Wren and Troy stood on the bank of the river passage cave. No longer could it be call Riverside Pavilion as the pavilion was gone and light if the glowing crystals had already shown great signs of diminishing. As they walked to the main manor, Wren was lost in thought.

The water passing ability of Glaucous seems more like passing through a vein in the body, the life giving water more like healthy blood. With his past experiences, after he consolidates his new understanding, that unreasonably powerful guy's gonna be even more unreasonable, maybe unfathomable. I get the feeling it would be a good thing for Jaden to spend some time with his father too. These new changes of the father would definitely benefit the son, maybe the grand-kids yet to be as well.

Wren's reverie was broken by a SYSTEM message.

Rewards for the elimination of fugitive Ephyra Nereid:

500 achievement points or class related knowledge package (1000 AP or less)

+1 reputation with Balance Keepers and Guardian Alliances

+1 reputation with Cross Alliance Bounty Hunters Association

Friendship of Usuway Umberdown (Miss Umberdown requests a personal meeting with participant Wren Tidren, Jaden and Lilly [Fecundson] upon completion of Southsea Peninsula safe zone. Each may bring one additional person as guest.

Well, that's food for thought.

After an agonizing moment of debate, Wren purchased the molecular model assistance upgrade for spacial calculation assistance.

Discovered: Class upgrade- Apprentice Creatriarch: You now know more than one secret but the road to mastery is long and arduous.

Spectral Domicile (similar to other spectral models in expenditure, EE efficiency stabilization synergy may be applied)

Class/Profession Synergy bonus: Optimization- copy, research and improve preexisting base models of all types

Whoa! Optimization lets me tinker with and even make my own version of SYSTEM given models, any models. A bit of equipment, enchantment and summon models are the only ones I have currently but, Damn! And here I was, starting to think that Soul Forge was just a specialized branch of my class!

What's the issue now, intuition? Giving things labels and putting them in boxes...I see. Creating structure gives stability but also creates limitations at the same time. Given what I am... symbolism is just as important to me, if not more so, as it is to entities going through apotheosis.

Troy realized that Wren wasn't following him anymore but was instead sitting on the path. Whatever was happening seemed important so even though valuable time was ticking by he stowed away his rising irritation and anxiety to watch over Wren and make sure no one bothered him.

Why do I keep seeing flashes of the logo on our equipment? No, that's not it or the hammer would be there too...Fire in earth? No. Oh, my growth diagram. But that's a circle after the triangle corners were knocked off. The ghosts of my perceived, theoretical limitations are boxing in the circle.

Triangle in the circle rather than outside of it... As I grow as a person, instead of limiting potential it pushes it out. Growth through self discovery rather than reactionary growth would fit me a lot better. I'm not a battle fanatic. If given a choice I'd fritter away large portions of time in peaceful and academic pursuits. That means when I reach the perceived limit, when the circle hits the triangle's border, because logic keeps going up but the emotional depths of myself change slowly, I'd stagnate.

Within Wren's personal realm, the starry bits began moving to form a constellation around the center sphere.

What am I missing? Dimension! Two dimensional people theoretically exist but I don't see myself that way... How does a person balance their lives outside of positive and negative emotion? What kind of person am I?... I like to make things... but don't I also destroy to make? Creation and destruction have to be balanced in a person's life! If ya wanna make an omelet you gotta break some eggs... Oh gawd! Sorry Little Omelet!... Okay, nice. I got a sphere and I got a... That's a pyramid...that leaves an entire hemisphere with no support or push... That equals warping over time... The opposite of logic is... No! I don't want that in my structure!

Wren fought against the idea of balancing logic out with madness as his internal structure shook. Upon the denial of the illogical, his intuition cut off and went deadly silent, leaving Wren to face this existential crisis alone. He knew if he didn't do something quickly he'd face having a structure that was crippled beyond a certain point in the future, quite possibly the near future, but without the guidance of intuition he didn't really know what to do.

In desperation Wren asked Troy, “What possible need would a person have for madness?”

Troy looked at him oddly for a moment before thinking about the question seriously. Then he said, “Well, musicians are always taking about how they feel more creative when their lives are all crazy, right? History and psychology never really interested me but weren't most really smart people a little crazy? I remember a teacher talking about a guy named Tesla. Supposedly, he's the one who really invented electricity, or whatever, but he had OCD really bad I guess.

