We didn’t speak again until I led him to a small unused room in the Hoplite quarters. Now that I was officially a Hoplite,I got to have a cell with only one roommate instead of dozens. I already knew who it was going to be.
I shut and latched the door behind us.
Luke just stood there staring at me, his eyes wide with shock. I’d never struck him as a kid. I’d always been the one to protect him from our eldest half-brother, Maalik. At least until the last day, when he’d tried to protect me.
With the door safely closed behind us I turned and froze.
Luke had always been taller than me, even as kids, but now… he almost towered over me. He was pale, except for the red mark on his face from where I’d slapped him, and the marks that were already bruising and purpling. I winced as I saw the marks. I’d hit him harder than I’d thought.
“Shit, Luke, I’m sorry…” I started, but he cut me off throwing his arms around me in a tight hug.
At first, I started to struggle, then forced myself to relax. I was being held, not held down, I told myself. I forced myself to breathe through my panic as the feelings that small bit of comfort stirred in me melted through the ice-cold facade I’d been living with for years.
I found myself wrapping my arms around my brother and holding on for dear life. He was sobbing and mumbling, but I couldn’t make out what he was saying at first. I nudged him back to sit on one of the cots and was finally able to make out what he was saying.
“You’re alive. You’re alive. You’re alive,” he kept repeating.
“Yeah, Luke,” I whispered, beginning to hug him back. “I’m alive.”
After a few minutes he calmed enough to loosen his hold to lean back.
“I… I thought you were dead,” he said. “I heard our father talking about Erix, and how you jumped Maalik.”
I frowned in chagrin.
“Bastard deserved it,” we whispered in unison as we recited our childhood mantra.
That made us both laugh and broke the strange tension for a moment.
“So… what happened?” he asked.
I sighed.
“After I jumped Maalik, he and some guards beat the crap out of me and dragged me in front of Cyrius,” I said, the memory still causing acid to church in my stomach, even years later. I’d never call the man Father again, not even in my thoughts.
“I—When he told me--,” I said. “When he told me they found Erix’s body downstream, my powers manifested for the first time, and I tried to kill him.”
Luke’s eyes grew wider if that were possible.
“You—you really did try and kill him?” he said. “I had heard rumors, but he never confirmed them.”
I couldn’t stand the look of hero worship in Luke’s face. It certainly wasn’t something I deserved.
“Tried and failed,” I said angrily, standing and pacing the small room. “He Suppressed my powers almost as soon as they manifested.”
I saw Luke wince. He had to have had his own first experience with Suppression.
“Is Davidus here?” He asked hopefully.
I shook my head.
“He must have been sent to a different Legion,” I said. I’d hoped to find my older brother here as well.
“I’m sorry about Erix,” Luke said. “No one told us that he died, just that he had disappeared the same night you did.”
“It’s no big deal,” I responded coldly, drawing on the same armor I’d been using to defend myself for years.
“Of course it’s a big deal!” Luke said. “He’s your brother, Elex!”
