The Adarlan coastline, its beaches lined with golden sand, and cliffs scaling upwards overhead, the rocks jagged from years of weathering. Yes, it was still something to marvel at despite the heard of dangers lurking within.
The air was cool when she breathed it in, nostrils flaring, the scent of salt causing Brielle to scrunch her face up with disgust as the strong smell of seaweed, that laid exposed on the open waterline burned the back of her throat. Damn Fae sense of smell.
Getting into Rifthold would not be an easy feat, but Brielle could not go to Skulls Bay until she knew this had been taken care of, despite her chest aching to go even further away from Fenrys.
He might stay there waiting for her, ever second her command weighing heavier on her shoulders. But with every minute and day that went by, was a day closer to seeing Fenrys once more.
Brielle upon seeing it had been thrilled the first time she gazed upon the sights the Coastline Adarlan had to offer, its beauty hiding the thing they called king. But it hadn't mattered, because the sky had been colourful with a rising morning sun and the air had been warmer then.
This time however, Brielle couldn't help but refrain from bringing back those memories as the heavens opened and cold, bullet of rain brutalised her exposed skin. No, this time around Brielle wasn't as thrilled to see the coastline or what elements it would throw at her.
That had been about two days ago, and yet the rain still hadn't stopped, Getting into Rifthold with a legion of Ironteeth guarding its walls, and their beast patrolling its skies would be far from easy, but no less fun. The news of the cities sacking had reached her when she was docking in a little town a couple days away from the capital. The townsfolk had cowered from their own words when they whispered them. Fearful that somehow the Witches might hear them and come to their town next.
Brielle had met a couple Witches in her lifetime, the Ironteeth interested her, but the Crochans were a race Brielle could respect, not just for their feats in the earlier wars, but also for their acknowledgeable bravery, and for going up against Witches far more attuned to brutal force and a dying thirst for blood, no matter the species.
In the time towards the overrun city, Brielle had kept an eye to the sky, but no Witch or beast had been seen. She supposed that was something to be grateful for, but after her encounter while leaving Wendlyn Brielle wouldn't deny she wanted to fight something that could at least match her in a fight, those things, whatever they were, had merely been child's play. Her first training sessions with her brother's friends had been harder than that.
The wind now nipped at her forearms; a chill running up her spine at the sight she now gazed upon. In the distance, Ironteeth with their long needle like talons, and lithe bodies were stationed around the buildings— or what had been left of them— the gigantic reptilian Beasts perched beside their riders on the spines of the crumpling homes. Their bodies dwarfing the buildings around them, Dirty looking hooks tipped the ends of each wings which were tucked into the sides of the beasts. Had Brielle not worried for her own safety in those moments she would have been fighting a silent burst of excitement at the prospects of fighting on the back of one of those huge airborne beasts. The image of the carnage she could cause had some ancient power sitting itself inside her chest.
Gripping the sides of her cloak, Brielle buried that thought into her mind, despite how much her body longed to fight beside the ancient species, Brielle now had the task of getting past them. A Witches' senses could easily match that of her own, and her stomach curled a little at how good the Wyvern's senses must be.
From where she stood, on the hillside, Brielle counted at least ten Ironteeth, each with their own Wyverns. The knowledge that there would be more within the walls of the city did cause Brielle to nearly turn back. But as the leader of her spy court, it came as no surprise that Brielle knew of another way into the capital.
~
The passageway into the Rifthold sewer was overgrown and if Brielle hadn't known of its existence, she probably would have waltzed past it without realising. Going into the underground network was a risk with the recent collapsing of the glass Castle, but a necessary sacrifice always had to be made to obtain something one truly wants.
Using the tip of a dagger Brielle stuck it into a crack in the seal, the lock had rusted over time, but jabbing her hand into the blades handle the lock gave way, orange residue from the rust coating her knees. The stench from within hit her the second the hatch was lifted. The smell didn't diminish even when Brielle shoved her nose into the crook of her elbow.
Dropping down into the passage was the only way in, when Brielle landed down to discover the steps had completely rotted away, the wood now no more than a thin strip of dampened material.
The ground itself squelched under her shoes, the mush coating her boots. They will definitely be needing thrown out when she no longer needed them. She doubted there would be any saving the travel worn, creased leather boots as she ventured further into the darkness, letting it consume her. With ever step the ground grew soggier, the air cooling in the tunnels. The draft moaned warnings at her but Brielle fused down any fear lingering, she couldn't turn back. Not while some of her men were still inside the city.
