[ He studies Stephen's frown. The hatred and condemnation toward anyone using magic outside of Parfir's blessing never found purchase within Kahlil, if he'd had such intense prejudice Thorne would've tossed him back in the well. Or worse.

Kahlil's mistrust is applied to any man who seek to hold power without regard for the cost - not all choices can be good, but some are inherently wrong. The Queen and her supporters, their desire to control the Singularity. The experiment to transfer a Summoned's connection to a native. There are echoes of the mistakes made in his own world.

But we're using Thorne, too, in our own way. He lets out a light huff. ]

That's a generous way to put it. [ It's not the wrong answer, though.

He chews on the inside of his cheek for a second. ]

We have a mutual friend. She has a cabin in the woods. Past the trees is a tower - if you hit the gas station, you've gone too far. [ He gives a crooked smile. ]

We should talk there sometime.

[ He is, as always, cautious. ]