dermot's technique with him. He was a good swordsman with good balance; left handed, but slow.

She knocked his sword to the side, and before he could regain himself, she dealt out blows to his face and gut. He fell and grabbed her ankle – the same one he had fixed – and it snapped under his touch.

"Ah!" She cried.

He lifted and threw her with incredible strength. She sailed and collided face first into a tree next to the one where the tiger was. The creature growled and peered down at her. Waverly's face became streaked with blood; her nose was broken and she felt a swell in her temple. The pain was excruciating and it blurred her vision.

"There is no use fighting me." Levi panted.

Waverly tilted sideways, trying to hold onto anything to help her rise, but there was nothing. She shut her eyes tight. The motion alone sent wild waves of pain across her temples and made her nose burn with aching pain.

"We can work together. You and me. We can cure this world of all the lies and deceit."

"You're lying." She breathed.

She felt a hand on her thigh and another on her neck. Levi was gently kneeling over her. He grabbed her neck and turned her face to him.

"I really like you, you know. I thought we could make a good pair."

Waverly went still when Levi's hands suddenly brushed against her chest. She had gone soft and round there, almost the same size as Phyllis, who was a few years older. She was growing fast, but had never really thought much of it. His hands moved down to her torso and he pushed her lightweight shirt upward to bare her stomach. His head dipped and found her neck, where he began to leave brush-like kisses in a trail.

Waverly laid still, unable to feel anything. To her, it was like being touched by a mere tickling plant. She shut her eyes and felt a strange sort of drying sensation clothe her face. At first, she mistook it for heat from Levi's body, then suddenly realized what she was doing. The broken and bloodied skin on her face was healing as well as her nose and ankle. It happened so fast that she felt it was a fleeting action.

Grabbing hold of the material on Levi's armor, she prodded him to look at her. He seemed surprised that her face was clear of the bruises and blood.

"You were right." She calmly stated.

He looked quite flushed, but an expression of contentment passed over his face. "About what?"

"About my abilities. There are layers of them that I am yet to unfold." She said and locked his legs between hers. Before he could struggle, she pinned both hands behind him.

"What are you doing?" He asked, panting. Shock clouded his eyes.

Waverly felt him try to use magic, but it rebounded like a terrible wind and blew his hair back.

"Showing you my unrealized abilities. You wanted to see, no?" She growled and flipped over, caging him under her.

She willed Calaire into a whip, and just before it wrapped around him, she rolled off. Up in the tree, the wild tiger still watched, but its underbelly had lifted off the branch like a pet waiting to be called upon.

"It looks like, in the end, you are the one who has run around without your head. I am your undoing!" She taunted and turned to look up at tiger. "Do what you will with him, but don't hurt Calaire."

With the nimble grace of a cat, the animal climbed down the tree and bounded towards Levi, who defiantly screamed his lungs out.

Waverly left to avoid watching him become tiger food. She walked on until the familiar stretch of the Woodlands came to sight. There, she heaved a sigh and bent over.

Why was this happening over and over again?

Wherever she went and whomever she met only brought her more and more confusion. All that Levi had revealed was a lot to take in, albeit some of it being potential truth. She tried to filter out the lies, but it was difficult to tell which was which. She looked up at the brilliant blue sky. There was so much darkness in the world in spite of all that light, whether amongst Men, Elves, Outcasts, or Fire Mortals. Every one had dark secrets and she could feel it like a filthy stench, filling the air and staining whatever innocence it came across.

She stared down at her wrist and turned to look back at the jungle. How had she known to speak to a tiger? It was strange, but she was able to tell that the creature was hungry. She did not want to kill Levi with her own hands, thus handing him over to a starving wild animal seemed the best option.

Just then, she spotted the yellow coat of the creature as it bounded towards her with Calaire in wristband form dangling from its bloody mouth. It drew closer and dropped the item at her feet.

"Is he alive?" She asked, feeling a weight drop into her stomach.

The tiger growled and licked its bloodstained mouth, turned and ran away. She knew the tiger had feasted on Levi to the very last bone. She did not want to feel guilty for her action. He had had an even sinister objective in mind.

She inadvertently reached for her chest and shuddered, feeling Levi's hand across it then bolted away from the jungle and headed toward the swamp to find Dermot.

When the door swung open, he stared wide-eyed at her in both relief and surprise.

"Where in the latch did you go?"

