“It took a long time for our estate to be returned to us. During which we had no money that we could access. No clout our name would give.” Olivin led them through the overgrown courtyard. Eira couldn’t stop herself from scanning the mezzanine that circled it on the upper levels. The building was as quiet as agrave. “We were wards of the crown, so it made sense for Deneya to assist with our arrangements.”
“And then you started working for her.” Yonlin sounded mildly wounded by it, even still. He’d only learned the extent of his brother’s secrecy over the past few months and had—in Eira’s opinion—taken it amazingly well in his stride. But those types of wounds could fester.
“I did what I had to do to keep you safe, and I always will.”
“Always my safety.” Yonlin took a few steps forward, breaking away from Alyss. “Never yours.”
Eira was stilled to silence, seeing similar conversations replay in her memories. She’d said something similar to Marcus a number of times. The words and circumstances were different, but the sentiment was the same:See me for who I am—I’m so much more than just your little sibling.
Olivin, however, was oblivious. “I’m fine.”
Yonlin rounded on his older brother. Even though he was slightly shorter, he managed to stare up at him with a piercing gaze. “Why do you get to decide how you are for yourself, but you don’t extend that to the rest of us?”
“You’re being a child,” Olivin scolded.
“That’s all you’ve ever seen me as. Achild.” Yonlin pressed his palm to his chest. “I’m eighteen, nearly nineteen. I’m a man.”
“A man doesn’t need to say he is such.” Olivin shifted away from his brother, looking back to them. “I think we’ll find somewhere salvageable enough to stay in the forward part of the building. From there we can make our plans for our strike, the other nations should be leading their attack tomorrow.”
“Will you even let me be a part of the Court of Shadows after all of this?” Yonlin continued to step in Olivin’s way.
“You shouldn’t need to be. After Ulvarth is gone, our lives will look very different.” At least Olivin was consistent in what he was envisioning for the future.
“Then will you let me be in the fray to fight him?” Yonlin seemed almost desperate.
“You know your role,” Olivin said simply. “Eira gave you the pistol because you’re the best shot among us. You’ll need to find a good vantage?—”
“Convenient that my role is away from the thickest part of the fighting.” Yonlin’s eyes darted to Eira.
She opened her mouth to speak, to reassure him that she didn’t care where he was, as long as he could take the shot to remove Ulvarth’s armor, but Olivin spoke over her.
“It’s just how it happened.”
Yonlin snorted softly and shook his head. “You can’t keep things safe by locking them away, brother.”
“I watched you die. I saw you and thought you were dead. I thought I had losteverythingall over again.” Olivin grabbed his brother’s shoulders, staring straight through Yonlin. “If locking you away is what it takes to keep you safe from them, I will. I will do anything to protect you because they…they have already taken so much from me—from us. I refuse to let them have more. I will not lose anyone else I love. Not when we’re so close to reclaiming a future that they tried to steal from us.” Olivin’s fingers were pressing dents into Yonlin’s clothes.
Yonlin yanked his shoulders away from his brother’s grip and stepped back. “I don’t want to lose the chance to live my life because I’m forced to be nothing more than a piece of yours.”
“Yonlin—”
“Include me, let me have a say, or I’m gone.” Yonlin glared for one more breath. Right when Olivin opened his mouth to speak, he spun and ran down the hall and dashed up a side stair.
“Yonlin!” Olivin shouted. He lunged. “Yonlin?—”
Eira caught his wrist. Olivin spun back but all the hot rage vanished from his cheeks when he laid eyes on her.
“Give him space,” she told him firmly. “You’re not doing yourself any favors by chasing after him.”
“You don’t know at all what it’s?—”
“Like?” she finished for him with a lift of a brow and a cock of her head. “You mean to tell me I don’t know what it’s like to fear losing a sibling? Maybe I don’t know that fear, because I watched it happen right in front of me when I was too helpless to stop it.”
“Eira…” His stance relaxed. But her grip remained.
“I know what it’s like to have people ‘protecting’ you to the point that it holds you back—it stints you.” She looked him dead in the eyes. “You’re going to crush him under the weight of your fears if you don’t relent.”
Eira knew there were two ways he could react to this—with more anger, committing to his rage. Or with some kind of acceptance.
