There was more to what was occurring with his niece than he could see, but his mind could provide no answer. Even now the idea of what Taya had endured, what she would endure, turned his stomach. But despite the protesting of his morals he could not afford to regret his decision. He had ensured she would not be returned to Mirage Lake, surely that absolved him. He needed her aid, and the cost to her would be worth the weight of his guilt when he finally seized The Seed of Nzin. She had agreed to help him once, although unvoiced he was certain there had been acceptance in her eyes. He would make amends. He would right this wrong, eventually.
The thundering sounds of charging hooves sent tremors across the dirt track. The coachman, apparently as blinkered as the horses, made no attempt to s