“Even hippies and witches are always going on about their inner voice or spirit animals telling them stuff. You know, even though that sounds crazy, some of them are really successful people. I have an aunt who was like, institutional nuts, but she could read a person. Just one look at them and she'd be able to tell you all about their lives! It was kinda freaky.”

Shit! I think I just told my intuition I didn't want it!... The more I think about it, it's not as if I ever thought I was glued together, all perfect edges. I'm willing to accept that all those bad things are in there, so why not accept that there's parts of me that are a little unhinged?

Discovered: Tier IV Embodiment Eremita- Adaptive variable essence consumption based on user actions (Minimum EE or comparative equivalent 0.5% PPM, maximum 25%)

Advisement: Evolutionary catalyst resulting in -error- (restricted by request of A/I/C Hosts) Estimated growth potential-above average

Lost: Tier III Embodiment Sophrosyne

Host has granted operator request: Personal message-

Reaching for more than you can handle is dumb. Ever try walking around in shoes too big for your feet? If you haven't you're about to find out what it feels like.

Shoes too big for my feet? Feels more like I'm the marble in an empty spray can. Intuition's back but it's a little fainter than before...Too much echo. I might be about to step into the most dangerous situation I've been exposed to in this world tomorrow in over-sized armor. Damn it! It's not like I have an instruction manual! Well, I guess I do if you count my intuition but it flips right to the chapters I want to read, skipping past all the cautions and warnings.

Wren patently ignored all the low essence warnings caused by his sudden growth but that didn't allow him to ignore the sudden feeling of weakness and fatigue that hit him. He might have wanted to take care of Rohn's problems before the next day but his mind was too weary to think clearly. Whatever the issue was, Wren had no choice but to give in to the encroaching darkness.

***

Wren woke up in an unfamiliar room. A small luminescent orb, hanging from the ceiling allowed him a good range of vision despite it's dimness. It was empty aside from the bed he was on, a bed that had seen better days. Nearby he could sense Troy fast asleep, just out of visual range past the edge of the bed. This fact kept him from panicking about the presence of a larger, stronger person's nearly painful locked grip.

His body still felt really weak but serviceable, like he'd just broken a heavy fever. The little bit of wiggling he could accomplish only made the person holding on to him grip harder so he relaxed and tried to figure out more around the fading fog in his head. A faint creaking of someone standing out of a chair issued from behind him as light steps carried the person around the bed till they were in view. It was Mama Ku.

She whispered, “Let's keep it down so the boys sleep. I'll explain the situation you find yourself in and as long as Rohn doesn't wake up, perhaps there is still time for you to find an answer to all of this before he needs to be sedated through one of the most difficult days our family has faced in centuries... That would be ideal but I've never been much of an optimist.

“You see Wren, my son has gone feral. It is a condition that was infrequently seen but well understood over 500 years ago and as far as the surviving records are able to determine there are two known causes; a natural condition that appeared in batkin families with strong ancient magics and malfeasance. If Ephyra was to be believed, which I have been informed of today as bad policy, then you are inadvertently responsible, for awakening his latent gifts without proper awareness of the consequences. If your friends are to be believed, then there was a part of you that you were not fully in control of that may be responsible.

“I don't care why, Wren. Just bring my boy back to me. The one thing that everyone can agree on is that if there is a solution to this problem, you are the one to find it. Since it also seems that everyone is fairly convinced you are the source of it, that stands to reason.

The only things I can tell you about the illness are it's link to the ancient magics and that a feral will not intentionally harm it's children or the one it recognizes as it's mate. The only comfort I've been able to find out of this is the agonized look on your lover's face as my son debased your sleeping form, even under heavy sedation. Pity you were wearing that suit.”

Even Troy stood by and watched as I got humped all over by another guy? What aren't you saying Mama Ku?

Pulling his senses back to Troy, he struggled to reach out for more information, only getting a deep fuzzy sleep.

He's drugged and if I can't fix her son I don't know what's going to happen but I'd be willing to admit a mother who believes that she's lost her only child is capable of just about anything.

Not knowing how much he was capable of at the moment, he reached out and sent a wisp of LE through Rohn. As the model he had created twice before filled back in, he noticed two huge changes immediately. The energy pools that he had fixed with a formed line of LE had completely fused and the bit of his presence on the remaining LE pointed at him like a compass needle coated in AE/EE dirty mix. Trying to find what caused this was proving to be a bit harder but once he expanded his awareness out to the astral body of Rohn, what he saw made his hair stand up.

