Page 116 of Tears of the Wolf
Brynn flexed her wrists behind her back, testing her bonds. She’d been tied thoroughly.
The inside of the wagon was furnished for living with silk cushions and padded seats. Her mother had it built during the war when she had been constantly on the road between encampments and forts. It was plush, comfortable, and woven entirely from black and white fabrics. Chimes made of silver hung from the ceiling, hammered in the shapes of the moon cycles. Selene was nothing if not devout.
“What about Cenric?” Brynn demanded.
“You mean your latest form of rebellion? I don’t rightly know.”
Anger bubbled up in Brynn’s chest, but she kept it under control—for now. “Did you hurt him?”
Selene shrugged.
“Answer me!” Brynn shrieked, her voice fraying. “Did you or any of your people hurt him?”
Selene rolled her eyes. “No. Though someone as impulsive and reckless as him is bound to get himself killed sooner or later.”
Brynn understood the meaning. Her mother was saying if Cenric was stupid enough to come after them, they would use deadly force to keep her.
“What if I agree to go to back to Paega?” Brynn asked. “I’ll put aside Cenric, but you have to spare him.”
Selene seemed to consider it for a moment. “If you are willing to be reasonable, I might consider it.”
Brynn’s chest writhed with fear, anger, and dread. That wasn’t good enough. “What is this?” She gestured to the collar around her neck.
“That? It’s called dark iron. Alchemists in the southern empire developed it. The intent is to store power, but it works quite well for other things, too.” Selene smiled smugly.
Brynn had never encountered anything like it before. No matter how much power she drew to herself, every time she tried to cast spells, the collar consumed it.
Brynn looked to Esa. “Do you plan to hold my ward hostage forever?”
“No.” Selene tugged on Esa’s braid enough to make the girl flinch. “Just until you have another child by Paega.”
Brynn kept her face blank to hide her disgust. “That’s quite bold of you.”
“I am your mother. You will do as I tell you.”
“You lost the right to tell me what to do the moment you killed my son.”
Selene cocked her brow. “What are you talking about?”
“The Valdari who attacked Glasney were paid. I know it was you. You wanted Paega dead, didn’t you? As soon as he gave me an heir.”
Selene scoffed. “Why would I want your son dead? His death was very inconvenient for us.”
Brynn suspected Osbeorn had been an accidental casualty, but her mother’s words stabbed all the same. “Inconvenient?” Brynn had kept a cage around her temper for longer than she could remember. She had kept her head down, had complied. She wanted to do the right thing, always the right thing. “That was my child.” Brynn’s voice dropped so low not even she recognized it. “Myonlychild.”
Selene hesitated for just a second, then seemed to blink away whatever had made her nervous. “You can have others.”
Brynn imagined what it would feel like to have her mother’s neck under her hands.
“Your sister was a good girl.” Selene’s voice changed slightly in pitch. “She knew her duty.”
“She defied you,” Brynn spat. “So, you made sure she died.”
Trust me, child.Those had been the words Selene had spoken to Aelfwynn when Brynn’s sister had agreed to hold the river against Winfric’s thanes. In hindsight, Brynn wondered if her mother might have planned it.
Selene’s eyes flashed. “How dare you.”
“You stopped the reinforcements.”
