Page 143 of Obsession

Jaegen pauses, the look on his face such that I find myself moving closer to Aris. Aris’ hold on me tightens. “You let him act without checks!” Jaegen finally barks. “He would have destroyed them utterly.”

“I have a check in place,” replies Sem.

Jaegen stares at his sister for a moment, shocked. “The girl? You’re talking about her?”

If the moment weren’t so tense, I might voice my offense.

“You,” continues Sem, “have no check. And, unlike you, Aris has never violated his construct. All he has sought is Chaos. That is something I cannot fault him for.”

“Sem—” he tries.

“Jaegen.”

The firmness in her tone makes my spine straighten. So far, she’s been nothing but pleasant and alluring. Now, she sounds like a parent reprimanding a child, but one step further. It’s clear she doesn’t want to hurt Jaegen but she certainly will.

“All you have wanted is to leave an impact, because it is the one thing you can never do,” says Sem. “That was made clear to us from the beginning. You understood it, and you should have accepted it. Whether you find this unfair or not, whether you wish to retaliate, that has never mattered. You are the Watcher, and you were meant only to Watch. But, you have acted. You have gotten what you wanted, brother, and you must be punished for it.”

Jaegen says nothing, a nameless emotion in his eyes. Had he not been so cruel, I might empathize. He was created to observe Chaos and Order, unable to interfere when he thought either went too far. All he ever wanted was to interfere, to make his own impact, and he finally has.

It has cost him everything.

Sem raises the amulet by its pendant, holding the dark stone in front of Jaegen’s face. He has enough time for his lips to part, perhaps beginning a sneer, before he disappears.

He doesn’t become mist or smoke. He doesn’t transform.

He’s just there one moment and gone the next.

All is quiet.

I stare at the place where Jaegen once stood, shocked. I’ve been fooled so many times that I’m half expecting him to appear with his own deus ex machina plan, some scheme that goes back further than Sem’s. I’m waiting for him to snap his meaty fingers and for Sem and Aris to disappear inside the necklace instead.

Unnerved by my thoughts, I look at Aris and am relieved by the sight. Shoulders back, head raised, tall, sturdy. He is not at all uncertain.

Sem turns around, face withdrawn, eyes distant, and Aris steps toward her, finally releasing me. The two speak quietly about what happens next, logistical words that sound like bees in my ears.

I keep blinking at where Jaegen stood, still just… surprised. Relief is not something I’m used to feeling; hope is a dangerous, biting creature. Without noticing, I walk to the wall, leaning against it for support.

“Mary.”

I look up and immediately straighten at the sight of Henry and Simon. My eyes go to Henry first. He has his hands buried deep in the pockets of his pants, lips pursed, blue eyes fixed on me. For whatever reason, it feels bizarre that I ever thought I loved him.

He is… wrong. We were wrong. I tried to shove mismatched pieces together, to create something that never could be. For years, I crushed on him from inside a cage. I read into signs that meant, essentially, nothing. He deceived me, but I’m not entirely blameless. I have never been blameless.

And yet, I don’t feel angry with myself any longer. Or him, really.

I look at Simon, who offers me a closed lip smile that isn’t much of a smile at all. It’s the kind of look one gives a stranger when eyes inadvertently connect on a subway. The thought makes me sad.

“Yes?” I say quietly.

Henry glances at something over my shoulder and, without looking, I know that Aris is staring in our direction, probably waiting for the slightest misstep on Henry’s part so he can vaporize the mage once and for all.

I look behind me quickly and, indeed, Aris is staring at us. He doesn’t even avert his gaze when I catch him, utterly shameless.

I can handle this, I tell him.

His lips purse, he pauses for a moment, and Aris returns to his conversation with Sem.

When I face the pair again, Henry is staring at me, a thoughtful look on his face. “You’re different,” he remarks.

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