Silver Creek crimes against children are so easy to get away with.

Although her elder brother did well to mask his emotions—she could honestly use a few pointers on that—his voice was a dangerous hiss as he stepped closer. Feeling oddly menaced by his tone and the words that slipped from his tongue, Bat's large ears fell back. She fell back, slowly maintaining the same distance between them.

It was pretty clear that Artaax didn't know about the defection. Bat herself didn't know a whole lot about it, since she was too busy avoiding her mother and sister (apart from that one sob fest in Wildfire's arms). She couldn't—she wouldn't—attempt to speak for them. If Artaax had questions, he could go straight to the source.

But he demanded answers from Bat about her own fealty. She had never been Drakru, never found her purpose until after busting out of the proverbial birdcage. But she sensed it wouldn't do any good to say so. Instead, she said, "I left because nomi left. I tried to catch up to her. But she left me—us, all of us, Drageda—behind. So I found someone—someones else." She flushed not only because that had come out sounding sort of dumb but because Bat had the distinct feeling she'd likely just tripped a wire.