Darice swallowed hard. “It must have been the stralen’s rage that allowed Dancer to tear apart everyone in the base today. He was so scary, Sumi. I’ve never seen anyone behave like that. He was like a possessed monster they couldn’t stop. It was terrifying.”

“That wasn’t the stralen, sweetie. Your uncle’s been able to fight like that for a long time.”

“Really?” he asked in disbelief.

She nodded. “I’ve seen him do it.”

Darice fell silent for several heartbeats. When he spoke again, his voice was barely more than a whisper. “My mother will never accept him now.”

“Your mother was never going to accept him, Darice.”

“I know.” He sighed heavily then locked gazes with her. “Are you going to run with him like Fain did with his wife?”

“No. Dancer won’t do it.”

“My mother will have him killed if he stays.”

“He knows that.”

There was no missing the sad agony in Darice’s white eyes. It was obvious he was torn between loyalty to his mother and to his uncle. “Can’t you talk sense into him?”

“I’m not sure anyone can talk sense into Dancer. He’s a very stubborn beast. But I will try.”

Darice inclined his head to her. “Thank you, Sumi. They were planning to ransom us back to our parents, and then kill us once they were paid.”

She laughed at the mere thought. “I’d have loved to see how that went when they called Thia’s father.”

“About the same as when Dancer came through the door, I’m thinking.”

“Probably so.” Sumi jerked her chin toward the cuts on Darice’s wrists. “Would you let me tend those?”

He looked down at them before he acquiesced.

She knelt in front of him and carefully cleaned and bandaged his wrists. “You must have fought the restraints like a boss.”

“I fought them like an Andarion.”

She squeezed his hand. “Your uncle and father would be proud.”

He smiled at her. “Thank you.” When she started to leave, he took her hand. “Be careful with Dancer, Sumi. I don’t want him to hurt you.”

Her heart hammering over those words, she inclined her head to him then went to check on Dancer. He was bleeding through the bandage on his ribs. She considered stitching it, but the damage was such that she feared he might have internal injuries. Honestly, she didn’t know enough about their anatomy to do anything more than keep his wounds clean and hope that Syn got here soon. The last thing she wanted was to make something worse in her ignorance.

So she did the best she could. As she redressed it, Darice’s words about Dancer’s condition went through her mind. Could Dancer really be dangerous to her?

Over and over, she relived some of Avin’s more choice rage-fits.

Listen with your eyes.