will
have some control over what happens to them. They won’t be forced to fight
each other.”
Meanwhile, Brigid was pulling away from
Kate. “I don’t want to go,” she whispered to her half-sister.
Kate glanced somewhat fearfully at Tyrion,
hoping he hadn’t heard the girl’s words. She wasn’t sure how stable he was
anymore. The last thing she wanted was for him to turn his psychotic rage
loose on Brigid. “Shhh,” she replied. “It’s alright. He’s going to do his
best for us. You have to trust him.”
“I’m scared, Kate,” admitted Brigid
tremulously.
“Let’s go,” said Tyrion, ignoring his
father’s gaze as he walked away. Kate pulled her sister along in his wake.
“You won’t leave me will you?” Brigid
asked her.
Kate shook her head, “No, sweetheart. I
won’t. I’m coming with you. I’ll be there.”
***
Tom Hayes stood behind the door to his
store. Tyrion had knocked loudly several times, which had awoken the store
owner, but the hour was late. They had arrived in Colne close to midnight, and
everyone had already been long abed.
“Mr. Hayes, open the door,” said Tyrion.
“I know you’re standing there.”
“Who is it?” asked Tom Hayes uncertainly.
Tyrion’s patience was running out, and his
brow furrowed as he struggled with his temper.
“Tom, this is Kate Tolburn. I’m outside
with Brigid and Daniel Tennick. Please open up, it’s late.”
Tyrion’s magesight easily picked up the
flare in Tom Hayes’ emotional state at the sound of his name. Fear. The last
time he had been in the town of Colne it hadn’t been pretty. He had
threatened, maimed, and even branded some of the townsfolk.
They had deserved it, though.
“My wife is sick,” said Tom hesitantly.
“She’s standing three feet behind you, and
she seems fine to me,” said Tyrion angrily. “Open the door, or you won’t have
a store for much longer.”
“Daniel, you can’t threaten everyone you
meet…” began Kate.
Cold eyes burned into her like ice, “This
isn’t a social call. I’m here to take every child I fathered and hand them
over into slavery. You think I should pretend to be a kindly guest?”
A fire kindled inside her, and her old
spirit began to assert itself, “You have a good cause, don’t paint yourself
worse than…”
“I’m the lesser of two evils, Kate,” he
interrupted, “That doesn’t make me good.”
The door opened in front of him, and Tom
Hayes peeked around the edge, “What do you want?”
Tyrion molded his will and pushed the door
open even as he wrapped Tom in a bubble of force, driving him aside and
trapping him on one side of the room. The man’s wife, Alice, stared at him in
horror as he entered the room. “Tell your son, Thaddeus, to come downstairs.”
“Y—you k—knew I had a son?” stammered
Alice.
Kate stepped forward, claiming the space
between them, “The forest gods know as well, Alice. They’re coming to take all
of them. It will be much worse if they get Tad. Daniel is trying to protect
them.”
“You can’t have my son,” declared Alice,
mustering her courage.
Tyrion stepped forward, prompting Tom to
shout from the side where he was still imprisoned, “Please, don’t hurt her!”
He stopped, frustrated—tired. It had been
a long day, and he was surrounded by nothing but resistance. He had expected
that. Tyrion knew he was the villain of his own private story, but he was
tired of arguing at every turn, tired of being hated.
“We’ll sleep here,” he announced,
surprising everyone. “I’m taking your bedroom for the night, Alice. Kate,
Brigid, and Thaddeus will stay in the room with me. You and your husband can
sleep wherever else you like, but don’t leave the building.”
“What?” said Alice, somewhat alarmed.
“You heard me.”
“Are you taking us prisoner?” asked Tom.
“You can think of it like that if you
prefer,” he answered. “Stay here and behave yourself, and we will be gone
tomorrow.
have some control over what happens to them. They won’t be forced to fight
each other.”
Meanwhile, Brigid was pulling away from
Kate. “I don’t want to go,” she whispered to her half-sister.
Kate glanced somewhat fearfully at Tyrion,
hoping he hadn’t heard the girl’s words. She wasn’t sure how stable he was
anymore. The last thing she wanted was for him to turn his psychotic rage
loose on Brigid. “Shhh,” she replied. “It’s alright. He’s going to do his
best for us. You have to trust him.”
“I’m scared, Kate,” admitted Brigid
tremulously.
“Let’s go,” said Tyrion, ignoring his
father’s gaze as he walked away. Kate pulled her sister along in his wake.
“You won’t leave me will you?” Brigid
asked her.
Kate shook her head, “No, sweetheart. I
won’t. I’m coming with you. I’ll be there.”
***
Tom Hayes stood behind the door to his
store. Tyrion had knocked loudly several times, which had awoken the store
owner, but the hour was late. They had arrived in Colne close to midnight, and
everyone had already been long abed.
“Mr. Hayes, open the door,” said Tyrion.
“I know you’re standing there.”
“Who is it?” asked Tom Hayes uncertainly.
Tyrion’s patience was running out, and his
brow furrowed as he struggled with his temper.
“Tom, this is Kate Tolburn. I’m outside
with Brigid and Daniel Tennick. Please open up, it’s late.”
Tyrion’s magesight easily picked up the
flare in Tom Hayes’ emotional state at the sound of his name. Fear. The last
time he had been in the town of Colne it hadn’t been pretty. He had
threatened, maimed, and even branded some of the townsfolk.
They had deserved it, though.
“My wife is sick,” said Tom hesitantly.
“She’s standing three feet behind you, and
she seems fine to me,” said Tyrion angrily. “Open the door, or you won’t have
a store for much longer.”
“Daniel, you can’t threaten everyone you
meet…” began Kate.
Cold eyes burned into her like ice, “This
isn’t a social call. I’m here to take every child I fathered and hand them
over into slavery. You think I should pretend to be a kindly guest?”
A fire kindled inside her, and her old
spirit began to assert itself, “You have a good cause, don’t paint yourself
worse than…”
“I’m the lesser of two evils, Kate,” he
interrupted, “That doesn’t make me good.”
The door opened in front of him, and Tom
Hayes peeked around the edge, “What do you want?”
Tyrion molded his will and pushed the door
open even as he wrapped Tom in a bubble of force, driving him aside and
trapping him on one side of the room. The man’s wife, Alice, stared at him in
horror as he entered the room. “Tell your son, Thaddeus, to come downstairs.”
“Y—you k—knew I had a son?” stammered
Alice.
Kate stepped forward, claiming the space
between them, “The forest gods know as well, Alice. They’re coming to take all
of them. It will be much worse if they get Tad. Daniel is trying to protect
them.”
“You can’t have my son,” declared Alice,
mustering her courage.
Tyrion stepped forward, prompting Tom to
shout from the side where he was still imprisoned, “Please, don’t hurt her!”
He stopped, frustrated—tired. It had been
a long day, and he was surrounded by nothing but resistance. He had expected
that. Tyrion knew he was the villain of his own private story, but he was
tired of arguing at every turn, tired of being hated.
“We’ll sleep here,” he announced,
surprising everyone. “I’m taking your bedroom for the night, Alice. Kate,
Brigid, and Thaddeus will stay in the room with me. You and your husband can
sleep wherever else you like, but don’t leave the building.”
“What?” said Alice, somewhat alarmed.
“You heard me.”
“Are you taking us prisoner?” asked Tom.
“You can think of it like that if you
prefer,” he answered. “Stay here and behave yourself, and we will be gone
tomorrow.
Similar Books
