ask of horror. "The pact... O

ng me to a chair. I was fadi

sense," I whispered, the memory

ger and fear. "He has desecrated something sacred!

"I must speak to him.

guished, and mine was guttering like a dying flame. James didn't care about my warnings; he cared only for Brenda's whims

her raised voice from the library, berating J

assistant, a smug young man named Arthur,

pping with false politeness. "Mr. H

e specific herbal remedies for her. And also, her preferred brand of imported mineral water, chi

It was a deliberate humiliation, making me a servant

t, was aghast. "He made you do w

se. Forgive him. Forgive us. Is there nothing that can be d

e was de

s woman who had alwa

. "The Patriarch is dead. Its wood... it feels every saw, eve

I had poured my energy into this family, into this land. Years ago, I' d even diverted a significant portion of my own ancient

I was

told Mrs. Harrison. "Your fa

ht of generations, of broke