Flashback ( PDFDrive )

Fintan nodded. And he looked so reluctant to do it that Sophie had
to believe it was the truth—or a shade of it at least.
“So,” he said, straightening up, “now that I’ve sufficiently proven
myself, we’re to the part where you agree to give me what I want.”
“And what’s that?” Fitz asked, before Sophie could decide if they
should end the conversation. They’d already gotten more than she
expected. They should leave while they were ahead.
But then Fintan said, “There was a new girl with you the day I was
arrested. Caprise Redek’s daughter. And she’s another Pyrokinetic—
don’t bother lying. I could tell.”
Sophie swallowed, trying to find her voice after her mouth dried up
on her. “She has nothing to do with this.”
“If that were true, she wouldn’t have been with you that day in
Nightfall—but that’s not why I’m bringing her up.” He leaned closer,
and all the smugness dripped out of his expression, leaving something
that almost looked sincere. “The girl needs training—real training.
From someone who shares her ability—and not those fools the
Council has under surveillance. They’ve spent so long suppressing
their fire that it’s all but burned out their minds. The same thing will
happen to the girl. Or she’ll unleash herself on the world like Brant—”
“You trained Brant,” Sophie reminded him.
“I did. And my training was never the issue. The mistake was
bringing him into my cause. I didn’t realize how much the distractions
would affect him—or myself for that matter.”
“Is this the part where you try to convince us you’re just a poor,
misunderstood villain?” Sophie asked.
His eye twitched again. “In a way, I suppose it is. The simple fact is,
I joined the Neverseen because the Council was wrong about my