First of all, my naughty tulpa from back in the day couldn't have done this and I sure as to hell didn't. Secondly, I got it's attention, whatever the hell it is. Thirdly, if I don't figure something out soon, there's gonna be a bigger problem on everyone's hands.

“Matron, I didn't do this. I mean, somehow what I did to help Rohn was hijacked by someone and something else.”

“Let's just make the assumption I believe you. I don't but I'm willing to harbor a beneficial doubt since you had proven yourself the last time you were wrongfully accused, mostly.”

“Of all the pretty amazing and horrible things I'm capable of, I can only call one kind of entity from another plane of existence and we're related. Something is trying to use your son as a gate to come through to this side. Your son's astral body has been tainted enough by it's efforts I suppose you could call it a possession. Not to panic you but we don't have a lot of time before the cord that connects your son's soul to his body is snapped. Under normal circumstances he'd just go brain dead till he actually died unless his soul could be returned but in this one he'll be replaced by that thing... If you don't want to believe anything else I have to say, at least heed a warning. It's intelligent, powerful and more hateful than you and Ephyra combined.”

“Your unamusing slights aside, what would you have of me?”

“Get the Grand Teacher and brief him on the way to think on anything he might know about possession, more specifically exorcism. I'm too weak right now to do much but observe until a course of action is decided. I may only have one shot at doing something constructive before all I have left in me are fumes.”

Though she looked doubtful, Mama Ku didn't waste any time. Around six or seven minutes of terrifying eternity later she returned with an alert but sheet wrapped old man.

“Why are you still in the arms of that thing, Wren. It's dangerous!” The Grand Teacher announced.

“That thing is my son and honored guest you may be but I'll still insist on a bare modicum of decency!”

“Guys, it's a moot point. I'm too weak to struggle free and he's got his teeth locked on the back of my neck. The thing that's trying to control him has enough hold to latch on to me but it won't be able to kill me till it severs Rohn's astral cord. I've been bolstering it as much as I can and I can feel Rohn fighting to keep hold but unless something happens soon we're both toast.

“Please refrain from the K word since I'm not that desperate yet and the matron is already too much so.”

“I-alright then. The archives hold relatively little on possession or the practice of it's removal since termination of the host is the only surety but I did see that there was a time a bit over 700 years ago where five reported cases of sudden feral symptoms were successfully treated by a figure known only as the Black Witch. Much superstitious lore exists on her but in this case she was recorded as saying she 'drew their darkness into hers and hers was the stronger'. This doesn't seem over enlightening of itself but the most common ability she possessed in most accounts were shadows darker than darkness and deeper than our dwellings.

“It may not be of much assistance but it's all the concrete evidence I have other than a few accounts of top-siders who claimed their deities had the power to drive demons out of the afflicted but many such cases seem simple treatment of diseases that we did not have knowledge of. Possessions we have numerous but the prevalent solution is death before the succumbing, which has been our way since the war with the 'others'. It is a shameful thing that many deaths were likely unnecessary as they were linked later to illnesses that surface frequently when blood becomes too shallow in a family.”

Shadow does seem a lot like watered down void power. If that's true a single case of mutated shadow power turned void could happen... I've got a balance here. I'm weaker than I was when I sucked in the tar monster buuut the thing that I'd be targeting is just spirit. Now I'm pretty sure that wherever it was the tar monster went it wasn't my space. I didn't even have the void realm yet. Is the void in my space strong enough to eat a living spirit and if so will it count as the taboo and make me a fugitive? It's calculated risk and the entity reeks of curse mixed with something else. I don't even believe it counts as an aware 'soul'. That would be like saying that murder is illegal but then taking a farmer to court for man slaughtering a chicken...an evil, soul destroying chicken. Fuck it. Just this once I'm down with the clown.

Wren pulled on the center of his void, sending hate beams at mr/ms/mx spirit parasite. It wasn't enough but he couldn't stop once engaged. It was pure torture. He could make the draw stronger but then would draw in Rohn and snap the astral cord.

In the real world, Rohn's grip was tightening around Wren. It wouldn't take much more for the pressure to start doing damage and he could feel teeth breaking through the surface of his skin.

“Rohn, if you can hear me start pummeling the shit out of it with everything you got. It can't fight back or I'll get it. Stay away from the angry black dot. It belongs to me but it will still eat you.”

