Thegn shakes his head, slowly coming to. His whole body feels like it’s vibrating out of phase with itself, like his skin is only just barely keeping his insides from the open air. He grunts and tries to figure out where he is. He’s sitting upright. So that’s something. Definitely not in the kid’s bar anymore. Who lets a kid run a bar anyway?

He feels something move. Like a few sets of small needles in his left shoulder. It’s dark enough that it’s tough to make out details in this place, even for him. Thegn doesn’t need to look, though. It’s Caffiel. The albino rat continues to adjust his position to balance on Thegn’s bony shoulder.

Welcome back. I didn’t want to get in the way of you gathering your wits about you.

Thegn feels his face knit into a frown. Such a strange feeling. It’s like I’m remote-controlling my own body. “I thought I told you to keep outta my head.”

It’s true, but since there’s a bit of extra room in there, I didn’t suppose you’d mind so much. Besides, there’s a lot going on. We’re going to need to be expedient about this.

“More room?” Thegn parses the rat’s words, heard in his own voice. At least it’s not like the Karui, dumping full monologues of thought in an instant. He rolls his shoulders and turns his head, cracking his neck. He feels a familiar residual burning sensation in his upper back. He’d used his wings recently.

You didn’t notice? I thought that would have been the first thing. Your connection to the Karui hive has been severed.

Thegn straightens his back. He hadn’t noticed, but it’s certainly noticeable now. That barely perceptible but infuriatingly persistent buzzing in his brain that he’s had for the last century and a half—it isn’t there.

Do you know what your former captain hit you with?

“Durga? She never did anything to me. It was the other one.”

The human boy? Really? What could he possibly have used on you?

“Not sure. Got an idea, though. Certainly complicates things a bit.” He gets to his feet. “First though, bring me up to speed. Where are we?”

We’re lower in the canyon. Below that town. Ancient cliff dwellings. It smells like the child and Ezekiel have been here before. Seems that the Umbrati have been getting better at tracking you. Without allowing Thegn any opportunity to protest, the rat rolls up to his haunches and reaches across Thegn’s face, laying his paw on Thegn’s forehead. As I said, there’s a need for expedience. You’re going to hate this, but there’s no faster way.