His gaze haunted, Maris nodded. “Kyr should have punished him and released him. Bastard. And he was smart enough not to tell a single soul about it. He knew what would happen if word got back to the family.” He moved to stand beside Hauk. “By the way, Saf owes his life to Sumi, and it’s a debt he won’t ever forget.”

“How so?”

“To cow her and make her fall in line, Kyr took her to see Saf. He wanted to show her how far he’d go if he was crossed, and what he’d do to her and her daughter. Sumi, before she went after you, sent this to my father.” Mari played the voice message. While her voice was low and broken in places, there was no mistaking it as hers.

“Emperor Zatyr, I hope you will listen to this message and that it reaches you. I have been told that the Phrixians do not condone any form of torture. Please let that be correct. Um… Sir… Majesty, I know it’s not my place, but I wanted you to know that your son, Safir Jari, is being held without trial and routinely tortured. Not interrogated, Majesty. Tortured. Horribly and brutally. For no other reason than the prime commander wants him to feel the weight of his anger. I don’t even know if he’ll live long enough for you to receive this or what the Phrixian stance really is on such things. But as his father, I thought you should know. I know no other way to help him. I hope you can. No one deserves what’s being done to him. Thank you, sir. And if you would, please destroy this. It would mean my life if the prime commander ever knew I’d sent it to you.”

Hauk gaped at Maris. “Why didn’t he destroy it?”

“He kept it only so that he could find and thank the woman who sent it, and make sure she wasn’t harmed for alerting him. And if you knew how my father felt about women, you’d really appreciate the gesture. When it comes to females on our world, we are not Andarion. They are only property and trophies to my people. A means to an end. My father is a misogynist on steroids. I’m still reeling that he’s actually acknowledging Cairistiona as a ruling queen. Which tells you exactly how seriously he’s taking this, and how badly Kyr tortured Saf.”

Hauk winced over that. “We should have never left him behind.”

Maris sighed. “We had no choice. I tried to drag him with us, but he chose to stay with Kyr, and that loyalty is what saved his life and his royal standing on Phrixus. And it’s what has motivated my father to go to war and help you find your daughter. You don’t repay loyalty and honor with betrayal.”