“We are unsure if the prisoners within the Underground are killed. Carson’s survival speaks to the contrary,” Hemlock said. “Let’s not jump to conclusions.”
Hemlock was right. If Carson had survived, it was probable his teammates had, too. After all, why let one live and kill off the others? I was all but certain that the Warden was holding Alice, Despona and Wesley against their will somewhere in the Underground. We just had to know where, so we could break them out.
“Why are our children still here if you have the ability to sneak them out?” Daddy asked. He wasn’t letting up. “You got the other boy out with a portal, so use one to rescue ours.”
“Carson Forsberg was a lucky opportunity. Doctor Taurus is watching your children at all times, and the United Supernatural Union has their eyes on them as well. Attempting to break them out of the Institute would be suicide. There is no rock Doctor Taurus would not overturn to find them,” Hemlock said sharply.
King Ethan nodded. “My representative on the Union’s council said as much.”
“As did ours,” Nadine added.
“As contradictory as it sounds, inside the Institute’s walls is the safest place for all of them, even if they are under Doctor Taurus’ thumb,” Hemlock said. “If they were to escape the Institute, a manhunt would begin for them immediately, and there’s no telling if all of them would survive the chase— or how many people they’d hurt in the attempt to get away.”
Daddy let out an annoyed sound. “My Ava-Marie wouldn’t hurt anyone.”
“You believe she’s incapable of great violence?” Hemlock raged. “Sir, I don’t think you properly understand what you’redealing with.”
Hemlock switched on the projector. Onscreen came a video of a busy town street. I recognized it as Octavia Falls, the witch city. The video was some sort of surveillance footage outside a shop. There were people all around Main Street. I’d never been there, but I knew enough about it to be sure that’s what I was looking at.
Marcus let out a winded gasp and covered his eyes. Below us, Lucas turned his head away, but Nadine kept her eyes fixed on the screen… as if this had been the worst day of her life, and she still remembered every second.
“What’s going on?” Charlie asked lowly. There was no sound, so he couldn’t determine what was happening.
I didn’t want to say anything out loud and trigger Marcus, so I thought,It’s a video of what Marcus did.
Charlie got the message. He remained still beside me as I watched the reel play.
I spotted Marcus immediately. He was standing by a fountain, arguing with a blonde girl. Ancestors, thathadto be Anya.
Marcus appeared angrier than I’d ever seen him. He went to turn away, but Anya grabbed his shoulders and spun him around. She shoved him backward, and said something harsh— I wasn’t sure what it was, but itdefinitelygot to Marcus, because he fisted his hands in his hair and screamed something back at her.
If it was anyone else, people would’ve just heard him shouting across the street. It would’ve been normal— a teenage couple’s argument.
But it was Marcus. And he’d lost control. The camera shook as an explosion rocked the streets. Dust scattered upward, and debris cracked the screen of the camera.
Kallie was transfixed by the video, unable to look away from its horror. She put a hand over her mouth, stifling small sounds that broke from her throat.
When the smoke cleared, terror suffocated my lungs. Marcus had made a fucking crater in the street. The people standing around him were left in pieces. The fountain he’d been by was demolished, and water spurted everywhere. I tried not to gag as I observed the mangled bodies, the limbs missing torsos. On screen, Marcus let out a carnal scream that I couldn’t hear, but that Ifelt. He ran throughout the streets, falling to his knees as he crawled through pools of blood. I could tell he was looking for Anya.
He wouldn’t find her. There wasn’t anythingleftto find.
Marcus had been open about the destruction of his crime, but I didn’t really get it. Not until I saw it for myself.
Ancestors, how had he kept his sanity after all that? I couldn’t imagine the type of pain he went through, dealing with the guilt day in and day out.
Hemlock spoke as the footage continued to play. Marcus continued to panic in the video while chaos rattled the streets of Octavia Falls. “Out of the four, Marcus is the meekest. He is the kindest, the least apt to anger, and hestillmanaged to slaughter eleven people in one blow, in the blink of an eye.” Hemlock snapped her fingers briskly. “One second of lost control. That’s all it took for him. Can you imagine if Kallie were to lose her temper in such a way, or gods forbid,Ava? Those girls could level whole cities.”
“Our children are not monsters to be contained and exterminated!” Queen Emmaline shouted. Her cheeks turned red with anger.
“Continuing to pretend they’re harmless is ignorance!” Hemlock waved her hand at the screen, her voice rising in intensity. “As their parents, you fail to admit the obvious. These individuals aredangerous.I care about your children, I really do, but I have an obligation to protect the supernatural world. Even if it is from them. You’re holding a bomb in your hands that could go off at any moment, all of you. And if you’re not committed to learning how to contain it, then you’re playing with fire.”
Hemlock switched off the screen, and the horrible images went away. “You love your children, but they are weapons. This, you have to admit. And because they are weapons, there are people out there who will do whatever they can to use them.”
Nadine and Lucas were extremely quiet. What could they say, really? They’d experienced the true devastation of Marcus’ powers firsthand.
“So what can we do?” Daddy sounded so skeptical— like he didn’t want to admit that I could possibly do the same thing Marcus had, even though I knew in my heart I could… and so much worse.
“All of you are voices of reason within your nations, and many of you are in places of power,” Hemlock said. “You must use your power to stop Doctor Taurus at whatever cost, whatever he may be planning.”
