Bearclaw Valley You must be, or you wouldn't have come here

He knew that Arielle was speaking sense — she wouldn’t lie to him, ever, not even if the rest of the world did — but there were pieces missing in his mind. Stillrift. Stillrift was not the canyon. Why did he think...?

Then Arielle said something even more nonsensical and Aventus shook his head. To him, it felt like his ears were flapping against the sides of his face at lightning speed, but in reality, it was a slow and disbelieving shake. Val, no, no, he wouldn’t, why would he...?

She asked questions that he answered, for once, with a truthful, no, because he didn’t think anything else hurt. On command, he made an effort to stand. There was no pain except for an insistent prodding at his temples, but his vision dipped and bucked wildly at the edges, making him stagger. Wugh, he groaned, planting his paws and dropping his head between his shoulders to try to quell the spinning.

All the while, his brain nattered on: Val wouldn't, he wouldn't, he couldn't—