Someone grabbed me by the shirtfront, jerked me to my feet. I could not even scream for the pain. “Stupid piece of dung,” he snarled at me. “You’d better not die. I’m not going to take lashes over the likes of you dying.”
“Great threat, Verde,” someone mocked him. “What are you going to do to him after he’s dead?”
“Shut up. It’ll be your back flayed to the bone as much as mine. Let’s get him out of here and clean this up.”
The cell. The blank wall of it. They had left me on the floor, facing away from the door. Somehow that seemed unfair of them. I’d have to do all the work of rolling over just to see if they’d left me any water.
No. It was too much trouble.
Are you coming now?
I really want to, Nighteyes. But I just don’t know how.
Changer. Changer! My brother! Changer.
What is it?
You have been silent for so long. Are you coming now?
I have been … silent?
Yes. I thought you had died, without coming to me first. I could not reach you.
Probably a seizure. I didn’t know it had happened. But now I am right here, Nighteyes. Right here.
Then come to me. Hurry, before you die.
A moment. Let us be sure of this.
I tried to think of a reason not to. I knew there had been some, but I could no longer recall them. Changer, he had called me. My own wolf, calling me that, just as the Fool or Chade called me a catalyst. Well. Time to change things for Regal. The last thing I could do was make sure I died before Regal broke me. If I had to go down, I would do it alone. No words of mine would implicate anyone else. I hoped the Dukes would demand to see my body.