"Hey, Vex," Ren said, looking at him across the small wooden boat, her voice cutting through the chorus of unsettling clicking sounds echoing from the dark swamp. "Do you remember that place we went under the swamp? The one with the big waterfall, when I went to save you that night?"
Vex paused his rowing. The wooden paddle hovered just above the black, bubbling sludge. He raised his free hand, scratched his head and let out a bright, overly cheerful sound.
"Nope!" The 'p' popped loudly in the quiet mist.
Ren narrowed her eyes at him, crossing her arms over her chest. "You are lying."
"My dear Little Rose, you wound me," Vex replied, pressing a hand to his chest in a display of theatrical hurt. "You didn't save me. If you had, how did I end up right back in Syris's depressing dungeon? It was a dream. A trick of the swamp air playing with our fragile minds."
