Page 22

The gardens surrounding Chateau Greene had always served as an escape for me. Whether I was a teenager, fencing with Cirian, a child playing hide-and-seek with Azzy, or strolling along with Lynette on one of our many walkabouts, talking about all the ways she wanted to change the world we lived in.

It was a place where I could be at peace, even when the rest of my life was chaos.

It was also the place where I destroyed a man’s soul and ripped his child away. Now, it was the place where I watched that same man die, nestled in the arms of his beloved son.

“Papa,” Azzy muttered, cradling Balthus’ head in his lap. “I’m sorry it took me so long to make it back. I always wanted to come back for you. Always.”

Balthus’ eyes fluttered, a wet breath sucking in. The bolt had carved a perfect hole straight through his chest. Any hope of getting him to a healer would be a fool’s errand.

“I… I never… wanted you to come back.”

“Don’t say that.” Azzy’s face crumpled as he hugged his father’s head.

“Better off… out there… so proud, Azrael. So….”

Balthus didn’t speak again.

Azzy wept, his body shaking as a wail built in his chest, bellowing out a noise that was more beast than man. After a moment, he lay his father to rest, folding his hands over the wound on his chest and closing his eyes.

I felt numb, rooted in place a few feet away from my childhood friend as he mourned. Mourned the life he’d never get back. Because of me. Because of my mother. Because of the imbalance in the world.

For the first time since I’d been brought back to life, I wondered at that moment if I had suffered enough. The more I learned about my cruel first life, the more I knew that there was no punishment befitting my actions. I was the source of so much suffering, and yet I had been given not just one life—filled to the brim with privilege—but a second. A courtesy extended to so few. And what was I doing with this second chance? Sure, I had helped some of the Unseen escape, but that was so little compared to the opposite side of the scales. Drops of water contrasting a vast ocean of transgressions—with more coming from every memory that unearthed itself in my mind.

Tobias Greene was a blight.

“Tobi.”

Azzy—no, Azrael . He was no longer the boy who caused my stomach to flutter—stood now, looking down at his father, the late-morning light warming his skin to a deep russet. He’d grown in our time apart. Where I’d always been the taller one as boys, he now bested me by a few inches. The color of his hair had changed as well, lightening with age to a gentle lavender. And even through my melancholia, I couldn’t ignore his beauty.

“Yes?” I replied, my voice cracking around the lump in my throat.

“We need to go.”

“Right.”

There would be time for us to talk, I told myself. Once our task was finished, and Bastien and the other Unseen were safe. If I survived the coming hours, then there would be time.

Maybe I could figure out a way to make up for a fraction of the misery I’d caused him.

Leaving Balthus at rest in the garden, Azrael and I made our way back up to the Chateau, circumventing the main entrance for the servant door that led directly to the kitchen. Inside, a small group of Unseen stood by the cellar doors. They were each in the militia’s uniforms, but they’d been torn and bloodied in various places. One of them looked up as Azrael approached, and I recognized them as Kaine, the blue-haired one who had helped the other Unseen to safety.

“We’ve cleared the rest of the chateau, Azrael. Adoranda has warded the door herself, so we’re having some trouble getting through.”

Kaine spoke to Azrael as if he were waiting for further orders. Was Azrael leading this operation?

“I can break it,” Azrael responded, his voice still thick. He looked up at the rest of the Unseen, taking the opportunity to match each of their stares. “Thank you, my brothers. My heart is heavy with the loss we share. Friends. Lovers. Fathers.” He paused, taking a moment to regain his composure. “I carry those burdens with you. But we’re another step closer to the end and another step closer to a brighter future. I’ll ask you once more, are you with me?”

The Unseen each placed a closed fist over their heart. It wasn’t just a sign of respect but of devotion, I realized. These men would follow Azrael to their own deaths without hesitation.

What kind of magic gave Azrael such influence over them?

“We’re with you, Azrael,” said Kaine, the others nodding in approval. “Let’s make the heartless wretch wish she never drew breath.”

