"Now thou wert just showing off," frowned Jalemmil. "Surely that would have been a good time to escape." "Thou might think so," agreed Zarek. "But thou had to see the topography—a few large trees, and then nothing but shrubs. Ulin would have noticed my absence and caught up with me in no time, and I would have had a hard time explaining Mathais's absence. However, the brief forage around the area allowed me to observe some of the trees close up, and I could formulate my final plan. "'I'll show thee,' he said, ripping up a ten-foot-tall specimen effortlessly. Jalemmil embraced her son once again.