"Father," Liam said.
The cell smelled of cold stone and old magic, and Ashbourne was sitting exactly where Liam had left him the first time they had walked into this cell.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
"You took your time," Ashbourne said at last, his eyes still closed.
Liam exhaled through his nose and stepped further into the cell, "Had to make sure I wasn't followed. Cain's dogs are getting better at sniffing out what doesn't belong to them,"
A corner of Ashbourne's mouth twitched in response, "And yet they still haven't found me,"
"That's the point," Liam replied quietly.
Ashbourne opened his eyes then. They were darker and Sharper than Liam remembered, and they flicked over him in a single, devastating sweep. Ashbourne's grey eyes went from his son's face to his posture, to the subtle stiffness in his gait, to the gloved left hand he kept too still at his side.
"You're worse," Ashbourne said.
Liam stiffened instantly, "I'm fine."
