Page 199 of Huntress

“You have no right to talk about him.”

“I’d be dead right now if it weren’t for him. He was running by with some rope when I got thrashed by one of the centipede's legs. The next thing I knew, one of her arms came right at my face. By all rights, I should be dead. Mutt,” he paused and shook his head, “Saint, saved me, and I got away with nothing but a missing eye.”

“Congratulations, you got helped by the demon you hated. I’ll bet that chafes. Let me guess, he manipulated or brainwashed you into speaking on his behalf, right? Wasn’t that the reigning theory?”

He paused, looking toward the ruins of the training grounds and surrounding buildings. There were still people working on the clean-up where large sections of the demon’s body remained.

“We made a mistake, Elsie. We all regret it.”

“Do you really think it’s acceptable to say that now, after he’s already gone? More so after every single one of you quit my squad? When I needed you guys, you abandoned me. You think regretting your actions will make up for your betrayal?”

“We were stubborn and ignorant, nobody wanted to believe the organization we serve could do what you were accusing them of. But now that we’ve all heard about Cornick’s involvement, while Mordane was conveniently absent until days after the danger passed, we’re seeing the truth of the matter.”

“That’s not an apology–”

“Is it true?”

Elsie frowned, unwilling to confirm or deny anything until she understood exactly what he referred to. She couldn’t lie to Morgan, and there was no point getting herself into trouble.

“What?”

“About Cornick, and that you tried to quit?”

“Oh,” she sighed. “If that’s all you’re after, you should have brought it up sooner. It would have saved us some trouble. Yes, oh walking lie detector, one of the witches that summoned the centipede said Cornick sent them. And I didn’t try to quit, I did quit. I will no longer hunt for those bastards.”

They walked a few minutes more while Morgan thought it over.

“I can’t say I’m surprised. You’ve never been easy to control,” he finally replied. “You know, I’m the one who found Clairemont.”

Elsie looked away, knowing what he would have seen.

“Saint’s blood was splattered everywhere, and the tools he’d created to use against the demons were atrocious. I couldn’t find plausible justification for his actions, nor for the way the others were being held.” Morgan looked down at her. “I don’t blame you for opening all those stall doors.”

“I see. When I told you all how horrible Clairemont’s behavior was, you refused to believe me, but when seeing it for yourself, it suddenly became real.” She arched an eyebrow.

“I’m sorry for being an ass about it. Spending time in the barn made me think about a lot of things, including what you’d been trying to tell us. I attempted to retire.”

“After all the years you’ve put in? They’ll crucify you, and you won’t have someone like me to look the other way while you run for your life. Did you really think they’d offer a sniper who’s taken tracker missions a simple memory erasure?”

“At this point, memory erasure would be a blessing. I want to forget.” There was no lie in his voice. “After everything we’ve done, and everyone we’ve lost, I wish it would all go away. But Mordane wouldn’t allow it, hence the archives.”

Finally, a subject Elsie could agree with. Forgetting everything would be an easy out, but it wasn’t an option she’d ever consider. She’d cling to her memories with everything she had.

“I can’t leave. I’m stuck inside the barrier.”

“You’re still waiting for your mother? After all this time?”

“A raven came and spoke to me. It wanted to bring me to my father. I killed it, too.” She kicked a rock. “It’s impossible to stay constantly vigilant against a fae-touched spy that can fly at all hours of the day and night. Eventually, I’d mess up and get caught.”

“That sucks.” He glanced down at her belly for the first time and winced. “How did you end up with a hole that big in your stomach?”

Elsie told him the short version, and he scowled.

“Callum hasn’t breathed a word of his involvement to anyone. We need to report this. His idiocy and failure to follow orders caused your injury and led to two deaths!”

“Deaths caused by Saint and me. Callum is and always has been an idiot. Even when we were trainees together, he couldn’t help himself, and he hasn’t grown out of it. There’s no punishment the clan has that’s equal to the task of curing him of that problem.”

“You’re going to let it go?”