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“Question him, then send him back to his maker.”

“You mean kill him?”

“You say that as if it’s a bad thing,” one of the other Paladins said.

“She has a soft heart,” Theron said, giving her a warm smile. “It’s a good feature in a woman. But sometimes, it is necessary to harden one’s heart.”

Zara frowned a little. She was fairly sure her heart was a very average sort, not very hard or soft. Her first master had always said she had too much anger in her. He’d beaten her for it until she learned not to show it on her face. Avan had always been able to sense it, though, even when Zara thought she was concealing it well. Unlike other Varai, Avan never punished her for it.

“He is half human,” she said.

Theron looked indifferent. “And?”

He must not have met many Varai before. If he’d spent any time around them, he’d know how unusual this was. “I thought you only hunted elves. This one has human blood.”

“Perhaps. But he was raiding along with the other elves. Unless you think he was a prisoner, like you were?”

She couldn’t honestly suggest that he was. He was not wearing a slave’s collar, and he had been alone, unsupervised. Everything he’d done had been his own decision. “No, I do not think that.”

“Then it seems he has chosen his side. A pity.”

When Tahir finished bandaging his leg, Theron stood up, leaning on a crutch offered by one of the Paladins.

“Are you willing to help us, Zara?” Theron asked.

She was startled. “Me?”

“If you’ll translate for us, we could get answers from him. Lives could be saved.”

Everyone watched her, their expressions ranging from hopeful to curious to mistrustful.

She did not relish taking part in what was going to happen next, but she could not say no, not when they were all watching her. “Of course.”

Chapter 6

Tahir led them down the dark hallway to the back room where the half-elf was being kept. Naika drew her sword and moved to the front of the group to open the door. The only thing in the small room was a single wooden chair.

The half-elf seemed to have been pacing the room, which was completely dark. He stopped, looking up at them and squinting in the light of the lantern in Naika’s hand. He looked exactly as he had earlier, except that he was without weapons. Tahir had let him keep his dark cloak and leathers. His hands were still bound behind him, and dried blood coated the side of his forehead, down his temple to his neck.

He was striking. Zara had never seen another person who looked quite like him. His eyes went to hers suddenly, and she froze. She could not tell what he was thinking as he looked at her.

Theron, Naika, and Zara entered the room, shutting the door behind them. The half-elf narrowed his eyes at them.

“Sit,” Theron said to the half-elf, pointing to the chair.

The half-elf gazed at them balefully. Zara thought he would refuse to follow the command, but then, slowly, he sat. Theron nodded his approval.

“Do you know who I am?” Theron asked. He glanced at Zara, and she translated.

The half-elf blinked slowly at them.

Theron took a step closer to him, leaning on his crutch. The half-elf glanced down at his bandaged leg.

“I am a Paladin. You must know of us. Or if you don’t, you must have seen the corpses of your brethren we’ve left behind.”

Zara’s heart pounded as she thought of Kashava. A tense ball of emotion grew in her chest, constricting her, and she couldn’t breathe, much less speak.

She glanced up at Theron, and his expression had softened. “Are you all right?” he asked, with genuine concern in his voice.