The afternoon sun filtered through the reinforced slats of the office windows in dusty, golden bars. Inside, the air was thick with the scent of old parchment and the hum of the tactical monitors. Talisa sat behind her desk, but she wasn't looking at maps.
Sofia sat on the floor at Talisa's feet, her back against the Commander's legs. A small silver bowl of honey-glazed pears sat on the desk.
The Forced Sweetness"Open," Talisa murmured.
Sofia obeyed, her blue eyes wide and hollow. Talisa used a small silver pick to lift a slice of the fruit, feeding it to Sofia with a slow, deliberate grace. She watched the way Sofia swallowed, her thumb tracing the line of the silver collar as she did.
"Tell me about the farm, Sofia," Talisa said, her voice deceptively soft. "Tell me about the life you think you're going back to."
Sofia leaned her head back against Talisa's knee, her voice a fragile whisper. "It was quiet. In the mornings, the mist would stay in the valley until noon. Jess would wake me up by braiding my hair... she's much faster than you, but she's gentle. She used to bring me wildflowers before she started the chores."
Talisa's hand stilled on Sofia's shoulder. The mention of Jess's "gentleness" made a muscle in her jaw twitch.
"Jess is everything," Sofia continued, her "Influence" shimmering with a tragic, nostalgic warmth. "She's the one who taught me how to hide. She'd stay awake all night when the High Wave scouts were near, just watching the door with a knife in her hand. She never let me be afraid. She's the bravest person in the world."
The Poisoned TongueTalisa let out a sharp, mocking breath. She fed Sofia another piece of fruit, but her movements were shorter, sharper now.
"Brave?" Talisa laughed, the sound cold and jagged. "Is that what you call it? I call it reckless. If she were truly brave, she would have found a way to protect you without ending up in my Pit. She didn't keep you 'safe,' Sofia. She kept you small. She kept you in a hole in the dirt until the world finally caught up with you."
"That's not true," Sofia whispered, her eyes filling with tears. "She loves me."
"Love is a luxury for people who aren't being hunted," Talisa snapped, leaning down so her scarred cheek was pressed against Sofia's temple. "Your sister is a common brawler, Sofia. She's a girl with a big heart and a small mind. She has no vision. She would have dragged you through the mud until you both died of exhaustion."
Talisa gripped Sofia's chin, forcing her to look up. "She's a weight around your neck, little bird. Here, with me, you have silk. You have heat. You have a purpose. Jess is just a ghost from a life that failed you. She's weak, Sofia. And in this world, the weak only bring down the strong."
The Shadow of the SisterSofia shook her head, a single tear escaping and landing on Talisa's thumb. "She isn't weak. She's the only reason I'm still alive."
Talisa's eyes flashed with a sudden, searing jealousy. She hated that even here, under her hand and wearing her silk, Sofia's heart was still three floors down in the barracks.
"She is a recruit in my army now," Talisa whispered, her voice a lethal promise. "She is a number on a ledger. If I decide her life is worth a scouting mission into the Void, she goes. If I decide she's a distraction to my assistant, she vanishes."
Talisa petted Sofia's head again, but there was no warmth in it—only the cold, hard pressure of ownership. "You need to stop thinking about her, Sofia. I am the one who feeds you. I am the one who keeps the collar from shocking you. I am your world now. Jess is just a mistake you need to forget."
Sofia closed her eyes, her "Influence" shrinking into a small, cold knot in her chest. She sat in the silence of the office, the taste of the honeyed pears turning to ash in her mouth, while the Lioness continued to stroke her hair, claiming every inch of her thoughts.