Azrael stepped up to the cellar doors. The wooden frame recessed into the floor shimmered with a golden translucence as his fingers ran along it. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath in. Suddenly, his hand began to glow with a violet light, and he raised it high over his head, then brought it down with a speed nearly invisible to my eyes, landing with a thunderous collision. The floor underneath my feet rumbled as cracks appeared in the golden ward laid over the doors. Azrael raised his hand again, a trickle of blood pouring down and dripping onto the crown of his head. He struck again, another blow that widened the cracks in the ward and sounded like the shattering of a pane of glass. On the third strike, the golden magic gave way, breaking into a thousand tiny fragments that drifted into the air like confetti before dissipating. Reaching down to the round handle, Azrael pulled the door open, stepping aside and grinning at Kaine.

“Easy as that,” he said, shaking his bloodied hand.

“Come on, lads,” Kaine said, the edges of his body becoming translucent with shimmering magic. “Stay close, and don’t let Azrael get himself killed.” The others quickly followed suit, vanishing one by one.

“The confidence is very reassuring,” Azrael called down the stairs of the cellar. He looked up at me then, his smile fading. “What is it?”

“Just what is your role in the Rebellion?” I asked, trying to fit the pieces together in my mind.

Azrael huffed a laugh. “Why does it matter?”

“They trust you implicitly.”

“And I trust them. We grew up together. Kaine and the rest of them found me when I was young. Looked after me. We came up under Rudderkin himself. He took us in when we had nowhere else to go.”

Because of me. He had no place to go because of me. I had handed him over to a life of warfare and pain. And he had no idea.

“Are you ready?” he asked, motioning toward the stairs.

I nodded, joining him at the top of the staircase. Without another word, we descended into the darkness.

The air was stale and moist underneath the chateau. Azrael produced a glass orb from his coat, and it illuminated in his hand, shedding light around us in a halo. At the base of the stairs, the dirt floor was littered with footprints—signs of the flurry of activity the cellar had seen. Barrels of wine lined the far wall, the opposite stacked with shelves piled with sacks of vegetables and cured meats. There were no signs of the supposed prisoners, not even the sound of stifled breaths trying to conceal themselves. My skin itched with the thought of being underground, and I could taste the earth in my mouth, but then Azrael motioned for me to follow him, and we moved deeper into the space. Between two barrels of wine, there was a single door, double the width of a normal opening and reinforced with steel rivets. Even I had no idea what lay behind the door, my adolescent explorations having always halted in this room, as the steel door was consistently locked.

Azrael ran a hand over the lock, then handed me the light. I took it, relishing in its warmth as I realized my limbs were icy cold.

“Maybe we should try knocking?” Azrael suggested, flashing me a quick grin.

I rolled my eyes. “I’m not sure announcing ourselves is the best strategy.”

Azrael knelt to examine the keyhole. “You’d be surprised. One thing is for certain: your mother is much better at Hide-and-Seek than you are.”

“Do you think this orb would break if I smacked you upside the head?”

Azrael laughed at this, the deep sound rumbling in his chest. “Temper, temper. Glad to see some things never change.” He placed his hand over the lock, muttering a string of words as his skin glowed with violet light. With a soft click , the lock gave way. He pushed the door, and before it was even halfway open, a voice called out.

“Glad you could finally join us! My patience was wearing thin.”

Azrael entered slowly, and I followed, taking in the unfamiliar space with a growing horror. Half of the space was filled by a giant cage, iron bars forming a cube, with a dozen or so Unseen huddled in the center of it. The other half served as a grotesque torture chamber, with shackles hanging from the walls, a cluster of tables each fashioned with restraints, and a selection of “instruments” hanging in neat rows along the perimeter. Mother stood in the center of this space, a jeweled dagger pressed to the throat of Bastien as he struggled against the restraints that confined him to the chair. Behind them, Cirian, the Cardinal, Renata, and Lorelei watched on, all but Lorelei displaying varying levels of disgust.

“Adoranda,” Azrael addressed my mother, positioning himself between her and the cage that held his brethren. “Of all the times I imagined my return to Chateau Greene, I never expected such fanfare. You have my deepest thanks. However, I’m going to have to ask for you to release these men to me.”

