Chapter 9
Nine
Galileo
My head falls against the wood of the door between me and Kyrith. I brace one arm over my head, hand curling into a fist as if to knock as I listen to them all murmuring within.
No. She said no. She wants time. I can respect that.
Not that any of them believe me. I swear the look North gave me before he shut the door in my face was pure darkness.
I sigh and push away from the room containing the only people in this world I want to see and trek down the dimly lit hallway. Still, I can’t help the way my ears prick at the sound of the latch behind me.
Unfortunately, it’s just Pierce, head down as he stares intently at his phone.
“You got kicked out too?” I ask as he joins me.
Stars, is this what my life has come to? Making conversation with a Carlton?
Pierce shrugs. “She’s asleep again, and my grandfather’s just arrived. Someone has to save the McKinleys from him.”
I frown, wondering if he meant that the other way around, but then again, Benjamin Carlton has always been an oddball.
“I’ll come. I owe him a thank you.” I grimace. “I suppose I owe you one as well.”
“Yes. You do.”
Arrogant prick.
“Thanks for helping break the second layer of my ensorcellment.” If the words were any stiffer, they’d shatter. “I probably didn’t deserve it. I’m sorry for how I behaved, too. I’ve been as much of a prick to you as the others—”
“Debatable.”
“But I am grateful for what you did…and for what you did for Lambert. He told us about the soup.”
I’m still pissed that Anthea got so close to killing my brother and I never knew. At least she’s locked in the dark dungeons of the fortress, so she’ll get her comeuppance swiftly enough.
I’m surprised that Pierce even lowered himself to protect the son of a liminal, but then again, he helped Jasper too, and he has even less adept blood than Lambert. Maybe the Carlton heir is secretly less prejudiced than he would have us believe.
Pierce shrugs but says nothing beyond, “You’re welcome.”
Gravel crunches underfoot as we leave the keep and walk around the impromptu magiball court that’s been set up in the lower bailey, a safe distance from where the cars are parked.
Seeing the kids playing a watered-down version of the game makes my chest squeeze, reminding me of the pile of runeforms sitting in my room.
I’ve hit a brick wall with Alice’s. She’s about the same age as these bairns. At least her runeform isn’t active yet. My uncle—her father—managed to break the first layer using Kyrith’s letter, revealing her degenerated second layer. It’s only two runeforms, not four, but still complicated.
I might be free now, but I can’t rest until I’ve saved her and all the others. I’m starting with the youngest, but there are dozens of older aunts and uncles who’ve sent their runeforms. People with spouses, children of their own.
Kyrith said she’d help, but I can’t ask it of her.
Not after what I did. If I can sort an alliance between us and the McKinleys, maybe I won’t have to do it all alone.
I can pay them, like I should’ve paid her.
There are more than enough accomplished nullifiers here.
Any of them would be capable of setting the rest of my family free.
Of course, Jasper trying to shove me in the dungeons earlier might not help my case. Only his aunt telling him it would start a war between our families stopped him.
Yeah, there’s a lot of bridge-mending to be done. Most importantly, I need to figure out how to apologise to Lambert and Kyrith. I’m not sure I even can.
I’ve cost them both so much.
I’m so deep in my thoughts that, at first, I don’t recognise Benjamin Carlton.
That’s probably because he’s wearing an honest-to-magic kilt, hiking boots, and a wool tam.
Worse still, he’s smiling and gesticulating wildly at Halinor while the rest of her clan gives him and his getup a spectacular amount of side eye.
“Magic save me,” Pierce mutters under his breath as he spots them. “I swear, he has the money to hire a stylist.”
Yeah. I can imagine for someone who lives in designer suits, having a grandfather like Benny would be embarrassing. Especially as he’s busy digging around in his sporran for something.
“Where did he even get that thing?” I say, breath catching as I realise, I’m commiserating with Pierce of all people.
