Stepping farther into the room, I stopped next to the small table in the corner that housed a pile of different blades and other small devices. Shuffling through the various tools, my gaze snagged on a short, curved blade that reminded me of the crescent moon in my family’s crest.
Selecting that blade for today’s session, I realized it alsosomewhatresembledthe claws of Ziana—my griffin—especially with thenearly blackhilt that matched her feathers and fur.
“So,” I said, turning back to face the prisoner, “you already know what information I want. You could make thismucheasier on yourself and tell me now.” I slowly steppedcloser to him.
To his credit, hedidn’tcower. He leaned his back against the wall, as if already fed up with the situation he had found himself in.
“I’ll say it the same way I’ve said it before—I’d ratherdie,” he said, his voice scratchy from screaming, but still unwavering.
Without missing a beat, my spare hand flew out and gripped his throat, pinning him in place against the wall.His handsattemptedto claw at my arm, but his fingernails were just barely covering his nail beds again;they’dtaken weeks to fully grow back.
Angling the claw-like blade in my hand an inch away from his eye, I said softly, “Maybe today you’ll get your wish.”
For the past few weeks,I’dbeen trying to pry out of him any weaknesses of the South’s that I could exploit. Anything I could use to win this war and conquer themonce and for all.
To my surprise, it was likehe’dbecome a different person than whoI’dheard about while here below the castle.I’dheard he was of the softest of the South’sValwain, and I figured that meanthe’dbe of the easiest to break. But despite some of my best efforts, he stillhadn’tgiven in.
Yet.
Baring my teeth at him, I took a step back, releasing him from my grip. His hands touched the now tender skin of his throat and winced.
Stalking back to the table, I placed the curved blade back onto the pile and ran a hand through my snow-white hair.
“Let’s try something new,” I suggested, turning back to the prisoner.
Icalled tothe newfound embers of my soul, stoking them with the rage I felt at this individual, at thisEzra. Herepresentedeverything I had been taught to hate—as well as the people that turned my own twin against me—andagainst our father, too. Against ournation.
And Father’s life had been the price.
But besides that, Avivahadn’tjust betrayed Father with her acts of defiance—she’dbetrayed me, too. She might not have left Hollis willingly, butshe’dchosen to stay away all this time.
Or at least, that was what they wanted me to believe.
I knew my twin—I knew nothing would stop her from cominghome, ifshe could help it.
I just needed to figure out what had happened—what hadchanged.
Using theangerI felt bubbling beneath my skin, sweatbeadedon my forehead as I focused that energyinmy hand, curling it into a fist.
The moment my hand ignited in flames, I met the male’s eyes, and he had the decency to look fearful for once.
I took a step closer to him.“This time, I want to know what you and yourValwaindid to my sister.”
“Didto her?” he asked, as though he was truly clueless.
“What did you do to cause her to change so much, sofast? Was it another elixir—something that messed with her head? Did you torture her into being on your side? Into not coming home?” I asked, my flame growing stronger alongside my anger.
“What? Dimitri,no.She made her own choices—she put herself first for once. We didn’t force her into anything. If you’d recall, it was your father that forced Aviva into things she didn’t want to do.”
Prowling closer, my flames burning bright enough to see the color of his light brown eyes, I whispered, “Liar.”
Faster than the prisoner could even process, I pulled my arm back and sent it sailing straight into the side of his ribs.
A viciouscrackrungout at the same time a scream ripped from his throat,and he was thrown to the floor by the force of the punch. His dirty,sliced upshirt was being eaten away by small, residual flames stuck to it, but Ididn’toffer even awing-beatof relief.
Pouncing on him, fist still alight with deep orange flames, I gripped him by the collar and continued to let the punches fly.
Over and over,I released my pent-up anger, hit by hit, until it started to die out. The moment myfurydissolved into embers once again, my flames banked, then winked out, leaving us in near darkness.
