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Shadow tightens his grip on my arm, reminding me of Viola. I wrack my brain, thinking what she'd do in this situation.
"Interesting history lesson," I drawl, "but we need those items. We will give them to the Shadowweaver, and she will replace the Frostweaver and work with the other three to take him down for good. Tell us where they are, and we'll be on our way."
He pushes up to me, clearly not seeing me as a threat. "I don't know who this Shadowweaver is, and I don't care. I will not help you bring back the Gods."
"We don't need your help," I remind him, shoving him backward until he falls in his chair. I search the room for something I can use, and when I see the metal chains that are hanging plants from the ceiling. Calling upon my rarely used Geomancy, I pull the chains to me, increase their size, and secure them around the fae. "Morrow, melt these chains, please," Morrow hesitates for a moment and then complies, sealing the chains around Brillian.
"Now, let's continue," I say, squatting in front of him to be eye to eye. "I'm not looking to hurt you here, Brillian. But you must understand this is bigger than all of us. The Shadowweaver is the answer to all of the problems we've been having. And she needs these items. So I ask again," I pull some Influence into my words, "where are they?"
I can see him fighting against my magic, and he does not relent. Instead, he pivots. "You sound like a zealot. Your God is no different than the others. She will betray you. They always do. They see us as less than. Do you think, when it comes down to it, she will elevate you equal to her? She has you here doing her dirty work." He spits at my feet, and a snarl rises up in my chest. "She is as worthless as they were."
I see red, his insults to Viola dragging me into a dark place that has lived in me my whole life. I have spent ages making sure I do not take up residence here, but it appears Brillian has decided to proverbially kick me over that cliff. Before I can stop myself, I slice the side of his face with my blade.
Brillian hisses in pain, and Plume and Tulip jump to their feet. "Mace!" Plume gasps, hands over her mouth.
"You two get out of here. Let me do what I have to do," I snarl. "You don't need to see this."
"No, I'm staying," Tulip says, digging in her heels.
"Tulip," Morrow says quietly, "I don't think you want to be here."
"I do!" she says emphatically.
Plume's body freezes, her eyes falling closed. Whispers circle around her. I watchher lips move under her breath, and then a mist of Air magic leaves the room. My nose wrinkles, but I don't say anything, returning my attention to Brillian.
"Now, please, continue to insult my God."
The older fae cackles, shaking his head. "You're blinded. Gods do not care for their people. They care for themselves. She'll abandon you. She's already done it, hasn't she? She's not here. She's left you behind, hasn't she, Nightroot?"
The words strike a chord, and I lash out again, this time slicing down his arm. The speed of the cut and movement of my blade has blood splattering across me. He shrieks again but it quickly devolves into laughter.
"I love how you think hurting me will get you what you want. All you are doing is proving that your God is no different than the others. Getting humans to do their dirty work." How this man can sit here, fully restrained, and goad me is laughable. "You'll have to kill me because I'm telling you nothing."
"That's the second time you've said that," I say. I remember Viola saying the same words to Ryler and suddenly I understand what happened in Pran so clearly it nearly knocks me off my feet. "Perhaps it's time I granted you that wish."
Using Decay, I start at his feet and watch as the flesh bubbles and rots beneath my eyes.
I'm not sure how long we can continue like this, with Brillian saying nothing but cryptic insults and me slowly Decaying him, giving him death by a thousand cuts. Plume and Tulip sit there in stunned silence.
This is not like me, of course. But every word out of his mouth is an insult to Viola. Every sneer and refusal to give us the information we need is a slap in the face and a nail in the coffin to all of Krillium.
A few times, he tries to use his magic to stop me. His control of vines is noteworthy, but Morrow burns them to a crisp quickly. If he tries to call beasts none answer. So instead, he sits there, at my mercy, for an unknown amount of time.
The sun has set, and I am panting with the effort of torturing this fae. My companions won't look at me, but none have left either. I drag my blade down Brillian's thigh, but not deep enough to knick an artery. The blood weeps and oozes, joining the mess that paints the rest of his body. My own skin is dressed in it, my clothes soaked tight to my chest.
"Mace," Plume says softly, hesitantly, "maybe it's time Morrow gives it a shot?"
Morrow raises an eyebrow. "Me?"
Plume nods, her eyes wide. "Light magic."
I jerk my head to Morrow. "Why didn't you offer that?"
"Eh, the guy was an asshole, and he insulted Tulip. And I'm not perfect with the magic yet, so I wanted to see if you could get it the old-fashioned way. This could scramble him even more than he clearly already is."
Morrow steps forward, placing a hand on the man's head. I hold my knife to his throat. "Don't move. We don't know what'll happen when he digs around in your brain."
A white glow surrounds Morrow's fingers, seeping through Brillian's temples. Morrow's eyes drift closed, but you can see them moving rapidly behind the lids. Eventually, he staggers back, hand on his chest. "You fucking didn't…" he gasps. He doubles over, his braids falling in his face as he pants, hands on his knees. "You fucking wouldn't."