Mother scoffed, the tip of her dagger drawing a trickle of blood on Bastien’s throat. “Am I supposed to remember you? You will have to excuse me, mongrel, but I do not know you from Adam. Though, I assume that you speak for your kind. Such a shame, really, that your treachery would force my hand. I had grown rather fond of at least a few of you. Now, I will have to start over from scratch.”

“Then let us speak civilly,” Azrael continued, commanding the room nearly as well as Mother did. “Neither of us wishes to see any more precious blood spilled today.”

Mother chuckled at this, her fiery gaze locked on Azrael. “That is where you are wrong, mongrel. Your blood is nothing but a part of the slaughter. There have been countless animals before you, and there will be countless after you have been bled dry.”

“Then what of him?” Azrael said, pointing to Bastien. “Will you deny the Church their right to judge him for his supposed crimes against the Source?”

The Cardinal and Cirian stiffened at that, both of them tense as they stood shoulder-to-shoulder.

“That does not concern you, mongrel.”

Azrael’s eyes scanned the room in search of something. “How about your other prisoner? Crassus? What has become of him?”

“Ah, yes, the unbreakable mongrel. My Truthsayer had quite the ordeal getting through to him. I am afraid the process left him rather drained.” She points a finger at the far corner of the room where a body lay slumped against the wall. “I must commend you. His loyalty is unmatched.”

Azrael took a step toward the body, and Adoranda pressed the knife further into Bastien’s neck, causing a groan to escape his lips.

“Stop!” I yelled, moving into the room properly. A splitting pain shot through my skull as I realized I had tried to issue a Command to halt her. Without the aid of my mask, Mother’s eyes were on me in an instant, the controlled calm on her face slipping.

“Tobias.”

On her tongue, my name was a curse.

Azrael stepped in front of me, but I pushed him aside, facing my mother head-on. “Release him at once, Mother. This is over.”

“Over?” she repeated, her voice resonating against the walls till she came from every direction. “Has your death robbed you of your senses, boy? There is none who can stand against me. Not even an army of these mongrels—” she snaps with fingers, a shower of golden sparks falling to the ground as a pulse of magic rolls over me like a wave. To my left, near where the Unseen lay unconscious, two of Azrael’s companions became visible as the magic collided with them, knocking them against the wall. A third by the cage door appeared blasted backward as well. Renata lunged to hold a blade to his chest, moving him away from the cage. “It was a noble effort to resist, but ultimately pointless.”

She moved the knife from Bastien’s throat to the side of his face, running the tip of the blade along his cheek, carving a thin line of crimson. “I will give you one last chance. Where is my daughter?”

Bastien’s eyes were on me as he gritted his teeth but gave no answer.

“ Speak. ”

The force of Mother’s magic sucked the air from my lungs. Azrael clawed at his throat beside me, Cirian slapped a hand over his mouth, and even Renata began to babble incoherently. Only the Cardinal and Lorelei seemed unaffected by the strength of Mother’s Command.

“She was with me… during the attack,” seethed Bastien, his eyes bulging as he spoke. “Couldn’t… see where she went. I don’t know… where she is now.”

Mother looked over at Lorelei, who gave her a curt nod.

Bastien was telling the truth.

“Then you’re of no further use to me,” said Mother plainly, any passion in her voice drying up as she straightened herself. With a flourish, she maneuvered the knife till the blade faced downward, then plunged it into Bastien’s chest.

A sickening cracking sound filled the room as he let out a wet gasp.

“No!” I cried, lunging for Bastien.

“Now!” Azrael shouted. Kaine burst into existence beside him.

Chaos erupted around me as I reached Bastien, kneeling down and grabbing his shoulders to steady him. His body was limp, though his eyes still found me, something sparking behind them, even as blood began to spill over his bottom lip.

“Stay with me,” I told him, working on the knots that held him in place. “Bastien, stay with me.”

From the corner of my eye, the two Unseen reached the body of the prisoner, hefting him onto his feet. On the other side of me, Azrael was trading blows with Mother, showers of golden sparks firing in every direction as his claws made contact with the wards around her body. She cackled like a madwoman when she landed a blow, knocking Azrael back a few feet in the process.

“You can’t best me, mongrel!”

