Anything else you want to tell me?” I asked Valek as we stopped a few feet short of the castle’s south entrance. “Did Ari and Janco set me up for Nix’s attack? Do you have another test of loyalty for me up your sleeve? Maybe the next time, I’ll actually fail. A prospect that seems appealing!” I pushed away Valek’s supporting arm. “When you warned me that you would test me from time to time, I thought you meant spiking my food. But it seems there is more than one way to poison a person’s heart, and it doesn’t even require a meal.

Many have tried to kill us. All have failed. -Valek

Words are easy. It's convincing the heart that's hard.

Yes, I thought I'd try electrocution next. Since a bomb, a fire, Vinco's knife and a brief encounter with outer space didn't kill me.

Your path is clear,” said Moon Man. “You need to find it.” And the best way to find something you had lost was to return to the last place you remembered having it. In my case, I needed to start at the very beginning.

Knowledge, whatever the form, could be as effective as a weapon.

I doubt I would ever be missed. Noted absent, charged delinquent, reprimanded but never missed.