No mask.
No hood.
No swords.
Just a man living a normal life. But then I wonder…
“Is now a good time to tell me more about your brother?” I ask, studying the ink on his arm.
“There’s too much to tell.”
“Please, Thane,” I plead. “I just want to understand you. That’s all.”
The knot in his throat bobs up and down, and he closes his eyes, drawing in a deep breath and following it with an exhale. He’s silent for a few seconds.
“I hadn’t known him my whole life, but I found out my father slept with a woman several years after I was born and left her pregnant. I only knew this because I saw him speaking to her in the city one day. She had a young boy with her. He looked to be only a few years younger than me. I got a closer listen to their conversation, and she was demanding coins from my father. Turns out he wanted nothing to do with Koa and was willing to pay her so she’d leave him alone.”
I nod so he knows I’m listening.
“My father sold me to The Divine when I was only ten years old. I worked on the palace grounds and everything.”
“Ten years old?” I gasp, eyes stretching. “He sold you like you were an object. What the shadows?”
“Yeah, well, my father was born with magic, and I inherited that magic. He was nothing more than a drunk, though, and shit with his gifts. He’d have never made it as a sorcerer with any special skills. But it doesn’t matter. I’m glad he sold me off because when I was with The Divine, I had a bit more freedom.
“I’d always been curious about the boy I saw with that woman, though, so I found them. I showed up in my Divine uniform, introduced myself to them, and instantly took a liking to Koa and his mother.” His mouth curves just a bit at the edges. Almost a smile. But even this half smile makes his face more beautiful…and he has no idea. I can only imagine what a fuller one would look like on him. “They liked me, too. And Koa was funny, bright in spirit, and could be a little mischievous…just like me.”
I can’t help but smile. Our hands still touch. I don’t think he even realizes it.
“Anyway, I grew closer to him and his mother, Helena, and after just a few months, Helena began to feel like my mother, too. Koa looked up to me a lot, and Helena knew this. She appreciated me, said she was glad Koa had someone he could connect with. I never wanted him to look up to me, but he did, so when he turned sixteen, he decided he wanted to join The Divine, too.”
“Oh. Did he get in?” I ask.
He nods. “Something in my gut told me not to let Koa join, but he was so eager. And truthfully, I felt safe with The Divine. I was fed every morning and night. I was trained to be the best of the best in all of Meriva. I was one of the queen’s soldiers and proud to be. A part of me figured it couldn’t be too bad if he joined, if that’s what he really wanted. Helena knew she couldn’t stop Koa from chasing his dreams, so yes, he ended up joining, did his training, and was eventually sworn in.” An unexpected frown sweeps over his face, and his jaw ticks. His grip around my hand tightens. “Only a few months later, we met Seferin.”
His hand slips out of mine. “Thane,” I whisper.
“I…” He shakes his head and swallows. “I don’t want to talk about any more of it right now. Not while I’m like this, lying on a bed, fucking vulnerable.”
“What’s wrong with being vulnerable? I’m not judging you.”
He looks away, staring out of the window while clenching his jaw. Rage swirls in his eyes, tiny sparks of gold flashing deep in his irises. That’s when I know the conversation about his brother is done for now.
An ache develops in my chest, but I give him his space. I step back and busy myself with closing the vial and picking up the towels. There is so much more I need to know. The ink on his back is a clear indication that he was with The Shadow Guild. But how? How did he go from being a proud Divine guard tothis? This killer who wants revenge and has nothing else to lose?
It’s become clear that Seferin is the reason for Koa’s death. Thane blames himself because he influenced Koa to join The Divine…but what doesn’t make sense is their link to Seferin. How did two Divine guards get mixed up with a Grim sorcerer?
“I’ll get you some water,” I murmur, starting for the door.
“Zaira,” Thane calls before I can walk out.
I pause at the threshold.
“Thank you,” he says.
I turn around. “For what?”
“If you hadn’t thrown that vine to me, I wouldn’t have had anything to hang on to,” he says. “There was only so much I could do with my magic while being washed away. In that moment, I only focused on staying afloat and not drowning. Tossing the vine gave me another option. Same with the swamp monster. I was only focused onmyway of killing it, but your advice saved us. So…if we’re keeping score, you’ve saved my life twice. It’s not every day a mortal saves a sorcerer’s life,” he admits. “You should be proud of that.”
