"Sometimes the most terrifying forces come in the smallest packages," Mathias answers sagely and he could be serious but for the small quirk at one corner of his mouth. It's true in a way, although he'd never say it quite like that, but it's a lesson he learned with the vines.

They're not here, though. He knows this.

"Besides, you must be at least three feel tall," he adds. "If not more."