63. Henry #3
Kellan nods. “I knew this would be hard to explain. Some of you know what cruelty my parents were capable of. Suffice it to say that those cruelties existed both in and out of our home,” he says solemnly.
“I made a hard choice because when I vowed to Divine Vardek to protect the people of this city fifteen years ago, when I became captain of the city guard, I meant all of our people. I’ve watched the disparity grow between the blessed and the rest, and I have seen firsthand the way it’s affected crime inside these city walls. ”
Harlow reaches for my hand without looking for me, and even though I know she just needs something to hold onto, it’s the first hint of hope I’ve had since she ran from me.
Kellan shakes his head. “How quickly we’ve forgotten how this community formed.
And that selective memory was encouraged by my parents.
I knew when I was young. I tried to work around the system, but my parents’ roots were deep.
I couldn’t strike until I knew who would support a change when the time came.
My parents were vindictive, and if we didn’t succeed on the first try, I knew we wouldn’t get another. ”
Bryce and Naima stand on the far side of the crowd. They see me looking and offer nods of encouragement. So far, so good. I’m really hopeful that no one tries to kill my brother-in-law .
The people’s anger and frustration are palpable. I don’t blame them. They were expecting to channel it into the ones who hurt them, but Harrick and Liza are already gone.
I can relate to that disappointment, though knowing they met a violent end has brought me some measure of peace.
“I take responsibility for how long it took to know exactly how to get us here. I’m not blind to how many of you have suffered in that time.
” Kellan pauses as shouts of affirmation ring out.
“More importantly, I know that it’s easy for someone to stand on this dais and tell you what you want to hear.
So let me be honest for a moment and tell you what you don’t want to hear.
I beseech you to listen until the end. I’ll hold weekly town hall sessions after this so that you can have time to think of your concerns and discuss them in detail. Are you willing to hear me?”
There’s a brief hesitation before murmurs of agreement break out.
“Okay. Good,” Kellan continues. “Now, this is going to sound scary, but let me start with the Drained. You’ve probably noticed that we’ve had more breaches in the last few months.
That’s because the Drained have evolved.
Fortunately, thanks to the cooperation of our old friends at Mountain Haven, we have a working theory that our blood tithes that were made in pain and frustration have exacerbated this problem. ”
Shocked whispers rush through the crowd, but when Kellan raises his hands, they quiet.
“This is a problem that could have been avoided, but it can be traced directly to my parents’ desire to control information in Lunameade.
In their greed for power and control, they cut out parts of our history that left us blind to the purpose of the blood tithes and to the true nature of the Drained.
We will right that wrong by bringing back the full story of the evolution of Drained and why the tithes were directly connected to making the problem worse.
We will bring back storytellers who can remind us of these tales, and we will never again wipe out uncomfortable parts of our history for the sake of holding on to power. ”
The people of Lunameade look stunned.
“Say more,” someone shouts from the rear of the group.
Kellan nods. “There is good news and bad news with that. The good news is that we will be stopping the blood tithes. The bad news is that we don’t know how long it will take for the Drained to settle down enough that we can start hunting them back.
But Henry Havenwood and the people at Mountain Haven have brought us a helpful piece of information.
Well water kills the Drained just like holy fire.
This week, we will start distributing stashes of well water to every house in Lunameade, starting with homes and businesses in the A zones on the outermost rim of the city and working our way in through each section until we reach the city center. ”
The crowd erupts into loud cheers. People hug, and the relief on their faces is plain. Kellan waits patiently for them to quiet.
He places his hand over his heart. “Now, I have one more shameful admission. Some of you already know, but most of you don’t.
When I became captain of the city guard, I learned that my father was killing any Vardek-blessed children who had holy fire magic.
As soon as I found out, I volunteered to take over watching all the blessing ceremonies.
I lied to cover the tracks of any children with blessings from Vardek.
Because of that, my father became paranoid and more volatile, thinking the Divine had abandoned us because of his sins, and more controlling of our citizens.
