Chapter 24Rostan was unashamedly afraid. Twice now he had explained in great detail what he had done to Pinnatte, and the circumstances that led to it. Such few lies as he had told at his first confession he had reiterated so often to himself subsequently that they had now become the truth for him, but that gave him little comfort. Imorren’s manner was glacial as she probed relentlessly into every nuance of the event, peeling back layer after layer, cruelly dissecting his actions. He had not seen her like this often, but he recognized the mood. Something was appallingly wrong. So wrong that someone could die for it — and very unpleasantly. Already he had a list of scapegoats to hand.
Then there had come this silence, with Imorren sitting motionless and unreadable, and a sense of oppressio
