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Cobra held his gaze.
“Do you want to know what she told us?” I said, getting the attention off Cobra.
My father dragged his eyes away from my brother to me.
“Before I tell you what she confided in us, there are some things you should know.” I dreaded speaking every word, getting closer to the finality that would ignite his fuse. “Clara, along with everyone else in Evanguard, were unaware of these practices. They believed the lies her father told them all, and the lies his father told everyone before his time. They’re victims in this.”
My father’s stare was so hard it was like stone. My words didn’t mean a damn thing to him.
“And they’ve destroyed the very thing that granted them immortality. That’s what we did while we were there. We worked with Clara to destroy the obelisk that granted them immortal life. Now they’re no different from the humans in the kingdoms. Their glow will fade, and they’ll age until time takes them.”
His face started to tighten, angry that I still refused to give him the whole story.
“Because of this, the three of us have decided to live peacefully with the Ethereal, to move on from our past and forge a new coexistence. I understand your anger—”
“Oh, you don’t understand my anger, Kingsnake,” he spat. “But you’re about to understand it perfectly once you grow some balls and tell me the truth. The truth that I already know because I can see it written across your damn face.” Spittle flew out of his mouth because his lips were moving faster than his mind.
My eyes dropped.
“Say it.”
My look was on him once again, not by choice.
“Look me in the fucking face and say it.”
I squeezed one of my knuckles so hard it nearly snapped.
“Tell me what they did to your mother.”
I did my best to hold his gaze, but I couldn’t. The guilt swept me under the waves. The beautiful days I’d spent with Larisa in bed were wiped away, replaced by this sheer agony.
My father had never looked so angry, not even after my mother was killed. “She lost her soul—because those motherfuckers ate it. And you’re going to sit there and ask for peace? You’re going to pardon their crimes against humanity when your own mother never made it to the afterlife? I’ve been angry with my sons at one time or another, but I’ve never been ashamed until now. I’m ashamed of my son. Disgusted by his fucking face. Wish he’d never been born.”
My eyes instinctively shut when his insult hit me like a palm to the face.
“If you’re ashamed of him, then you’re ashamed of us all.” It was Cobra’s voice, eerily calm despite the tension.
I opened my eyes and watched him take the heat next.
“Because we all agreed to it,” Cobra said. “We agreed to it, knowing the truth. It’s horrible and we’re angry, but every Ethereal who knew about the practice has been killed. We killed every single one of them when we were in their forest. How can we wage war against a people who had absolutely no idea how they maintained their immortality? They were fed a lie by King Elrohir because that was the only way to get them to comply. Once they knew the truth, they destroyed the obelisk entirely on their own. We didn’t have to coerce them, because they’re as disgusted as we are.”
“It won’t bring her back, Father,” Viper said. “Her soul has been gone a long time. Killing the Ethereal won’t change that.”
I was so grateful I wasn’t fighting this battle alone. I wouldn’t know what to do without my brothers. I didn’t possess the strength to challenge my father on my own. His words cut me so deeply, like his sword pierced right through my armor and into both of my lungs.
“We’ve been at war with the Ethereal since the beginning,” Cobra said. “Imagine a life free from battle. Imagine one of peace. The Ethereal can remain in their forest, we can remain in our lands, and everything can be as it should.”
My father said nothing, looking at no one, his hands slightly moving together as he massaged one set of knuckles. When he found his voice, it was far quieter than it’d been before, but still full of rage. “Our plan was to defeat the Ethereal then rule the kingdoms—”
“That wasyourplan,” I said. “The kingdoms have never declared war on us—”
“Because the Ethereal did the dirty work,” he snapped. “But once they’re eradicated, the kingdoms will grow scared and move for us next. Once they know we’ve killed their gods, they’ll want to kill us.”
“Then the simple answer is to not kill the humans,” Viper said. “Problem solved.”
“They’ll still attack us once they realize the Ethereal are too weak to do it themselves.” We all talked over one another, everyone trying to get their arguments across. Voices rose like heat to the ceiling. “I will rule this entire continent and strip the royal families of their titles. It’s the only way.”
Cobra withdrew, cocking his head slightly as he regarded our father with shrewd eyes. “This isn’t about Mother. This is about greed. This is about your obsession for ruling everything and everyone.”
