I prayed to Zianesa, Lukk, Anniva and Siour. Then I prayed to Roe, because he was Deorun's patron god and maybe he'd have more of an effect over them. Tannix stayed quiet as I recited the traditional prayers in Old Ziannan, a language no one could even speak anymore.

I suspected Tannix was ignoring me and praying to his own goddess, but I didn't mind. He was putting on a brave front for me, putting me first despite the pain he was probably in. I was too tired to care. I wanted him to take control again, to tell me what to do. I was tired of responsibility.

Looking out for other people was exhausting.

The door swung open and I ignored it for a moment, just long enough to finish yet another desperate prayer to Zianesa. A hand clamped around my arm and dragged me to my feet. Away from Tannix. The guard backed me into the corner and held me still with a firm hand on my chest.

Kalvahi strolled in and stood in front of Tannix. The difference between them was stark. Kalvahi in neat clothes, carefully styled hair and trimmed beard, his hands resting on his hips. Tannix, tied to a chair, injured and angry and somehow, miraculously, still dignified.

Kassia stepped into the room, cast me a quick glance, and crossed her arms.

Kalvahi broke the silence. "Has your pet told you about what we planned for him, Lord West Draulin?"

Tannix's eyebrows furrowed. "My what?"

"Kassiandra has told me all about the two of you," Kalvahi said. "It's a shame, really, I was beginning to like the boy. I'm curious, though. Why bring him with you if he's so important?"

"I didn't expect to be caught," Tannix pointed out dryly.

"War is no place for a pet, Lord West Draulin."

"Then it's a good thing I didn't bring one, isn't it?" Tannix said. "Lady Kassiandra is assuming too much. She knew us over a year ago, under very different circumstances." He tilted his head to look around Kalvahi at Kassia, who was still standing near the door. "You think I couldn't possibly be good friends with him unless I wanted something? Is that what you're assuming?"

"Finn's a better liar than you are," Kassia said. "And even then, he as good as admitted it. No torture necessary. He isn't a strong willed as you are, Tannix."

"Call me that again and I'll kill you."

Kalvahi laughed, even though Tannix's sharp tone was anything but funny. "Kassiandra, my dear, be polite to our guest. He's Lord West Draulin now."

"I made him Lord West Draulin," Kassia said, as she turned to bang her fist on the door.

Tannix lost control. It lasted for less than a heartbeat, he went from being a brave lord to a grieving son. His entire body tensed, his face fell, and then he dragged himself back. By the time Kassia turned around, Tannix—the part of him that was really good at being Lord West Draulin—was back in control.

When he spoke, he still managed the firm, indifferent tone of nobles who were pretending to be polite to one another. "Was it because I stopped you in Zianna?"

"You give yourself too much credit, Lord West Draulin," Kassia said, in exactly the same tone. She stepped aside as a pair of guards carried a small table through the door. "Finn stopped me in Zianna. And even if I did blame you, I follow orders. Revenge has no place in my line of work." Behind her, the guards set down the table, and then a chair was placed beside it.

Kalvahi spoke in Deoran. The guard holding me in place picked me up and carried me to the table. He dropped me onto the chair and held me while the other guard strapped me down. The only part of me they didn't attach to the chair was my right hand.

Until Kassia glanced at me, and coldly said something. Then they strapped down my right arm and freed my left one. I hardly had time to puzzle out why when I noticed the black clamp bolted to the table top. The guard tried to force my hand into the clamp, but I pulled back suddenly.

Kassia knew I favoured my left hand.

"Kassia, wait." I held my arm against my chest, as if that would somehow prevent the guards from grabbing me again. "Please. We were friends, weren't we? You saved Castin. We stole food together. Remember? That was fun, and you..." I frantically racked my mind for more memories, anything she might look back on fondly. "Remember when you helped Ninavi and Stria sew? And when you helped take care of me after I was whipped? And..."

"Shh." Kassia stepped closer and stroked my hair, like I was a panicked animal she was trying to sooth. "Lord West Draulin isn't going to let us hurt you too badly."

The guard grabbed my arm. He'd learned from his mistake. He snapped a cuff around my wrist before letting my hand go to fiddle with the clamp. I watched, horrified, unable to do anything, as he twisted the handle and the top half of the clamp lowered to press against my knuckles. Then he stopped.

Kassia was still gently running her fingers through my hair. Her other hand cupped my chin, her fingers tapped on my cheek. Tannix was growling something, a threat I couldn't quite bring myself to focus on.

I heard Kalvahi, when he rested his hands on Tannix's armrests, and leaned forward so they were face to face. "You and I both know that the moment he starts screaming you'll tell me everything I want to know."

I closed my eyes, and desperately tried to think of anything but my fingers giving way under the clamp. My breathing hitched.

"You know what that does, yes, Lord West Draulin?" Kalvahi's voice was smooth and charismatic and wrong. "Most people go straight for cutting off fingers, but I like this better. It will crush his bones. It's very painful, so I've heard, and it will never heal properly. His hand will be useless."