I swear the Carlton heir snorts. “I’ll bet he accidentally ended up browsing every tourist shop between here and Edinburgh.”
“And now he’s about to flash us all at the first stiff breeze,” I say, wincing as the wind chooses that moment to pick up. “Even the McKinleys aren’t wearing kilts in this weather.”
“Grandfather,” Pierce calls. “Why are you here?”
Benny grins wider, patting the guard in front of him on the shoulder.
“There he is! Still in one piece, Pierce? How is our lovely Librarian?”
My hackles rise. “How the feck does he know that she’s here?”
Pierce shrugs, moving past me. “Because I told him.”
Is that wise? Is Benny really on our side? Wait. How much did Pierce tell him? Surely not too much, or the covenant would have activated for real this time.
Benny drags his grandson into his arms, giving him a hug before drawing back and pinching Pierce’s chin between his finger and thumb, pulling the scarred skin of his cheek this way and that.
“It’ll heal,” he says, more to himself than us. “If nothing else, the cosmetic spells required to hide it are easily cast.”
“Kyrith woke up.” Pierce pulls his face out of his grandfather’s hold. “She’s still draining everyone she touches, but it’s less noticeable.”
“Naturally. I imagine Mathias was quite thorough in ripping all the power he could from the Arcanaeum before he was kicked out. Her recovery is our first priority.”
At least we can agree on that much.
I must make some noise because Benny turns his gaze on me next.
“Galileo, you’re looking much better than you did when we last saw each other.”
“Yeah.” It’s a lame response, but I don’t want to admit just how much of a difference a few nights of sleep and several large helpings of Mama Dee’s cooking have made. “I owe you one for helping with the ensorcellment.”
Benny waves me off before I’ve even finished. “Nonsense. However, I will be checking on you while I’m here. Not to question the young McKinley’s work, but Mathias was probably less than gentle when he shredded your magical well to enter the Arcanaeum. There could be lingering damage.”
My mouth twists as I remember the utter agony that accompanied Mathias’s spells. Shredding through my magical well sounds about right.
“Why are you helping me?”
Everyone else hates my guts right now.
Benny pats my arm. “Because you’re not the first young man to be fooled by the lich’s false promises. We can only hope you’ll be the last.”
“I’m probably the only one who was stupid enough to fall for it, even knowing what he was.”
He shakes his head. “I wouldn’t be so sure. He can be charismatic, and he’s no stranger to exploiting desperate arcanists. Now, where is Anthea?”
Pierce raises a brow. “In the dungeons. I haven’t bothered visiting.”
“Ah, yes. You’ve never dealt well with guilt.” Benny starts walking like he knows exactly where the dungeon is, and Pierce and I fall into step behind him.
“I’m not feeling guilty.”
Benny doesn’t comment.
A second later, Pierce huffs out a breath. “She asked me to make Kyrith grant her Sanctuary before Isidora set her up. I…I didn’t believe she was serious.”
“Why would you? Your mother has used her to set traps for you in the past. It was perfectly reasonable for you to disbelieve anything that came out of her mouth.”
Pierce’s lips twist, but he doesn’t argue. “She won’t want to talk to you. Apparently, she tried to go after our mother in a blaze of vengeful glory before Dakari knocked her out.”
Eh, maybe he should’ve let her. Anthea is still powerful. She’d probably have put a good dent in their forces and then, at least, there’d be a few less Carltons in the world.
“Ah, ever the drama queen.” Benny’s smile is soft and fond, not an expression I’m used to seeing associated with his granddaughter.
“Hopefully she’s calmed down by now. Galileo, would you mind giving us a little privacy?
I’m sure Anthea is rather humiliated by her situation, so it’s probably best we don’t make this a group visit. ”
It’s a thin excuse, but I take it for the dismissal it is. I leave them with a nod, heading towards the keep. The door opens as I reach the bottom of the steps, and I come face to face with Lambert. Westley is in his arms, wearing a bright blue harness that he’s trying to wiggle out of.
