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“Obviously because it succeeded in its goal,” Bart said. “It wanted them together.”

“So, both Heartbreak and Osric want them together,” Edmund said. “I assume for different reasons. Destiny helped Heartbreak, so it's motivation is clear. But why—”

“Wait, how did Destiny help Heartbreak?” Alistair asked. “Doesn't it enjoy pain?”

The Conclave looked at Tristan.

“I thought it did,” Tristan whispered. “But maybe I was wrong.”

“Why drive us toward pain if they don't enjoy it?” Bart's expression went vicious. “They're sadistic things.”

“I don't believe that.” Seraphel looked down his nose at Bart. “They had no control over their birth.”

“That doesn't mean they aren't evil bastards.”

“All right, we don't know for certain what Heartbreak's motivation is, but I'd say it must have something to do with Destiny's ability. Why else draw him to her?”

“Because it wants to be severed,” Cassian said.

They looked at Tristan again.

“Do Curses want to be severed? I thought that desire was ours alone?” Tristan shot back.

“I'm sorry, but you've all been vessels for a while.” I looked around at the blank faces. “How do you not know what your Curses want? Tristan said he could communicate with his. Can't all of you do that?”

“It's a bit more complicated than it sounds,” Alistair drawled. “It's not as if they come out and say, 'I would like to be severed, if you please.'”

“But you don't even sound sure about Curses enjoying the pain they cause. Do they or don't they?”

“You know nothing, human!” Seraphel stood up and leaned onto the table with both hands. “Tristan says you took some of his pain. If you had, which I now doubt, you wouldn't ask that foolish question. So, let me illuminate you. When a vessel is in the thrall of their Curse, they can't feel anything but the Pull and the pain. We don't know if they enjoy the chaos they cause because we can barely think much less communicate with them. All we know is that we must bow to the Pull or drown in it.”

The chamber echoed with his last words.

I cleared my throat. “Sorry about that. I concede your point. But I did feel Tristan's pain and absorb a portion of it.”

Seraphel let out an annoyed huff and sat down.

“Moving on,” Edmund said. “What I was getting to was; if Destiny is helping Tristan, why would Osric draw them together? His motivation can't be altruistic if he used the silver piece against Tristan.”

“There must be more to it,” Alistair said. “If Osric's goal is to remove Heartbreak from Tristan, perhaps he brought them together to start a love affair and encourage a Severing. Perhaps the seer foretold it.”

“Tristan asked her if by 'hold' she meant they wanted to give me all of Heartbreak, and she said yes.”

“You couldn't have fucking led with that?” Bart huffed.

“You kept interrupting him.”

“They may be after a complete removal, but they would never get my compliance,” Tristan said. “So Mirana couldn't have foreseen a Severing. They must have another way to do an extraction, but if so, why would they need to draw us together?”

“None of us know what we will do in the future. I have done things I never thought I'd do.” Cassian looked at Seraphel. “Perhaps they persuade you, Tristan. We all want to be free of our Curses.”

“Nothing could persuade me.”

Seraphel looked at me. “When Osric appeared at your workplace, did he show himself to you, or did he seem more surreptitious?”

“He met my gaze deliberately. I think he waited for me to see him before he left.”

“And what did his visit accomplish?”