Evartan looked his brother in the eye, trying to ignore the sword against his throat. The stone wall was pressing against his legs. One more push, and he'd tumble over. Yet he wasn't afraid.
"I remember when you were still a child," he said. "You used to walk through the forest to catch woodland creatures and torture them. Even then, you were a monster."
Makuran laughed. "And you thought you could change me. Even then, you were foolish."
"I assume it was you who killed my parents?"
"*Our* parents, dear brother."
Evartan shook his head. "No. You lost the right to call them that when you betrayed the land."
Makuran's visage darkened. "They lost the right to call me their child from the moment I was born! You were there, you know they never cared about me. The only reason they didn't throw me to the wolves was *duty*." He spat the last word out like a curse.