On the localized mental/astral plane Rohn's astral body drew some ashy looking energy into it's hands and flung it raw at the amorphous black and red entity.

On the physical plane, Rohn's body that was now nominally under the entities control would have used Rohn's phenomenal upper body strength to snap Wren like a twig if it hadn't swung in indecision for the split second it took to get slammed by the dirty blast. The peeled back layer of energy revealed a person's face attached to a bloated tick body.

And theeere's my nightmare dream fuel for the next year...

It screamed in a language that Wren couldn't translate directly but with bad dubbed timing he received, “We come and this time we shall feast on your world like a banquet.”

“We- We're ready and, um, we'll rain on your parade like mason bricks... Are you talking about the microwave/oven banquet meals or like a real banquet?”

The battle paused for a half second as both the entity and astral Rohn looked at Wren with eerily similar facial expressions, just enough lull for the weak void power Wren could muster to draw the old man faced tick in. It was a gory, disgusting scene in Wren's void realm for a few seconds when the entity hit the center of Wren's purifying force but he instantly started feeling better. Not a lot better, just instant. The entity may have shredded like a corpse bomb but it didn't have a lot of actual spiritual substance.

That's disappointing for how dangerous it was. Oh, it was just a tulpa...I was trolled by one of my own past abilities! Better close that gate then.

Wren could feel his body being moved but didn't pay it much attention as he focused his void power on drawing in the energy that opened the gate. It was all kinds of dirty but void took it like a champ, getting his spirit back over the 1% mark and LE back up to 5%. Using that as a gauge he placed his new internal storage at roughly 5x bigger but had no idea how it affected his spare pools at all as two of them were empty and the other two barely had a little gas like fumes of essence in them. A sudden jerking of his physical body ended his analysis as he focused his attention back into the real world.

“Whoa Rohn! What are you doing!?” Wren said in a panic as he saw that Rohn had stripped him of his suit as his face was supporting his upper body, nose painfully buried in the musty mattress, while his back-side was pulled up high enough his knees were just barely against the bed at all.

***

“Want you,” Rohn growled as he fumbled around trying to get into position but not willing to let go of Wren's hips.

“Dude, my partner is sleeping next to the bed... The Grand Teacher and your mom are behind you!”

Wren almost despaired as his first declaration seemed to make the nearly bestial minded man even more excited but the second declaration had driven through enough of Rohn's addled brain that the vise grip on Wren's hips loosened as Rohn quickly looked around. Taking the opportunity and what little strength he could force out, he twisted around, breaking out of Rohn's grip as he landed on his back. A quick look around showed that the Matron and the Grand teacher had abandoned the room, likely taking Rohn's purposeful and obviously amorous intentions as a clean bill of health. Wren would like to think the Grand Teacher would want more evidence but if the Matron was scooting him out of the room and no one had bothered correcting him on the rumor that Wren was one of Rohn's, maybe he wouldn't.

With a look of frustration and 'about to lose prey' panic, Rohn lunged to pin Wren beneath him.

“Need this.” Rohn said, managing to sound both undeniably demanding and unmistakably pleading at the same time.

I thought that Jaden brought some anti-pheromone cocktail up to the main house. Well, if he was feral then maybe not or maybe these last terrifying few minutes had me more shook up than the suit could keep bottled...He had his mouth on my neck and no one knows what my blood can do. I'd lay money if I was a life wrecking lust demon, Abyss bent on keeping myself alive, my blood would be hella scarier compared to sweat...and we're both sweaty.

For lack of better options, Rohn began to grind himself on Wren. The sweat and Rohn's building stimulation between them provided enough ease to make the friction feel good rather than hurt.

Either Lilly was right about my dick being a dowsing rod or I seriously have a thing for abs. Regardless, after all this traumatizing shit Troy is gonna have no worries about another dude. He should be more worried about getting his turn before I get a nice girl and forget all about... Shit even through the drugs he can still feel my intentions...It's all a bad dreaaam~... As interesting as this is, I'm not gonna get enough stimulation to get off easy this way. Situation gave me a fun easy way out with Glaucous but this guy's in full alpha mode. Still if I don't find a way to slip him some of my snake oil this ain't gonna stop any time soon.

“Keep doin what you're doin but unlock my legs so I can wrap them around you.”

Ha ha, didn't need to ask that twice. Oh, shit!

“You try to slid down any lower to bury your bone and I swear I will headbutt your nose and teeth through the back of your head!”

