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Cub paused.

He sniffed.

Twosomeones.

This new creature was not alone. It had brought a friend.

And, Cub thought, this particular flavor of fear tasted familiar.

It belonged to humans.

Twohumans. Humans,here.

Fury swelled in Cub’s chest like the crashing waves of the oceans he had once loved.

He would find these humans, these creatures who tossed stormwitches into the Break. As if witches could ever possibly be enough to knock down a beast like Cub for good!

He would smash the humans beneath his paws, squash and grind until they were twin flattened puddles drying around shattered bits of bone. Maybe that would make him feel better. Maybe hurting them would make him climb faster.

But first he would ask the humans a question. A single question that had been swimming along the currents of his mind for as long as he had lived in darkness:

Why?

Why did the ancient eastern witches go to war, so long ago?

Why did his mothers have to die, and why did humans hurt witches, and why did witches hurt with their magic?

Why had Cub been punished by the world he had so dearly loved?

Why were there so many awful, lonesome things about being alive that Cub could not understand?

He howled it, his voice bursting:

Why?

.28.

The Collar’s Hush

The next morning Celestyna entered her throne room, prepared for a day at court. Eyes dry and itchy from a sleepless night. Face painted, but nottoopainted. Smile on, but nottooon. Gloves tied tightly at her wrists.

Curse quiet. For now.

But once inside the great gleaming room, she froze.

It was empty, save for Lord Dellier and the members of her personal guard. Two of them quietly locked the doors behind her.

Celestyna’s body went hot-cold with rage. She opened her mouth to scream.

The guards lunged at her. One grabbed her left arm, one her right.

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty,” one of them whispered, his voice trembling. “He says this will help your pain.”

Celestyna hardly heard him. She kicked her legs, flung out her arms.

Bleed them!The curse howled up her spine.Make them pay!

And Celestyna tried, shetried. The curse was a bludgeon in her belly, and when it struck, so did Celestyna. Her knuckles hit a soldier’s jaw with a crack. Another soldier took his place. They held Celestyna fast.