Locked in Father’s office sits a glass bottle of Whisper’s blood, arranged beside identical bottles for every other Hound in the Kennel. The phylacteries are the secret to Father’s control over his Hounds; he doesn’t have to cast a new spell every time he wants to punish them. Blinding them for a demonstration is nothing. He could stop their hearts with only a thought and a twist of power. If they fail a job, that’s just what he does.
