“And what of Bryce?” I asked. “He was not stolen with the crew. How did he end up with Vohanna?”
“I don’t know,” Eric said. “He was brought in later. She…Vohanna...took....” He stopped for a moment, panting slightly, as if it were growing difficult for him to breathe. “She took a...liking to him.”
A cold belt of fear tightened around my chest at those words, but his next ones were worse.
“He didn’t...didn’t fight her. Not much at least.”
“And the others fought?” I asked, the pitch of my voice rising in my own ears. I lifted a hand to my mouth, began to gnaw at my thumb.
“Some did. I did.” He half sobbed. “Not that it mattered. No one fights her for long. She wins. Always wins.”
I forced my hand down to grasp his shoulder. I forced my voice into a semblance of control.
“It’ll be all
