AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Of all the things he could have said, that shocks me most. I back away until my knees hit the chair. I fall onto it as my Jell-O legs give out.
Richard rushes to his knees before me. “I was young and idealistic when I joined him. I was scarcely out of apron strings when his speeches about equality seduced me. He showed me the squalor of the Deprived. Their shanties, the discrimination they suffer, the vile hate they endure for nothing more than having a less-than-pristine bloodline or a mad family member. I was horrified, and Mathias sounded so forward-thinking. At the time, humans here in England were tearing themselves apart in some stupid civil war. Mathias spoke of fairness and tolerance, of eradicating the cruel establishment.”
I gape. “B-but didn’t he kill people? Rape women and enslave children?”
“Eventually, I saw that. When I was first presented with the evil he was capable of, he made those acts sound necessary, the ends justifying the means.”
Marrok scoffs. “And sometimes, for the mere sport of hearing innocent people scream.”
My father grimaces, then concedes with a nod.
Another horrifying thought washes over me. “You participated in Mathias’s cruelties?”
His shoulders slump. He looks more haggard than he did last night. “I…did.”
I scramble out of my chair, recoiling until I back into Marrok, who settles a soothing hand on my shoulder. But is he any better? He’s slain in the name of battle and war, too.
“You’re wondering how I could do such things.” Richard leaps to his feet. “In the centuries since, I’ve wondered that myself. Sometimes, I still hear the screams… I wanted to believe we were doing something that would change magickind for the better by opening opportunities for wizards and witches of all classes. I allowed myself to be led blindly. Youth and ignorance are little excuse, but the only ones I have to offer.”
Well, I wanted answers. Now I’ve got them.
Bile creeps up my throat. All the years I’ve built my father up to be a hero, he was running from his horrifying misdeeds like a coward.
The rest of my questions—about the symbol and the diary matter but not now.
“I’ve alienated you.”
Some part of me wants to reassure my father, but I can’t be less than honest. “I’m stunned, and I’m trying to…process everything you’ve said.”
“As you should. I’m hoping you can set the past aside and listen for a few minutes. There are more important things to discuss, like your future. I have remained hidden and most think me dead. But by virtue of Bram’s party trick last night, magickind knows you exist. Your magical signature told them your bloodline. And through your untrained thoughts, dangerous people know I’m alive and that the Book of Doomsday is here. It won’t be long before Mathias learns as well. Then…your human mate will be unable to save you.”
“We have had this conversation,” Marrok warns.
“I’m not certain Olivia understands the full import. I have knowledge of the diary. I can evade the Anarki.” He sends Marrok a pleading stare. “She’s my only child, and I’m finally connecting with her. I beg you, let her come with me and bring the diary. I can break your curse, keep Mathias at bay, and provide you peace.”
“Or deceive me, harm my mate, and use the book to gain power. How am I to know which?” Marrok fingers the handle of his broadsword.
I’m annoyed that he’s making assumptions that might not be true…but I understand why. And I love that he’s so willing to protect me.
A sudden pounding interrupts the conversation. I glance at Marrok’s cell phone, still in my hand. It’s barely six in the morning. Who can that be?
Marrok shoves me behind him, grips his sword, and stomps to the door. “Who is it?”
“Bram. You have grave problems.”
“Indeed. Richard Gray is under my roof, and you are on my doorstep.”
“Shove off and open the door.”
Marrok doesn’t.
If Bram is here before the sun after throwing a killer party, it can’t bode well. “What’s going on?”
“Since you left my house, I set guards around your property—”
Marrok yanks open the door and raises his sword threateningly. “You had no right. ’Tis my property to protect.”
“Lower that, damn it. I sent them because I suspected the Anarki would soon arrive here. I was right.”