I’m sorry for that miscalculation on my part. ”
Kellan gestures to the crowd like he’s welcoming them into a huddle. “However, the children I saved have learned to wield their power, and in my father’s absence, they have graciously offered to help us maintain the wall.”
On cue, holy fire erupts around the outside of crowd, the Vardek-blessed making themselves known. The people clap, and I swear they look relieved.
Kellan presses a hand to his heart. “It’s on me for not realizing sooner, and I promise I carry the weight of that responsibility every day.
It’s part of the reason why I started this revolution.
The reason Alistair Carren was blessed with the Blood Well to begin with was to protect the whole of this community, not just those of us with magic. ”
The crowd claps in approval. I’m impressed at what a thorough job he’s done of setting up this speech, but I suppose he’s had a lot of time to think about it.
Kellan bows his head to me in deference as he continues.
“It’s also time to acknowledge that even if Rafe was responsible for directing the horde that attacked Mountain Haven ten years ago, the burden of protecting the people of Lunameade and the fort fell on my family.
We failed the Havenwoods and everyone else at the fort by not seeing Rafe’s treachery, and not realizing how large the horde had become.
For that fault, I would like to formally apologize to the Havenwood family and everyone else at Mountain Haven.
I cannot imagine their grief, but I admire the way they have rebuilt and redeveloped their community.
We will be helping them bolster their forces going forward.
” He looks at me. “Henry, I’m sorry for your losses, and we aim to do better going forward. ”
I place my fist over my heart and nod my head. “Thank you. You have the full support of Mountain Haven.”
I can feel the eyes of the crowd on me, the people around us shifting and noticing Harlow beside me. I take a step closer to her, feeling protective of my grieving wife.
Kellan clears his throat, and the crowd turns their attention back as he looks toward the other side of the stage, where Libby is standing.
“I have two children with my lovely wife, and another on the way. I want them to grow up in a city where they aren’t used for their magic or lack thereof.
Where they strive to improve the lives of this community.
We know what it takes to survive in isolation, but I’d like to see us thrive. ”
The shouts of approval grow even louder, and when I look toward the back of the crowd, I see that it’s grown since the start of his speech. People are pouring in from all sides to hear what he has to say.
“Finally, I know that many of you are wondering where my parents are,” Kellan says.
“When the poison is in your own line, you have to cut it out yourself. My parents were a risk to everyone in this community. I don’t think we will ever unravel the entirety of the hurts they’ve caused.
Even I’m not immune. They gave my sister Aidia to Rafe Mattingly, knowing he was abusive.
They saw the marks on her body—many of you did, too.
But they did nothing about it. As long as Rafe was handled, they didn’t care what it cost. They even covered it up when he killed her. ”
Gasps go through the crowd, and Kellan looks directly at Harlow. His grief is completely unmasked and so familiar because I have seen that look on my own face so many times over the past ten years.
He straightens and looks out over the crowd. “But last night I ensured that they won’t have the chance to hurt anyone in or out of our house again. Harrick and Liza Carrenwell are dead.”
I expect complete chaos, but there are just hushed whispers and shock.
Kellan waits, his body tense and braced for impact.
Across the crowd, Carter catches my eye and shrugs, nodding at Kellan like he’s impressed.
Without a doubt, my brother-in-law is a better speaker than Harrick ever was, and from the looks of the faces on the crowd, he already has their respect.
It feels too easy, but I think that’s because most of the suffering happened before we returned to Lunameade. These people, the blessed and those without magic, have been struggling here for a long time under the oppressive hands of Harrick and Liza. None of it was easy for them.
I look at Harlow. Her face is inscrutable, but I can feel her pride and grief mixing together as she watches Kellan take responsibility for her violence. His apology to the crowd is just as much an apology to her.
“I’m glad I didn’t kill him last night,” she whispers when she catches me looking.
“Was that a possibility?” I ask.
She shrugs a shoulder. “It was hard to believe he didn’t know what was going on, but I think my parents intentionally left him out of things they knew would make him angry.
My father was always very careful with Kellan.
He wanted a child blessed by Polm, but it’s a double-edged sword.
