"To give you an easy death, then?"
He shrugged.
"You believe it possible, though he avoids me and did nothing to save you from Captain Odeon's beating."
"On the other hand," Blackfeather said through the speaker, "he could very well be using your punishment for his own ends. He told me once that letting a failure die under an Inquisitor's questioning was a good preliminary to what would happen once said failure died and arrived in Hell."
The man stiffened, mouthing Blackfeather's name.
Cortin nodded. "I see he did not tell you he sent her to us. Miss Blackfeather is now Sealed to the Protector, and a part of His team. I cannot offer you either, but should you repent during this part of your punishment, I will see that you die in a state of grace."
"Go to Hell, Bitch!" the man mouthed.
"Sara, were you able to read his lips?"
"No. What was it?"
"The usual; he wished me in Hell." Cortin's attention went back to her subject. "That is not my destination. In an attempt to keep you from going there, however, I will provide you the closest approximation I can manage to its torments. You will die painfully here, and continue to suffer afterward—but as long as you live, you have the chance to reject Shayan, make your torment a brief prelude to Heaven."