āYou can be a pawn, be someoneās reward, and spend the rest of your immortal life bowing and scraping and pretending youāre less than him, than Ianthe, than any of us. If you want to pick that road, then fine. A shame, but itās your choice.ā The shadow of wings rippled again. āBut I know youāmore than you realize, I thinkāand I donāt believe for one damn minute that youāre remotely fine with being a pretty trophy for someone who sat on his ass for nearly fifty years, then sat on his ass while you were shredded apartāā
āStop itāā
āOr,ā he plowed ahead, āyouāve got another choice. You can master whatever powers we gave to you, and make it count. You can play a role in this war. Because war is coming one way or another, and do not try to delude yourself that any of the Fae will give a shit about your family across the wall when our whole territory is likely to become a charnel house.ā I staredā