‘Why should I help?’he asked.
‘He’s your son.Is that not reason enough?’I ground out.
‘Torgrin chose to leave his family a long time ago.We owe him nothing.’
I had hoped this would go differently.But I had come prepared.‘If you give me two hundred men to take down the city gate so we can send our people in, I’ll give you what you want.’
‘And what is it you think I want?’He leaned back in his chair, linking his hands across his stomach.
‘Me,’ I said.
‘I could just take you now.I have fifty men outside.’He watched me intently.
‘Do you remember how that went for you last time?’I asked.
‘You look unwell.Weak, even.I could take my chances and save a lot of men and time.’
I dropped my wall and felt how weak the Darkness had become inside me.C’mon!Give them something.Torgrin and Cillian’s lives are at stake.
The Darkness answered.A chill wind entered the cabin, and shadows gathered around me, lifting my hair.The table shook, causing the tankards to spill.
‘All right, you’ve proved your point.’The general unlinked his hands and steadied the table.
The shaking stopped immediately, and the shadows retreated.I tried not to reveal how much that little show had depleted me.His sharp eyes would miss nothing.
‘I will go willingly wherever you like once Torgrin is safe.’
The general was silent.I was prepared to get down and beg him at this point.
‘I can gather one hundred men, but if you want to double that, they will take at least a month to get here.’
‘One hundred will have to do, as long as they can take down the gate and give us time to get our people out of the dungeon,’ I said, relief washing over me.We’d have a fighting chance.
‘Father, we are to keep a low profile.Attacking Capita directly is a declaration of war against King Hared!’
‘Quiet, Braya!’The general slammed his fist onto the table, spilling the last of the liquid from his cup.‘It will be done,’ he said to me in a stern voice.
‘Thank you,’ I said with a curt nod.
‘Show her to the healer’s tent and get her some food.There’s no point taking her to the king if she’s dead.’
Braya bowed her head to her father.‘Yes, General.’
‘Caris?’he said as I stood to follow Braya.
I stopped to look at him.
‘If I know anything about my son, and if he cares about you as much as I think he does, he will not let you leave him.’
‘Well, I will deal with that when the time comes.’
‘Better you than me,’ he muttered as I left.
Braya showed me to one of the many huts that lined the stream.
‘Thank you.’I found myself wanting her to like me.Was it because she was Torgrin’s sister, or did it have something to do with her being Cursed like me?I couldn’t decide which I wanted to know more – how she controlled her Curse or what Torgrin was like as a boy.
She walked away from me without replying, confirming what I already suspected: she didn’t like me.
