Haspan turned away from him abruptly and faced the witches.

"Now," he asked, "can you enter Mia's cell? The ritual is complete. The girl must be awake by now."

One of the witches nodded slowly. "Likely, yes."

A sharp glint cracked through Haspan's eyes.

"Good," he said. "I don't want to leave anything untouched."

The room felt colder at those words. Even the generals shifted slightly, sensing the edge beneath them.

Elowyn and several RuthValis witches appeared outside the heavy ...