How far had he fallen to be taken in by someone like Myrthe?

“Bastiaan! You know nothing about her.”

“I know enough.”

Mother strode into his room and yanked the books from his hands. “Look at me.”

He barely managed to keep back an eye roll.

“You don’t even know how her Talent works. Do you know how many wishes she can create at a time?”

“No,” he griped.

“Do you know what the cost might be of creating a wish?”

Sigh. “No.”

“The reason you feel betrayed is because you built your knowledge of Myrthe based on assumptions.”

“I do know her.” He knew enough.

Mother shook her head. “What would your attitude toward her be if you hadn’t known she was the Wishtress—if you thought she was a regular girl?”

He wasn’t about to play this game. “That doesn’t matter. She’s not some simple Talentless girl.”

“You would have treated her differently. But suddenly, when you learned she had a Talent, you started expecting things from her. You did exactly what you hate. You’ve always bemoaned how people want to use Talents for their own purposes. What is it you always tell me? The Talents are for the purpose of the kingdom—the will of the water. That’s why they’re given. You don’t know what purpose the Well gave to Myrthe. For all you know, you could have been hindering her.”

“Mother . . .”

“Do you hear me?”

She was relentless! And the worst part was . . . she made sense.

“When you first met her in the markt, did you want a wish from her?”

“Of course not. I didn’t know she was the Wishtress.” Ugh. He was driving her point home. She had the decency to merely lift her eyebrows instead of claim victory.

“When you first wanted a wish, what was it for?”

“To take Runt to the Well. But I didn’t ask for it. I didn’t rely on one—”

“And then?”

He saw where this was going and his stomach churned. “Then I wanted to use it to cure my muted Talent . . . and then I wanted a wish to heal Runt. And now I want one to use on King Mattias so he’ll trust me.” He dropped his head into his hands. “I’m such a hypocrite.”

He’d lectured kings about the purposes of Talents. And even though he saw the wishes as serving a greater purpose, he’d also started to see Myrthe as something other than a person. He saw her as a resource.

Mother patted his shoulder. “It’s not over yet. She’s still out in that forest. You’d be amazed at what a humble apology can accomplish.”

“I can’t leave Runt.”

“Runt is with me now. He’ll do nothing but sleep until you return. With the fire under your saddle, it shouldn’t take you more than a few bell tolls.”