Page 40 of Waltzing With Witches

“Mother,” he whispers. “I’ve waited my whole life for her, and she’s perfect. Don’t make me do this. I’ll leave; I’ll go. Don’t take this from me.”

The quiet stretches as Evenia frowns down at him, seeming to consider what he’s asking.

A red tear slides down his cheek, but powerful muscles bunch, and then he shoots across the room, knocking Evenia to the ground. He darts between the trolls and out the door, only to be backed into the room again by a fourth giant figure.

One of the trolls grabs him around the neck, slamming his body into the chair. He writhes and twists, slashing with his claws and snapping with his teeth.

Evenia rises and rounds the chair, spitting blood at her son. “How dare you fight this?! None of us have any choice, Keeper. We all serve the system for the greater good! Keeper Rule #1!”

He’s beyond words, bellowing into the room as the trolls struggle to keep him in the chair. He slips out more than once, but a troll has a grip on his arm and yanks him back. His joint pops, his arm hanging limply by his side.

And still he fights.

He fights and bellows as they strap his arms and legs and head to the chair.

Evenia steps back. “You had better be a good Keeper after all of this. Mark my words, if you don’t, I’ll find her and do what I must to ensure you do your duty. Do you understand, my child?”

He spits blood at her, thrashing against the restraints.

A new noise fills the room, a resonant thrum. The lights snap and flicker, and his body jerks.

“Morgan!” he cries out. The straps around his head light up, blasting him with some unseen energy. He jerks and writhes and fights, eyes rolling back into his head.

“Morgan, no. Morgan.” The name falls from his lips as the lights continue to flicker. Foam appears at the edge of his mouth, dripping down his chin as blood runs from his nose and ears.

“Morgan.” His voice grows softer, his body twitching and jerking as the restraints’ lights pulse and quiver.

He stops thrashing, his body only moving with the occasional twitch.

And still he whispers that name, over and over.

When the whirring sound finally stops, blood drips steadily from his mouth, nose, and ears. Evenia gestures to the trolls, who undo his straps. For a long minute, he doesn’t move. He’s still as a statue.

But then he rises gracefully from the chair, his face now a neutral mask. Elegant fingers come to the neck of his collared shirt. He straightens his tie as he gives his mother a bored look.

“Hello, Mother.”

“Hello, Keeper,” Evenia purrs. “I will say the same thing to you that I say to every Keeper who enters our system—we welcome your sacrifice. Your care and trust for others is the only reason our system works. May you succeed in your mission.”

“Naturally,” he drones.

Evenia steps aside, gesturing for the troll guards to move. “Off you go, Keeper,” she chirps. “Aberen is waiting to escort you to training.”

The Keeper inclines his head respectfully and heads for the door. When he passes his mother, she grabs his upper arm and leans close. “Don’t fuck this up, my son. Remember, I know about her.”

He jerks his arm out of his mother’s grip. “She is a nonissue, Evenia. It’s like I told you. I wouldn’t bring her into this existence if my life depended on it.”

She crosses both arms and watches as her son stalks from the room without a backward glance.

The video clicks off. The room around me is completely silent. Tears stream steadily down my cheeks as I slump into the chair.

No one says anything for a long time. I’m so shocked and horrified, I can’t even bear to look at my sisters.

Moira’s the first to speak. She shifts forward and rubs the back of my arm with her wing. “It’s a terrible thing to see, but perhaps you understand a little better why we all seem to sympathize with his personality.”

“I can’t believe his mother did that to him when he didn’t want to be a Keeper,” I finally whisper, looking up at her.

Moira’s amber eyes are full of tears. She nods slowly. “It’s not supposed to work that way. While it’s true that becoming a Keeper isn’t optional if you identify, it has always been the rule that if you don’t want to become one, you can leave the haven system. She broke the law to ensure he’d fill the role.”

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