The woman's lips trembled. Though her eyes were pure white, the lines of her face carried a pride on the verge of breaking. It was as if she were forcing not only her body but her very soul down with the chains. For a moment, she lifted her head and looked straight at me.
"We had an agreement… I risked my life… Magnus's life… to bring you information."
Her words didn't even echo inside the tent. After a brief silence, I smiled, pulled out a chair, and sat across from her.
"Did I ever ask you to do that, Willabelle?"
Willabelle clenched her teeth, the links of her chains rattling faintly. The fury within her seemed sharp enough to slice through the stifling air of the tent.
"No…" she said, her voice now deeper, trembling from a place she could barely contain. "But I trusted you. And yet I gave you Magnus's location. I thought you would believe me… I was wrong."
