I said nothing, but something in my eyes must have told her what I was thinking. “They can help you, can’t they?” she pleaded.

I gave a slight shake of my head. “I don’t think so. A witch could, maybe.” But Tips was an all too recent reminder that even witches had their limitations.

“There are no such creatures in Trollus.” Anaïs gripped the sides of her chair so hard the wood creaked. “Except, it turns out, you. The whole city is talking about what you did for that miner.” Her eyes brightened. “If we got you the same materials – couldn’t you heal yourself?”

“No.” I mouthed the word, feeling short of breath. The pain in my side was sharp and internal. “I’m dying.” The words came out silently.

“No!” Anaïs shouted, leaping to her feet. “You can’t die! If you die, he…”

“Do you think I don’t know that?” I said, sucking in a painful breath to make myself clear. “I know what it feels like, Anaïs!”

I started coughing, the pain of the motion so intense it made me dizzy. It was a long time before I could speak again, and Anaïs was forced to lean close in order to hear me. “I need your help, Anaïs. I don’t trust his father, and the twins told me you’re the only other one as powerful as Tristan. You have to keep him alive. I know he did it for Marc, so can’t you do the same for him?”

Her shoulders slumped and my hopes fled. She shook her head. “There is a reason they have ruled us for so long, Cécile. There are none in this world as powerful as the Montigny family – I wouldn’t have a chance of stopping him. Only his father could restrain him, and even then, it would be a struggle.”

I tried to take shallow little breaths, but I could taste blood on my tongue. “Is there no other way?”

Anaïs grimaced. “With iron.”

I frowned.

She hesitated as though the information was a great secret. Perhaps it was, if it were something that could control their magic. “It is a method usually only used to bind prisoners until the time of their execution. Sometimes it’s used as a punishment,” she said. “The troll is physically restrained and iron spikes are driven into the body. The metal interferes with our magic – if enough are used, he might be controllable.”

A shudder ran through me. She’d have to torture him to save him.

“He’d have to agree to it beforehand, though,” she said. “And he won’t.”

I bit my lip. “Is it the only way?”

“Yes.” She closed her eyes, but glittering tears forced their way through her black lashes. “Except for one thing. He has my true name.”

I squeezed my eyes tight, giving her a slight nod so that she would know that I understood the implications of that knowledge. Tristan had complete control over Anaïs – and in this situation, he would use it.