Cirian was at my side by the time I unfastened the ropes, catching Bastien before he was able to fall to the floor. The wound in his chest seeped blood, and it smeared across my clothing as I pushed him back into the chair.

“Help him,” I begged Cirian, my voice hoarse.

Cirian nodded, placing a hand around the hilt of the knife and muttering a string of words as his skin began to glow. Swearing, he pulled back to reveal his palms covered in blood and the wound just as deep. “Damnation. It’s a Sanguine blade. It’s leaching my magic away. We need to remove it.”

One of the Unseen crashed into the table beside us, tumbling to the floor. From the far side of the room, I could see Azrael and Mother locked in step while Renata and Kaine were having a standoff of their own. Lorelei had somehow disappeared in the chaos.

“Hold on,” said Cirian, taking my hands and placing them around the hilt once more. “Keep pressure on it. I need to convince Sancha to intervene here.”

“But he’s Reviled,” I argued. What was he thinking? The Cardinal would never agree to help him.

Cirian stood, his gaze drifting from Bastien to me. “Put your trust in me.”

I nodded, and Cirian was gone.

Bastien let out a groan, his weight shifting forward, and I leaned my shoulder against him to keep him in place. He tried to speak, but more blood poured from his mouth, dripping down onto my arms and slicking my skin through my clothes.

“Shh,” I coaxed him, my eyes burning as I looked at his bloodied face. “It’s going to be okay. You’re going to be okay.”

His hands wrapped around mine, his grip weak but there. His lips moved again, but there was no sound, only the pleading in his eyes that twisted a blade of its own into my chest.

“Azrael!” one of the Unseen shouted as Azrael fell back from a second blow. But he picked himself up with ease, engaging Mother once more. Taking a moment to watch him, his attacks seemed…reserved. As if he were merely wanting to occupy her rather than inflict damage.

Kaine had made it to the cage now, one of the other Unseen holding off Renata’s assault as he worked on the lock.

“Tobias,” a strong voice came from behind me, and I looked over my shoulder at the Cardinal.

My hands shook as I removed them from the wound, my skin dyed red. The Cardinal knelt, getting eye-level with Bastien as she placed a hand on his forehead. His labored breathing quieted, his wide eyes watching the woman as her hands moved down to the blade protruding from his chest.

“I’m going to remove it,” she said calmly. “Deep breath now.”

With another gut-wrenchingly wet noise, the blade dislodged from Bastien, and the Cardinal let it clatter to the ground. Using both hands, she covered the wound, her skin glowing so bright with cerulean light that I had to look away.

After a dozen or so agonizing seconds, she removed her hands, her skin clean of any blood.

“The Source has blessed you,” she said softly, leaning down and planting a gentle kiss on Bastien’s forehead. He stared at her, bewildered. “Do not squander it.”

“Thank you,” I breathed, the twisted knot of anxiety in my gut loosening ever-so-slightly.

“Get a move on, Tobi!”

Azrael’s exclamation snapped me back to reality, and I hooked an arm under Bastien’s armpit, hoisting him to his feet. Renata was backed into a corner, the two Unseen carrying the prisoner had almost made it to the door, and the Kaine had just managed to get the lock on the cage open while Mother and Azrael continued their scuffle in the center of the room. As Mother caught sight of Bastien, she knocked Azrael aside with a wave of her hand, the air around her shimmering with magical energy.

“Halt!”

The Command rolled over the room, all movement ceasing as our bodies locked in place. Even the Cardinal, who seemed unaffected till now, was immobilized.

Mother took advantage of the situation, retrieving the sanguine blade from where the Cardinal had discarded it and walking towards those closest to the door—the two Unseen rebels carrying the now-stirring Unseen captive. Crassus, Azrael had called him.

“This is all an effort of futility,” Mother said, dragging the tip of her weapon along the arm of one of the rebels. “Even after all you’ve endured, your fate is inevitable. Let it be known that I will burn every last one of you from existence until there is nothing left but ashes and sorrow. And when your world has been reduced to atoms, and memory of your kind has faded into the annals of history, know this—I will endure. I will be there to make sure the Magi forget every detail of your so-called rebellion.” She stood in front of Crassus, his eyes—one swollen shut from the injuries to his face—flickering open, then widening as she sunk the blade of her dagger into his stomach. “Remember this: No one will mourn the mongrels.”

