Leona wondered, staring at the silver scar on her hand. She eased herself further into the tub until the water touched her bottom lip. Still she didn’t take her gaze off her hand. Hafaress? But that was stupid. What did Fortarian mean that darklings weren’t the only ones good at lying? She shook her head. It was almost as if he meant she really was his niece, but they’d already established that her father wasn’t really a Bauer. Then how could I be a Bauer if father isn’t a Bauer? But Fortarian was just a darkling, like Daniken. They wove lies. That’s how they worked, by confusing the mind and manipulating people to their side. She’d been manipulated before by Daniken, and had almost killed Abagail in the process. Leona squeezed her eyes shut and sank beneath the water. She let the heat of the tub relax her body, and she pushed the troubling thoughts from her mind. Leona came out of the bathroom in a cloud of fragrance and steam. She wasn’t limping as bad now as she had been before the long soak in the hot tub.