The acidic stench burned her nose, and no matter how much she covered her nostrils, Brielle just couldn't quite get any relief. The stench of damp and rot coated ever wall and particle of air in the tunnels, but Brielle kept a steady pace, moving onwards along the slick concrete sewer.
Taking a sharp right, her foot slipped out from under, the ground underfoot unforgiving to those who ventured further. A trick– they had learned to keep people out.
A rope lay strung up ahead, the light so little in the sewers that the slow swinging of its vines had become almost unnoticeable and would have remained as such had Brielle not had her Fae sense of sight. Stalking to the rope was a challenge, but one Brielle didn't back down from, when her foot slipped for the second time Brielle's hand shot out, her blade gripped tight. The grime on the wall now coated her palm. Her lip curled.
The wall had felt. . . soft when she touched it, the substance coating it in the darkness squished between her fingers, and when she moved them right now, bringing her hand in front of her face in the darkness. She could faintly see her limps outline, the blade gripped within her fingers. The palm of her hand was thickly covered in a layer of which looked like squashed up moss, a clump of it slides from the butt of her hand when she held it up, the movement tickled, a flush of chilling goosebumps ran up her arm prickling into the skin at the base of her neck.
Brielle quickly shook her hand, violently shaking from her wrist to detach what she could of the moss like substance, wiping what was left on the outside of her cloak Brielle finally moved and gripped to the limb of the rope ladder.
Much like everything else in the dark tunnels, it was soaked with moisture and squishy when she gripped to it, the rope strained when she leaned her body to it, but it held firm where it was. As Brielle began to climb, the rope swayed back and forth the same way it had been a few minutes prior.
At the roof directly above her, a wooden hatch was shut over, a small hole was cracked into the wood allowing the light from behind to shine through, onto her cheek. Reaching up, with an arm hugging the rope to her chest, Brielle knocked onto the wooden surface, it was a patterned knock she had used for years with her spies.
An uneasy feeling coiled in her lower belly while she waited suspended by the ladder, as the seconds dragged Brielle began to fear, for all those she had left in Rifthold, how many had lost their lives? Did she perhaps come too late?
There was a creak and when Brielle's head snapped up to look above her once more, the noise of unlocking came from the hatch. It lifted.
A lock of lightly curled raven black hair and bright smile beamed down at her from above. Alexi.
"Commander Brielle!"
The flood gates of relief burst through her chest, when the second youngest of all her division captain smiled and held a hand to help her up. Alexi was only a couple decades old, much closer to Aelin of the wildfires age then any, but he knew Rifthold as well as anyone and had served Brielle to the very ends.
The warmth of the room hit her skin like basking in a warm bath, a sigh of bliss left her lips. Alexi was standing upright now a hand rested on each of Brielle's elbows, holding her at arm's length, taking in everything his eyes could roam over, an expression of pure happiness and relief washing over every inch of his youthful features. The horizontally crescent moon tattooed onto his brow creasing with the movement.
Brielle returned the expression, her free hand resting and giving his forearm a tight squeeze. His face bore a fresh scar running along the edge of his eyelid, it crinkled when he smiled. Perhaps it had once bothered him, but in this moment, he didn't seem to pay it much attention.
"You have no idea how happy I am to see you" Alexi sighed, the weight of his position from the last few weeks finally appearing in his deep brown eyes.
"Same here, Old friend"
Alexi frowned, amusement peaking in his expression, "My age is deeply insulted by your comment" he stood back, "In fact I'm surprised your still standing in your old age Grandmother"
Brielle choked out a laugh which probably sounded more like a scoff, as she folded her arms, "Excuse me, you were the one happy to see me two second ago"
Alexi shrugged a shoulder, a lighthearted gesture he portrayed well in the sheer weight of the moment, "You do remind me of my grandmother, she too was failing in her ability to get herself out of sticky situations" Alexi seemed to stare down at Brielle's outfit, a look of disgust at the goop that clung to it.
Brielle peaked an eyebrow, "Like the one you are in now?"
Alexi stopped moving, blinked a couple of times then nodded, "Well played."
He turned, a hand nudging her along the lamp light hallway, which led to the noise of conversation and clatter of plates.
