"Just bring that person here, and this power will be yours."
A storm of emotion surged through Jon and Ygritte.
Bodies, inheritance, magic...
Combined, those words carried a chilling aura of evil.
Jon gripped his sword hilt again, the wariness in his eyes almost tangible.
Ygritte was so frightened that she backed away repeatedly and hid behind Lynn, as though he were her only refuge now.
Lynn, however, remained calm.
He even smiled.
"Sounds like a good deal."
His gaze moved from the Three-Eyed Raven's withered face to Leaf beside him.
"But before I help you find that poor bastard, there are a few things I need to know."
The Three-Eyed Raven's lone eye shifted slightly, seemingly waiting for Lynn to continue.
"Skinchangers."
Lynn spoke the word.
"What exactly is this ability of mine?"
He had wanted to ask that question for a long time.
Back in King's Landing, he had been able to manipulate a member of the Faceless Men, make Daenerys write, force Littlefinger to jump from a building, and even make Jaime do certain unspeakable things.
But he had only ever managed simple manipulation, and the mental backlash after each use of Skinchanging had varied in severity.
Controlling Daenerys, for instance, had caused no side effects whatsoever.
Making Littlefinger jump, on the other hand, had nearly drained his mental power dry.
He had always assumed that other people's wills were particularly strong, but now it seemed things were not that simple.
"What you do isn't Skinchanging."
The Three-Eyed Raven's voice took on a mocking edge.
"It's playing with fire."
His clouded eye seemed to pierce through time and see what had happened on the Street of Silk in King's Landing.
"Animal souls are simple and pure. Their minds are like clear streams."
"You can easily step into