Waverly shrugged and stepped into the house. She appreciated how wide it was, but despite being a tree house, it was not carved out of the tree like Judson's was. She blinked the reminiscence out of her eyes.

"I fell over and you didn't know me. It was difficult, but I found my way back." She replied, walking over to the kitchen to plop on a stool. Dermot filled a cup with water from a goglet and handed it to her.

"I noticed you were no longer behind me and retraced my steps to look for you, but I didn't know where exactly to look. I thought you would return here, but when I arrived, Diarmaid told me you did not come at all. I went to camp to check if you went there. I'd just come in right before you knocked."

Waverly emptied the cup and stared at it. Until then, she did not realize how hot she was. She felt a question burn in her throat, but fought against it.

"Diarmaid! Did he leave again to join the troops?" She asked instead.

Dermot folded his lithesome yet muscular arms across his chest. "Yes. They are doing a thorough scouting to make certain that the whole place is safe ahead of the. . . you know." He gestured by rolling his hand.

She knew that he meant Brijjet's wedding and wondered whether he felt that saying it out loud would upset her.

"Do you have an idea where Yena Urwald is?"

Dermot looked genuinely confused. "What in the world is that?"

She shook her head slowly. "I don't know, but I think it is a place. I heard people talking about it and it caught my attention."

He took up a stool and placed it opposite her to sit. "You have enough curiosity to fill the ocean. I don't know where Yena Urwald is. It could be anywhere. I've never crossed the border into a different realm before."

"Why?" Asked Waverly, suddenly curious.

Dermot shrugged. "No reason to leave, I guess."

There were tiny bags under his eyes from many weeks of lacking sleep after joining the Company. He did not complain about it even once, whereas at every chance he got, Diarmaid went on whining about the troops and the stress of being with them despite having more than enough rest.

"Do you have to have a reason first? I thought you were an explorer."

Dermot blushed a bit. "I am, but my home realm is quite big enough for me for now. Perhaps, one day, when I finally see all of it, I'll look to the wider world."

"Where will you go first?" Waverly inquired, leaning forward on her stool.

He lifted an eyebrow. "I haven't really thought about it, but I think I'd like to visit Ezkaliepton."

She withdrew her head in surprise. "The land of Gypsies and Outcasts. Why there?"

"I hear that they live in powerful red mountains and that many of them do not travel by land. They're sea folk just like Elves. I hear the most beautiful sights in the world are there. They say you can stand on a hilltop and witness the sun touch the horizon at dusk. They say it is like the sun is barely an arm's length away, and if you travel long enough and quick enough, just before it disappears, you will find Threna there, waiting to cover the sky with the train of her dress."

Waverly watched him muse. His words struck an image so vivid in her mind that she felt she had been transported to a hilltop, watching the sun set.

"Wow!"

Dermot's eyes were focused on the ceiling as he spoke. "One day, I hope I'll get to see it. I just have to wait until Diarmaid grows teeth."

Waverly burst into laughter and he joined in. It was quite natural for either one of the brothers to poke fun at the other even in his absence. Diarmaid was unfortunately on the receiving end of Dermot's constant teases.

"If you leave him now, he'll set the treehouse on fire and end up living in the forest."

"I would be thrilled if he could manage for that long."

Waverly felt the pending question burn in her throat yet again. The yearning was uncontrollable, like a sneeze she held back in a room filled with spice.

"Dermot, may I ask you something?"

"What?"

"Will you promise first that you will not get upset when I ask?"

Dermot's eyes narrowed. He looked a little amused, but he nodded. "I promise."

"Will you tell me about your mother?"

First, a look of surprise passed across his face, then he broke into a grin that Waverly thought was the handsomest she had ever seen on him.

"So, that was why Diarmaid was upset that time. It's because you asked him about it, right?"

She nodded meekly. Dermot gently shook his head and gestured for her to stand up. She did and followed. He led her to his bed and reached over to the other side, pulled out a metal box then opened it. It was filled with a few things that looked old; a sewing needle, an old carving of a horse, a bundle of letters, colored beads, and at the very bottom, a small folded shirt. He reached for the bundle of letters and undid the black rope around them.

Waverly watched him open one and pull a letter from it, but when he unfolded it, she saw that it was too big to be a letter. It was a sketch. He handed it to her.

"That's my mother. Her name was Laguna."