Rohn's slightly dilated eyes locked on to Wren's for a moment. What he saw there must have convinced him because he didn't go lower but he did lock Wren's arms to the body with the insides of his arm pits as he framed either side of Wren head in wide, gripping fingers. To top off his body immobilization he pressed in for a lip bruising kiss, and grinding against him even harder.

Kissing's never really been a thing for me...They're so thick and soft...snap the fuck out of it!

Wren embarrassed himself a bit when he let out a small groan after Rohn found an angle and rhythm that had his pendulous sack slapping against Wren's perineum and tickling the bottom of Wren's own tightly drawn one. In a chain reaction, Wren's unintentional sound of approval brought a breathy whine and shudder from Rohn that pushed Wren over the edge of what he could endure in his weakened state, liberally coating the space between them in a slippery wetness. The sudden change to suction cupping lack of friction had Rohn gliding smoothly at a greatly increased pace.

The sounds of slick flesh meeting and parting that filled the room, Wren thought would be enough to make a whore blush, as he thought about how much Glaucous would probably love it. His overly sensitive lower parts being relentlessly stimulated so soon after release had him twitching and gasping into Rohn's mouth.

The harsh and labored breaths he was getting in return let him know that Rohn was close as well but instead of giving in, Rohn lifted up and scraped a handful of their mingled fluids and slicked himself, flipping Wren over on his stomach.

Once again Wren found himself back in the original position that they started this all in, except this time Rohn's member was sliding deftly between the clefts of his cheeks, a few experimental strokes from a brutal claiming. Exertion and climax had left him in an even worse position to resist.

In a weak voice nearly on the verge of tears, Wren said, “If you do this after I asked you not to, I don't give a damn what you think you need, our friendship will be over.

“Damning shades!” Rohn howled before repositioning himself, his knees clamping Wren's together.

After two experimental half-thrusts to find the spot he wanted, he reached down to raise Wren partly way up. With one hand braced against the wall and the other resting palm flat just under Wren's throat as thumb and fingers firmly held either side of the neck. He started out gentle and testing, as if to see how it pleased him.

Taking the short lived opportunity, Wren began milking some of the remaining fluids from his softening member and licking it off his hand. Mistaking his action for an attempt at self pleasuring, Rohn penguin walked them over to the wall so he could both brace himself and hold Wren in the position he wanted with one curled arm, a cushioned headboard providing comfort to his elbow. He reached down a spit slicked hand to grab on to Wren's flaccid member. It didn't stay that way as Rohn teased it back to life.

“I didn't mean to frighten you. I'm in control enough to prepare you now. Let me take you. I've never begged for anything my entire life but I'm begging you now. Please let me take you.”

Is what we're doing really not enough for you!? I know better than to ask stupid questions.

“Bring me my pleasure once more and take my seed in your mouth Rohn, a goodly portion. Use my body any way you wish to bring yourself fulfillment once besides that and if it is still not enough. If your need is still so great you can't bear it, then I will relent but not before.”

Rohn stopped moving. He slowly turned Wren's head so their eyes could meet.

They were dark with a restrained violence.

“If I do this for you and you do not relent then I will take you, consent or no.”

“Swear to me that you will only take me if the need is so great you cannot bear it after meeting my demands.”

“You say this as if you are in a position to give me demands!”

“I say this with our friendship as collateral. What you ask me may seem petty to you but it is important to me.”

“No, I see clearly how important it is. It's importance is what drives me so desperately to claim it for myself. My reason clouds again, Wren. I will meet your demands despite it's obvious ploy, and you have my oath as well. I just hope for your sake that I remain clear enough at that time to spare you harm.”

This shit's scary. I've allowed myself to forget just who this guy is along the way. It would not surprise me if he's killed someone. And here I am practically trussed up, I'm so weak.

Not letting go, Rohn turned and sat, back to the wall, before turning Wren to face him. He positioned Wren's legs to each side of his own slightly spread ones and brought him in till their lower bodies touched. He widely licked the palm of his free hand before moving it between them to work both their members at once. All the while, he kept the darkly intense gaze locked on to Wren's slightly fearful one. Despite himself Wren found a trace of erotic thrill in the knife's balance between lust and wrath in Rohn's gaze.

