I didn’t move. I didn’t trust that if I got into grabbing distance he wouldn’t drag me onto the bed and beat me within an inch of my life.

And that truth bubbled up anger in me. “There’s nothing wrong with loving someone.”

“You’ve known me for fourteen years. Do you think I’m capable of love?”

My throat was suddenly tight, whether with a pent-up laugh or sob, I couldn’t tell. I swallowed … and again. “No” finally slipped out through thin air. “You are heartless.”

The silence between us was so thick I wanted to drown in it.

“You’re not staying here past tonight.” Jember waved the board at me, and I took it without question. “Work.”

I worked deep into the night, graduating from the chalkboard to wood, etching so many versions of the amulet I almost never wanted to look at wood again. And every time, Jember would tell me to start again.

Pride and arrogance were faults. Knowing your ability wasn’t. I was good at amulets. Really good. And I had an excellent amulet to study. It had never taken me three days to master an amulet. Ever.

There was a reason Jember was denying me silver, and it had less to do with my work and more to do with payback.

“I’m ready for silver now.”

“No, you’re not,” he murmured, dozing on his back.

“You didn’t even look at this one. I’m ready.”

He opened his eyes to look. Long enough to humor me, but not nearly long enough to see if there were any imperfections. “Start over.”

I felt my heart pick up painfully. “I’ve done it a dozen times.”

“And it still isn’t right?” The question was sarcastically rhetorical, and it made my face hot. “Hm. Okay.”

“You’re not being fair, Jember. You’re the one who wants me out of here by the morning, but you’re not even trying to help me.” I thrust my wooden amulet into his face to make him look at it. “It looks exactly like yours. I’m ready for silver and you know it.”

He snatched the amulet but kept his glare on me. “Who cares if it looks like mine? Does it feel like mine? The slightest imperfection makes a difference.”

“You haven’t even looked at it.”

Finally, he looked at it, his eyes shifting, reading it, soaking it in. And then he snapped it in half and threw it through the doorway into the next room.

“Why did you do that?”

“Don’t lose your temper with me, girl—”

“It was flawless and you know it.”

“You want to get back to that castle so badly you’re willing to risk your life with poor preparation. Why? What’s there waiting for you?”