"I staged that show during the funeral, mocking you to make your blood boil and even letting that dumb beast beat me around to give you a false sense of security!" Deirus ripped Jirni's hood and was disappointed discovering that she had no hair to pull.
"Pity. I always loved your hair and I would have loved even more ripping it off your scalp." He sighed. "As for your other question, Zavra wasn't the only one who can strike a deal with a Horseman!"
A black prism appeared from Deirus's chest, its perfection framed like a work of art amid the blue of his robe.
"I'm alive because I'm not human anymore. At least not completely. I'm what the undead call a thrall I believe." Velan punched Jirni hard in the face, breaking her nose and veiling her eyes with involuntary tears.