"Thank you. I do try" Brielle whispered to the division captain over her shoulder, eyes gleaming with unhidden amusement. Alexi followed on allowing Brielle to lead the way, along the corridors she knew so well, having spent many times building them herself. Running a hand along the stone wall she had helped put up, brick by brick.
Her steps were unfaltering as Brielle walked straight into Rifthold's unofficial den of spies.
~
Brielle's spies had many divisions, her base in Rifthold had been the third largest, after the ones in Doranelle and the South. But looking at it now had the bones in her legs quaking. The number of spies in the facility was diminished to what it had been before the Witches had attacked the city.
Alexi pushed the bowl of steaming food to her, she could smell at least three different spices in the mixture, saliva pooled in her mouth as she reached for the spoon.
"Colden will be joining us in a moment" Alexi said, easing himself into the seat opposite to hers. At the mention of Colden, the older demi-Fae male stalked towards their table. His broad shoulder mounted a great sword strapped to his back with a leather strap which barely wrap around the muscles hiding the weapons from sight.
Colden's dark eyes reminded Brielle a lot of Lorcan's but the dead giving between them was Colden's smile, Lorcan didn't tend to do that often. Colden stayed standing when he reached them, tipping his head low in a sign of respect.
"Commander Brielle," his thick accent was a giveaway to his heritage in Fenharrow. He kept his head low, the hilt of the great sword becoming visible to her.
"Enough with the formalities" Brielle huffed, spooning more of the food into her mouth, it warmed her throat when she swallowed it.
Colden rose from his bowed position, casting a quick glance at Alexi who had propped one leg up onto the chair beside him, resting an arm on his knee. "Well done mate, make her feel even more queenly" he shot the big male a thumbs up, "Really feeding into her ego"
Brielle lurched across the table, smacking the back of Alexi's hand which sat on the table, with the blunt of her spoon,
He hissed in pain, retracting his hand from where it rested, clutching it to his chest he rubbed the back of it while glaring at her.
"I am no Queen" she pointed the spoon at him, then at Colden, his expression fixed.
Dipping the spoon back into the bowl Brielle turned back to eating, "Tell me about the information you've gathered" she shoved around what looked to be a potato in the bowl, before scooping it up and plopping it into her mouth.
"The Witches exact numbers are still unknown to us, but we have seen a decreasing in their number over the last couple of days" Alexi started, resting an arm to his knee once more. "We have plans of their patrols, and watch post stations, we have not engaged unless necessary, their fighting style is all old, nothing new. "
"Our numbers?" the question had been cusping on the edge of her tongue since she walked into the den of the spies. Colden breathed in, his shoulders becoming a couple inches wider than they had when they relaxed, Alexi leaned in,
"We've lost a few. . . maybe twelve, but our numbers in the facility have doubled since"
Brielle frowned but Colden's accented voice cut in before she could ask, "We started taking in people off the streets to get them away from the witches"
Brielle didn't know why that statement shocked her so, she expected nothing less from those she trained and called her spies. A muscle twitched in the corner of her lip.
"But a question still remains" Alexi wasn't looking at her when he leaned across and dipped his pinkie finger into her bowl, the texture coating it Brielle just glared at him while he brought his finger back to his lips, smirking "Why Commander Brielle, are you here?" he quickly sucked the substance from the tip of his pinkie, "Because I know it wasn't just for us"
"And what if it was, would you not wish for my assistance?"
"You may not claim yourself a queen, But I know your cocky enough to know we can get ourselves out of this mess" Alexi retorted,
"While I did come to help you all escape this city, I do have unfinished business"
Alexi turned to give Colden a look of staged disappointment, Colden merely smiled, "And here was me thinking it was just because she loved us so deeply" the rumble of Colden's laughter rippled through the air.
It made Brielle smile. Rowan's laughter was like that or had been once upon a time. Often when Brielle messed up in the training suit, usually Fenrys and Gavriel would join in. The memories were painful to remember, for if this evil continues to grow that may be the last she has of those she loves.
