jamys remembered several chambermaids who had vanished; angelica claimed they'd run off with their lovers, or had left to take better positions in other households. yet none of them had ever been seen again, and now he suspected that his mother had killed them in one of her rages.

the brethren hadn't simply turned angelica into a traitor, he realized. they had broken her bond with thierry, and had driven her mad in the process.

everyone had assumed that, like thierry, angelica had recovered from being separated from her life companion as soon as they had been reunited. she had been clever enough to act the part of a sygkenis and prevent anyone from suspecting her insanity.

i knew i had gone mad long before i found jema, his father had once said. had i been rational, i might have put an end to myself. but madness is its own purpose, and has its own beauties and desires.

years of guilt sifted away, their impossible weight turning to dust. the monster of angelica's insanity had betrayed them to the brethren. the mother jamys had always loved, the beloved wife who had devoted herself to him and his father, had in fact never returned to them. she had died in italy.

a memory of angelica's face, now serene, drifted into his mind. as if she knew his thoughts, she nodded and smiled, and then she was gone.

peace and determination entwined inside jamys, eradicating his anger and fear as he drove the last miles to fort lauderdale. when he came to the barricades and detour signs directing traffic away from the stronghold, and saw the warriors who had taken discreet defensive positions, he turned off the road and parked in front of a crowded restaurant.

inside the ma