Chapter 30 Kael
KAEL
Iblink at the man before me as he stands there, almost acting as if the past few years haven't happened. My fingers curl at my sides, fists forming with barely contained rage.
“My parents are in prison,” I grunt, and he shrugs.
“And I think that we remedied that,” he retorts, running his hands over the lapels of his jacket.
I scoff, feeling the eyes of everybody in the room on me as I stare at the man wearing a calm and collected smile, like it’s something we should believe in.
“Why should we trust you?” I ask, and he grimaces, revealing the first slide of his mask as he acknowledges the truth.
He shakes his head, and when his eyes return to mine, guilt flashes in his features.
“You shouldn't, not with the version of me you have seen,” he offers truthfully, and I’m surprised.
“But in all of my years, at my core, I've never faltered from the truth. The demise of the Shadow Realm was at the hands of Toman, Saken, and Anya. Cordelia, I believe, is unaware, but—”
“She's dead,” I grunt, making it clear, and his eyes widen as his jaw falls slack.
Elodie clears her throat as she shrugs her shoulders. “She attempted to kill me when I tried to leave.”
I almost drop to my knees and worship before her, desperate to acknowledge how brave she sounds right now.
Rikard can only hum in acknowledgement as he rocks back on his heels, stuffing his hands into his pockets. It takes a moment for him to regather himself, but when he does, he brings his attention back to me.
“Your parents being in prison was at your brother's hands. Visiting them in secret has not been easy, but I've managed enough, along with Rory, to realize they've remained there by choice.”
His words are a punch to the gut.
It takes everything in me not to stumble backwards.
“What? Why?” I blurt, my pulse pounding in my ears as I see the truth on his face.
“They’ve been plotting and planning,” he rattles off nonchalantly as I continue to splutter.
“How?”
Movement captures my attention as Elodie nudges her way through the crowd, placing herself at my side. I blindly reach for her hand, and she offers it willingly. I squeeze tight, trying to convey how much I appreciate her right now, but I’m sure it doesn’t do it justice.
“Because of me.”
The noise comes from behind Rikard, but I know who it is before I see his face. I'm sure the familiar brown leather jacket will bring Elodie much joy as he saunters into the room, leaning against the wall beside the weary Sanctum member.
My hand tightens as my gaze swivels to Elodie’s. It’s no surprise when I find her glaring at the man in question, just as I had assumed.
Odie startles, taking a large step that puts him between Rory and Elodie before he plants his hands on his hips, glaring at Rory before settling his attention on his daughter.
“Why don't we like him?” he asks, capturing everyone’s attention if he didn’t already have it, and Elodie waves her hand.
“I didn’t—”
“Please, your mother has that look when we don't like someone,” Odie mutters, and Rory lifts his hands in surrender.
Despite the tension in the air, I’m in awe of the man before us.
A pang in my chest makes me squeeze Elodie’s hand even tighter.
At first, I’m certain it’s jealousy as I watch Odie effortlessly step into his role as father, placing Elodie at the forefront of his mind as he assesses everyone around him.
She’s a priority to him, just as she is to us, yet that paternal factor that the rest of us don’t have is paramount. As I absorb the energy in the room, I quickly confirm it’s not jealousy, but admiration.
She deserves this; an unwavering unit from all angles and every role, standing side by side with her through thick and thin.
Brushing her hair back off her face, Elodie looks at the ground before turning her attention to her father. “He's the one who captured me.”
Odie spins on the spot, rage burning in his eyes as he turns toward Rory, who lifts his hands higher.
“I also convinced them not to kill you. Had I not intervened, they would have killed you back at the derelict warehouse,” he insists, and I watch as Elodie's throat bobs as she folds her arms over her chest and cocks a brow at him.
“Then you hung me out of a floating building.”
Ocean gasps from behind us, but it’s Odie’s booming voice that has me on edge as he calls out Rory’s name in warning. His hands are clenched at his sides and ready to take action as black smoke blooms around his knuckles, just like when Thorne is ready to attack.
The color drains from Rory's face as he splutters. “She needed to realize that this world was real and fast, otherwise she was going to wind up dead.”
