Vara followed as Geraint led them back out of the walls.  She knew that shock was attempting to set in, but she could not allow herself to fall to her knees or just stand and stare.  They were not safe here, they had to get out.  Once they were almost near the pond again, she heard him speaking and it took a moment for his words to register.  Vara blinked and tried to focus on her mind on what he was saying, because he was clearly trying to find the logic in all this as well.<br/><br/>"He knows the witches renounce some of their own, babies born with black marks.  I think he assumes the witches leave you to the wilds and allow you to die..."  She had read something like that about an ancient civilization in the Old World.  Warriors that left children who were not worthy out in the elements to die.  Right now, it seemed to be the kind of thing that Blackvayne himself would have done.  Sacrificing those he did not deem important.  "I was the only thing protecting them.  What good are two old werewolves who basically act like farmers..."  It made sense now.  Blackvayne had kept them alive so that she would be pleased with him.  He did not often kill his own subjects in such a fashion, not normally, but maybe her parents got upset when he announced that Vara was gone.  She wanted to believe that maybe, just maybe, her parents fought back and did not die in their sleep.<br/><br/>She sucked in a deep breath and nodded her head.  "So he essentially sent me to my death because I would not sleep with him.  Seems reasonable."  Her words were bitter and angry, but it was not as if there was much she could do in this moment.<br/><br/>"Well, if you thought I was going to give you over to him, I assume this has proven otherwise...We should...We should leave here.  I'll still try to help you, but if he's burned the grounds in a way like this, I don't know that he will work to get his "toy" back."  It all felt rather uncertain now.  Blackvayne was smart, but fickle, so maybe he still would want her back if he thought someone else had gotten her favor.  Maybe he would make up a story and tell her that her parents had died by some other hand.