“The man who saved you from Twist. The creature of sand and darkness. Who is he?”

Raesinia laughed. “There are many things I wouldn’t tell you, just on principle, but that’s one I honestly don’t know. I’d like to ask him a few questions myself.”

“We’ll see.” Ionkovo cocked his head. “My colleague the Liar has a technique for extracting information from an unwilling subject. Thus far, it’s been invariably fatal for the person involved, so I’m curious to see what will happen in your case.”

“I look forward to it,” Raesinia said. “I’m sure it’ll be exquisitely painful.”

“I hope you maintain that bravado when you’re locked in Elysium,” Ionkovo said, opening the door. “It’s sure to amuse the pontifex.”

“Don’t worry on that score. My friends tell me I’m incorrigible.”

The door slammed shut. A moment later, she heard the bar dragged close, and the heavy snick of the lock.

Raesinia stood up and took a deep breath. Being snide to Ionkovo was one thing; something about his thin-lipped smile made her want to smash his face in with a brick every time she saw it. But he may be right that things aren’t looking good.

She hoped that Marcus had escaped—Ionkovo would have gloated if they’d captured or killed him. If he was still free, he and Sothe and the others would try to stop the firestorm in the Docks, and hopefully save Janus’ army. If they succeeded, that meant she had some chance of getting out of here, assuming the attackers could reach the Hotel Ancerre before Ionkovo found a way to smuggle her out of the city. That’s a lot of ifs.

On the other hand, if Marcus had failed and Janus was defeated, it was very likely the Black Priests would carry her off into an eternal imprisonment. It sounds like something out of a fairy tale. What it sounded like, actually, was something she’d rather die than suffer, but she didn’t even have that final option.

It had been a long time since Raesinia felt fear on her own account. She was used to fearing for those around her, fearing, especially, that they would feel compelled to sacrifice in order to “save” her, trying to rescue a life that had been lost years ago. At least Marcus and Sothe know the truth. Not that it will stop them from trying something stupid.

She closed her eyes for a moment and rubbed her fingers against her temples. All right. Enough feeling sorry for myself. First things first.