«We will only learn them at such time as our masters decree it so,» says Aximili, not without bitterness. «My people believe in free will, but higher beings such as these seem to have little respect for it.»

Recalling what the other human female had told him over the tablet, Aximili heads south toward the forest. «I will find a place to make a home here. But I swear upon my honor that it will only be a temporary one.»