Duck Lake illusion; diverted

What passed between them now was not for Aventus; his gaze drifted between his parents for three long seconds before he turned to retire to Ursus. He had a lot of thinking to do, a lot of planning. It would not be easy to slay Evien, not least of all because he owed the healer his life.

But Merrick's word was the bear's will, and Aventus heeded both the one-eyed dragon and the ursine heart of his pack. The former, out of fear; the latter, out of reverence. His gratitude for Evien could not eclipse either of those duties, but it was with a grim set to his jaw that he returned home to plot his next steps.