Icarus clenched his jaw, so soon drawing to his wit’s end with his little brother. Above them, weaving through the trees, Horacio cawed mockingly.
“I don’t care who is whispering to who, put an end to it. You’re changing her Cal, and not for the better.”
“Who gets to decide what better looks like? You, the blood traitor?” Calder snarled. “Do you think I turned outbetterafter whatyoudid?”
Whether Icarus opened his mouth to apologize or defend himself, he didn't know, but Cal wasn’t finished. “Do you really think that you and Father were the only two affected when you turned him in and left? You weren’t the only one who hadtraitormuttered in your wake, shunned by an entire society of those who had once dubbed the line of Darkmore akin to untouchable gods.”
“Calder–”
“Now you come to me, telling me to stay away from the only person. I’ve felt connected to in years. Someone who might actually see me as more than a savior meant to redeem an entire legacy, or a failure destined to follow in his brother's footsteps.” Green magic hissed off his skin, gathering at his hands and coating the fallen leaves and twigs like a fine mist along the forest floor.
“You speak as if what I did was wrong, Calder. As if I should have allowed Father to continue his insane endeavor simply to save our family's reputation. Have you forgotten what he did to our mother in his craze? She would be better off dead. There would be others like her, perhaps me, perhapsyou,perhapshundredsif I had not done something!" Trembling with anger, Icarus took in a deep breath before he spoke again through gritted teeth, "I see now that I was mistaken in coming here. Our uncle’s poison has done far too much damage.”
At the mention of their uncle, Icarus expected Cal to explode. To seethe and rage at him for daring to bring him up in the conversation. So when the word caused Calder to flinch back and his magic to flicker, Icarus tilted his head curiously and took a step closer.
“What is it?”
Cal shook his head as if trying in vain to clear it. "There is something stirring in the air, Icarus. I can feel it. The same feeling that rose before . . ."
It was rare for his brother to be at a loss for words, but Icarus was quick to fill the gap, prompting his brother to spill whatever it was he knew. "Before the Trinity War? Yes, I remember. And I agree, the air has gone sour. It hums with a foreboding that can only mean one thing."
Trouble.The word hung between them, unspoken but understood. A grimness settled over Calder’s face, followed by a reluctance that was slowly shattering into pieces.
“What is it you know that you are not saying, Calder?”
The battle going on inside his brother looked like a painful one. Something that went against his very nature. He had never been one to divulge secrets unless compelled, but Icarus knew he’d learned his lesson in the courtyard and would not be allowing the compulsion curse to brush his skin again.
“It's Uncle. He’s planning something.”
The information came as no surprise to Icarus. Their uncle wasalwaysplanning something.
“Isn’t he always?” Icarus shifted his weight, feeling a deep ache from the scars that riveted his chest from Seren’s lighting curse. He rather enjoyed the sensation, like carrying a piece of her with him.
“This time is different. This time I think he is more interested in the Three than he would have us believe. And I overheard–” Again, he hesitated.
The level of loyalty and compliance Cyrus had instilled in his youngest nephew was sickening. Icarus knew that his greatest regret would always be that he hadn’t brought his brother with him when he left Mistral Hall. But at the time he’d been struggling with his own guilt and darkness. He could not have raised or guided a fourteen-year-old boy when he could hardly care for himself.
“Uncle hinted to someone that he has an interest in the Marudas sisters. That he plans to find out more about them. I know he has always been indifferent to tracking down the Three, but if he knew how close I–if he knew one of them could really be the vessel, I fear he would try to use it to his advantage, with or without the sister’s say.”
“Like you are planning to do?” Sharp rage washed through Icarus’ frame at the very thought, the very idea, of his uncle laying a single grimy finger on Seren or Arabella. His stomach churned and a pulse of magic ignited around him, slamming against the magical school barrier.
“It’s not the same. I started this out as fulfilling a legacy, but it’s turned into so much more. Ara agreed to the spell that unlocked her power. None of this has been against her will. And this is not about Atlas anymore. This is about making a better world. An age of Unity. Healing the scars our ancestors left upon Lynoria.”
Icarus eyed his brother evenly. Frigid wind tousled his dark hair. Sincerity clung to the amber in his eyes, the same shade as their fathers. He had to blink away as the agony it provoked was more painful than the fighting ring could ever be.
“You’re certain of all this?”
Cal nodded grimly. “I believe he’ll try to orchestrate an introduction at the Solstice Ball. Uncle may be many things but he’s not stupid, he pushed for the ball to be hosted at Calami this year. He and Father already suspected the Marudas sister’s powers, which is how I grew to suspect them at all. You know Cyrus has unique gifts. He’ll realize their power and pull at the thread. A thread that could unravel into something sinister. He isn’t the same man you left behind years ago. I have thought it through and it’s the only time he would have access to them. The witches rarely permit him within Calami’s barriers, but as they’re hosting this year, they have no choice.”
It did make sense. For all of his talk that the Three were a pipe dream and that his brother, Elias, had gone insane chasing after them, Cyrus was still a Darkmore at heart. And if not for his own gain, then surely he would turn the Marudas sisters in purely out of obligation to the Wizards of Mistral Hall. Harboring the Vessel would be seen as an unfair advantage for Calami Tower. He would approach the grand council who would take Seren and Arabella away in an attempt to avoid a war—or worse, to use them in their own twisted game.
“Can we agree to a truce then? Just until after the Solstice Ball. Can we work together to keep those we care for safe?”
The wordscare forslipped off his tongue too easily and echoed through him. He didn’t know how to feel admitting such a thing out loud, but at the moment it didn’t matter. All that mattered was protecting them.Her.
With a cordial nod from Calder, in the shadow of the Whispering Wood, their deal was struck.
Chapter twenty-three