"I have a guy within the city, a merchant, I have some matters I must discuss with him"
Alexi dropped his leg, propping both elbows on the table, "Hmm" Colden took a step forwards, "If he's still alive"
Brielle rested her spoon in the bowl, "Highly likely, this snake is as good as they get, he's still here. He owns a big amount of assets over on the western end of the city, his town house is a mile out that way. I bet he's cooped himself up already in one of his warehouses"
"And I suppose you will want the help of the best spies in Rifthold to get in then?" Alexi blinked a couple of time, leaning back, the chair creaking, with both hands raised in a gesture towards himself.
"Oh? do you know some, I think they could be of great use to me"
Alexi scowled but Colden stepped closer to the table, "You're not going out alone, we have mapped out routes to avoid the Witches, we can get you to him"
Brielle looked up at Colden, his arms rested against his chest, and smiled.
"I guess I really do have the best spies in Rifthold then"
~
"Who is this guy again?" Alexi huffed, his dark figure shrouded behind the fold of his dark cloak, hood pulled over to hide the paleness of his skin which would stand out like the moon against the dark backgrounds Rifthold had to offer in the early morning light.
"His name is Titas Acker, Maeve had me doing work on him and his... profits a couple years back." Brielle pushed her back flat to the wall, "Dirty work he was" speaking his name had her skin crawling.
A gust of wind blew through the alleyway outside what looked like a now abandoned tavern. When the air brushed her skin, Brielle tugged a knife free from the belt strapped around her waist. Titas had been a distasteful mission she would rather forget all together, much like all the others, the back of her arm burned, the muscles tightening as though he still had hold of her.
"If he's this bad, why are we going to him?" Alexi was hung around the corners edge, his head turning to look back at her when she didn't answer within a couple seconds,
"He was influential amongst the people, for whatever reasons I will never know, but he has a lot of connections which I need access to" Brielle moved to stand behind her captain, movement above causing both to freeze.
There was a gust of air, and a thump, a beat. Brielle stiffened; her bones turned to stone inside her.
A dark grey Wyvern flew low above the building, its caged chest grazing the chimneys that still stood on the roofs, like pillars hanging out, a particularly taller one caught against a scale and fell inside the alleyway they hid. Alexi grabbed hold of Brielle's arm; he walked her backwards into an archway, it was missing a couple of stones from the underside, but the old rocks held firm. Dropping into a low stance, tugging Brielle with him, Alexi reached behind him to pull an elongated blade from off his back, it caught the light of the rising sun which shone down the alley highlighting the old Fae language that was engraved into the center line of the steelwork.
The beating of the Wyverns wings grew quieter, the bellows of air softer. Alexi stayed low but shifted, his hood fallen down to rest at the back of his neck, exposing the dark hair, which was shaved, the sides and back being no more than a fuzz of hair, while he had pulled the longer strands up into a knot at the back of his head.
"I think the coast is clear" he whispered, "How much further along is this estate?" the half crescent tattoo on his head creasing when he frowned at her.
Brielle looked around his form, the alleyway was dark, and ropes of clothing hung between the buildings, like vines growing amongst trees. It was the only evidence that this had been a city, thriving and teaming with vibrant life. Ackers estate house was near here.
"About a hundred yards up that way"
Alexi turned to follow where her hand was pointed, he stilled, his elongated ear flicking before he turned back around. The muscles in his brow relaxing,
"Colden and the others will track us there. But I've instructed them to stay put outside."
Brielle gave him a quick nod before they began to move once more, Alexi crept forward first, the blade still clutched in his right hand, Brielle stuck close to his ass, using the natural darkness of the narrow street as cover. Their only giveaway now would be their scents. Any Witch or Wyvern could pick it up as they followed along under the streams of clothing. No noise of previous families surviving in the streets of this ancient city sounded as the two ventured further onwards.
In fact, they made no noise at all. This street of Rifthold gone completely silent, the broken glass windows empty when two figure stalked past, like figure in the mist Brielle and her captain crept along the cobbled pathways of the alley, footsteps quiet. Gates slowing as they neared the end.
Alexi held a hand up and poked his head around the corner of the building. Acker's estate house was across the opening, and exposure so vast they couldn't cross without being seen.
"Shit" Alexi pressed his lean body to the wall, the blade of his weapons dropping against his thigh when he relaxed his arms to his sides.
"Ironteeth?"
Alexi's eyes flickered in their usual confidence, a muscle tweaking in his expression. He nodded, Brielle wanted to ask, how many but stopped herself, looking across the courtyard at the entrance way to the gigantic cream bricked house. A movement flashed in an upstairs window, a curtain shifting.
