And that began with acknowledging that my victory was by proxy, and was at the hooves—or rather, hands—of whatever that strange alien in my dream was. And that once the Princes had recovered from their little setback, they would undoubtedly return with a vengeance. Again, I had to assume that their purpose for coming to this faraway foreign land was tied to that strange, unmistakably evil alien with his own twisted yet exceptionally powerful Gift.