“What are you doing?” Bunty said, backing up a step. “Put that thing down.”
My smile was a wicked, broken thing. “Happy hunting.”
I opened the trap then walked away to the symphony of his agonized screams, and the munch and crunch of a much-deserved feasting.
Karma was indeed a bitch, and some people deserved to die.
My mother wasnotone of them.
CHAPTER 2
Some theorize that the advancement of technology was the cause of The Overshadowing. That in our hubris, we damaged a creation far beyond our comprehension.
HISTORY OF NIGHTSBRIDGE
I’d never liked whiskey, but for some reason, it felt like a good choice of beverage for this most shitty day. Cheap, nasty stuff, but boy did it do the trick at numbing the grief that waited to tear at me.
My mother was gone. Consumed by an insidious mortal disease until she was nothing but a shadow, waiting for death to ferry her away.
That final week, she’d slept around the clock, but on the last day, she’d stayed awake, sat up even. Eaten a whole slice of pie. She’d laughed and hugged me, her body all bones—fragile and breakable. We played cards and laughed some more. That night, I stayed with her as she slept, her hand held tightly in mine, as if I could anchor her to this world. But she slipped away on a long exhale just before dawn, leaving nothing but an empty shell. Death gave us this final day, and for that small mercy, I was grateful. Grateful that her last weeks had been painless, despite Bunty’s refusal to help.
With Bunty dead, I’d gone to his competition, Carlisle, for my tinctures. The smarmy weasel was twice as expensive, but he’d heard how good I was at my job. He fired Trent and Harry, who, after a warning from Carlisle, left me alone. I was worried that they’d tell my boss at the CCC about my freelance work, but I guess Carlisle had warned them against that, too. The man was dangerous, slit your throat and leave you to the rats kind of dangerous, which was why I’d avoided working with him in the first place, but desperate times called for desperate measures and all that.
It was hard to accept she was gone, even after the sorry funeral where the sky wept alongside me. The few neighbors in attendance had no clue who they were truly mourning.
Ariana Onyx had died six years ago, and today I laid to rest Ariana Denton. I couldn’t even bury my mother with her real name because Onyx graves were often desecrated. The Arcanum Imperium, the governing body that was meant to protect all Arcanus, had stolen not only our power but our identities, and now… Now I was alone.
Truly and utterly fucking alone. Soon, I’d have to leave this cozy cottage we’d called home for the last six years. A place Mother had lovingly decorated with knitted throws and cushions, mismatched cutlery, plates, and cups bought from thrift stores. This place was a patchwork of antiques and color. Of love. But it was no longer safe. If Bunty had found out who I was, then others could too.
It was time to move on.
I sucked down the dregs lingering in the bottle and contemplated throwing it against the wall so I could revel in the satisfying crunch and smash, but then, who would clean up the mess?
Something clattered through the letterbox and hit the mat with a thud.
I set the bottle down on the worn coffee table and staggered to my feet. The world swayed a little, as if to remind me I was intoxicated. I shuffled out into the hall, thick socks cushioning my steps against the cold, wooden floor, and retrieved the envelope. My name was scrawled across it in my mother’s hand, along with our address, and on the back was the name of the law firm that handled the Onyx estate.
I knew what this was.
I carried it back to the sitting room and carefully opened it, tugging out the neatly folded paper that smelled like peppermint.
Mother…
My vision blurred, and I blinked away tears to read her letter.
Dear Anamaya,
If you’re reading this, then I’m gone, and, honey, I’m so sorry for that. Know that if there’d been a way for me to stay, then I would have, but not even the Weave allows us to cheat death. Death… Hmm, I’m hoping he’s a handsome fellow.
I choked back a laugh. She was always making jokes, even when she was in pain…especially when she was in pain, as if by doing so she could somehow lessen my agony.
I wiped my nose with my sleeve and read on.
I promised there would be no secrets between us, and for the most part, I kept that promise. But there are certain things I hid from you for your own safety. Now that I’m gone, somebody needs to hold onto these secrets in my place, and as the last Onyx, that duty falls to you.
There is a box under my bed that contains everything you need to know. What you decide to do with the knowledge inside it is up to you.
As your mother, with only the desire to protect you, I hope you bury it and move on with your life. But if you decide to act, then, honey, I wish you the best of luck and the grandest of adventures. Know that I will be watching over you always. My big, brave girl, I’m so very proud of you.
