The Fable sneered at the prince. The comment about Gin was not appreciated. "I'm still alive, aren't I?" He pulled his hands away and leaned back. "So I'd call that a victory."

While Jack would have liked to make it the library the previous night, he still subscribed to the notion that so long as he was alive, he hadn't lost completely. If he thought any other way, he would have died long ago in the homelands.

"I have accepted some help," Jack responded to the second comment, a smug grin crossing his face. "I asked my good pal Kou to do me a favor."