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“Is that threat supposed to scare me?” He almost laughed. He could feel Morgan beside him, almost holding her breath, her eyes intent on his face as she listened. Soulmate, he thought, the word exploding with warmth inside him. She called him her soulmate. “That ultimatum? Toe the line or no more money?”
“If you must put it so gauchely, very well.” She tilted her head, her eyes seeming to look straight through him. “An ultimatum. Stop this foolishness at once, apologize to your father, agree to cease all contact with this—personat your side—and then, once we’re all back home and cooler heads have prevailed, we’ll discuss reinstating your allowance.”
“And what if we don’t?” he said, already knowing what the answer would be. “If I refuse to accept your money. If I choose to live my own life, on my own terms. What then?”
For the first time he could remember, he saw a flicker of real uncertainty cross his mother’s face. It seemed to disturb her, and she drew herself up, her voice a lot sharper when she spoke again. “What do you mean?”
“I’m saying I don’t want your money. I don’t want another cent from either of you. I’m asking how you imagine our relationship looking then, Mother. Can you answer that?”
“I—” She hesitated, her eyes darting towards his father, who looked as though he was too angry to speak. “Without our money. Without our support.”
“Yes,” he said, not sure whether he was holding back laughter or tears. “Not a cent, ever again, for as long as I live. I have nothing to do with the company, nothing to do with the money, no inheritance, nothing. Who would we be to each other then?”
“I don’t…” His mother frowned at him softly, and it was the genuine confusion in her eyes that broke his heart. “I—what would be the point?”
There was a long silence then, broken only by the wind that whipped at his jacket and tugged his hair free of the remains of its bindings. He felt Morgan’s hand slip into his, a small point of warmth in the cold darkness that had enveloped him, and he squeezed it gratefully, not taking his eyes off his parents. He’d never been much good at reading what lay beyond the ever-present mask of rage on his father’s face, but he had a feeling he could see something like sadness there when he finally mustered himself to speak.
“This is your last chance, Archer,” Grant said, his voice as tightly controlled as Archer had ever heard it. “I’m even willing to reconsider a continuation of your studies, if it means that much to you. But if you insist on this—on this insolence—then I’m afraid your mother is correct. We’ll be unable to justify supporting your lifestyle any longer.”
“You don’t understand. I don’twantyour money.”
“You’d cut us out of your life for spite? You’d terminate our relationship for this—”
“—careful,” Archer said, his voice low. He felt his dragon wide awake and seething under every inch of his skin, knowing that it would only take a fraction of a second to allow the shift to rip through him. His father sensed it, too. For the first time, he saw fear in the old man’s eyes as he took a single step away from his son. “If you’re going to speak about my soulmate, you’re going to choose your words very carefully.”
“It’s her!” His mother’s voice, high and shrill, unrecognizable. He’d never seen her like this. “It’s that backwater harlot, she’s twisted his mind with magic, she’s turned him against us, Grant!”
“Are you even listening to him?” Morgan stepped forward, her voice full of the kind of cold anger that always made Archer shiver. “He’snotagainst you. It’s the opposite. He’s trying to say he wants to build a relationship with you that’s real, not based on you manipulating him with threats of taking away his allowance or a role in the family business. Don’t you want that?”
“That’s more than enough out of you,” his mother snarled, lunging forward with one hand raised. He’d seen her strike people before, knew she had a deceptive amount of strength in that hand, and Archer started forward, feeling fear and anger burst in him as he realized he was too far away to get in between them. But Morgan turned, faster than he’d thought possible. There was an odd shiver in the air, and Archer heard his mother shriek with surprise and horror, clutching the hand she’d raised to strike Morgan against her chest. He caught a glimpse of it, and his eyes widened to see that it was encased in what looked like ice, an inch thick at least.
“You have been a disappointment since the day you were born,” his father growled at him. Archer absorbed the comment, nodding thoughtfully as he considered it.
“I suppose I got that from you,” he said finally. “Goodbye, Father. Goodbye, Mother.”
And with that, they were gone. Grant shot him one last look over his shoulder, burning with rage and resentment… but he didn’t say anything. He just turned and swept after Archer’s mother, who was striding back towards the Hall with her back ramrod straight and her frozen hand wrapped in her shawl.
“I didn’t know you could do that,” Archer said into the long silence that fell.
“Neither did I,” Morgan said faintly. She was staring after his mother, and he could hear the worry in her voice. “I didn’t mean to.”
“She was going to hit you. Not to mention the things she called you. A frozen hand’s the least she deserves.” He glanced into the Hall, reminding himself that there were dozens of elemental experts on campus, not to mention plenty of skilled healers. There’d be no lasting damage there.
“I think I owe you an apology, Archer.”
He frowned. What was she talking about? “In backwards world, maybe. What do you mean?”
“I think I’ve been too hard on you. On reflection, with parents like that… it’s a miracle you’re not about a hundred times worse.”
“Yeah, they’re…” He took a deep breath. “They’re something.”
“You never told me.” She looked up at him, her eyes full of shock and sadness. “You never told me how bad they were.”
“Honestly, it’s only lately that I’ve been figuring it out myself.” Archer frowned, crossing his arms. “This isn’t exactly the triumphant moment I was planning, you know?”
A faint smile. “What were you planning?”
“Oh, you know. March in like a hero, beat my dad in a fight, tell my mom to get lost. Dramatic fanfare, fireworks over the horizon, hero saves the day and gets the girl, a huge round of applause from my admiring fans…”
