Page 53 of Broken

“It was Bethiaz, mostly,” Ireland said. “One of the Council members. He was the specialist in this kind of magic. The others might not have known.”

“They knew they were holding you prisoner,” Cole said grimly. “And telling you that you were evil and worthless.”

Ireland gave a little shrug—not as if it didn’t matter, but as if she were pushing that knowledge away. Cole let it go. Baby steps. It wasn’t easy giving up ideas you’d taken for granted your whole life.

“I’m wondering,” he said now, “if these books were written right when the schism was happening—when the Fae were trying to separate one kind of magic from the other.”

“But these make it seem like they couldn’t,” Ireland said. “At least, not all the kinds of magic. So why didn’t they give up?”

“Who knows?” Cole said. “Fanaticism. Power. People can do all kinds of mental gymnastics if the alternative means giving up things they really want to believe.”

“But then, even if I find a renegade Bright Fae, they might not be able to take the bracelets off.”

“Unless they work with Thanatos,” he said. “Or unless the dragons can come up with something. But I think Thanatos needs to see this. Not only because of you and me. But because if the sorceress is bound into that prison with spells like this, it’s going to take both Bright and Dark magic to get her out. And he needs to teach us how to do it.”

He could feel her indecision. She didn’t trust Thanatos. She didn’t want to let go of the books. But she knew she didn’t have the expertise to use all the material that was in them.

But it had to be her choice. If he tried to make it for her, she’d never trust him again.

Finally she said, “Okay. Let’s do it.”