Chloe had a sudden realization, accompanied by a faint stirring of hope. Dion was lying to Palemon. The fact that he was filling his enemy’s head with nonsense told her that perhaps he wasn’t as broken as he appeared to be.

‘Hmm . . .’ Palemon began to pace the length of the room, evidently thinking about the eldren and their king.

‘Great King.’ Finn licked his lips.

‘What is it?’

‘Today I will set the scene, taking note of physical descriptions and principal actors, and tomorrow we will begin on the detailed story of your exile and return.’ Finn paused. ‘But there is one thing I would like to see first. The great sword that you wielded when you conquered the city. Perhaps we could fetch it? And on the way you could tell me about the land you came from. My scribe can remain here and take note of this impressive audience chamber, with its throne and royal captive.’

Palemon glanced at Chloe. He waved a hand.

‘Scribe.’ Finn nodded at her. ‘Make sure to capture the full magnificence of the throne.’ He then turned to Palemon. ‘Now, King Palemon. What was it like? This land across the sea?’

‘It was cold,’ Palemon said. ‘I did not realize how cold it was until I came to these lands . . .’

Palemon and Finn walked out of the room together, their voices drifting away.

Knowing that the time had come, Chloe’s chest began heaving nearly as fast as the tempo of her heart. She collected her materials and quickly shuffled over to Dion until she was sitting beside him.

‘Dion,’ she whispered. ‘It’s me.’

Close up, the suffering was written across his face. Her eyes burning, she saw him through blurred vision as she waited for a reaction. Finn had said he was a broken man, but even that description hadn’t come close to what she was seeing now. She prayed for some sign that he was still in there, somewhere.

‘Please, Dion. It’s Chloe.’ She blinked and a tear fell from her eye, trickling down her cheek. ‘Please . . . Dion, look up.’

Suddenly he spoke in an undertone, growling with surprising vehemence. ‘I know it’s you. Leave. Get out while you can.’

‘We’re here to help you.’

‘I can’t be helped.’ He lifted his head to look up, and now the expression on his face was pure malice. ‘I’m waiting for my opportunity, and then I’m going to kill him.’

‘Dion, listen to me. You can’t. You’ll be throwing your life away.’

‘My life is gone already. They killed her in front of me. They took all I had.’