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"So?" Ryze asked. "They haven't done much damage so far."
"Exactly," Cavan agreed. "It's like a hen pecking at a hunk of bread."
"A hen can't swallow a loaf of bread whole," I said. "All she can do is peck at it."
"Until what?" Cavan asked.
I frowned. "Until she manages to tear it apart. You think that's what's happening here? That if they nibble at us here and there, we'll tear ourselves apart?"
"Considering our struggle to remain civil to one another, I'd say they're assuming that will be the result," Cavan said. "Whether or not it is, is up to us."
"I think he's trying to tell you to play nice," Vayne said to Ryze.
"I always play nice," Ryze said. "But why do something different here than in Garial?"
He thought for a moment before he answered his own question. "They misjudged. They didn't think there'd be anyone in Lysarial who could deal with extreme heat. And they didn't think there'd be anyone here who could stop that wind."
"Khala didn't stop it," I said. "Either someone else did, or it stopped by itself."
"Dalyth might have," Cavan said. "But no one would have anticipated her being here in Lysarial. Whatever they're basing their information on, it's out of date."
"Or a bunch of coincidences," Vayne said.
"Or that," Ryze agreed. "If we can ascertain what they think they know, maybe we can get ahead of them."
"If they think we're looking for them, chances are they'll know we'll go to Havenmoor," Cavan said slowly. "If they can only act once a day, we should go there now."
"They might be anticipating that we assume they can only act once a day," Ryze said.
"Whatever we decide we can assume, they assume," I pointed out. "Maybe we should be as prepared as we can."
"That goes without saying," Vayne said with a grunt.
"Why did you ask about the griffins?" Cavan asked me suddenly.
I glanced at Ryze.
He closed his eyes for a moment, then reluctantly nodded. "If they want us to tear ourselves apart, the best we can do is to not let them. Let's go back into the library."
Cavan regarded Ryze for a moment, but followed us back inside.
"Just in time," Khala said as we approached. "I've finished writing out the songs." She handed the paper with her neat handwriting on it to Ryze.
"I can't remember the last time I saw handwriting I could read so easily," Ryze said. He folded the paper and placed it into his pocket. "I'm so used to writing that looks like a spider was crawling along the page and got squashed."
"In other words, your own writing?" Cavan asked.
Ryze smirked. "No, not mine." He turned to me. "You might as well tell Cavan everything you told us. If nothing else, it will save him from complaining later about things he didn't know."
He leaned against one of the shelves, cocked his head and waved a hand to give me the floor. A faint smile graced his full lips.
Cavan smirked back. "You'll thank me when your court isn't in ashes." He turned from Ryze and raised an eyebrow at me. He was too attractive for his own good. Probably mine and Khala's too.
In as few words as possible, I told them what I saw both times. Standing on the battlefield and standing on the mountainside. They all listened intently while I spoke.
"Have you ever seen anything like that before?" Ryze asked with a frown.
I shook my head. "Never. I'm not sure I want to again. I felt like I was standing in someone else's body." I couldn't contain the shudder that passed through me. If something like that were to happen when I was supposed to be killing someone, I may end up being the dead Fae. I didn't much care for that idea.
