Hachir's eyelid twitched. He pointed at the sorcerers sprawled on the ground, crying out in misery. "Who are these people?"
"They followed Kaecilius when he defected. Now they've tied themselves up and seen the error of their ways."
"You expect me to believe that?" Hachir shot Ryan a disbelieving look.
The sorcerers who followed Kaecilius shared his beliefs. There was no way they'd come to their senses so easily.
Hachir knew perfectly well that those sorcerers thought they were doing the right thing, pursuing something noble.
They would never turn over a new leaf. That left only one answer.
"Ryan caught them."
Hachir stared in astonishment at the sorcerers covering the ground. Crimson Chains had cut bloody marks into their wrists.
They looked thoroughly bound.
He turned to Ryan, stunned.
He hadn't expected Ryan to grow this much, to become this strong.
Capturing someone was far harder than simply killing them. You had to avoid injuring them, which limited every move you made.
Killing them, on the other hand, was simple. Even sorcerers were powerful on offense but fragile on defense, and they had plenty of human weaknesses.
It was a summer night in Kamar-Taj, alive with the sound of cicadas. Hachir looked at Ryan, feeling a touch of pride and emotion. "You've become an incredible sorcerer, Ryan."
The feeling lasted a moment before Hachir pulled himself together. He took custody of the Kamar-Taj traitors Ryan had bound and said they would be dealt with appropriately.
Ryan nodded, left them all in Hachir's hands, and went back to his room to sleep.
The night passed without incident.
The next morning, a knock at his door woke him. He got up, dressed, and opened it.
Mordo stood outside with a strange look on his face. "I saw Hachir dealing with the