Would he have used the fire at his command to burn men as he’d burned the nighthunters? Yes, he would have. He didn’t like knowing that about himself, especially after seeing the bodies that had been caught in that rage of wind and fire, and understood now why the creed to do no harm was constantly reinforced every time Breanna or Nuala gave him another lesson in using and controlling the power that lived inside him.

“Liam? Where have you gone?”

Liam looked at Donovan and shook his head. A knock on the study door saved him from a discussion he didn’t want to have.

Varden walked in, and said bluntly, “We need to talk.”

Before he could say anything more, two Fae led a prisoner into the room.

Liam studied the man dressed in the homespun tunic and trousers that were commonly worn by farmers. A pleasant-looking man in his mid-twenties, who appeared more relieved than fearful.

“Sit down,” Liam said, indicating the chair in front of the desk.

“Yes, sir,” the man said. “Thank you, sir.”

He’d never dealt with prisoners before, but it baffled him that the man was acting more like a tenant farmer talking to his landlord than a man who’d just been captured in battle.

“You do understand that you’re a prisoner,” Liam said.

“Yes, sir, and grateful to be so.”

“Why?”

The man shifted in the chair. “You stand against the eastern barons.” Not quite a statement; more a request for confirmation.

Liam nodded. “I stand against everything the Inquisitors brought to our land—and I stand against any baron who supports them.”

The man nodded. “That’s why the lads and I were grateful for the chance to surrender. We didn’t want to fight you. The Black Coat kept stirring up the men by saying you were a servant of the Evil One and had to be destroyed to keep our homes and families safe.” Bitterness filled his face. “We’ve seen what the baron and the Black Coats did to our families, and if that’s keeping them safe—” He swallowed hard.

“If that’s how you feel, why did you come to fight at all?” Donovan asked.

“No choice. Any man who refused was condemned on the spot and hung for being ensnared by the Evil One. A man isn’t much good to his family once he’s dead. And it wouldn’t have done any good to try to slip away at night because the rest of the army is just a few days behind us, and the Black Coat said the Witch’s Hammer himself is leading them.”

“If that’s true, why did your troops attack us now?” Liam asked.