Waverly stared at the sketch. It was done with charcoal and was very neat despite being an old piece of parchment. Laguna had big, brown, Elvish eyes hooded by the thickest lashes. She had probably been laughing when the sketch was made because the artist had captured her that way. Her hair was short and auburn, pressed close to her face so that her ears stuck out from either sides of it. It made her look like a younger version of Diarmaid.

"What happened to her?"

Dermot sighed, but he did not seem to be negatively affected by the memory of his mother. Waverly took that as a good sign.

"She was murdered a very long time ago. I was twelve when it happened. She had just returned from a long trip from Dakriton, but we didn't know that she was being followed and neither did she. I think she might have witnessed some unlawful business that involved her murderer. He tracked her down to our home and drove a dagger through her chest in her sleep."

Waverly felt her arms go numb, threatening to let go of the sketch.

A Zanaan had done that.

Dermot's head tilted and he appeared very solemn. "My father saw it happen, but before he could raise an alarm, he was killed too. The killer ran away right after. I never forgot his face."

"W-What did he l-look like?" Waverly asked quietly.

Dermot's eyes narrowed again. "He was young. A Gypsie, probably twenty or twenty-two. He did not look normal to me. He looked. . . as though he was possessed or something."

"What do you mean?" She mumbled, fearing she already knew the answer.

Dermot slowly removed the metal box from his leg and set it down on the bed. "Back then, I didn't know what it was about him, but a couple of years after, I realized that he was like Brijjet – a god's blood. He radiated power and I recognized it, but I just didn't know what to call it."

Waverly fell silent while Dermot stared into space. After a few moments, she spoke up.

"I am really sorry."

He gave a short laugh. "It is alright. Diarmaid hasn't quite gotten over it even until now which is why he got upset when you asked him."

"Are you upset?"

"No, I'm not."

Waverly waited a few seconds. "If you ever saw the man who killed them, will you kill him?"

Dermot shot her a warm glance. "Do you think I would?"

The question startled her. "I don't know. I think you would be very very angry by the sight of him, and y-you might beat him to a pulp, and then hand him over to Diarmaid."

Dermot laughed at that and took Waverly's hand. "I think I would do that too."

"Was Laguna a legend?" She asked.

He looked quite amused. "Who told you that?"

"Phyllis did."

He chuckled. "She probably thought my mother was a legend. I'm happy that she thinks so. My mother was only a devoted lover of adventure. I think she is being revered by some solely because she visited Crysoton and dined with the Queen there."

Waverly's eyes widened. "Really?"

Dermot nodded. "Yes. Although, some people say it is bad luck to talk about her because death followed her home."

"I don't think it is bad luck. I think she was still quite special even then."

"Why do you say so?"

"Because a lot of people often die the way dogs do, or chickens, or those unlucky birds that get hit by a stray stone from a learner's slingshot."

Dermot laughed again because Waverly had referenced herself.

"I think your mother was very important and that Gypsie was scared of her. He knew she could have been the reason why his life crashed. It was unfortunate that he prevailed, but your mother won in the end. She has established her name for generations without even meaning to. Him? He's still a nobody."

Dermot smiled brightly at her then pulled her close. "You have a strange way of cheering me up."

"When are you going to replace Diarmaid with me then?" She playfully asked.

He laughed, shook his head and stood up. "I already did, but shush, don't tell him."

They went down to the lake that night, and Dermot showed Waverly many constellations in the night sky. Nearly half of them had the funniest background stories she ever heard.

"Did all of that really happen?" She asked after he had pointed out the last constellation.

"I don't know. Do you think they did?"

"Perhaps, they did." She paused for a moment. "Will we ever be sure?"

"Probably."

"When?"

Dermot took her hand in his. She noticed how it had become an easy habit, but did not complain. In fact, she loved it.

"Whenever one of us goes up there to see for ourselves."

Waverly felt her heartbeat quicken at the thought. Would she become a constellation after passing? She tossed over and buried her face in Dermot's arm. The cold night breeze had driven her body to shiver.

"I didn't bring a cloak." She mumbled against his shirt. Something warm suddenly draped across her entire body. It was his hunting cloak. He went everywhere with it.

"If you accidentally fall asleep here, the Nixies might think you would be more comfortable underwater." Dermot pointed out.

Waverly groaned begrudgingly, but stood up and followed him to the horses.