“I assure you.” I sit up. “If I had my say in it, I wouldn’t bleed at all.”

“I’ve heard that from women before.” Yorl sighs.

I gasp. “You know what a woman is? And here I thought all you did was stay down here in the dark and order people around!”

“It’s my job,” Yorl says, inspecting my arm with a prod of his quill.

“Right. Your job is to risk your life walking into a hungry valkerax’s chamber.”

“It was mandatory I go in, because—”

“You were worried about me. How sweet.”

“—my entire life’s work is in there. And not just my life’s work—my grandfather’s, too.”

His grandfather. He’s mentioned him on more than one occasion. He’s really very important to Yorl, isn’t he? Is that why he’s doing all this? I clap my hands.

“I just remembered; you killed me. It was the serum, wasn’t it?”

“Yes. It causes critical organ failure after exactly a half. As you’re Heartless, you are simultaneously the only being in the world who can use the serum and the only being it won’t permanently affect.” Yorl offers me his paw up in a startlingly soft gesture and I take it indignantly, brushing dirt off my pants.

“Here’s a tip from me to you,” I say. “It’s polite to tell someone you’re going to kill them beforehand.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” He holds out another vial. I stare at it in his paw, then at him. He clears his throat. “This is going to kill you.”

“See?” I tease. “Was that so hard?”

We walk to the gate again together, the mosslight fading so that I have to rely on the sound of his footsteps once more.

“You’re sure it agreed to be taught?” Yorl presses.

I nod. “Fairly sure. Although, it somehow knew I was going to die right before I did.”

“As they have little need for their eyes in the Dark Below,” Yorl says, “they’ve developed keen senses for temperatures and the minute vibrations of a living thing’s body. No doubt it sensed your physical systems withering before you did.”

“Good,” I mutter. “Great, even.”

We come to a stop before the gate, and as the celeon guards raise it with clanking effort, I hear the scratch of Yorl’s clawed feet as he ducks beneath it. I scramble after him, reaching wildly and grabbing his tail again.

“Oh no you don’t. What if that thing decides to eat you?”

“You said it agreed to be taught!” Yorl snarls, yanking his tail away from me.

“I can’t control it,” I hiss. “If it gets hungry, there’s no growing back for you!”