Evelisse's throat burned. She wanted to scream, to lash out, but she held it in. Her voice came out steady, cold. "You laugh now because you are chained. But chains are not safety. If this shadow thrives, it will not spare you."
The taller prisoner froze, laughter dying in his throat.
The shorter one wheezed, "Then… then you will protect us, Magister? As you always said?"
Evelisse tilted her head, smirk curving sharp. "I said I would use you. And you still breathe because I see use left."
The taller prisoner scrambled, desperate. "We can help! We know the relic's hunger! It gnaws at bonds, at love. The closer the princess is to someone, the faster it hunts them. If she lives, those dearest will die first. One by one."
Evelisse's chest constricted, every word stabbing deeper. Marcus's face flashed in her mind. His gentle hands tending flowers. His soft laugh. His promise to help her.
