"Maybe one or two things?" His look was wry. He had seen how she used the darkness to her advantage when the two of them were backed into defending themselves. "I'm used to letting people fill the silence. I doubt you could talk too much for my liking. It's fun to listen."

He wrinkled his nose at the mention of the bait. He could have done without that, too. He doubted they would have caught much with anything less potent. "If they're not it will be a cruel trick, to smell good and taste awful."

His smile was fleeting. "I don't think boldness is a problem for you. Luck? That's always up in the air, isn't it?" He didn't foresee that sort of thing in his future. It wouldn't be bravery but foolhardiness, and it would very likely get someone besides him hurt if not killed.

"We all knew what I was getting into." It wasn't the full truth. There were many things he had not known, things no one who wasn't a Templar could know about the cost of the occupation. Despite that he knew he'd make the same decision. That rendered any benefit of hindsight moot. "It's better this way when the alternatives can be unspeakable."