Chapter 8 #2
‘Well, brother.’ William uses the same inflection again, his tone sharp as glass. ‘You may leave us now. I wish to speak to my sisters alone.’
Rather than responding to William, Jonas’s eyes fall to me, as if seeking my approval. But Kay is the one who replies.
‘It is fine, husband,’ she says firmly. ‘You can leave us.’
With one last glance back at William, Jonas exits the room, leaving Kay and me alone with our brother.
Our brother.
I can hardly think the words without a complex mix of sheer joy, utter disbelief, and unrelenting fear binding me.
From outside comes the constant drumming of rain, yet I don’t even care what colour the clouds are now. All I care about is William.
How will he respond when the truth has had time to sink in? How will he feel about me after all I’ve been through – all I’ve done? Kay certainly hasn’t approved of my actions and makes no bones about showing it.
I also wonder what Kay is thinking. After all, she knows William far better than I do. Maybe she can tell what his carefully blank expression means? Because I can’t read a thing into it.
Not for the first time, I wish I had Benny’s powers to see to the heart of things. Nervousness, anger, fear. I’m sure it’s all there, whirring around within William, even if I’m not able to pick up on it.
Only when my eyes dart to the broken window do my brother’s lips finally part ever so slightly.
‘Sorry about your window,’ he says quietly. ‘I’ll see it fixed.’
My heart balloons within my chest, and something eases. His first words aren’t angry accusations. Not calling us liars. Not refusing to believe us.
Tears prick my eyes. ‘Windows can be replaced,’ I tell him. ‘Brothers, on the other hand …’ My voice wobbles despite my best efforts to keep it steady.
A smile flickers on his lips before disappearing.
‘It makes sense,’ he whispers. ‘Artur was always so vague about my birth parents. About what they did, their magic, why they thought it was best for me to be here with him. When I was seven or eight, I noticed some inconsistencies in what he was saying, but when I challenged him on it, Artur got serious … and honestly? A little scary. He told me I was lucky that he had taken me in, that I was lucky I wasn’t dead, and that if I knew what was good for me, I’d stay quiet.
I never dared raise it again, but I made a note of things, like conversations where he introduced me and shared my history with people, memorising the contradictions, trying to see if there was a pattern – a way for me to work out what the actual truth was.
I’ll be honest, I thought I was his son.
A bastard. That is why I have always referred to Jonas as my brother and Artur as my father.
Because I believed they were. But now, knowing what your parents – our parents – did—’
‘They did nothing!’ The anger unexpectedly surges through me. ‘Kyor was a broken child who had lost his mother and lied because he needed somebody to blame. He’ll tell you as much now if you ask him.’
Even as the words spill from me, I doubt them. Will Kyor tell my brother the truth? A knot twists in my gut.
I believed so deeply that Kyor would tell his father the truth, but when the moment came, he didn’t even try.
But William … surely he’d tell him what actually happened?
But that would mean trusting Kyor with this secret, and there’s no way in hell I can do that.
Not when the consequences would be so much worse than just a broken heart.
William offers only the smallest nod in response. I can’t tell if it’s a genuine sign of agreement or simply designed to mollify me. Either way, my bitterness does not fade entirely.
The fact that he ever thought badly of our mother, even for a tiny fraction of time, breaks my heart. She didn’t deserve that.
I try not to find his quietness unnerving. It is so different from either of the outcomes I envisioned after Jonas’s confession. I imagined either angry accusations of lying or overwhelming gratitude at being united.
Instead, he is almost silent, contemplative.
‘This news will take time to adjust to,’ Kay says with an insight that startles me. ‘But that is fine. We have time.’
‘So what now?’ William asks, interrupting my stream of thoughts. ‘Do I go back to Artur’s? Confront him?’
‘No. No!’ I reply instantly. ‘He can’t find out that you know,’ I say urgently.
‘Not until we are certain of who took you and concealed you and why. We can’t be rash.
Not when there are so many things to consider.
And there are other matters at play that Artur will likely be upset about.
Jonas and Kay’s marriage for one.’ I let out a sigh.
As overwhelmed with joy as I am to have William alive and with us, it doesn’t change the constant buzz of anxiety that this new development has caused. ‘Do you have friends you can stay with for a couple of days?’ I ask. ‘Friends you can pretend you’re just spending time with after the ball?’
‘Yes.’ He nods. ‘Good friends. People I trust. And Artur won’t think it odd as I do it regularly enough.’
‘Good. That’s good.’
I lean forward and take his hands. Tears throb behind my eyes.
This is the first time I have held my brother’s hands in fourteen years.
But I swallow the emotions down. I need him to listen carefully to my next words.
‘No matter how much you trust your friends, you cannot tell them this. Do you understand? Not yet. It is for your safety.’
Rather than responding immediately, his eyes shift ever so slightly.
‘Please, William,’ I beg. ‘It’s not just your life at stake here. It’s ours, too.’
His lips tighten in displeasure, but he drops his chin in a nod.
‘I won’t tell anyone,’ he says finally. Thankfully, I believe him. ‘May I ask you something?’ he queries, looking at me.
‘Of course.’
‘That magic that you did earlier.’ He drops his voice. ‘I saw the windows coated with ice. Is that from our parents? Something they could do?’
Of all the questions he could have asked, this is probably the one I wanted the least.
‘No,’ I admit, wanting to start the relationship with whatever truths I can offer. ‘I am truly not sure what it is. But I intend to find out.’