25. Raven

TWENTY-FIVE

RAVEN

My heart stutters as the word continues to revolve in my head.

Now.

Now.

Now.

Fuck.

My fingers tremble, my breaths coming in short, sharp bursts as I gawk at my guys.

Brax glares at the spot where Sebastian passed us moments ago while Eldon frowns, uncertainty flitting through his eyes. Creed stands with his hands in his pockets and an impassive look on his face, which is the stark opposite of Zane’s slack jaw and wide eyes as he glances back to the room we just left. The room Sebastian just entered. The room where he believes he’s about to meet his death.

There’s no time to wait, no time to consider my next move. I already know it.

I made a deal, an agreement, a promise.

Fixing my gaze on Zane’s, I exhale slowly. “Hide us. Please.”

I know I could do it myself, grab the locket still hanging around my neck and make myself invisible, but I’m still learning how to use the magic Zane gifted me. His abilities are more honed, practiced, and better executed. I don’t feel like being caught because of mistakes this evening.

He schools his features, his jaw setting in a hard line as he looks deep into my eyes. Uncertainty swarms inside of me, worry mounting more and more with each passing second that he’s going to decline my plea, but to my relief, he reaches for my hand before I can work myself up to a full meltdown.

His touch is warm against my palm, fueling me with determination as each of my men holds on to Zane or me to join us. I can tell by the flare of Brax’s nostrils that he’s not happy about it, but he’s with me no matter what. They all are.

Eldon is the closest to the drama we’re expecting to unfold, so he leads us with slow, precise steps. Thankfully, no one is around us, since we were the last to leave, and as we step back into the room, it’s only the three of them.

Sebastian, Professor Fitch, and Burton, only now, he’s dressed as Erikel.

My gut clenches as we keep to the edge of the room, watching as Erikel shakes out the fur cloak around him. He glares at Sebastian, who stands before him with his head bowed. Professor Fitch hovers at his side, tongue swiping over his teeth as he assesses my brother.

“You know why you’re here,” Erikel/Burton states, distaste clear in his voice. The sneer that curls his top lip only reinforces it.

“I do?” Sebastian questions, peering up through his lashes.

“You do,” Fitch bites, hands balling into fists at his side. “And the price for your punishment is going to cost you more than lashings this time.” A grin flashes across his face, revealing the excitement he’s taking from the scenario.

Sick fuck.

This isn’t the man I first met when I arrived at Silvercrest Academy, the father who worried over his daughter and moved with an air of honor. None of the men before me are the same as they were then.

Those I thought I could trust are now at the polar opposite end of the spectrum. They’re my enemy, the other end of the war that’s coming. And the guy I swore was my nemesis is… fuck, I still don’t know what he is.

Despite how I feel about my brother, one thing is certain: he’s here because of the information he gave us. He knows it, I know it. If our agreement is anything to go by, he knew helping me would come to this, so why help at all? It doesn’t seem to fit the character I’ve become accustomed to, but I don’t truly know him; that’s the reality.

“Where is it?” Burton bites, the telltale scar down his face standing out more prominently with the growing anger emitting from him.

“Where’s what?” Sebastian’s snark and clear attempt at playing dumb only fuels Burton’s rising temper.

“Don’t play dumb with me, boy. The binder! Where is it?”

Before Sebastian can form a thought, let alone an answer, Fitch steps forward and backhands him across the face, the sound reverberating around the room. Sebastian falls to his knees, a low hiss slipping from his lips, but otherwise, he remains unaffected.

“Such a willing puppet,” Burton muses, trailing around Sebastian, his cloak dragging along the floor with every measured step. “It’s a shame your sister doesn’t fall so easily.”

I stiffen at the mention of me, as do my men beside me. Anger tingles among us but we focus on keeping our emotions in check. Sebastian hangs his head, not willing to respond, and I can’t tell whether the comparison pisses him off or embarrasses him.

“Is that where you took the binder? Did you give her the information she needed to shatter the Realm of Shadows?” Burton asks as he pauses, looking at Fitch for a moment as they silently communicate with one another.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Sebastian repeats, but it does nothing to convince Burton.

“You don’t think I can feel the shift in the realm? I can tell something has changed, and I know I didn’t do it. Offering your help to her is too little too late after everything you’ve done, don’t you think?” Burton’s jibes are greeted with silence, which seems to bring him joy. He crouches beside Sebastian, a wicked grin tilting his lips. “You’re alone, boy. Alone with a scrambled mind, just like your father. You were easy to manipulate. Not as easy as him, but still, Abel was always a fool. Too loving, too caring, too giving. I put a stop to that.”

My chest tightens at the admission falling effortlessly from Burton’s lips, while the actual words he uses to describe the man I call my father confuse me. Loving, caring, giving? My father? I think not.

I don’t remember anything but a dismissive man who was hard and cold toward his family. The stormy night I left with my mother will forever be etched into my mind. Not a single hint of care, love, or selflessness present.

Zane squeezes my hand and I turn to glance at him. I can sense his need to make sure I’m okay, so I offer a simple nod, trying to focus on anything else these fuckers might reveal.

Burton stands, swiping a hand down his face before he comes to a stop in front of Sebastian again. “The second I learned what powers your sister could wield, the fear your father had, the good he wanted for her, I laid all that to rest before he even left my presence. I’ve bided my time, waited, and now everything is mine except the ruby and the necromancer under my thumb.”

What does he mean by “the good he wanted for her”? For me? What good could have come my way?

“You’re boring me with talk of a girl I don’t care for and a time I don’t recall. Why don’t you just kill me already?” Sebastian grumbles, and to my surprise, his words don’t cut me in any way. I can see them for what they are—a deflection.

It earns him another strike from Fitch, a fist to the nose, and I hear the telltale sound of bone crunching from the force. He manages to catch himself on his palms, avoiding face planting on the floor as he falls sideways, and the urge to reach out to him heightens.

Fuck.

Clearly, I’m soft as hell. Softer than I care to admit, and I don’t like that quality in myself right now.

Burton throws his head back with a haunting laugh, bracing his hands on his hips as he speaks down to Sebastian. “I want an audience, someone to hear my greatness before I send you to your death.” This man is delusional. Completely and undeniably. “Don’t you wonder what all this is for?” he pushes, throwing his arms out wide. “Especially since you seem to be able to deflect my powers all of a sudden,” he hisses, that tidbit of information causing him more rage.

“You’re a crazed man with a vision no one but you understands. Trying would only be a waste of my time,” Sebastian states, and Burton swoops in, gripping my brother’s chin as he forces him to look up into his deathly stare.

“I will get vengeance for my wife, for my daughter, and I will rule as I always deserved to rule. Every realm will be mine, every civilian my soldier. I will be undefeatable, undeniable. I will be victorious,” he snarls, his voice gravelly. “The realms are already merging, and I didn’t have to move a hand to do it. I will rule, I will lead, I will conquer. And you… you will rot in Hell as I do so. Your insignificant role in my plan is no longer worth the trouble you cause.”

Burton bares his teeth with a sneer before lifting his free hand to Sebastian’s throat, and in one swift move, he snaps his neck.