He gave her a lazy smile. “We both have what the other wants. But time is on my side, Tryneowy. Your father wears chains and is being kept in the dark.” His face turned cruel as he spoke. “His face is sheathed in a hood that makes it difficult to breathe. He reeks of his own filth. And best of all, he has forgotten you completely. Yes, my dear. He cannot remember you. He cannot remember his wife. He doesn’t know his own name. You have no comprehension of the power that we possess. You will not find him on your own. And if anyone tries to free him, he will be killed without mercy. Even to attempt it risks his life.”

He pressed his cheek against a bar of his cell, his glowing eye glaring at her like a cat’s. It made him seem inhuman. Everything inside of her wanted to react to him, but she tried to stifle her horror. Clenching her teeth, balling her hands into fists, she stared back at him.

“Why?” she demanded hotly.

“You might be wondering how I’ve managed to add to my store of power in this cell,” Rucrius said. “Revenge. You, my dear, deeply underestimate the force of that motive. I do not need to stack tiles. I don’t need to stitch or play a harp. Revenge is the power of thought. And you cannot stop me from thinking. You stole from me the only woman I loved. I tried to get her back. You will never live up to your potential, Tryneowy, until you embrace revenge in your heart and in your will. You’ve had so many chances to learn that lesson. That disgusting slack cheek of yours started it. You’ve shied away from the truth, but you’ll find that revenge endures forever. Like it or not, you are already becoming one of us.”

He smiled at her through the bars and it made her sick.

The infection of his words had begun to shake part of her loose inside, rattling her to break apart like a . . . like a wagon wheel. Her eyes widened with horror at the thoughts.

“My brother,” she gasped.

And the knowing look on Rucrius’s face made her shrink.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN The Fault Staff

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

The Fault Staff

Not since taking the five oaths had Trynne been so tempted to break one of them. She wanted to punish Rucrius, to inflict pain on him and force him to reveal where her father was being held prisoner. But she would not. She knew she could not trust what he told her; his words were infectious and subtle, and she knew that he was trying to manipulate her and her emotions. So she left without a word, giving her guards the order that if he tried to escape, he should be executed immediately. His death would be in his own hands.