Siva attempts to defend herself with the impertinent question that made Seofar choke her earlier but her voice is still gone.

"Go away," sighs Seofar.

"If she had bewitched you, wouldn't you want me to save you from her?"

"She hasn't fucking bewitched me, Nahira, you're just saying that because you want to ruin my new toy. Fuck off."

He tries to close the door again. It doesn't budge.

"And let go of my fucking door or I will make you let it go."

"Touchy!"

She steps inside the room. Seofar finds himself unable to move to follow her.

"You'll thank me later," she says over her shoulder.

Crap crap crap crap.

Her voice is still gone but she lets out a sharp breath that would have been a whimper if she'd been able to vocalize it.

"It's so nice to be appreciated," says Nahira.

She stands by the side of the bed and touches her fingertips to Siva's throat; pain flares at the contact, but then her voice is healed.

There's a lovely floral scent in the air. Nahira's soul looks like a ball of dark amber wrapped around a twist of red smoke. It says: here is a person whose favourite pastime is breaking people.

"Good afternoon," she says. "I am Den-aminde Nahira, but I think you've figured that out already."

Lilies are an incredibly poisonous flower, she remembers saying. But these are daffodils...

"Are daffodils poisonous?"

"What an odd question."

"Lilies are lovely, and direly poisonous. Like you. But you're wearing daffodils, not lilies."

"I don't think I like your tone."

"I don't think I give a fuck."

"Oh!" she says, brightly. "Defiance!"

She steps away from the bed and looks around until she finds a small sharp knife. Then she comes back, sits down next to Siva, and starts methodically skinning her.

Well. That's gross on a similar level to burns. And Nahira doesn't at all remind her of someone she loves, or any positive things at all. She still has a pretty high pain tolerance, but--ow.

She stops when most of Siva's stomach and chest is all bare.

"Much better!" she says. "Would you like to tell me what you did with young Kazaryne?"

"I didn't do anything. I went to sleep last night in my own bed at home and woke up in his room with him already missing. I think whatever got me got him too. What kind of idiot do you think I would have to be to have a way to get people out of here and not use it for myself?"

"I think you have no reason to leave. You've got Seofar's mind in your grip and you're merrily twisting it into knots. Whether it's magic or just skill, I suppose I can't know, but I do know you're bending him to your will one way or another."

"Seriously?"

"He tried to protect you from me! You can't expect me to believe his sudden affection is some kind of coincidence."

"All I did was be a masochist at him! It's not my fault if that makes me an interesting novelty!"

"Dear, we have met masochists before."

"Okay, a really extreme masochist."

"And on that basis alone you're so fascinating that he'd rather fuck you all day than deal with his daughter's ruined wedding? Look me in the eye and tell me you've done nothing else to capture his affection."

She looks her in the eye. "I also displayed situation-inappropriate absences of fear. Other than that, nothing."

"I think you're lying."

She tugs sharply on a loose flap of skin.