"We could pass the time with a game, if it would please you." Breaker waited awhile before speaking, for they had finally found a moment of peace amidst the journey's many perils. A breeze tousled his hair and danced in Philomel's longer locks. It swayed the long grasses and waved the dangling vines. The grasses did not try to grasp them, and the vines did not try to suck their blood. They just were. Breaker and Philomel sat together, and they were, as well.

"I am faun'd of games." Philomel said with a slow smile. "Usually. How does this one work?" She leaned forward, shale eyes examining him expectantly.

"It is called two lies and a truth," Josh explained, mirroring her movement like a panther perking its ears. "First I make three statements about myself; two of them must be false, and one of them must be true. It is up to you to decide which is which. If you can guess the true statement on your first try, you win. After that, our positions are reversed."

In the distance a bird gave a harsh cry, either dying or killing, and they both flinched toward it. He chuckled again, and after a moment she joined in his laughter. They shared a long look and then the faun placed her palms on her hips and straightened her spine.

"I like the sound of this game," she declared, "proceed."

Breaker grinned, and the dimples behind his Y-shaped scars caught the sun. "In Fallien, I rode between the wings of a griffin." His smile broadened. "In Dheathain, I rode between the wings of a dragon." His expression became somewhat somber. "In Salvar, I was arrested for being thick with ale." He held his hands out, palms splayed, and his smile returned. "What do you think, lyre-bearer?"

Philomel wrinkled her nose. "The dragons of Dheathain do not fly, to my knowledge," she said, "and you do not seem the type to overly imbibe. You have made this far too easy. Go again. Although I must ask, what is it like to ride a griffin?"

Breaker's dimples returned. "Like being a god," he chuckled, eyes glazing with the memory. "Very well. I did not realize you were so remarkably astute as well as magically gifted. I will go again." He took a deep breath and cast his mind back, and a cloud of sorrow passed over his face. "In Salvar, I slaughtered dozens of native warriors because of a misunderstanding." He waited a beat to allow the statement to sink in. "In Dheathain, I lost the love of my life to a mountain king." His eyes swam for a moment and then cleared. "In Fallien, I made a woman pregnant, and will soon return to her." He smiled again. Each statement appeared as true as the last.

The tera'k stirred and lowed softly.

Breaker raised his eyebrows and tilted his head to one side. "Shall we continue playing along the way?"