Page 313 of Sins of the Heart
hell was that like growing up?”
Not thethinghe’d been anticipating, and not a topic
he really wanted to touch on. But something told him
that shutting her down right now was a move he didn’t
want to make.
310
SINS OF THE HEART
“What was that like?” he repeated.Hell.Solitude.
His father’s rages. Expectations Dagan could never
meet. And finally, liberation, so very long in coming.
Then understanding of the bitter truth that freedom is
not always sweet.
But he said none of that. Instead, he said, “I grew
up alone.”
The second the words escaped, he thought he must
have lost his mind to allow them to burst free. Why did
he tell her that? He never talked about it. Not with anyone. Of course, his brothers knew his childhood had
been far from pleasant. Dagan was the son Sutekh had
decided to raise in the Underworld while his brothers
were fostered out Topworld. Luck of the draw—except
luck wasn’t a particularly apt descriptor.
He rarely talked about that with his brothers, and
they rarely told him of their own experiences. Thinking
about it now, he realized he’d avoided asking because
he hadn’t wanted to have to answer if they returned the
inquiry. Besides, they all knew exactly what it meant
to be Sutekh’s son. In the end, regardless of how their
earliest years were spent, they’d all ended up in the
same place.
Roxy was quiet for a time, and then she said, “So
