Chapter 16 #2
Wynter placed her hands on her hips. “End of story, my ass. You said you haven’t seen him in seven years.
It’s been seven years since your parents died.
Your parents who were killed by the Reaper Priest—which means your parents were killed by your brother.
” She leaned forward. “Those are some pretty big plot holes, V. How did I not know you had a brother? What happened seven years ago? Why did—” She stopped herself, her voice gentling. “Please, V. Help me understand.”
Viri hugged her elbows, refusing to look at Reeve, though from the corner of her eye she could see him frozen. Sage and Jonas had also tensed now that Braedan—their leader—had come into the conversation.
“You don’t have to answer,” Wynter said softly when Viri remained silent. “I won’t force you to. I just—I’m here if you want to talk about it. I’ve been here for seven years.”
It was the hurt in Wynter’s voice that broke through to Viri, making her realize she wanted her friend to know everything.
With a fortifying breath, Viri said, “It happened on the day of my Impartation ceremony. You already know that—your mom took me in that day, and you saw what a mess I was for months afterward.”
Reeve flinched, but Viri ignored him and kept going, “What you don’t know is that it was Braedan’s Impartation as well.
It was his fourteenth birthday, and he wasn’t looking forward to it—he’d always liked the idea of having magic, even if the law said he couldn’t keep it forever.
To make it easier on him, our parents decided we would both yield our ellixen at the same time.
I could have waited another four years, but they were worried about my magic being prematurely unstable—I heard them whispering about it in secret, so I knew they feared me burning out early.
And unlike Brae, I didn’t mind giving up my ellixen, especially if it meant I could do it with him. ”
Viri’s mind traveled back to that dreadful day, sifting through the hazy memories she normally kept locked away.
“My parents chose the quieter Southern Obelisk for our ceremony, so it was just the five of us out there by the edge of the necropolis, with nothing but farmland and forest in sight—Mom, Dad, Braedan, Reeve, and me.”
“Reeve was with you?” Wynter asked quietly, saying his given name for the first time.
“He was family,” Viri answered just as quietly, seeing him flinch again, this time more violently.
“Brae gave his magic to the obelisk first, and everything seemed fine. Then it was my turn, and maybe it was because I was younger, or maybe my parents were right about me being close to burnout, but I fainted when I yielded my magic. I was only out for a moment, but that was all it took, because when I came to…” Viri had to swallow against the tightness in her throat, her voice rough as stone as she finished, “Mom and Dad were dead.”
Wynter was pale, her question hesitant. “Are you sure it was your brother?”
“Positive.” Viri swallowed again. “Braedan killed our parents. I know what I saw.”
Reeve spoke up then. “You don’t, though. You said it yourself—you were unconscious.”
Viri whipped around. “So I just imagined Mom and Dad on the ground, their ellixen drained from their bodies, and Braedan standing over them with newly blackened veins?” Her heart felt like it was breaking all over again, her grief raw and timeless.
“There was no one else with us, Reeve. He siphoned from them. He murdered them. And then you left with him before the hunters and Nox arrived. You chose him.”
And with that choice, he’d abandoned her, right when she’d needed him the most. The pain of that would never leave her, the hurt a scar that would never heal.
Viri was breathing heavily, her eyes burning as she turned back to Wynter.
“I was so horrified by what Braedan had done that I lied to the council about it, telling them he’d been killed with my parents and dragged away by the reaper, leaving no body for the hunters to find.
Your mom could see how upset I was, and even though she was wrong about the reason, it was a relief when she promised we’d never talk about him again.
That’s why you didn’t know about him—and why anyone who ever did thinks he’s dead. ”
Wynter’s face revealed her shock, but also her understanding. “That’s a lot for you to have carried by yourself, V. I wish you’d told me.”
Viri didn’t know how to explain that she hadn’t wanted Wynter to know. She hadn’t wanted anyone to know. The pain, the shame…they were too much—then, and now.
Steadying herself, Viri forced the last part out.
“When whispers of a new Reaper Priest started circulating soon after my parents’ deaths, along with mentions of him being young—too young—and powerful—too powerful—I knew then that what Braedan had done hadn’t been an accident, or some awful mistake that he’d instantly regretted.
