Lukas paced across the snow that covered the floor, skirting the debris that once was a dresser as well as the frozen blood. “I think you’re right. This is brutal, even for Midden. The amount of force he used in the first impact tells me that must have been expecting one of the Changed.”

Sirach exhaled noisily and his teeth chattered in between his words but he didn’t stutter or stumble while speaking. “You think he would hold back when he saw a simple nocomba?”

“No, but I don’t think he’d expend the effort to pulverize Jearom and the bed, when breaking a neck or smothering him would’ve been much easier.” Lukas paused and then added, “Although Midden always was one for theatrics. Maybe that’s it.”

“M’lord?”

Lukas didn’t answer right away. Making another circle around the room, his silvery eyes took in everything and examined it from a different point of view. “Yes. It’s clever in a way. This was an opportunity to show off. He got to remind everyone that they should fear him by removing your problem.”