Chapter 35
We travel through the dim warehouse, nearly following the same route I took before.
Once we reach the long hallway that led me to Crew, instead of going straight, we take an immediate left upon entering.
The warehouse is silent, except for a few drops of water in the vast space and hushed whispers from the Voids watching as we pass by.
The moldy and gray-washed walls make me happy I don’t live in this place.
“No nicer warehouses available?” I sass.
Sam cuts his eyes to mine. “Stop being judgmental.”
I huff. “I’m not.”
Crew leans over, whispering, “You are.”
I nudge his shoulder.
Another long hallway stretches for what feels like miles, and I stay close to Crew. He consistently sends flashes down the bond, and I know he wants me to look at him, but I keep my gaze forward.
If he wants to be vague, then I can be cold.
We said we wouldn’t keep things from each other, and all I feel right now is that it’s happening and breaching my trust.
I slam the channel to my emotions closed through the bond and watch as Crew grimaces at the rejection.
We continue down the hallways, taking turn after turn while I stay close to the back, not wanting Riggs or Sam behind me for even a second.
Even though he knows I’m upset, Crew stays close, as if he can’t stand any distance between us.
We enter a dimly lit room, and I squint into the darkness.
Crew’s hand slowly moves to wrap around mine while the other three men step forward.
Before I can look around, a bright glow from numerous monitors lights up the room in a static haze.
The City of Halcyon appears, and I realize I’m looking at the street view feeds being displayed on the monitors in front of me.
Sam and Riggs have eyes everywhere, and my stomach churns. I lean forward, examining the monitors, and see civilians moving through the dark city, going about their daily lives, unaware of what’s happening behind the scenes.
“We watch and know everything,” Sam says, turning to face me.
“We observe the Lyre Order assassins moving through the city. We monitor the Jade Order demons, and when possible, the Kaa Order demons slithering out from beneath the city. It’s a shame the city lacks surveillance outside its limits, so our view of the Ren Order is limited. ”
My mouth hangs open as I watch the camera switch between different parts of the city—the city center near the Lyre Order, the Ashmeed District, and other familiar areas flash across the screen like disorienting pictures.
“Amazing, isn’t it?” Sam asks. “We not only have access to the live cameras, but we can also review footage of past events.”
My thoughts shift to my father, and the night he was murdered.
“How long does your footage go back?”
Crew’s gaze snaps to mine, knowing exactly why I ask.
“A few months is all we have access to right now, but we do have techs working on recovering more,” Sam says.
“My dad was killed on these streets, and I want to see what happened to him.”
Riggs steps forward. “That was over a decade ago, Mara. We wouldn’t have that footage anymore. I know the police tried to uncover what happened to James, but they weren’t successful. You know that.”
“Can you try to recover it? Try again?” I snap. “I’ll work with you. If you can get me that, I’ll do whatever we need to do.”
Sam steps forward. “We will see, but before you make your decision, we did want to show you something, Mara. We wanted your opinion.”
“What is this about?” Crew interrupts, clearly unaware of the plan.
Riggs steps forward. “Well, it does have to do with you, Crew, and the night Mara shot you.”
Crew narrows his gaze. “Why don’t I know about this?”
“We haven’t seen you since, Crew. That’s it,” Sam says, reassuringly. “It’s perfect that we have Mara here, because we want more information on this individual.”
“Individual?” I ask.
Sam picks up a remote and points it at one of the distant screens, which fills with static before showing the roof I was on the night I put a bullet in Crew’s shoulder.
The bright city lights from that night illuminate the screen, and although it’s quiet, I feel as if I can hear the city noises again in my mind.
“When we heard of the murder of Lewis Vanderwith, we absolutely took advantage of our surveillance to see what happened that night ourselves.” Sam presses a button on the remote, and I appear in the video.
A mist surrounds me, blurring my features as I stand up from an unexpected nap.
I realize this is how humans see us—hazy and unclear in our true forms, so much so that even the camera can't fully capture them.
I watch as the memories blend with the footage.
Crew lands on the roof, and I narrow my gaze at what I see.
His massive shadow moves closer, checking on me.
I see him laugh on the screen, and I glance over at him.
“I told you, you snore,” he whispers.
Moments later, Crew tucks himself into the shadows, and the rest of the night unfolds into chaos. After the bullet was fired from my gun, a dark cloud fills the video, making it nearly impossible to understand what’s happening.
