“My apologies,” I started, gritting my teeth at the groveling in my voice. I hated this, hated bowing to any of them. “But my family still needs me to sort all this out.”
She nodded, though disappointment floated in her eyes, and ordered her grandson to see me out.
I thanked Milo profusely all the way to the door, but he only smiled sadly back at me and told me to go on, that he would see me later.
Grateful that Milo hadn’t mentioned the deal that Dante and I made with Cosmo, I made my way to the Second Ring as the sky grew dark and the night grew deep. The guards on duty smiled and called out greetings as I passed. I tried not to compare their actions now with how they’d treated me just a year ago. People changed, I reminded myself. I was learning that more and more as the months went on.
The light of my family’s front porch was on. I knocked on the door and waited, hoping I’d have enough time to assuage my mother’s fears and thoroughly scold Warren before needing to make my way back to House Viper. But when the door opened, all of that flew from my mind and my heart stopped momentarily at the gaze staring back at me.
“Dahlia.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
“Consequences are nature’s answer to sin. Men fail. This is to be expected. But take your punishment with dignity for you are meant to become stronger through the suffering.”
-The Rite of the Acolyte, 1,280 Age of Sanctum
She said nothing. She just stood there, silhouetted by the light of the warm house beyond, the house that my family had been given because of me.
“Adrian,” Warren spoke from behind her, and I blinked at him, my shock giving way to my anger. “What are you doing here?”
“Looking for you,” I snapped. I pushed my way past them and inside. “Where’s mother?”
“She’s gone to bed.”
“Wake her up. What I have to say concerns all of you, and I’ll only say it once.”
My brother gaped at me before shuffling away to do as I bid.
Dahlia and I stood in silence, not daring to look at one another as I fought through my emotions, doing everything possible to keep them bottled up and buried down deep. I wanted toscream, to rage at her for putting herself in danger, to question her actions and how she could possibly live with herself for what she’d done, to ask her why she was here and what that meant. But those were dangerous conversations, and I knew the answers to most of them anyway. So I left the words unsaid. We were both better off that way.
“Adrian,” my mother said my name softly as she emerged into the hall, hair unbound and nightgown dragging along the wooden floor as she padded across it. “Did you—”
“In here,” I interrupted her, my voice louder than I intended. I gestured toward the living room off the side of the hallway.
My mother went without question, wrapping her small, threadbare shawl tighter around herself. Warren cast me a look of confusion but placed a hand on Dahlia’s back and led her gently into the living room too.
I stomped inside after them.
“I’ll have you know,” I spat the moment they were all seated, “I’ve spent the entire night trying to convince the leaders of House Viper and House Avus and therefore, the majority of the Tribunal, not to come after you for what you’re intending, Warren.”
“Adrian,” he gasped. “What—”
“Mother came to me. She told me what you intended, how she feared retribution from the Tribunal if word got out that you were attempting to undo their justice, how they might view a former Third Ringer completely disregarding their judgement and doing as he pleased.”
At least Dahlia had the presence of mind to hang her head in shame.
Warren merely gaped at me, stunned.
“I’m not making any sort of statement,” he said, as if he were in awe that anyone could possibly believe such a thing. “I only wanted to protect Dahlia.”
“And in doing so, you’ve failed to consider the consequences of your actions, or how they might affect your family.”
“Sheismy family,” Warren shouted, rising to his feet. I stumbled a step backward. My mother closed her eyes and lowered her head. Maurice appeared in the doorway, rubbing sleep from his eyes and watching the scene unfold. “We’re already married, Adrian. We signed the papers this evening.”
All the air was knocked from my lungs. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise. This was the occasion I’d been working to arrange all evening, even if at the time, I’d only considered it as ensuring my brother’s safety. For them, there was truly no reason to wait to make things official. The sooner they did, the sooner Warren could rescue Dahlia from her destitution. It made sense. I probably should’ve congratulated them. But instead, it took all my willpower to keep my voice even and my fury from burning me from the inside out.
“But mother just came to me,” I said, stunned. “She—”