A whimper of pain escaped the captive’s mouth as Mother sank the blade to the hilt, twisting it with a sparkle of glee in her crystalline eyes. I never wanted to pluck my own out so badly, if only to cease sharing a trait with her.

My limbs refused to budge. Had I reached the end of my brief second life? I had to admit, dying at the hand of my mother had been on the table ever since I learned it was her who orchestrated the attempt on Lynette’s life. But to be there, standing mere feet from her and completely paralyzed by the control she had mastered over nearly two centuries—my body quaked with fear.

“What?”

Mother’s voice shook me from my terror, her expression twisted in confusion, her grip still on the hilt of the dagger, but Crassus’ hands wrapped around hers, holding her in place, claws sinking into her flesh.

“You’re wrong,” he spoke, voice hoarse but unflinching. “They will remember us. They will remember when the lowest among them refused to yield.” Crassus’ body began to flicker, like he was trying to turn invisible, but the magic wouldn’t hold. “When the Unseen made a place for themselves. They will know because you cannot erase us.”

“Release me!” Mother’s voice reverberated, the power of her words once again forcing the air from my lungs.

But Crassus held fast, the frequency of the flickering image of his body increasing, till he strobed like a malfunctioning light. The incandescence of his skin grew brighter till he was difficult to look at.

Then he spoke his final words.

“We will not be forced into the dark.”

Burning white hot, Crassus broke free of the hold of his fellow Unseen, wrapping his arms around Mother as the light of his body reached blinding status. Mother shrieked, her clothing catching fire. All at once, the oppressive pressure of her magic dissipated, and we all stumbled forward, our bodies catching up to the willed momentum.

“Hurry!” Azrael shouted, moving to the cage and ripping open the door.

I clung to Bastien, pushing him forward as Mother continued to scream. I couldn’t look at Crassus directly, but the heat coming from him was enough to singe my skin at this distance, so I could only imagine the intensity of it up close.

We made it through the door to the wine cellar, a stream of bodies eclipsing the brilliant light pouring through the doorway. The wooden frame of the door began to smoke as Azrael made it through, the smell of singed hair burning my nostrils as we hit the staircase. Mother let out another shriek, her voice nearly drowned out by the crackling of fire that was swiftly consuming the room. Bastien and I made it up into the kitchen, dark smoke billowing now, heavy and choking, as I continued to pull him toward the exit. Kaine led the rescued prisoners out first, making sure all were accounted for before ducking through the door leading outside. As Cirian and the Cardinal made it up into the kitchen, the floor beneath us rocked as an explosion sounded below. A jet of fire shot through the open door, blasting Azrael up the last few steps and landing him atop the long wooden table. He roared with laughter, patting out the small fires that smoldered on his jacket. A terrible groaning noise sounded, and plaster rained down from the ceiling above.

Cirian pulled Azrael off the table, helping put out the rest of the flames on his clothes. Another groan from above, and more plaster fell, long cracks appearing along the ceiling.

“Let’s get out of here!” I shouted, pulling Bastien along with me. We weren’t far from the door and its promise of fresh air.

After the third step, the ground beneath us lurched as another explosion sounded, the door to the cellar belching fire once more. I stumbled over my feet, disrupted by the sudden movement, and took Bastien down with me, the two of us landing in a heap. The ceiling above us gave way then, splintered wood and plaster thunderously raining down. I rolled, covering Bastien with my body as best I could, and braced for the impact. But it never came. Bastien pushed me off of him, both of us staggering to our feet as the debris and furniture that fell through floated in the air just above our heads, suspended by a strange blue light. A few steps back, the Cardinal held out her hand, her brow twisted in concentration as she slowly moved her arm, the detritus moving along with her, then falling harmlessly to either side.

She didn’t look fatigued in the slightest by the effort.

“Thank you, Your Eminence.”

The Cardinal gave me a slight nod. “Let us move quickly.”