"I'm going to distract them; can you get inside on your own?" Alexi had moved back to the corner, peaking around it once more. Taking in the positioning on the three Ironteeth stationed at watch posts, their mounts standing at guard nearby, one wrong move and he would be caught out for sure.
"Can I get in on my own? Are you forgetting who trained you boy"
There was a peak of a smile on the shadows of his face for a second before it disappeared again, his fear was a palpable expression heavily vacant on his whole being. His dark demeanor didn't hide the fact that in these seconds he looked like the scared teenage Fae she found all those years ago. Almost as if nothing had changed.
Reaching to clasp his hand, which had become taught on the handle of his blade, Brielle clasped tightly and gave a quick squeeze. Alexi looked up, paleness tinting the pigment in his cheeks.
"Will you be okay; we can find another way to cross" She offered the alternative to him, just so he didn't have to face the Ironteeth females alone.
There was a scuffle on the rooftop above them, a couple pebbles falling from the bricks and onto the shoulder of Alexi's jacket. Colden's familiar scent blew in the air. They both looked up and smiled. He could do this, for he was not alone. Colden and the others were here somewhere, hidden in plain sight and awaiting their moment to do what was necessary. Alexi was still smiling upwards to the rooftop when Brielle turned back to him.
Her heart swelled. For years she had felt so alone in her wanderings, but upon glancing now she realised two things. She wasn't alone, none of them were, no matter how lost they felt at times, how impossible their tasks might be. They were never alone.
Alexi was still smiling when he finally looked back down, a sudden newfound determination set in stone on his face, he knew what he had to do. The appearance of that expression, and its sheer rawness of the emotion it emanated had Brielle struggling to breath past the lump in her throat.
"I was not labelled 'The Phantom' for nothing Ya' know?" Alexi was smirking now, twisting his wrist in a smooth swift motion he swung the blade back into its sheath, he clasped Brielle by the elbows, the mention of his spy title brought back a flood of memories Brielle tried to shove down in the moment. He had been far too young when he was given his name, much like everyone else when this war started. Alexi tucked his hands away now, pivoting around Alexi used a pipe running up the wall to climb, until he was on the roof.
His body stopped and he took a second to look back down at her, looking to the female who had offered him safety, a life, a place to call home and more importantly people to call his family. Giving a quick, two finger salute Alexi shifted on his feet and disappeared from Brielle's view.
Brielle stayed watching the space where Alexi had stood, readying himself to face the Ironteeth, thinking about him would do her no good, for she had her own part to play. Everyone did.
Tightening a hand into the fold of her cloak Brielle reached down and tucked away the knives she had been holding, they slipped quickly into place. Standing upright now she looked across the courtyard. To Titas Ackers estate house, the building had a multitude of floors that made the building one of the biggest she had ever seen, it stood taller then most trees. Looking up to the top floor Brielle watched the window where someone had been peaking out from, the curtain remained still this time despite the onlooking had a clear view of the alleyway which she was hidden in.
When she was here a couple of years ago this house had been alive with parties and people dressed to the heavens in glamorous colours and masks, her own gown she wore had been a midnight blue, with a silver mask. Acker had his seamstress make it for her, she had danced all night long with Acker that night, until her feet hurt from the pinching shoes she had worn. That was the moments she allowed herself to remember from that mission. The rest was a blur, Maeve had some intel that Acker was shipping a vast amount of weaponry on his ships, weaponry which Maeve wanted the location of. Once the guest of the party had left or dropped to the grips of sleep around the big house, Brielle spent the rest of the night, letting Acker peel the dress from her body, teasing the information from him by the next morning was easy, convincing him she was his new lover was even easier. An unfaithful man would believe anything a mistress would tell them provided she kept the secret of their affairs. Titas Acker had been no different.
Now the house was simply a shadow of what it had been. A shell left unkept to the outside world. The walls were greyer and window unpolished. The once wondrous lush green gardens torn to pieces, the bushes of flowers without their usual colour. Many had no flowers on them, a couple had one or two withering flowers hanging off, like a sad man with his head bowed.
There was a resounding roar from the other side of the courtyard. Brielle leaned around the edge, one of the Wyverns had raised up onto his back legs, head moving as it watched something in the street below the building which collapsed under the weight of its massive body.
