Of course, Logan was correct. Felix realized it, logically, in the part of his mind that processed logical thought. But reason, learning and logic were relatively recent developments in the mind of Felix Harrowgate. Fear had found a comfortable home there since Felix was four years old -- since Keeper, and the scourge, and the river. He had an ocean of fear to feed on.

All he had to fight that drowning ocean was his anger. He had to get angry, or else be devoured by the thing that fed on fear. His eyes snapped open, and fixed on Logan, warning. Felix gave every sign of not wanting to be touched, or even approached; he felt he might bite if Logan got any closer.

Somehow, he managed to pull his hands away from his ears, though he curled them into fists immediately. "It wants to drown me," Felix grated out, the words dragged from him only half-willingly. "The river keeps getting louder."