At Freya’s mansion, Crystal woke before dawn and rose from the narrow bed, showering quickly before heading downstairs. Though Freya had agreed to shelter her, hospitality was hardly the word for it. The room she’d been given was cramped, cold, and bare, as if Freya wanted her to really remember her position.

Breakfast offered no comfort either, only a piece of hard bread and a cup of water. But Crystal ate without complaint. She knew she had to swallow all this humiliation because, for ...