Outside of the Chateau, the air was clear and inviting, the warm sun still hanging high in the sky. Kaine and the other Unseen were already at the gate, it appeared, and once Azrael had cleared the door, that was everyone. Well, almost everyone.

“What about Crassus?” I asked, turning to Azrael.

“There won’t be anything left of him,” he replied. “We should keep moving. There’s no telling if another explosion will blast the roof off this place.”

“What of us?” asked the Cardinal, motioning to herself and Cirian. “Should we consider ourselves to be hostages of the Rebellion?”

Azrael shook his head. “Not at all. You’re free to go whenever you like, and I thank you for your help. However, I can’t let you take Bastien. I’ve made a promise to someone very important to me to see him returned safely. If that’s going to cause a problem, I’m sure there is something we can work out.”

Cirian looked to the Cardinal as if he were trying to get a read.

After a moment, the Cardinal nodded. “No judgment will be passed today. Come, Cirian. We should report to the Council of Magi what has transpired here.”

“Yes, Your Eminence.” Cirian’s dark eyes lingered on me before he hurried away, catching up to the Cardinal’s long strides.

“You’re safe,” Azrael said to Bastien, clapping a hand on his shoulder. “I need to handle one more thing, but you two should head outside of the gate. Kaine will be there to get you to the rendezvous point.”

Somehow, I knew that he was going back for Balthus. Guilt swelled within me, but I couldn’t express it at the moment. Bastien seemed to pick up on my desire to stay with Azrael. “I’ll be okay to make it outside the gate, Tobias. You should help Azrael.”

I nodded, releasing my death grip on him. He limped a bit but managed to hit a stride as he headed for the gate at the end of the drive.

“Guess it’s just you and me, then.” Azrael smiled sadly, moving past me and heading into the garden. By the time I’d caught up with him amongst the hedges, the fire had spread to almost half the Chateau, the sound of glass breaking and cracking wood echoing through the gardens.

Balthus lay where we left him, his hands folded over the wound in his chest. Here, surrounded by the blooms, he looked almost peaceful, though his death had been far from it.

Azrael knelt next to him, his fingers brushing through the dulled, grey hair at his father’s temples. “Come sit with me a moment,” he said, motioning to the other side of Balthus.

I mirrored his position, rubbing my palms across my thighs.

“I always hated this place,” Azrael said eventually, his eyes trained on Balthus. “Papa and I used to talk into the night about all the places we wanted to see when we left Chateau Greene. He’d worked in that kitchen nearly his entire life, you know. Decades of hard work, with almost nothing to show for it. Except for me, I guess. He told me that I was the happiest accident. That his lover wasn’t ready for younglings, so when I came along, it sped up their split. He wasn’t resentful or anything, just honest. He wanted nothing more than for me to escape this place. Yet, when the day finally came, and they stripped me from his arms, all I could think about was what I would give to have stayed.”

Tears burned in my eyes, spilling over and onto the grass beneath me.

“Papa,” Azrael continued, his own violet eyes shining as he took his father’s hand. “Look, I made it back. I’ve seen so much, so many things I wanted to share with you. I always hoped that you’d find your way out of here, that you would break free from the madame and all of the pain of this place. But it doesn’t matter anymore. I made it back. And now I’m going to take you with me.”

Azrael leaned down, kissing his father’s forehead.

“It’s my fault,” I said before I could think better of it. “When they took you away, it’s my fault it happened.”

Azrael’s eyes were on me as he straightened.

“I didn’t know that it was happening,” I explained, hoping beyond hope that he’d understand. “You were my best friend, and I didn’t want you to leave. You know that. But Mother… she’d found out about Balthus’ plans. He wanted to leave the Chateau, and she took you as leverage to hold over him. She kept him trapped here, telling him that if he remained loyal, you’d be safe. I’m sorry, Azzy. I’m so, so sorry.”

Azrael watched me for a moment longer, then stood.

“Help me lift him.”

Did he hear anything I said?

With a bit of struggle, we managed to get Balthus balanced on Azrael’s shoulder.

Without another word, Azrael headed for the edge of the garden. Once we passed through the gate, we kept moving till we hit the tree line. Turning back one last time, I watched my childhood home burn in the distance and wondered if Mother would burn along with it.