[Her memories of the cloister are fragmented, little more than snatches of darkness, empty and crushing and cold. But she remembers a little, here and there. She remembers enough. There was no light in that place, no warmth. She remembers Mother's warnings, dripped like poison in her ear: khaless nau uss mzild taga dosstan, trust no one but yourself. She remembers compassion punished and cruelty rewarded; the burn of the rod across her shoulders for daring to help an injured boy, and the sick satisfaction of blood dripping from her fingers and the way bones feel when they break beneath her hands. And above all, seared into her mind like a brand, she remembers the first Truth of Shar: Love is a lie. Only hate endures.
No, the cloister was no place for friends.]
But I'm willing to forgive your lack of practice if you'll do the same for me.
cw: mention of religious abuse and torture
[Her memories of the cloister are fragmented, little more than snatches of darkness, empty and crushing and cold. But she remembers a little, here and there. She remembers enough. There was no light in that place, no warmth. She remembers Mother's warnings, dripped like poison in her ear: khaless nau uss mzild taga dosstan, trust no one but yourself. She remembers compassion punished and cruelty rewarded; the burn of the rod across her shoulders for daring to help an injured boy, and the sick satisfaction of blood dripping from her fingers and the way bones feel when they break beneath her hands. And above all, seared into her mind like a brand, she remembers the first Truth of Shar: Love is a lie. Only hate endures.
No, the cloister was no place for friends.]
But I'm willing to forgive your lack of practice if you'll do the same for me.