Page 80 of Truth's Blade

He screamed and threw the pouch at her.

She had already braced herself for him using it, mentally preparing herself not to panic at the lack of air, knowing if she took it slow, she would be breathing again.

But it felt like it took longer—whether it did or not, she couldn’t say. She fell from the chair, clutching her throat again, and this time, the world went dark for a bit.

When she came back to herself Marchant was busy retying her hand through the loop.

“You will pay, you will pay.” He was muttering it under his breath to himself, almost rocking back and forth.

She kept herself lax, and even when he shook her shoulder with a bloody hand, she pretended to be unconscious, until he slapped her, hard.

She groaned and looked up at him, saw he was holding a hand to his stomach, and blood was oozing from the wound.

“You do that again, I’ll kill you. Doesn’t matter how long I’ve been looking for someone like you. It isn’t worth it if this is how you’re going to behave.”

She took a careful, full breath of air, and pushed away from him. “You’re saying you wouldn’t try to do everything you couldto escape if someone took you? Someone who behaved the way you behave?”

He seemed utterly confounded by her question.

Self-awareness was not Marchant’s strong suit.

“I need to heal up.” He backed away, his face showing the strain, but instead of moving to the door, he went to the table and upended her bag. She got herself up to a seated position, and watched him paw through her things. “Let’s see what you’ve got for me in here, and then I’ll lock you down for the night.”

He sorted her spare clothes to the side, and then lifted up first the remedies book and then the brooch. “This is it?”

“This is just what I found in the last few days of my hunt for you.” She kept her tone derisory. “You think I haul valuable magical items around me while I’m on a mission?”

He grunted. “The book should fetch something. The brooch?” He flicked it away, and it skittered across the table and fell off it. “Useless.”

“Maybe, but I always take everything I find. Sometimes things have a way of surprising you.”

He slanted her a look. “Very seldom.”

She shrugged. She hoped Theo had a nice surprise for him when they got out.

He pushed his chair back, and caught her watching him.

“What do you see?” he asked. “Where is the spell?”

She shrugged. “Why would I tell you?”

He gritted his teeth. “Because if I leave you in the prison, and whatever is eating me up gets its way, you’ll be stuck there, with no one to feed you or get you out.”

“And if I tell you, I give up my one advantage,” she said. Might as well spin this out as long as possible. “And I’m the one with time, old man. Not you.”

He stood, swaying a little. If his skin hadn’t looked gray before she’d stabbed him, it definitely looked gray now. “We’llsee what you say when you’re starving and thirsty. I have some time, and despite your best efforts, I’m not going to keel over tonight.” He sent her a nasty smile. “And if that doesn’t convince you . . .” He put a hand on the table as if to steady himself, and then snatched up the pouch. “There’s always this. Try anything while I walk you back to the prison and I’ll put you down on the ground again.”

She gave a tight nod and he grabbed the rope and pulled her to the door.

He stepped out, pulling her behind him, and as soon as she was out of the workshop she wondered where Theo was. He would have attacked by now if he could.

Her gaze went straight to the prison, and she suddenly noticed that the stones of the magical barrier were back in place. He hadn’t left the gap open.

He must have done it while she was down on the ground after he hit her with the stick. Which meant Theo hadn’t been able to get out.

She was suddenly short of breath again.

“Why did you close the stones again?” she asked, suddenly worried he’d done it because he knew Theo was in there.

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