"If Wylan can learn ours, I imagine anyone can," Caleb said, and then frowned softly, because that sounded very dismissive of Wylan's talents in this case. The boy was very dedicated to his studies and lessons and the slow practice of learning what Caleb had to teach him.

But Wylan had only mentioned Grisha themselves in passing, and Caleb hadn't pressed very hard about these magicians in his homeland, what they could do. Perhaps he should have. Perhaps he needed to know a bit more, to better understand everything. And maybe this man's world, with its shadows, was different all over again.

He longed to find every magic user in this place and study them all, to understand how they were the same and different and understand the new sort of world they were living in. Was his frustration that Essek had managed to do that or...something else?

His gaze lingered slightly on Essek's mouth before he made himself look away.