It had been calculated. Premeditated, even.
He hadn’t wanted to let go of his magic, so he’d found a way to make sure he never had to, not just choosing his dark path, but also setting himself up to be a merciless leader revered by all other reapers.
I don’t—” She sucked in a raspy breath. “I don’t know how that part happened, how he got so powerful, especially since he was only fourteen.
But he’d always been mature for his age, and ambitious—so ambitious.
” Another raspy breath. “And he wasn’t the only one. ”
She turned to Reeve, swiping angrily at a tear dribbling down her healing cheek as she locked eyes with him and declared, “You stood by him as he became a monster—and in doing so, you became one yourself.”
Reeve said nothing in his own defense, just held Viri’s watery glare.
Sage, however, bit out, “You know nothing, hunter. If you had any idea—”
“Sage,” Reeve murmured. “Let it go.”
“No, please, I’d love to hear your thoughts,” Viri said cuttingly, her grief hardening to rage as she gestured to Sage’s blackened veins.
“Was Braedan the one who convinced you that killing innocents would be a winning life choice? Has your dear Reaper Priest lived up to your expectations as a murderous leader?”
“V.” Wynter looked nervously at Sage, whose hands were clenching her sheathed daggers. “Maybe we should go for a walk. Take a breather.”
“I don’t need a breather,” Viri all but snapped at her friend, her blood boiling at the thought of anyone defending her brother’s decisions. Reeve’s, too. Her fury was such that she almost wanted Sage to attack, if only so she could have an excuse to fight back.
“Well, I do,” Wynter insisted, grabbing Viri’s arm and dragging her away.
Viri barely kept from snarling. “Wyn—”
“Two minutes,” Wynter said firmly, hauling Viri not just across the lab, but out of it entirely, into the darkened dead end of the tunnel.
Only when the door was sealed behind them did she release Viri and say, “I meant the breather part literally. What you just shared was heavy—let it settle, take a second to regain some control. Then we’ll go back in there. ”
“I don’t need—”
“Yes, you do.”
Viri ground her teeth together, hating that her friend was right. She’d let her emotions take over, and now she had to find a way to reel them in again before she stormed back into the lab and did something she’d regret.
Forcing herself to stay in the tunnel, Viri closed her eyes and filled her lungs with the damp underground air, its earthy scent reminding her of the calming smell of rain.
She inhaled once, twice, three times, allowing the anger to cool from her veins, the tension to ease from her muscles.
Her grief, though…that stayed with her. It always had, and always would.
“Better?” Wynter asked after a moment.
Viri slumped against the wall. “A little.” She bit her lip and met Wynter’s eyes. “Are you mad at me? For the secrets?”
“Everyone has secrets.” An unreadable look crossed Wynter’s face, but it quickly turned into a guilty smile as she gestured to her illegal lab. “I know that better than anyone.”
Viri huffed out a laugh. “Yeah, I suppose. But still—”
“I’m not mad,” Wynter promised. “Disappointed that you didn’t tell me, yes. But I also get it. That kind of betrayal, especially from someone you love…” She shook her head. “I’m so sorry you went through that. That you’re still going through it.”
Viri wasn’t sure if Wynter was referring to Braedan or Reeve—or both. Either way, she rubbed a weary hand over her face and said, “I hate this.” She speared a glare at the closed door. “And I hate that it means I’m stuck working with them.”
“I’ll admit to being unsure of the whys, but you never do anything without reason,” Wynter said, smoothing her cobalt sleeves. “I’m assuming this is one of those ‘the enemy of my enemy is my friend’ kind of deals.”
Viri grimaced. “ ‘Friend’ is too strong a word. But…” She sighed. “We’re allies, I guess. In the loosest definition of the word.”
“Any chance you feel like explaining that?” Wynter jerked her chin in the direction of the lab. “You said before that Reeve has information you need, something about life and death?”
The reminder was like a bucket of ice water crashing into Viri. As much as she wanted to walk away and leave all her problems behind—especially the three reapers waiting beyond the door—the missing children were counting on her. She refused to let them down.
“I’ll explain inside,” Viri said, taking one final, calming breath and pushing off the wall. “Let’s go interrogate some reapers.”