I told myself it was for the greater good. But in that moment, the moment she was captured, the power I held—the power of oaths, bonds, and promises … It rejected me. My trap’s aftereffect upon all the singers was too much for it. It hated what I’d done, and the consequences were too great this time. I resisted. I cajoled. I ordered. I wrestled with the power, insisting that it see the difference between doing good and being honorable. It lashed back against me, for what I’d done was neither. And … the being who had been Tanner … Agreed.
