Ren didn't look away.
"Since the goat," she said.
Kael's ears twitched. She could see him counting backward through every hunt, every meal, every morning his brother had walked out of the village with a spear on his shoulder.
"That long," he said.
"That long."
Kael sat back down on the log.
"You saw his eyes red," he said. "You saw what he did to that goat. And you let him hunt beside me. You let him eat at our fire."
"His eyes went gold again! I watched them go gold. I thought he had it under control."
"You thought."
"Yes, Kael, I thought!" Ren threw her hands up. "It wasn't my secret to tell. And you were already planning the tournament. What was I supposed to say? 'Hey, your little brother might be a homicidal maniac, please go wrestle him in a ring for my honor'?"
Kael's jaw worked. He didn't answer.
Ren dropped onto the log beside him. When she spoke again, her voice was smaller.
"I was scared. Of what he would do. And of what you would do."
