I place the bowl on the table then take a scrap of paper and write the secret on it. When I place it into the blood, a stream of red smoke billows into the air.
A low, collective gasp rattles around thetable as I look at my friends, all three of whom are clutching their chests in exactly the same spot on the right-hand side.
If I wanted confirmation that the spell worked, I think I just got it.
Their eyes are expectantly locked on me, and I know there’s nothing more to do but trust.
Trust my magic.
Trust they will choose not to forfeit their lives to share this secret.
‘Benny, Caz, Ruben. I’d like to introduce you to William. Also known as Florian. My brother.’
Chapter 13
‘Your brother?’ Ruben is the first to break the silence. He sits by Caz with William on the other side of him, and the way he looks at my little brother, it’s like he’s scouring his face for evidence of what he just learned. ‘I thought he was … he was?—’
‘Killed by the king?’ I answer for him. ‘Yes, we all did. But it turns out that’s not the case. He was hidden away somehow, then placed under the care of Lord Lorathin – Jonas’s father. As part of my gifting from the Goddess, Jonas told me the truth of my brother’s existence. A little detail he knew for several years but kept to himself.’
‘What?’ Benny sits at the end of the table next to me, though he looks as if he’s about to leap up from it to throw Jonas across the room. ‘You knew? You knew Rose’s brother was alive when we were in the Retterheld and you didn’t tell her? All that time when you were trying to get into her pants … you knew this then? You’re a fucking shit.’
Jonas shifts in his chair and I fight the urge to smile. I shoot Benny a look of thanks. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of having someone in my corner the way Benny always is.
‘Jonas did what he thought was best,’ Kay responds coolly, raising her chin, though I wonder if she’s annoyed most at Jonas being called aliar or hearing from someone other than me that her now-husband wasn’t exactly subtle about his wishes for something to happen between us.
Then again, she’s convinced there are no secrets between them, so perhaps she knows it all.
‘Sure he did. Best for himself,’ Benny mutters into his glass.
‘No, that’s not what happened—’ Jonas tries to defend himself, but Ruben joins in too.
‘Do you have any idea how much Rose mourned her brother?’ He glares at Jonas. ‘How every night she?—’
‘Enough!’ I call the argument to a halt. We’re less than two minutes in and the bickering has already started. It doesn’t bode well.
Besides, as much as I hate to admit it, I know why Jonas made his choice. I might not agree with his decision to keep me in the dark, but it’s better that he avoided telling anyone, including me, than spread William’s true name like gossip among anyone willing to listen.
With the room quiet again, I continue. ‘Jonas kept William’s secret safe. That deserves recognition.’ I pause and look at Benny and Ruben, both of whom simmer down a little. ‘You are all also aware that Jonas and I are officially family now.’ I gesture to the ‘happy couple’. ‘Given that he and Kay thought it would be a good idea to get married.’
My little sister lifts her hand and flashes the rings, as if it’s a normal marriage worthy of a normal celebration. Gods help me. Sometimes her naïveté hurts. Yet I only have myself to blame. I worked hard to protect her from the realities of the world, and now it’s biting me on the arse. Neither one of them has thought of the potential repercussions. From Artur. From Hew. From Korvane.
‘Ruben.’ I turn my attention to him. ‘What you don’t know is that I manifested some unexpected powers during the trials. Magic that I had never encountered before. I learned today from Dinah that those powers came from our family. Our mother. Apparently … we’re a little bit Issen. A quarter, I suspect.’
He gapes for a beat. ‘Issen?’ Ruben lets out a low whistle, and for a second, I pause, waiting to see if he has any more of a reaction. Fear. Disgust, even? After all, I’m sure that’s how plenty of people would reactif they found out one of their past fuck buddies was the thing we’ve been taught to fear and despise. But there’s no disdain in his eyes. He sees me, not my heritage, and I’m insanely grateful for that.
I shift my gaze to Benny, but he doesn’t look the slightest bit surprised. He’s a smart man, and with his magic, he’s able to see to the heart of things, so I suspect he already worked out the truth of my heritage.
If I’m honest with myself, even though I pinned all the new powers on the Issen spirits, a creeping suspicion was crawling through my mind, even back in the Retterheld. I just refused to acknowledge it.
Kay lets out a choked sob. ‘It’s a nightmare come true,’ she whispers. Her hand once again lingers protectively on her stomach. If she planned on keeping the pregnancy a secret, she’s doing a piss-poor job. It’s a good job I have friends I can trust.
‘I won’t tell a soul,’ Ruben promises, locking eyes with each Kultavaris. ‘I promise you that.’
The ghost of a smile lifts my lips.
I never doubted his loyalty. If I had, he wouldn’t have been in the room in the first place.
‘So is it just you who’s got the powers?’ Benny asks, glancing at my brother and sister. ‘A first-child type thing?’
