“You have a brother?” I demand, my voice coming out rushed and breathy.
“Who is ready to eat?” Menavillion calls as he sets aside the letter that he had been reading. The other knights begin moving to seats at the table, but Marvin is standing in the middle of the room staring at us with confusion, obviously wondering what it is that this small huddle is discussing. I wish I knew, but I’m quite at a loss despite being in the middle of everything being discussed.
Byron grasps my arm and begins to pull me away. “I can explain…”
“Explain what?” Calder demands, “The fact that you are willing to give up your whole life for a brother that you’ve never met until just recently and apparently never cared about enough to speak of to your friends?”
“That isn’t fair,” Byron growls. “And how dare you try to use Willow against me.” He gestures to me. “Why would you even think that I’d listen to her?”
“Because I saw how you looked at her. If you won’t listen to me then fine, I will turn everyone you care about against this idea,” Calder growls out. His eyes are cold and I decide that he doesn’t look very much like Byron at all. “You will not be taking my place.”
“The bargains I strike will be between me and Menavillion,” Byron replies, his voice as firm as steel. “You will not have a say in the matter.”
“As well he shouldn’t,” Istaria says shrilly. “Calder, leave well enough alone. If your brother is willing to give up his freedom for you, then I say let him.”
“No,” Calder says.
“Yes,” Byron says.
“What is going on?!” I yell.
Silence answers me, and that’s when I realize that everyone else had been speaking in low tones. Now, all eyes turn to me at my loud outburst. Including Menavillion's…
Chapter Nineteen
Confusionandmortificationarethe two emotions warring within me. Both are telling me to get out of here, find some space, and clear my head.
I draw in a sharp breath and turn on my heel, ducking around Byron who is trying to say something to me. I make a beeline to the balcony, it’s probably not as far as I would like to run, but right now it is my best option.
The cool air brushes against my skin through the sheer material of my sleeves as I step outside. The glass doors crash shut behind me. I feel embarrassed, I know I can’t be making the impression I want to Menavillion, and yet I can’t help but feel like I’ve been kicked in the stomach. I lean forward on the banister my mind whirring. Byron… has a twin brother?
How can someone I’ve known my whole life surprise me this much?
There is a slight creak behind me and suddenly the balcony gets a whole lot warmer as someone joins me out here. A loud sigh sounds behind me. “Willow, I can explain.”
“Explain how you managed to hide a whole entire person from me, Byron,” I demand whirling.
He winces as he reaches up to rub the back of his neck. “Calder is… not a subject we broach much in my home. It’s still too sensitive, and we didn’t want the whole town knowing. We’d already lost enough without being a spectacle as well.”
“What do you mean? What are you talking about?” I ask, stepping toward him. I glance toward the glass windows, but they are simply reflected with the sunset. It paints a false sense of security, making me think that maybe we’re alone, but the truth is that everyone on the other side of that window may very well be watching us.
Byron bites down on his lip as he glances down, scuffing at the tiles on the floor of the balcony with his foot. “Calder is how my family got their magic.”
I shake my head slightly. “I’m not following.”
“When my mother was a young woman, she sought to live a life above what was afforded to a blacksmith’s daughter, so she went to Skyshire. And that’s where she met Menavillion.” Byron purses his lips as he moves to the railing, I turn following him with my eyes as he braces himself against it. “They struck a bargain. He would give her magic to rise above her station and in return for that she would give him her…. She would give him her…”
He pauses, grimacing as if the words pain him.
“She gave him her firstborn,” I whisper softly. Such a thing is not entirely uncommon, fae have been known to bargain for all sorts of unnatural things. It’s part of the reason why I wanted to become a knight. I would give myself in noble and honorable service in exchange for magic instead of anything a fae might suggest.
“Indeed. It nearly destroyed my family when he came to collect my mother’s firstborn when she had us. He took Calder, and father blamed her. He left the day after. Mother turned to drinking, and it was just grandfather and myself after that, but I suppose even with grandfather I had more family than Calder ever did. He was raised by a fae far away in Skyshire.”
I whip my head to Byron, my thoughts that have been clouded all week finally clearing. Pieces fall together as Istaria’s and Calder’s conversation begins to make more sense. “That’s why you want to serve Menavillion,” I gasp out. “You’re going to swear your service to him in return for him giving your brother his freedom.”
Byron nods slowly. “I should have told you sooner, I guess I just didn’t want you pitying me. I’d rather you hate me than pity me, Willow.”
I reach out, resting a hand on his arm. “I never hated you. I…” I trail off as a new thought catches up with the dozens swirling around in my head. “But Byron, you would be selling your freedom in exchange for his.”
