Helena inclined her head. “Yes. You seem strangely concerned about me thinking such a thing.”
Ferron froze for an instant, then turned back, a cruel smile thawing his face. “Your friends must have thought very little of you, if this seems like care.”
Helena was so stunned by his words, she felt her heart try to beat faster.
“Yes, they did,” she said quickly. “Of course they cared.”
He tilted his head. “Who?”
She swallowed. “Luc, and Lila, and—” There was a name on the tip of her tongue, but her mind seemed to swerve around it until she focused. “And S-Soren. Lila’s twin brother. He was—he was my friend, too.”
How had she forgotten Soren? She barely had time to wonder. Ferron seemed to be waiting for more names.
“Ilva Holdfast, Luc’s great-aunt. She advocated for me when my vivimancy