"I know what it does," Tannix said.

"Kassia." I didn't open my eyes as I felt the clamp tighten slightly. "Kassia, please. I need my hand. I can't... I can't do..."

"You're all right," Kassia said quietly, her voice so reassuring I almost wanted to believe her. Kassia liked me. I thought she liked me. Didn't she like me?

Kalvahi's voice cut through my thoughts again. "Would you like to know what makes it even better? How long I can draw it out. Chopping off fingers is quick, but this can last for hours."

"Leave him alone," Tannix said. "This isn't his fight."

The clamp tightened again.

"You made it his fight when you brought him to Talidor. Actually, I suppose he made it his own fight when he interfered with Kassiandra's task in Zianna."

"It was an accident," I protested meekly.

"Shh." Kassia stroked my cheek. "You didn't know what you were doing, it's all right. Now, tell your lord to cooperate."

I shook my head.

The clamp tightened again, and it hurt. I bit the inside of my cheek and refused to make any noise. I hadn't cried out when I was branded, surely I could be quiet while my hand was crushed. At least, I would hold out for as long as I could.

Kalvahi and Tannix were talking, but I ignored them. Tannix was trying to maintain some sort of control over the situation, but what that really meant was that he was toying with Kalvahi's patience—toying with my hand.

The next time the clamp tightened, I held my breath and clenched my right hand around the armrest it was strapped to in an attempt to block out the pain. It didn't work.

"Finn?" There was concern in Tannix's voice. The weakness Kalvahi was looking for. I shook my head. If I looked at him, I'd break. He didn't need to see that. I didn't want him to have to watch as they destroyed me.

"Finn?" Tannix said again. "Kalvahi, leave him alone." It wasn't a demand anymore. He was teetering on the edge of pleading.

Kalvahi chuckled. "Are you finally going to cooperate?"

"I—"

The pressure on my hand increased. I yelped Tannix's name involuntarily, begging for protection he couldn't provide. Kassia shushed me again.

"Yes, all right. Stop, Kalvahi," Tannix said. "I'll cooperate."

I didn't like how defeated he sounded. I didn't like knowing that it was my fault.

To my immediate relief, I could feel the clamp loosen a bit. The cuff that held my arm to the table clicked open. I tugged my hand free before the clamp was really open enough and scraped skin from my fingers in the process. I clutched my hand to my chest. My fingers still worked. Moving them hurt, but they worked, thank Anniva.

Kassia's hands left my head. I was untied and one of the guards pulled me to my feet. I opened my eyes and met Tannix's panicked look.

"Wait, what are you doing with him?" Tannix asked. "Leave him here. I need to see that he's not being hurt. Prince Kalvahi, please. I'll talk but I need to see that he's safe."

Kalvahi put a hand on Tannix's shoulder, almost in a strange imitation of the way Kassia had tried to sooth me. "He's being taken back to your knights. Trust me, Lord West Draulin, you don't want him to stay here. If he stays, his hand is going back into the clamp."

"I'll be fine." I tried to assure Tannix, but I didn't sound fine. I couldn't control the shakiness of my voice.

Kalvahi addressed the guard, and I was dragged out of the room. I didn't fight. Relief for my hand and fear for Tannix waged war in my head. I stumbled after the guard, doing my best to control my thoughts and keep track of the hallways we were walking down at the same time.

Even in my daze, I recognized when we came up to an intersecting hallway and turned the wrong way. I froze, and very briefly considered trying to run, when the guard hoisted me over his shoulder. He carried me down a long hallway, and then into a small room.

I scrambled to my feet the instant he dropped me and backed away, right into the chest of a second guard. I knew what was going on. The first guard unhooked a ring of keys from his belt and turned to lock the door.

"Kalvahi said I was being taken back to my cell," I said, stepping away from the second guard. I backed up a little further, trying to keep them both where I could see them. The room was a little guard room, stocked with weapons and various pieces of armour. I took it all in a quick glance. Thoughts of Tannix and my aching hand were forced to the back of my mind as I considered this new threat.

The guards spoke to each other, reminding me that they wouldn't understand anything I tried to say to them. They would understand my tone, though, so I tried again.

"Please don't hurt me."

They understood, but they didn't care. They were bored, and if they wanted to beat me, no one would stop them. It occurred to me that Kalvahi may have even encouraged it.

I tested the fingers on my left hand again, and made up my mind. The first guard lunged forward, and I dove to the side to avoid his grasp. Neither of them had been expecting it. I rolled to my feet and ran for the nearest weapon.

I grabbed the handle of a heavy mace just as an arm encircled my waist. The mace slipped from my hand and hit the floor with a thud. I was tossed back into the corner. The second guard hit me in the stomach before I could recover, and I crumpled to the ground.

With no other options, I curled into a little ball on the floor in an attempt to protect myself.