Feck.
I’m paralysed.
This is the first time we’ve been alone since it all happened.
My mouth is suddenly full of sand.
I know how to do this. He’s lectured me on how to formulate a true apology before. Somehow all of that knowledge has fled my brain, and what escapes is…not great.
“I fecked up.”
He snorts, walking straight past me as he waves his hand in a ‘go on’ motion.
“Badly.”
“Horribly,” he agrees. “But which fuck-up are we talking about here?”
My hand lands in my hair, tugging sharply at the wind-knotted strands as I keep pace with him, trying to put into words everything that’s been playing on repeat in my mind for the last few days.
“Everything. Not telling you about our mam. Hiding from you after you found out rather than taking responsibility.” Just thinking about how badly I handled that makes my chest ache.
“I ignored every warning while I chased a cure for the curse and justified it as saving you, and then Kyrie. I pushed both of you away by being an utter bastard when neither of you deserved it. Distracted her when she should’ve been focused on saving the Arcanaeum.
Told her I loved her and then turned to Mathias for help.
I was so bloody stupid to believe I could outsmart him.
If I’d thought about it properly, I would’ve known I never stood a chance.
” My shoulders heave as I finish spewing the words in a rush, and I have to swallow to clear the thickness in my throat before I can speak again.
“I’m so sorry…for all of it. I swear, I regret everything. ”
Lambert raises a brow, puts the cat down on the gravel, and starts paying undue attention to the retractable leash in his hand. “You missed some.”
My head drops. “Yeah. I know.”
“She barely remembered to take care of herself because she was so focused on saving your ass, and then you made her sob her heart out when she had to banish you.”
My fists clench at the thought of her tears, but Lambert isn’t done.
“When you gave yourself over to Mathias and he left you to die, she sent you here with a book full of instructions on how to save you. Then he sacrificed her all over again, because of you. Can you even imagine what that was like for her? Did you even consider what would happen to the Arcanaeum? You saw what Mathias did to it when we were there. Kyrith told Dakari she can’t even feel the Library anymore.
You know what that has to be doing to her. ”
If he’d managed to remain calm before, it’s gone by the time he finishes. Even Westley has stopped trying to attack his laces.
“And now you ‘regret’ it?” Lambert shakes his head. “I don’t believe you.”
My gut turns to lead and sinks into my shoes. “I do.”
“If your ensorcellment was still active, you’d still be kissing Mathias’s feet, begging for a cure, while judging the boss lady for being with Dakari.”
“That’s not true!”
He scoffs. “Isn’t it? You’re a smart fucking person. You knew exactly what you were doing.”
My head shakes, but I can’t meet his eyes. “Tell me how to fix it,” I beg. “You’re my brother—”
His fist connects with my face, sending me spinning. Pain radiates across my cheekbone. I catch myself on the bonnet of the nearest Prius before I face-plant in the dirt, but I think he knocked loose a tooth.
“You had years when you could’ve told me we were related. You didn’t bother to even mention it until you thought you could use it to get your way.” Lambert stalks away as I cradle my cheek, Westley mewing grumpily as he’s tugged along. “Stay away from Kyrith. Stay away from me.”
“I was protecting you!”
He turns on his heel and scowls at me. “I didn’t want you to! And protecting me from what? I was never going to die from that ensorcellment, and neither was Kyrith. Do you know why?”
I shake my head.
“Because it was always so goddamn obvious what you valued most, and it wasn’t either of us, or you wouldn’t have pulled this shit!”
He doubles his pace, disappearing behind the row of neatly parked cars, leaving me to stew in my thoughts while a bunch of curious McKinleys pretend not to watch.
Shite.
I didn’t think it was possible for anyone to screw up so badly that even Lambert couldn’t forgive them.
My head falls into my hands as I struggle to breathe past the tightness in my throat.
That couldn’t have gone worse.