“They tortured me,” Elodie snaps, her hand deathly tight around mine as I recall carrying her from that room.
It feels like a lifetime ago until it flickers on the back of my eyelids as if it just happened.
“They tested you,” Rory corrects, and that's where I reach my limit.
“Not like normal,” I snarl, and he freezes, his gaze tilting in my direction as guilt swarms his face.
I refuse to offer him further information that he doesn't deserve. Not when it really did feel like torture, and I wasn’t even the one to endure it.
Besides, Elodie doesn't need to relive it, and her parents definitely don't need to understand all of that right now.
“I’m sorry,” he murmurs the words said directly to Elodie, but it's Odie who replies.
“You haven't heard the last of this,” he promises, and his shoulders slump.
“I wouldn't expect anything less.”
“Now, back to the Forresters,” Rikard says, shaking his lapels as he tries to regain control over the conversation.
Ellie struts to Odie’s side, wrapping her arm around his as Ocean nestles her head between Elodie and me. “Your parents are really fucking cool,” she whispers, loud enough for everyone to hear, and Elodie blushes, making Ellie grin, her smile running from ear to ear.
Elodie shakes it off, turning her attention to me, and I raise my eyebrow, the question silent in the air. But she understands, offering me a nod before I return my attention to the two men across the hallway.
“Take me to them right now,” I command as Rikard scrubs at the back of his neck and that familiar look of guilt flashes in his eyes even brighter. “What?” I grumble, and he clears his throat.
“I think it's only fair that I remain open and honest,” he starts, churning the air even thicker with tension, and Rion grunts, breaking his silence.
“Just spit it out,” he snaps, clearly reaching his limit with the slow unraveling of information that we need if we’re going to move forward.
Rikard nods, but Rory manages to speak first. “Someone else has a relative being held there too.”
Confusion drifts over the room, each of us looking at one another in confusion before we all turn back to the men who seem to struggle to get the goddamn point.
“Who?” I ask, and his gaze settles on my friend.
“The heir to the Strachan pack.”
Rion's eyes are darker than I've ever seen them before. The usual hazel glow is gone, and in its place lurks a darkness so deep, it’s enough to challenge Thorne’s onyx eyes.
His head is dipped, his chin settled against his chest, but he seems hellbent on seeing this through.
For me.
That's what the loyalty of a brother should feel like.
Funny how it looks nothing like what I've ever experienced with the blood brother I have.
One final nod, another silent bow of communication between the group, and I turn toward the portal that Rikard has produced.
I hate to admit that we're following him blindly, but for my parents and the answers I feel are owed to all of us, I put one foot in front of the other, throwing caution to the wind.
A shiver runs down my spine when I'm fully through the portal, but not because I feel betrayed or lied to… it’s the exact opposite.
Alert, I take in my new surroundings as the sound of water crashes in the distance.
It’s so loud, it’s enough to leave me seasick, especially since I can't see the sky, only damp, wet rock.
That’s all my vision is filled with, no matter which direction I look in. It makes up the walls, the floor, and the ceiling, with lit torches lighting the path. The hallway goes on forever in either direction, and I already know I don't like it here. I'd prefer to leave.
Instead, I take a few steps forward, making sure to create enough space for everybody else to step through the portal before watching Rion, Thorne, Elodie, Odie, Ocean, and Ellie step through.
Each of them wears the same confused and dreary expression I felt when I first arrived, taking in the confined space, or the lack thereof.
A second behind them, Rory and Rickard step through the portal, closing it off behind them.
Rikard offers everyone a tight smile as I clear my throat. “Where are we, exactly?” I ask, and Rikard gives me a pointed look.
“No ‘thank you for not being a lying, conniving Sanctum member’?” Rikard retorts, and I scoff.
Thankfully, Rory straightens his leather jacket as his eyes meet mine. “Alcatraz,” he states, and my eyes widen as Elodie splutters.
“We’re in San Francisco?” she clarifies, and he rolls his eyes.
“Unless there's one somewhere else I don't know about,” he grumbles, making Odie sneer, aiming his finger at the demi-demon, unfazed.
