father.
“Armando refused to let us leave when I begged him to release us from my father’s bargain. We knew too much. So I was forced to become a healer for him. I refused to try his experiments, and he left me alone after what happened to my father. He told me that Blevonese sorcerers couldn’t handle the change because we were weaker than Dansiian sorcerers. He claims that a Dansiian king actually discovered the golden waters hidden in the mountains of Blevon when he was visiting his friend, the king of Blevon. Dansiians believe that their king is the one who was first made a sorcerer, and that the Blevonese king was jealous when he discovered what had happened and went to drink some for himself, but because he and his brother drank second, they became weaker sorcerers, unable to tolerate the greater power gifted to the Dansiians by the Gods of the Underworld.”
“The demons,” I said quietly.
“Yes.” Akio glanced over his shoulder again. “I don’t know why the Dansiian sorcerers don’t suffer the same fate we do, but I know their story is false.” He paused as if considering, then rushed on. “Do you know why The Summoner is able to do the things he can do?”
I shook my head.
“He was a black sorcerer already, but he wanted even greater power. He sacrificed his own parents to the demons. He made his brother, who wasn’t a sorcerer at all, help him. They were given their powers in return for their horrible deed.”
My mouth fell open as a wave of horror washed over me. Their own parents? For power? The water The Summoner had given me felt like poison in my stomach.
“The Duke of Montklief sacrificed his own children to the king, to be used as experiments, and they were given their terrible power to control others’ minds because of it. The demons reward sacrifice with power. But the twins are not all-powerful, as they believe. Their powers only last for a time on true sorcerers’ minds. After a few days, sorcerers can break through the twins’ hold on them unless they repeat the command.”
“But a regular person like me?” I asked, my stomach sinking, already knowing the answer.
“It’s permanent. Unless the twin dies or rescinds it.”
Which meant I had no hope of breaking through Rafe’s control on my mind — his command that I couldn’t hurt him and had to defend him if he was in danger. But it did explain why Damian had been able to fight through Vera’s control on his mind.
Akio tensed as though he’d heard something. “I’ve stayed too long; I have to go. He could return at any moment.” He hurried toward the door.
“Wait — you still haven’t told me why you are helping me.”
He paused and turned back to me. “Because my mother told me she believes all this — all the pain and suffering — had a purpose. I’ve prayed to the Unseen Power I learned about in Sì Miào Chán Wù before we came to Dansii to understand what purpose I could possibly serve, and I was told that there would come a time when I would be able to help save my people from destruction. I believe Armando’s father. I believe you are the one no sorcerer will be able to stop — I believe you are the one who can help my people defeat Armando. That’s why I’m helping you.”
And then he slipped away into the darkness of the home, leaving me to wait for The Summoner to return and for the hours to pass until the soldiers had finally all gone to sleep, so that I could try to escape.
When The Summoner returned again, shortly after Akio had left, he looked angry.
“Why aren’t you sleeping?” he bit out at me.
I didn’t respond, watching him warily as he moved toward the bed where I was tied up. The sounds of celebration outside the home were beginning to die down as nighttime swallowed up the daylight completely.
“I must rest, as you heard. I have a big day tomorrow.”
He walked around the bed and then stretched out beside me, only a foot away from my body. The unnatural chill in the air from his presence grew even more pronounced by his proximity. I inhaled sharply, terror and disgust roiling through my body. Akio’s words repeated over and over in my mind. He had the powers that he did because he’d sacrificed his own parents — killed them, with Manu’s help.
I lay