The three witches, turned now, their attention going to the beast which continued to snarl and snap at something, when it began to move, one of the witches broke from her position, snapping at the Wyvern a word which Brielle couldn't hear. The beast halted at her command, but didn't look back, Brielle watched the Witch disappeared under the Wyverns dark leathery wing.
There was no movement for a second before a figure ran out from an alleyway. The Wyvern roared and the Witched reappeared, racing to climb onto her mount. The figure darted into another street, just as the Wyvern took flight.
"Hey ladies!" Alexi waved from a roof top, the two Witches still in position whipped around to stare at him. Their mounts standing to attention awaiting command. One of them moved to her Wyvern, Alexi darted from the roof, jumping to the next. The Witch and her beast scaled along the rooftop with minimal effort. The Wyvern stepping onto each rooftop with ease.
The last Witch stood watching, her mount behind her, the last Wyvern was slightly smaller. Brielle needed for them to be distracted before she moved, chancing exposure wasn't an option.
The Witch hissed and spun around when a small pebble was shot at the back of her head. With a flick of her wrist, Iron nails snapped free, snarling to expose her even sharper teeth.
Colden stood at the other side of the same rooftop, sword in hand, he smirked at the Ironteeth poised against him. He was amused to find himself in such a position, facing off a body as deadly as the sword in his hand.
Colden's golden eyes flicked away from the Witch for a second, he looked straight to his commander, and smiled.
Brielle didn't wait another second, hauling ass across the courtyard towards the estate's gate. Her body slammed into the metal black gate, trying the handle was no use, a thick metal chain locked the gates closed.
Grabbing to the cold black bars, Brielle pulled up, wedging her feet in and pushing. There was the noise of fighting behind her. A Wyvern's roar. Her arms were burning by the time she got to the top, sitting against the bar, Brielle looked up to the rooftop.
Colden was engrossed in fighting the Witch who had now pulled out her own sword and was wielding it against him, The Wyvern behind the Ironteeth was watching, its barbed tail swinging off the side of the building, its eyes tracking ever movement its rider made.
Brielle began to step down the gates, feet moving into each gap. When her foot met the chain holding the gate closed, the gate rattled as her shoes slipped against it. Brielle's gaze snapped back up, meeting the bright eyes of the stationary Wyvern from across the courtyard.
It rose from it place, no longer watching the fight. Like a cat it crawled down the side of the building. Its lip pulled back in a resting snarl.
Shit.
Pushing away from the gate, Brielle jumped the rest of the way down, falling onto her knees from the impact She was quick to thrust up with her hands. Racing through the dying garden towards the front door. Praying to the gods above that Acker was stupid enough to leave it unlocked.
The sound of the metal wrenching when the Wyvern's body slammed into the gate, resounded behind her, grabbing for the brass round doorknob, Brielle pushed against the door. The air whooshed from her when the door fell open. Falling into the house Brielle quickly swung around the door and slammed it shut. She doubted the door would do much to stop the airborne beast, but it might provide enough time for her to talk to Acker, this house was big enough for them to play mouse and cat with the Wyvern.
There was a roar outside, stepping backwards away from the door Brielle sighed, the air around her was warm, a pleasantness to the smell that wafted in the entrance way.
The room hadn't changed much since she was here a couple years ago, in fact everything almost looked the same. The deep red carpet running from the door, going up the staircase, to the golden vases on the wooden tables, the candles lighting the rooms.
Brielle whistles while she turns a full three hundred and sixty degrees around the room, taking it all in.
A click in the air made her freeze. Spinning slowly Brielle met the gaze of Titas Acker as he smiled along the arrow set into a crossbow,
"oh fu-"
The arrow shot into her shoulder faster the she could turn away, knocking her backwards onto her ass. The noise from outside growing in the background when she pushed back up, hand going to push at the skin around the arrow.
Titas smirked while he walked forward, "I thought I told you not to come back, sweetheart"
Brielle scoffed, wincing when her shoulder twinged, "Is this" taking a breath in Brielle gripped the shaft of the arrow and ripped it from her shoulder. Blinding swears cusped her lips, biting it back through the pain she held the arrow up, "Anyway to treat an old lover?"
Titas Acker froze staring down at the Lioness Of Doranelle, the Seductress of the North who tricked him all those years ago, and smirked.
Oh this was going to be fun.