“The wick at the end of your dynamite keeps getting shorter and shorter, and when it goes boom, I’m going to be the one lighting the match,” he warns, and I gulp too, even though his threat isn’t aimed at me.
And to think I punched this man in the face.
I scrub a hand over my face as Rory lifts his hands in panic, but his mouth remains set in a thin line as he heeds the threat aimed his way.
Glancing at Elodie, I find a familiar pink hue over her cheeks, but she brushes it off as she looks around the derelict space. “How is this a magical prison? Don't they do tours here for humans?” she mutters as Rion tucks her under his arm, and Rikard hums.
“They sure do, but down here, underneath the historical landmark, it's a magical void. So enjoy the tingles of your abilities now, because they're about to disappear,” he explains, slipping his way through the group to take the lead.
I stay right on his tail, riddled with anticipation as he cuts through the hallways with a determined stride, knowing exactly where he's going, and I can't help but feel a sliver of jealousy and frustration burning deep inside me.
Rikard and Rory know more about my parents than I do. I try to recall them from when I was younger, when my life was easier with them around, but I fall short. It would explain the trust that seems to be there between them, but that’s just another gap in my memories I need to try to fill.
Each hallway is a replica of the last, to the point where I'm half sure we're lost, until he pauses at the end of the hall, a windowless door awaiting us. Rikard looks over his shoulder at me before he curls his hand around the doorknob and knocks.
“How is this going to work?” I ask, but he doesn't even attempt to answer as he swings the door open and steps inside.
“Governor,” he hollers, tilting his head as he moves farther into the room, revealing my mother.
Her eyes light up when they meet mine, and she rushes around the small desk to engulf me in her arms. She pins me tightly to her chest with ease as she rocks me from side to side; my arms remain limp between us.
Disbelief still courses through me as I realize that she's more than simply ‘not a prisoner,’ but the actual governor.
“I’m so happy to see you, Kael,” she breathes, running her hands down my arms as she takes a step back, breathing me in, and I glare at her.
“So you're not a prisoner,” I mutter, my eyebrows furrowed in confusion, and she waves a delicate hand at me.
“Honey, would I ever look good in chains?” she muses, taking a step back and dragging her hand along her outfit, confirming she's indeed dressed nothing like a prisoner.
Instead, she's in combat clothes that I've seen enforcers wear within The Sanctum; slick pants and a matching t-shirt with a harness over the top, filled with random trinkets and weapons.
“You just left me,” I blurt, and her eyes gleam with sadness as she worries her bottom lip.
“I was trying to protect you,” she states, and I scoff.
“And I'm trying to figure out how,” I retort, acutely aware of the fact that mere moments ago, Elodie was having the same experience with her parents, and it didn't feel like this. Almost… tainted.
Elodie didn’t know much, just like me, but the reasoning behind it doesn't add up the same.
My mother leans back against her desk, encouraging everybody into the room as her gaze remains locked on mine.
“Jude was always a selfish child. He definitely didn't like having to share attention with anyone else, especially you.
I thought it would make him back off if he didn't feel he was competing for my attention.”
“He was warping my mind and controlling me,” I snap, feeling like a petulant child as my mother's eyes widen and the sound of shuffling comes from behind me. Glancing over my shoulder, I falter at the sight of my father.
His eyebrows are pinched tighter than mine, and his hairline has receded an extra inch since the last time I saw him.
“Kael…? Son, what's this about control?” he asks, and I sigh.
“Jude,” I grunt, and his lips set in a thin line.
“I’m sorry, Son,” he mutters, the words weighted, but they don't completely calm the chaos inside of me.
The air grows stilted as my mother clears her throat.
“I’m sure there is much for us to discuss, but we’re close to finally engaging him, and I want all of the pieces in place before we sit down and talk.
If you would like, Rory can guide you to the nicer rooms to rest. You’re going to need it,” my mother breathes, and I glance around the room, seeking guidance, which comes in the form of Elodie, who shuffles closer to me once again.
Her fingers curl around mine as I nod at my mother.
“Now what?” I ask, but before she can answer, a grunt comes from the back of my little family. I turn, and my gaze collides with Rion's, who stands taller, his muscles flexing as he exhales slowly.
“Now I need someone to show me to my father.”