"A world that demands suffering and lifeblood as tribute."

Tieren would call it dangerously out of balance, and Kell would be hard-pressed not to agree entirely. Life and magic were two sides of the same coin, but why place a value on suffering?

Kell went silent again, fuming, let her own tangle of emotions wash through his own, catching and snagging, matching, creating friction. She was not the discomfort here.

If Neria had to sit here, silent, watching-

"Something else happened."