acknowledge the suffering of a fellow human being.
Delphine saw that same pain and desperation in Rasten’s eyes, but there was something else there besides … fear and anger and the fury of a forest fire raged within him, restrained beneath his skin.
‘You saved his life,’ Delphine said. ‘I … I wish there was some way to repay you.’
‘That debt was mine to pay, not yours,’ he said.
Delphine drew a ragged breath. She’d never been so close to a Blood-Mage before, and she could feel his power brushing against hers, like ants crawling over her skin. It made her feel like she had when she’d worked with Sierra in Demon’s Spire — she felt torn between wanting to run away, and the urge to take him under her wing like a lost child.
Voices drifted across the rocks. Rasten flinched away from the sound, moving as though to duck around behind the shelter and out of sight, but then he stopped, tense and vibrating with the energy Delphine could sense beneath his skin.
When the other two came into sight, it took Delphine a moment to identify the burden slung across Cam’s shoulder — a naked woman, as limp and boneless as a discarded doll.
Both of them stopped, but after only a brief hesitation Cam came forward. ‘Delphi, get a blanket, please. Lay it out beside the shelter.’
Hastily she obeyed, grabbing a spare folded by Isidro’s feet. It was clean and soft, which seemed profoundly strange when there was not one thing in her packs that wasn’t stiff with sweat and coated in dust.
Cam set the woman down, and Delphine swiftly covered her, feeling herself flush on the poor girl’s behalf. She couldn’t imagine how she would feel if strangers had come upon her in such a state — but perhaps the poor soul had more pressing concerns.
‘Rasten,’ Sierra said. Her voice was soft, gentle, as though she was speaking to soothe a frightened beast. ‘What happened?’
‘By all the Gods, Sirri, do you even need to ask? Isn’t it obvious? He knows you won’t let him use you as he wishes, so he found another way to satisfy his cravings. Tigers take you,’ he snarled at Rasten. ‘You’re nothing more than a savage beast.’
Rasten took a step back, glancing from Cam to Sierra. ‘It’s not like that.’
‘Cam, hold your tongue,’ Sierra said.
He ignored her. ‘Isn’t it? Save your stinking breath, I don’t believe a word. Just couldn’t help yourself, could you? The moment Sirri left you alone you snatched the first woman you found and went right back to your old tricks —’
‘Shut up, Cam!’ Sierra snapped, and with her words Delphine felt her power swell in a thunderclap and a flash of light. ‘He didn’t rape her.’
‘You expect me to believe that?’
‘Yes. I do.’ She cut him a hard glare, while Delphine felt power throb against her skin. At her feet, the girl seemed about to stir — she breathed a sigh, and shifted her head against the blanket. Delphine crouched down beside her, but the girl settled. ‘I’d feel it if he had,’ Sierra said, ‘or have you forgotten?’ She turned back to Rasten. ‘It’s alright, it’ll be alright. Just tell me what happened.’
Delphine saw a tremor ripple through his shoulders, and his hands trembled as he scrubbed them through his tangled hair. ‘I had to do it, Sirri. I had to. There was no other way.’
‘Had to do what ? I don’t understand. Why would you do this now , when you’ve come so far?’
‘I had to! We’ll need her! There’s not … Sirri, there’s not enough! By all the Gods, I didn’t want to, but she … she …’
‘Fires Below, are you trying to tell us that she made you do it?’ Cam spat. ‘By the Black Sun, Sirri, he’s a mad dog —’
With a wordless snarl Rasten flung out his hand and a cord of fire burst from his fingers, moving as swiftly as a striking snake to wrap around Cam’s throat and choke his voice to silence.
‘Rasten, no!’ Sierra bunched a fist to strike him in the chest. It
Delphine saw that same pain and desperation in Rasten’s eyes, but there was something else there besides … fear and anger and the fury of a forest fire raged within him, restrained beneath his skin.
‘You saved his life,’ Delphine said. ‘I … I wish there was some way to repay you.’
‘That debt was mine to pay, not yours,’ he said.
Delphine drew a ragged breath. She’d never been so close to a Blood-Mage before, and she could feel his power brushing against hers, like ants crawling over her skin. It made her feel like she had when she’d worked with Sierra in Demon’s Spire — she felt torn between wanting to run away, and the urge to take him under her wing like a lost child.
Voices drifted across the rocks. Rasten flinched away from the sound, moving as though to duck around behind the shelter and out of sight, but then he stopped, tense and vibrating with the energy Delphine could sense beneath his skin.
When the other two came into sight, it took Delphine a moment to identify the burden slung across Cam’s shoulder — a naked woman, as limp and boneless as a discarded doll.
Both of them stopped, but after only a brief hesitation Cam came forward. ‘Delphi, get a blanket, please. Lay it out beside the shelter.’
Hastily she obeyed, grabbing a spare folded by Isidro’s feet. It was clean and soft, which seemed profoundly strange when there was not one thing in her packs that wasn’t stiff with sweat and coated in dust.
Cam set the woman down, and Delphine swiftly covered her, feeling herself flush on the poor girl’s behalf. She couldn’t imagine how she would feel if strangers had come upon her in such a state — but perhaps the poor soul had more pressing concerns.
‘Rasten,’ Sierra said. Her voice was soft, gentle, as though she was speaking to soothe a frightened beast. ‘What happened?’
‘By all the Gods, Sirri, do you even need to ask? Isn’t it obvious? He knows you won’t let him use you as he wishes, so he found another way to satisfy his cravings. Tigers take you,’ he snarled at Rasten. ‘You’re nothing more than a savage beast.’
Rasten took a step back, glancing from Cam to Sierra. ‘It’s not like that.’
‘Cam, hold your tongue,’ Sierra said.
He ignored her. ‘Isn’t it? Save your stinking breath, I don’t believe a word. Just couldn’t help yourself, could you? The moment Sirri left you alone you snatched the first woman you found and went right back to your old tricks —’
‘Shut up, Cam!’ Sierra snapped, and with her words Delphine felt her power swell in a thunderclap and a flash of light. ‘He didn’t rape her.’
‘You expect me to believe that?’
‘Yes. I do.’ She cut him a hard glare, while Delphine felt power throb against her skin. At her feet, the girl seemed about to stir — she breathed a sigh, and shifted her head against the blanket. Delphine crouched down beside her, but the girl settled. ‘I’d feel it if he had,’ Sierra said, ‘or have you forgotten?’ She turned back to Rasten. ‘It’s alright, it’ll be alright. Just tell me what happened.’
Delphine saw a tremor ripple through his shoulders, and his hands trembled as he scrubbed them through his tangled hair. ‘I had to do it, Sirri. I had to. There was no other way.’
‘Had to do what ? I don’t understand. Why would you do this now , when you’ve come so far?’
‘I had to! We’ll need her! There’s not … Sirri, there’s not enough! By all the Gods, I didn’t want to, but she … she …’
‘Fires Below, are you trying to tell us that she made you do it?’ Cam spat. ‘By the Black Sun, Sirri, he’s a mad dog —’
With a wordless snarl Rasten flung out his hand and a cord of fire burst from his fingers, moving as swiftly as a striking snake to wrap around Cam’s throat and choke his voice to silence.
‘Rasten, no!’ Sierra bunched a fist to strike him in the chest. It
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