Chapter 10
Ten
Pierce
“Good, they’re looking after you.” Benny sweeps his eyes up and down Anthea’s plain clothes like they’re an improvement on the designer outfits she used to wear. “How’s the food?”
She narrows her eyes at him but aims her words at me instead of acknowledging our grandfather. “I should’ve guessed. You always did have a soft spot for the old man. How long have you been working for him?”
Benny helps himself to a dented metal stool on the other side of the room, drawing it closer to the bars. “Does it really matter? You yourself tried to defect from Isidora’s side, didn’t you?”
Anthea stares at me, and I stare back, lifting one shoulder.
I’m not here to talk to her. Benny wanted to see her, not me.
“She was going to have me executed,” she finally admits, glaring at me. “It should’ve been you, but—”
“My dear, from the moment Pierce was proven to be more powerful than you, it was always obvious what would happen. You’re not stupid. You know your mother never meant to spare you.”
Anthea’s lips settle into a mulish line. “So I’ve been told. And now you’re going to kill me instead.”
“That depends.”
I’m not sure I’ve ever seen my sister go so still. What’s going on inside her head? If I know her at all, she’ll be looking to turn this to her advantage.
“What do you want, Grandfather?”
Benny offers her a genial smile. “I want many things—”
“From me,” she amends. “What do you want from me?”
“Let’s settle for your grimoire burned to ashes, and your memory wiped clean of all the dark magic you’ve already learned from your delightful mentor.”
Her pallor turns sickeningly pale. “And if I refuse?”
I scoff, turning away. Anthea can’t refuse. She’s a prisoner. If our grandfather were even slightly less principled, he could easily force the matter. That point seems to slowly hit home for her as the silence between them stretches.
Besides, a memory wipe spell isn’t always permanent. A new grimoire can be filled with whatever she chooses. Benny is giving her the chance, but there’s every opportunity for her to throw it back in his face. Really, he should insist on a covenant to make sure she doesn’t fall back on bad habits.
That’s not how he is.
He places too much value on things like free will.
“I’d rather die,” she spits.
“Given how you reacted to your arrest and impending execution, I sorely doubt that.” Benny steeples his ring-covered fingers in front of him.
“What I’m offering you is a gift. As long as you do exactly as you’re told and swear not to return to the forbidden school, you can start anew.
Once this is over, and you’ve helped us achieve our aims, you can live peacefully in exile amongst the inepts.
You can even continue to use magic, as long as you’re discreet. A new grimoire. A fresh start.”
He pulls a brown-leather book from inside his sporran, which stretches in a telltale sign that it’s been magically altered.
It’s a typical spell book, but the cover is so plain and unassuming that Anthea would never have chosen it for herself.
Still, her eyes don’t leave it as he flicks through the blank pages, taunting her.
She’ll never go for this. My scheming sister is only at home amongst the rich and the powerful. A quiet life would eat away at her, and we would never be able to trust her to stay in exile.
“Why should I believe you?” she demands. “What do you get out of it besides the satisfaction of seeing me humbled?”
Benny sighs and leans back, tapping the book against his knee. “Think about the moment Mathias and your mother stood back and watched enforcers drag you away. What did you feel?”
Anthea pins me with a glare, and I turn away rather than face the accusation there. I wish I wasn’t even a part of this conversation.
“Betrayal.”
“Go on.”
“I was angry, so what?”
“Regret,” Benny corrects. “The sum of your actions hit you, and you realised that everything you’ve done has led you down a path that darkened so gradually you didn’t see what was coming for you until it was too late.
There are only two options for you now: die, and in doing so allow them to win, or get your revenge by living your life to the full, rejecting all that they taught you. ”
Anthea’s mouth shifts, something in her expression turning scornful. “Or I could use what they taught me to utterly destroy them.”
I roll my eyes at the ridiculousness of that statement. She’s not smart enough.
“Bold, but fruitless.” Benny stands. “You know, deep down, that you lack both the power and the skill to overcome either of them by yourself. It would be suicidal to try.”
The last thing we need is a rogue Anthea running around, giving our mother and Mathias a scapegoat on which to pin all their transgressions.
“Consider my offer.” Benny leaves the brown leather book on the stool, just out of her reach. “But don’t take too long.”
His warning echoes through the dungeon, but he’s already gone.
“Ugh. Arrogant son of a—! Why should I trust him?” she demands. “He—”
“Think about your next words,” I warn. “He’s trying to save your life right now. Doesn’t that count for something?”
She makes a face. “I asked you to save my life before, and you didn’t care then, so don’t pretend like you do now.”
“If our places were reversed, you wouldn’t have believed me either.”
“I would’ve at least looked into what Mother had planned for you.”
An apology lingers on the tip of my tongue, but I bite it back. I had no reason to trust her before, and that hasn’t changed. Besides, she’s lying. She’d never have questioned Isidora.
With a final glare that tells her I’m not falling for her bullshit, I turn and jog after Benny.
When I catch up to him, I can’t help but ask, “Is that why you’re doing this? Revenge?”
He chuckles under his breath. “No. But I doubt redemption would’ve motivated her quite so well.”