“Why would you have? And you’re not an idiot, Qown. I don’t train idiots.”

“Baron Tamin back in Barsine Banner suggests otherwise.”

Relos coughed. “I’ll admit I’d hoped for … more … from Tamin.” He set his tea aside, put down his quill. “Qown, I never meant to betray you.”

His wording brought Qown’s head up. “So you admit you have?”

Var looked sad. “Of course. How could any sane person interpret what happened otherwise? The fact I never meant to hurt you doesn’t change that I had you gaeshed. A fact that gives me no joy. Gaeshing is a nasty business, but I couldn’t take the risk you would tell Janel about me.”

The fact Relos Var was right—Brother Qown would have told Janel about Father Zajhera—gave little comfort. “And now? What are you going to do with me? Sacrifice me to a demon? Sell me to some Yoran nobleman who wants a healer? Maybe the duke would put some extra metal in your pocket…”

Relos Var smiled. “I thought I’d tell you anything you wanted to know. Explain the whole plan. Answer every question you might have.”

Brother Qown froze. “What?”

“You must have questions, concerns. And you—” Var looked at him. “Well, you’re my punishment for insisting on bright students. Someone with a slower wit wouldn’t have made the connection between Relos Var’s magical signature and Father Zajhera’s.” He chuckled. “Senera or Irisia would have caught it, but again, see the point about insisting on smart students.”

Brother Qown stared. He knew Relos Var flattered his ego—a lure meant to turn Qown to his cause. Then again, even if Qown’s gaesh kept him silent, could he afford to turn away from an opportunity to find out Relos Var’s plans?

He didn’t think he could. What question to ask, when he had so many? In the end, one question stood out to him above all others.

“Why are you doing all of this? To take over Quur?”

Relos Var didn’t laugh or scoff. He nodded, sipped his tea, and pondered the inquiry. “Unlike Kaen or the Royal Houses, I don’t care about ruling Quur. It’s a means to an end.” Var paused. “I’m trying to save humanity. It’s harder than you would think.”

Qown stared at him. “Save humanity? You wiped out an entire village. That wasn’t you?”

“No, it was me,” Relos Var admitted. “And it’s been more than one village. Far more. I don’t enjoy killing, but in my quest to save our people, I would soak the ground with the blood of a million newborns if I must.”

Qown leaned back in his chair, wide-eyed. The word Relos Var had already dismissed repeated itself: monster.