Mattias's pale blue eyes rested with consideration on me. "I will speak only to my wife."
Sebastian made an impatient gesture. "We can force you to speak."
"You may torture me all you like-I will speak only to Pia!" Mattias yelled.
I began to see a way to present my case. "Am I to understand that Mattias has said something that connects us with the disappearance of Alec?" I asked the council members.
"He stated..." Christian shuffled a few papers until he found one he liked. "He stated that he knew how you and Kristoff were involved in engineering the disappearance of Alec, and where he was now. He refused to say any more when pressed."
"Tortured!" Mattias shouted. "I was tortured."
"You look just fine to me," I told him. And he did; he was practically radiating health, whereas poor Kristoff had nearly wasted away. "I'm afraid you've been had. Mattias is either confused or lying."
"Wife!" Mattias sputtered.
Kristoff glared at him.
"That eventuality crossed my mind, which is why we asked you here," Christian answered smoothly.
Allie snorted but said nothing.
"You know..." I looked at Mattias with what I hoped appeared as innocent speculation. "If you were to release him to my custody, I'm sure I'd be able to get from him everything he knows."
Both of Christian's eyebrows went up at such a bold suggestion. Sebastian scowled and said in a voice rife with scorn, "Although we have not done so, despite what the reaper says, we are not above using force to extract the information we need. I doubt if you could bring yourself to do so."
"Ah, but I have two points in my favor," I said, smiling my most winning smile.
"And those are?" Sebastian asked.
I held up two fingers and ticked them off. "First, you guys may talk the talk, but I don't seriously think you're going to torture Mattias and Kristjana, although I don't think I'd blame you where the latter is concerned. She definitely has more than one bat loose in her belfry. But cold-blooded torture?" I considered the vampires before me for a moment, shaking my head. "No. You guys aren't that way, not really."
"Brava," Allie said, nodding.
Sebastian looked disgruntled for a moment before asking, "And the second point?"
I tossed a little more charm into my smile. "I am the Zorya. Mattias has to do exactly what I tell him. So if I tell him to spill everything, by the laws of the Brotherhood, he has to spill. But I'm not going to do that unless he's in my custody."
"Impossible," Sebastian pronounced.
Christian, to my surprise, said nothing. He looked thoughtful, though, which gave me hope.
"To have you and the sacristan running free... it is impossible," Sebastian repeated.
"What exactly are you holding Mattias for?" I asked, curious.
"Exactly what I have asked them myself, wife!" Mattias said, shooting an outraged look at Rowan. "I have done nothing wrong."
"You are a sacristan," Rowan answered.
"Yes, but he hasn't actually committed any crime against you guys," I pointed out. "He wasn't even present at the ceremony where Frederic and the others tried to use me to hurt Kristoff and Alec. You guys had nabbed both him and Kristjana before that. So I really don't see that you have any grounds to continue to hold them. And as I am willing to guarantee their good conduct, I don't see a reason you shouldn't turn them over to me."
Sebastian sputtered and grumbled at the idea. Christian continued to look thoughtful, finally saying, "You seek to have them released. That is why you agreed to meet with the council."
I slid a look at Kristoff. He was watching me with an impassive expression. "Well... yes. But not because I didn't want to help Kristoff. I had no idea he was in this state, or I would have come weeks ago. But yes, I have been asked to facilitate the release of Mattias and Kristjana."
"I knew it!" Mattias said gloatingly. He smiled at Kristoff. "I knew you truly wanted me and not that one there, the one you had carnal relations with right in front of me. I knew it must be a mistake."
Allie's eyebrows went up as she gave me a long look.