“I guess I’ll leave you to it then,” she says as she stands back up. “Oh, I almost forgot. I already asked Artemus, and he’s on it, but you know this place and its people better than him.” I nod. “My father, Orson Calloway, do you know where I might be able to find him?”
Hearing his name said aloud stops me in my tracks. She’s staring at me, waiting for an answer, but I’m in a frozen stupor. I know I have to tell her. I’ve known for a while now, but I’ve been stalling. I don’t want to be the one to take away her hope.But she’s here now, and it’s only a matter of time before she finds out herself. It’s better if it comes from me.
“There’s something I need to tell you about your father.” I exhale deeply. “I’ve been meaning to tell you, but it just never felt like the right time.” I can tell by her stiff posture that she already doesn’t like where this is going.
“Say it. I need to hear it from you.” Her voice is cold and cutting in a way I’m not used to. I know she’s questioned whether or not he’s alive, but it’s different hearing it.
“I’m sorry, Reign.” I want to wipe away the tears now racing down her face, but I stay where I am, letting the table separate the two of us.
“How?” she demands. “How did it happen?”
I’ve been keeping so much from her for so long. If I tell her everything, she’s never going to trust me. But she deserves answers. She deserves to know what her father did.
“It was my third year in the Shadow Lands. Your father had been working with me for almost two years. You see, at the time there was still so much separation between the newer generation of Lesser and the older one. So much had been changing and more and more people were being banished. Those from the older generation weren’t associated with the rebellion. They had grown used to their new reality and change was something they despised. There were constant fights and battles breaking out between the two—”
“What’s this have to do with my father’s death?” she interrupts. I can see by the fists stationed at her sides that she’s fighting back her power.
“Because it was your father that helped me unite them all. He worked tirelessly with leaders from the two groups to get them to see eye to eye. Believe me, it was not an easy task, but he was the guy for the job.” Her hard expression softens,and I take it as an indication to keep going. “Everything was improving. People were finally coming together, and communities were being built. But even so, there was still a small group of the older generation that still didn’t agree with the changes. We called them the Tritons, and they thought that if they got rid of me, everything would go back to normal. One night, they attacked this castle. I was aiding an elderly woman whose job it was to take care of the place. I didn’t even see the spear headed for me until your father pushed me out of the way. He saved my life, Reign.”
When she drops to the ground sobbing, I immediately rush to her. I kneel down and gently remove her hands from her face.
“Your father was a hero. He was my hero. He was a good man with a good heart, and you meant everything to him.”
“What do you mean?” She shoots up, pulling her hands away. “He told you about me?” I’ve said too much. I should’ve just stopped while I was ahead. “You’re hiding something from me. You have been for a long time. Now, tell me!” She’s shaking and I’m not sure if it’s from trying to hold back her power or if it’s from rage or even grief.
“Yes. I knew about you.” She retreats a step as hurt coats her face. “When he was dying in my arms, he made me promise to watch over you, to protect you. You were his whole world, and I owed him that.”
“At the Sector… you knew I was his daughter?” She turns around, running her hands through her hair, trying to put the pieces together. It’s like she can’t even look at me now.
“I did. For a while I didn’t know about my father and Damien’s relationship. Once I got wind of what he was up to, I convinced my father that with the rising concerns of therebellion, he should send me to the Sector to keep people in line. In reality I was only there to keep an eye on you.”
“You knew about Damien? You knew he was lying to me? That he was using me?” The look on her face when she turns back around pierces me. I did this to her. I’m the cause of the pain she’s feeling right now.
“I didn’t know the full details, but yes. I knew he was working with my father to add you to his prison of Collectables.” When I try to reach out my hand, she knocks it away.
“Stay away from me! You act like you’re different than him but you’re not. You lie and manipulate people just like he does!”
Her words hit hard. Not because they’re harsh, but because they’re true. I act like I’m better than my father. That I’m not a monster who puppeteers people but that’s exactly what I did. I could’ve been honest. I could have told her everything the moment I saw her in the Sector, but I didn’t. Instead, I tried to get close to her. I kept secrets and lied, knowing that trust meant everything to her. Now, I’m just another man who has betrayed her.
“You’re right,” I finally admit. “You deserved the truth a long time ago, but I was selfish. I knew if I told you everything then it was only a matter of time until my father found out that I was the one who told you what Damien’s true intentions were. As far as my father knew, I was on his side and I didn’t want to blow my cover, so instead I threatened you and kept an icy mask, knowing you would report my actions back to Damien. I knew that if I told you what he was up to, you would confront him, and he would’ve eventually tipped my father off about me. I wanted to keep the promise I made to Orson and protect you, but not at the price of sacrificing the rebellion.”
“You’re a monster.” She heads for the door, stopping one last time. “I want nothing to do with you.”
Her words hang in the air.
A monster.
That’s what I am. That’s what I’ll always be, no matter how much I try to escape it. It’s in my blood.
Chapter 22
Reign
“Reign, wait! What’s wrong?” Artemus shouts as he chases behind me down the front castle steps lined with skulls.
“He’s dead. My father is dead, and Ryder’s known this whole time. Why does everyone keep lying to me?” The question comes out as a cry, and I hate that I can’t stop the tears from falling.
“Oh, honey. I’m so sorry.” He cautiously wraps me in a hug, and I melt into him. When I finally start to catch my breath again, he wipes away the last of my tears. “There, there.”
