When you’re alone, no one can betray you, a voice whispered in the back of her mind. Reen’s voice. The voice she heard sometimes, almost real, like a conscience. She’d taken it for granted that the voice was merely part of her psyche—something left over from Reen’s teachings. An instinct. Anyone will betray you, Vin, the voice said, repeating a bit of advice it commonly gave. As it spoke, it slowly slid from Reen’s voice into that of Ruin. Anyone. I’ve always been with you. You’ve heard me in your mind since your first years of life.