He didn’t say anything, just gave me a somewhat disbelieving look, then followed Sam and the other PIT officers out the door. As it clanged shut, I glanced at Adam and said, “So how do we play this?”

“This is your game. I’m just here to stop any sort of connection happening.”

Sparks danced across my fingertips in anticipation. “How close is he to consciousness?”

“Close enough.”

“Good.” I hobbled forward, raised a hand, and slapped Frederick across the cheek. The blow was hard enough to snap his head sideways, but there was no immediate response. I slapped him again. His eyes popped open, and he swore. But the words were slow and somewhat slurred.

Then his gaze narrowed, and I rather suspected he was reaching for some sort of magic. I didn’t wait to see if the drug we’d administered had worked; I simply slapped him for a third time. I might not know a whole lot about magic, but I knew spells needed the caster’s undivided attention. If rattling his teeth disrupted that, I was more than happy to keep doing it.

“Frederick, you have one chance, and one chance only, to tell me what I want to know, or I’m going to burn you piece by tiny piece, until you’re screaming for the salvation of death.”

Frederick’s smile was cool and altogether too calm. “You can hurt me as much as you like, but I will never tell you anything. I can’t.”

“I’m not so sure about that,” I said. “I’m thinking your inability to give me answers might rely on your master’s restrictions rather than on any sort of mental strength on your part.”

“Perhaps that is so, but it still means I can’t give you anything.”

“A statement that is true only if you can actually reach Rinaldo—and I rather think you can’t right now.”

He was silent for a minute, his expression slackening, suggesting he was attempting to reach Rinaldo telepathically; then it came to life again filled with a mix of fury and fear.

“What have you done to me?” His body jerked as he tried to leap at me, but he was too well tied to move even the smallest amount. So he settled for raising his head and spitting.

I sizzled the globule long before it got anywhere near me. “It’s not much fun being on the other side of things, is it?”

“I’ll get you for this, bitch.”

Sweat was beginning to dot his forehead. I wondered if it was fear, or the drug taking hold. If it was the drug, then maybe I needed to speed things along. Keeping him confused as well as fearful was probably my best means of assault right now.