Rohn's hand skillfully worked over their joined heat as Wren leaned in to kiss him and for one stiff moment Wren thought he would be refused before Rohn relented and opened into it. A small hope burned within Wren that even if the small amount of his saliva diluted antidote wasn't enough to cure Rohn's madness it would at least take enough edge off to keep Rohn from hurting him because there was little doubt in Wren's mind that it would only be seconds after getting his demands met that Rohn would take his due.

Rohn had been close to his first release earlier but the dampening moments in between, Wren hoped, had restored some of Rohn's will as Wren strove to reach climax as soon as he could. He bit his lip, breathing shallow and quick. Rohn's intense eyes filled his vision, the large and callused hand pumping their joined members both hard and smooth in one. As he felt the a lower tightness drawing in to him he rested his head on Rohn's shoulder, the tight ragged breaths drifting across the planes of Rohn's stomach had Rohn jerking and spurting his heat onto Wrens leaning form moments before being joined by his own. Rohn pulled them apart.

“When I was a young trainee, not much older than Jackoby, the instructor appointed by my father introduced me to the pleasures of intoxicating libations and taking advantage of my drunkenness he convinced me to give his manhood the deep kiss. Not knowing what it was I was being made to do at first I did not struggle. By the time I had discovered his intentions my fear of reprimand kept me to the task till he had found completion. I remembered choking on his bitterness and vowed to never let another man do the same. Though the act you ask of me does not break that vow it skirts close enough to raise that old memory.”

Rohn scooped up a line of the still warm wetness from Wren's chest. How he had known which was Wren's despite never having broken eye contact was a mystery but it was Wren's. As he lifted it to his mouth, Wren put a gently restraining hand on his wrist.

“If I had known that I would not have asked this of you, despite my belief of it's need.”

“If you had known and asked me to do this anyway our friendship is not something you could have used as collateral.”

Rohn finished the gesture. As he reached for the urn of water nearby he paused for a moment in contemplation before continuing, taking several large droughts to rinse his mouth before swallowing. Whatever way the wheel would turn on this one, Wren was too exhausted and over taxed to do much of anything except fall on his back and lay there. Rohn looked over him a moment, taking in Wren's helpless and fatigued figure, the exertion flushed cheeks and small beads of sweat gathered at Wren's brow. He didn't even need to touch himself as he dwelt upon the slightly parted and kiss swollen lips, the prize he had earned himself.

Pulling Wren closer he reached out to gather some more of their combined release from Wren's chest as he slicked himself once more.

***

“It does steal some of the sting that you taste much different, pleasant even. From the day, the moment, that you placed your hand upon my chest and saved me from myself. The longing for you was planted inside me. Yes I will admit to some of my draw to you being of some unknowable source but I swear to you. I swear on all that I am that whatever strange allure you may possess is not the source of my feelings for you. I have spent many years studying myself for unknown changes for fear of Grimshadow's reach.

“Believe in my words for I knew yours truth, know them truth. Can I not love you for all that you've done for me and mine? Can I not love you for the strength and character of your heart? Your strange allure and your pleasing form may have been responsible for this opening in my heart that may not have existed otherwise but it was filled with the knowing of you.

“Before you deny me one last time, will you at least consider my words? I feel the strangeness of my violent need releasing it's hold. As much as I am tempted to take my desire's wish from you, how can I? I'd rather tear myself in two than cause you the sadness I know it would bring, what that would make of me. Think upon my words. My heart is big too. To allow the love of a woman into our lives is no demand at all. Your attachment to the man-child is understandable. If it is your wish to hold him as I long to hold you then I can accept that with no pain of heart at all. I may even join you in bringing him joy and healing.

“I will not lie, it would be hard to accept Troy for we feel possessive of you in many the same ways but I would strive to if it meant that I could be with you. Even if this confession leads to a fruitless heart break for me, hear me on this one thing. That man is warped to you far more viciously than my own small madness warped me. A question that you may ask yourself, has he ever shown any expression of love to you that you yourself have not prompted? There is more reason than one for Ephyra's choosing of him. Be wary of her as well. My chance meeting of her did not leave me feeling at ease.

“My yearning for you is too great to stay by your side tonight. Think on my words. If we make it through the coming trial...sleep well.”

Rohn's words shook Wren but did not paralyze his thoughts.

“I will promise nothing but that I'll give your words careful thought. Ephyra's gone, by the way. She was a vile woman and I helped send her to her death.”

A different kind of battle warred within Rohn as he reluctantly tore himself away.

“Then some of my fear is eased.”