Anders will not harm him. Nathaniel knows this. If anyone harms him, it will be Justice. Justice, who will let Anders bear the blame. And if Nathaniel tries to bolster Anders, if he says the words that could encourage and heal him, thereby undermining Justice, Justice will make Anders pay.

If you harm me, then it is Justice who will have to deal with your wrath, he wants to say. If you harm me, then Justice will have no excuse to pretend he is not a demon. If you harm me, I will harm him back.

But as always, Justice holds Anders hostage. As always, Nathaniel cannot save him yet. But seeing this fear, this helplessness, steels him. Resolves him. Even if the solution is to enter the Fade and slay the demon without Anders' knowledge or consent, nothing can be crueler or less violating than what Anders experiences now, every moment of every day.

He adjusts his grip so he is cupping both sides of Anders' jaw, sharing heat in the wet and cold.

"Have courage," is all he can say. Maybe one day, he will be forgiven for having already committed a sin in his heart by planning to carry it out.

"Let's get you back to camp and into dry clothes. All right?"