I glance at Crew, and he rubs his shoulder, as if the sight causes a familiar pain to travel through his body.
Riggs has been fielding everything that happens in this city, and I wonder how long it’s been going on before him, and how much my dad truly knew about this before he died.
I peel my eyes away from Riggs and back to the video monitor as Crew shoots into the sky. I lean forward, and my heart begins to race, my hands become clammy, and a growing anxiety drops all my walls. Crew notices my state and steps closer to me in defense of my mounting panic.
I feel like I’m reliving that night, and the fear that threatened to drown me. I watch as I blast into the sky, and a sadness moves through me, thinking of the insane state I was in that night, my actions to follow, and the pain.
“Why are we watching this?” Crew asks, uneasy from my own discomfort. “Get to the point.”
The night I shot Crew.
He didn’t tell his father.
Someone else did.
Sam raises his hand to signal us to be quiet, and I freeze as a tall, shadowy figure steps into view from the darkness. His broad white wings almost obscure the entire screen, but not before I catch a few distinct features. My heart pounds, and my stomach twists.
I didn’t want to admit this to myself. I’ve felt it in my bones since returning, and it makes me want to throw up just thinking about it. My body goes into shock, and I fight the urge to double over.
Brown hair, a tall, toned body, a recognizable walk, and a familiar face flash on the screen as Shaw Durante crosses the roof moments after I left. My world spins beneath my feet, my legs go numb, and I blink away tears that are seconds from staining my cheeks.
“We know you know him,” Sam says. “We believe he is doing much more for Lowell than just some casual assassin work.”
I can’t speak, and Crew’s hand tightens around mine.
Sam points the remote at another screen, switching the video to an alleyway from the same night.
I watch in shock as I take Rocco’s life, seeing the light leave not only his eyes, but my own.
I look hollow and soulless, my face reflecting how I feel standing here reliving this.
I see myself—my true self—and the devastation pains me.
I cut my eyes to Crew, and I know he sees the agony in my eyes, because when I look at that video, I don’t see myself. I see the Hollow Huntress looking through eyes of complete madness. Sorrow fills his gaze.
I race around the corner, chaos following in my wake, and seconds later, Shaw lands in the alleyway, assessing Rocco’s lifeless body. He scans around before taking off behind me, and my legs wobble again.
“This man is spying on you and reporting everything to Lowell. We have caught him a few more times, if you need more images of him.”
I feel a burning anger rising in my chest, but I realize it isn’t mine—it’s Crew’s.
“Has this man followed us here?” Crew fumes.
Riggs shakes his head. “No, he isn’t here. We had many scouts out since hearing of your arrival, and no angels from the Lyre Order—other than Mara—have come here. We’ve confirmed he’s in Halcyon City.”
“Alright,” Crew says.
I can’t hide my shock, and a muffled sob escapes my lips.
Shaw knows everything—he’s told Lowell everything—and my oldest friend is the reason I bear these horrible scars on my back.
He knew this would happen and chose Lowell over me.
I’ve protected him for years, horrified that he takes after his human life, and all he’s done is hurt me in return.
“Mara,” Crew says, pulling me back into reality. “Who is that?”
I don’t respond because I can’t. I can’t convince myself this is real. I joined the Order because Shaw begged me to. I became the top assassin because he pushed me to, and I trusted him because he gave me no reason not to.
“It’s Shaw Durante,” Riggs steps in. “He is a top angel assassin for the Lyre Order, and one of Mara’s very good friends.”
Sam uses the remote to pause the image on the screen, and I move my gaze, unable to stare into his eyes any longer. I watch as Crew leans closer to the monitor, narrowing his eyes. A darkness spreads across his back, filling the room with shadows.
Crew responds, “That can’t be right.”
“What do you mean?” Riggs asks.
A new anger buds in Crew’s system, traveling to me like an infection. I slowly pan my gaze to Crew and let a single tear roll down my cheek.
Sam and Riggs are quiet, not understanding what’s going on. A thought crosses my mind, and my hands tremble as I push aside the annoyance I felt toward Crew for not telling me about the cameras.
“Crew,” my voice trembles.
He doesn’t look at me.
“Is… that who you saw that night?”
He doesn’t respond.
“Please,” I whisper.