He provides security, but he can also kill you.
Kellan’s magic is strong. If he had publicly resisted them—” She shakes her head, trailing off as her brother begins to speak again.
“I wish it hadn’t come to this, and I would have avoided it if I could think of any other way,” Kellan says.
“But my father had become too volatile and unpredictable in his old age. I know this won’t undo the harm they’ve caused, and it hasn’t undone the guilt I feel for not being able to do anything until now, but real change takes time.
I wanted everyone to have a chance to see what Lunameade could be if we worked together.
But, most of all, I wanted you all to know that I am willing to stand between you and danger, not because I want to be a leader, but because I have been blessed with the power to. ”
Kellan waves to a bar on the edge of the center square.
Spanning it is a mural of the discovery of the well.
Beneath the painting, the rest of the Carrenwell siblings stand with their gatehouse banners raised.
Each house has a color, and all are represented except the black banner of North Hold, since Rafe has been detained, and the blue of South Hold, which is held by Kellan’s son, who stands at the edge of the stage.
“The rest of the high magical houses have pledged their support to his plan. Now I’m asking for yours,” Kellan says. “I’m not asking to be your leader for life. Just through this transition, so you can safely choose who you want governing Lunameade going forward. Thank you for hearing me out.”
The crowd erupts into cheering and clapping. The mood is more celebratory than I expected, but maybe I underestimated how it would feel for them to be out from under Harrick’s punitive rule.
Kellan crosses the stage and steps down beside us, his gaze fixed on Harlow.
“You were Rochelli this whole time, Kel?” she says breathlessly. “I know it’s only been intense this past year, but there were murmurs of him for a long time before that. I suppose you could keep it going by being both captain of the city guard and target of the guard’s investigation.”
He shrugs sheepishly. Gone is the confident leader who spoke to the crowd with poise. In his place is a worried older brother—who Harlow apparently almost killed last night.
“It was the only way,” Kellan says. “I couldn’t challenge them outright, but I could create a persona and see how they rose to meet him.”
Harlow shakes her head. “That’s a huge risk to take. How did you keep it a secret?”
Kellan swallows thickly. “You know my magic, Low. It’s not that hard to use it to direct suspicion elsewhere.
That and Aidia gave me a glamoured cuff so I could change my appearance.
I started rumors a few years back when I found out about the Vardek-blessed children, but I intensified it when I realized Rafe was beating Aidia. I just didn’t work fast enough.”
Harlow looks away for a moment, and when she looks back at him, her eyes are glassy. “ You set me up to kill Henry,” she says, her voice cutting through the crowd’s cheering.
Kellan leans in close. “I wasn’t about to let our parents ship you off, too, Low.
I set you up to meet him, and I figured if he was the good guy I met years ago at the last Dark Star Festival before the fort fell, he wouldn’t take you upstairs.
And if he wasn’t, then he would die, and you would be safe again.
” He smiles sheepishly at me. “No offense.”
I hold up a hand. “None taken. I had a sister, too. ”
Harlow glowers at him. “You could have told me.”
Kellan shakes his head and waves to the crowd. “No, I couldn’t have. But I’m happy I can now. We can catch up later.” He kisses her cheek and disappears into the crush of people.
I hardly know what to do with myself. This is a victory, albeit not in the way I expected. Harrick is dead, and while the people of Lunameade will never know the full extent of his crimes, that public apology was more than I was expecting to get out of this arrangement.
So was a wife I’m in love with.
It’s like Harlow can feel me thinking about her. She notices that she’s holding my hand and releases it. I’ve never been so bereft by the loss of such simple intimacy.
She tucks her arms behind her back. “This doesn’t change anything.”
When she turns to go, I catch her wrist.
“Come to North Hold at sundown.”
She frowns. “Why?”
“Just say you’ll come.”
She looks out at the crowd instead of meeting my eye. “I’ll think about it,” she says after a long pause.
It’s as good as I can hope for. I’m not giving up on her, but it’s going to take a Divine-damn miracle to win her back.