Silence. From everyone.
I arched an eyebrow at Vadoma, daring her to speak.
She did, and her voice sounded shaky. “I wouldn’t know how he is.”
I chuckled. “It doesn’t matter, I guess. I’ll get to him eventually. And to you, of course, if the need should call for it. I don’t know how you did it, worming your way back into my parents’ lives, but if I suspect you’re doing anything untoward, I will end you. It’s as simple as that.”
Her eyes were wide. “I was wrong,” she said slowly. “You have changed. And I don’t know if it’s for the better.”
She left the kitchen after that, shawl trailing behind her.
And then Mom said, “Mashallaha was destroyed. It was one of the first to fall. Razed to the ground. The gypsies enslaved. Vadoma was powerless to stop it. She escaped, but barely. She came to Castle Lockes near death.”
I closed my eyes. “Shit.”
“I know you have… history,” Dad said. “With her. And it’s tainted, just like ours is. And rightly so. What she said, what she did. It wasn’t fair, to you or to anyone else. But if she’s to be believed, she was influenced. By Ruv and whatever magic he possessed.”
I sighed. “Yeah. He told me. Back when he—hurt Ryan. He told us that he instilled himself into the memories of the gypsies so that they’d think
he was something more than he was. That he was the Wolf to the phuro. That he was meant to be my cornerstone. I didn’t believe a word coming out of his mouth, but it’s—is that what happened?”
“So she claims,” Mom said.
“You believe her.”
“Do you believe Ruv?”
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “I’ve had a long time to think about it. You talk about hindsight and seeing the good in people. But neither of you were there that day. In that house. None of you saw what I did. Caleb, who took us there. Lady Tina, who planned it, working with a man I thought was my friend. Ruv stabbing Ryan in the chest. Myrin consuming Morgan’s magic. You speak of forgiveness, but I don’t know if I can do that. Not now. Maybe not ever. And it all comes back to Vadoma. Her vision of my destiny.”
“Does it, though?” Dad asked. “I thought she was just a messenger.”
I glared at him. “Semantics. If she’d never come to Castle Lockes—”
“Then we might have been caught unaware,” Dad said. “Because we wouldn’t have known what was coming. She did us—and you—a favor.”
I sighed. “You know I hate it when you use logic against me. It’s not fair.”
Dad shrugged. “My power as a parent is exploiting your greatest weakness.”
“I’m going to pretend that’s you saying you love me more than anything. Because of my self-esteem.”
“Probably best that way.”
“We couldn’t leave her alone,” Mom said. “Regardless of what she’s done, she’s still my mother. She might have shunned me, but I couldn’t do the same to her, because that’s not who I am. We are stronger together than we ever are apart. That’s something I’ve learned, Sam. Here. In this place. After Lockes fell, we—it was hard. For all of us. We all lost people. Some to the dungeons. Others crossed the veil. And some disappeared into the woods, leaving behind a letter ten sentences long like it was any kind of justification.”
I blinked at the anger in her voice. “I didn’t—”
“I have to do what is right,” she snapped at me. “What has been asked of me. I cannot stop him. Not now. Not as I am. Sometimes you have to face your destiny head-on. And that’s what I am going to do. I love you all. Stay safe. I’ll come back as soon as I can.”
I gaped at her.
“She memorized it on the second day,” Dad whispered to me. “So she could yell it at you when you got back. It’s best to just go with it since she’s been working her way up to this for a long time.”
“But what about all the hugging and the crying and the happiness? I mean, sure, you said I was grounded—which, really, that’s not going to happen—but I thought we were already past all this? C’mon, guys. Let’s hug again, just to deflect some more—I mean, because it feels good and I love you more than anything.” I finished by giving them the ol’ Look-How-Precious-Sam-Is eyes.
“Oh no,” Mom said. “Absolutely not. You put those things away right now.”
I widened my eyes just a bit more. I probably looked like I was trying to pop them out of my head.