EIGHT #5
This man, this friend of mine who never wanted a grand position in life, had joined the council in order to have a vote. To try to sway others in my favor. To try to find me, save me.
"That is all the past," Foren said in that scratchy voice of his, like all the moisture was slowly being sucked out of his body, making his voice dry as aged paper.
Clearly, Foren had never voted in my favor.
And because they were of the old, fearful ways, I bet Borena hadn't either. Or Mevan who Kieran had clearly replaced, who had been the eldest of them all, likely long since passed.
But if there was still voting going on, it meant either Drayven or Aurelia - or both - had voted against my family's pleas as well since majority always ruled.
"Where have you been, my son?" Borena asked, pressing her weathered hand to her chest.
"Captive," I told them, cutting right to the chase. "Enslaved. Kept in chains. Made to work. Beaten to try to force the Change. Day in and day out. For however long I have been gone."
To my side, Kieran's jaw, already sharp, went even harder, a muscle ticking there, a telltale sign of barely-held aggression. He wanted to lash out, to yell, to tell these men and women how they had failed me, one of their own, how their fear and inaction had allowed me to suffer.
But he said nothing.
He had a place now.
A place he would have for the rest of his life.
And there were rules.
Of decorum.
Of procedure.
He couldn't unleash his rage because he had been right when no one else believed him.
That wasn't how it worked.
I'd have to find some time to get him alone, to let him know that I in no way blamed him, that I was sorry he had committed his life to something that would make him miserable all in the hopes of one day getting to see me again.
It was humbling, in that moment, to realize how loved I had been.
Over so much time, it had been easy to almost forget all the connections, all the bonds that had once been such a huge part of my life.
"Who had captured you?"
"The Winters family."
"Light?" Drayven growled
"Technically, yes. In practice, no."
"Forgive us for asking, but we must," Foren started, drawing my attention to him. "Are we at risk?"
"I would never give up my clan," I insisted, voice rough with a hint of anger.
"We aren't accusing you, son," Drayven insisted, holding up a hand. "But men can be made to do terrible things if exposed to the right motivations."
"Believe me, if there was a motivation they could think of, they used it on me.
Repeatedly." There was no hint about it at that point.
I was full anger. My voice boomed through the empty space, echoing back at us, likely able to be heard outside the walls.
"And I never so much as insinuated there were more of me.
That we flourished in seclusion. I would never betray my people.
It is insulting to imply I was even capable of such a thing. "
"Alright," Borena's voice chimed in, her hand raising in a calming gesture. "Let's not let this meeting become hostile."
"Then don't motivate me to be hostile," I suggested, eyes boring into Foren.
"Can you tell us more about your savior?" Drayven suggested.
"Savior?" Kieran asked, blue eyes pinning me.
"Her name is Amethyst. She is the youngest Winters offspring.
Don't," I cut off Foren who went to speak, "interrupt me," I told him, voice brooking no argument.
They could accuse me all they wanted, but they were not going to second-guess Amy's innocence in her family's wickedness.
"Trust me when I say her fate was not much better than mine.
She had made up her mind to run away from home in an effort to avoid being used as a pawn at her mother's hands.
And before she left, she risked her own freedom to ensure mine.
This is after a lifetime of trying to ease the burden of my beatings, trying to distract the guards.
Don't you dare try to question her innocence.
She is the only reason I am here now instead of wrapped in chains that would continue to eat away at my flesh for decades to come. "
"We will want to speak with her," Aurelia chimed in, voice soft, almost motherly. It would make you think you could trust her. But I wasn't sure I trusted any of them with Amy.
"That's fine. But after she has been able to settle in. She's terrified right now," I added.
"Of us?" Foren croaked. "Her kind is the reason all of us have needed to hide behind a veil, why we had to forbid anyone ever leaving it after we overlooked youthful folly when you and your friends would venture out to explore, and you never came back, why we have needed to..."
"Foren," Kieran cut in, voice sharp. "All due respect, but I don't believe any of us need a history lesson.
We know why we are behind the veil. Drake clearly needs to see his family, settle in, check on his friend.
Perhaps we can delay any further questioning for another day or two.
He has been through hell. I think we can all offer him some solace. "
"Of course," Aurelia agreed, giving me a small smile.
"We have no reason to need to get into all the details right this moment, now that we know there is no threat," Drayven agreed.
And that was three.
The majority ruled.
"Kieran, why don't you bring Drake back to his friend. And his family," Drayven suggested. "If I remember correctly, you used to be friends."
"We did," Kieran agreed, but didn't elaborate, simply moved away from the table, brushing past make his way to the door.
"I apologize if I seemed disrespectful," I told the rest, not meaning a word of it, but going through the motions of it anyway. "It has been a long couple of weeks. I'm tired. I will be more open at our next meeting."
"Of course," Aurelia said, waving a hand. "We know you wouldn't mean any disrespect. Go, see your family again. We will find you when we need you."
With that, I turned, taking long strides to the door to catch up with Kieran who closed it carefully behind us, taking several long strides before he let it out.
"Those clueless, fearful, ridiculous old fucks," he growled. "I told them. Dozens, hundreds of fucking times. And they wouldn't listen. So wrapped up in their old, bitch-ass ways to take any fucking risks. Even for the safety of one of their own kind."
My lips curved up. "It's nice to see you again too, K," I told him, watching as he stopped, turned back, let the tension go.
"It's been a misery for you," he said, shaking his head. "But believe me, our pain has been great as well." His arm reached out, clamping over my shoulder, the closest thing to affection we would ever be comfortable with.
"I appreciate everything you've done," I told him, meaning it. "I know all you have sacrificed."