"Briar." Thaine's voice came out rough as he struggled to his feet. His gaze went immediately to the collar, the ribbon, the bells that sang with her slightest movement. Something dark crossed his expression. "What did you—"
"Careful," Malachar warned pleasantly. "Your words might have consequences you don't intend."
Karse tried to rise but stumbled, catching himself against the bars. The metal was so cold it steamed against his palms, and he jerked back with a hiss. "You put a leash on her." His words came out slurred, wrong. "Like an animal."
"Like the gift she is," Malachar corrected. "For Lord Malus, who should arrive in two day’s time. He's tending to business at the Forest Court."
The casual mention of Malus caused Briar’s stomach to twist. She stepped toward the cell, but Malachar held the ribbon firm, keeping her just out of reach.
"Are you hurt?" she asked, looking between them. It pained her to see them injured and suffering because of her.
"We're magnificent," Karse said, though his legs barely held him. "Your mountain lord's rock monsters were very welcoming. Didn't even break all our bones."
"Stone golems," Thaine clarified, his attention still fixed on her collar. "Ancient magic. We crossed the border and they rose from the mountain itself." He shifted, and she saw him wince. Broken ribs, probably. "The cold's killing him," he said bluntly, indicating Karse. "Draks aren't meant for this climate."
"No, they're not," Malachar agreed cheerfully. "Rather like keeping a tropical bird in a blizzard. Fascinating to watch them slowly freeze."
Anger flared in Briar's chest, but the collar drank it immediately, leaving her gasping. The bells chimed as she swayed.
"What is that thing doing to her?" Thaine demanded, moving to the bars.
"Teaching her the value of compliance." Malachar wound the ribbon around his hand, drawing her closer to him and further from the cell. She had no choice but to comply. "Every time she fights, resists, even thinks about defying me, it feeds. Eventually, she'll learn it's easier to simply... accept."
"Coward," Karse managed with a grimace. "Can't even break her yourself. Need jewelry to do it."
Malachar's remaining eye glinted with amusement. "Says the creature who claimed her as property. At least I'm honest about what she is—a prize to be displayed, a giftto be given."
How did Malachar know that? Just how long had he been watching them? Watching her?
"She's not—" Thaine started.
"Not what? Not property? Not a possession?" Malachar laughed, the sound echoing off stone. "Then why are you here, huntsman? To retrieve your lord's lost toy? She arrived to me with her hands bound. My harpies are smart, but that was your doing." He tilted his head, studying Thaine with interest. "Tell me, when you found her, was your first thought her wellbeing? Or your master's orders?"
Thaine's jaw clenched, but he didn't answer.
"And you," Malachar turned to Karse. "Claiming life debts, declaring ownership. You're no different. We all want to possess her, control her, use her for our own ends." He stroked a hand down Briar's hair, making her skin crawl. "I'm simply the most honest about it."
"When I get out," Karse said, each word deliberate despite his weakness, "I'm going to burn you so slowly you'll beg to die like your eye did."
The temperature in the corridor plummeted so fast ice crackled across the walls. Malachar's pleasant demeanor vanished, replaced with something ancient and terrible.
"My eye," he said softly. "Yes. Let's discuss that."
Briar let out a startled gasp when he yanked the ribbon and pulled against him, one arm encircling her waist to keep her still. "Your Forest Lord took my eye defending her. Such a noble gesture. Shall I tell you how it felt? The thorn piercing through, the sensation of it dying in the socket?"
His hand came up to trace the edge of his ornate patch. "I learned something from the experience. Perspective. A new way of seeing." He looked directly at Thaine. "For instance, I can see your heat signature, huntsman. How it spikes when you look at her collar. How it flares when she stumbles. You care. How unfortunate for you."
"If you hurt her—" Thaine started.
"Hurt her? I've been nothing but civilized. Fed her, clothed her, tended her wounds." Malachar's smile was sharp as winter. "But you... you knocked her unconscious. Kidnapped her from her bed. Dragged her through the forest in a cage of vines. Who's really hurt her more?"
The words hit their mark. Briar saw Thaine's expression shift. Was that guilt? She didn’t think the huntsman was capable.
"But you raise an interesting point about hurt," Malachar continued. "About balance. I lost an eye because of her. Perhaps someone else should lose one too. For symmetry."
The words hung in the air, their meaning clear. Briar tried to pull away, but Malachar held her fast, and when she fought, the collar drained more energy, leaving her knees weak.
"Don't," she whispered.
