Page 118 of Gift from the Wing

The piece of shit doesn’t even have to answer. He’s thinking it all loud and clear for Tillman to gather all on his own. The brighter his emerald eyes glow, the more Darstein screams. He’s not being gentle whatsoever in his pursuit for answers and I’m thrilled to see it.

After what feels like fucking forever, Tillman stumbles back, panting heavily and shaking his head. Laying his hand to my shoulder briefly, he sends me an image that makes my blood boil.

“That’s him,” I grunt and Tillman nods before tilting his own healing vial back.

“Fuck, that took a lot,” he groans.

“What all did you get?”

“Everything that isn’t completely wiped out from the drugs. Starting from the time he was born,” he says and my eyes widen.

Well, fuck me sideways.

Looks like someone got another upgrade.

“Did he know where he is?” I ask.

“Yeah. Dead. He set him up and the Summum-Master killed him.”

I’m not gonna lie and say I’m not pissed the fuck off about that. His life was mine to take, but I guess the alternative would’ve been he’d still be free to kill people. So I’ll let it go. His replacement will have to do.

“The jealousy got the best of you, didn’t it?” Tillman asks tauntingly.

Darstein’s eyes narrow and his lip tilts up. “I was Master Ale’s apprentice for years. I surpassed his capabilities by a mile, yet he’d do or say nothing to show the Summum-Master that I was just as skilled. They both treated me as nothing more than an insolent child.”

“Then when Ale told you that you couldn’t participate in a high-stakes experiment, you decided to just fuck the whole thing up and let the blame fall on him,” Tillman summarizes.

“How did he do that?” I ask.

“The infection was in its early phase at this point. They weren’t directly injecting it into people but instead forcing them to drink it. Its effects took longer and only those with extraordinary gifts survived long enough to have the process completed. He did something to the vial. That is the part that’s practically wiped clean from his mind. You’ve made sure to cover your tracks so the Summum-Master didn’t find out you were the cause of the failure and ultimately got his most treasured scientist killed.”

“Most treasured? How many are there?” I ask.

“There were two top scientists. Master Ale and Master Drin. Drin is in the nonmagical,” Darstein answers.

“Show me Drin,” I command Tillman, and he immediately obliges.

My shadows shoot out of me and surround Darstein. He’s my outlet for the anger seeping through my pores as the cold dead eyes flash through my mind.

Fuck these motherfuckers.

Every one of them.

“That’s the man who would draw Willow’s blood,” I tell him.

He nods knowingly before carrying on, “He’s still there. He works under Franklin, well, did. This idiot hasn’t been informed of really any of thenewest updates, but he probably would’ve found out today. The process of the infection takes about six hours to fully infect. The Summum-Master was due to arrive at Pyra to complete the transfer of Oakly’s power. So we have three hours, give or take, to figure this shit out. He only knows this part of the ritual. Infecting the victim. Then the Summum-Master takes them away. Once we get Oakly figured out, maybe Keeper can fill in the rest.”

Three hours…

I’ll be using that time wisely.

“Head back to the others.”

“If we can’t—”

“Don’t speak it, Tillman. Don’t even fucking think it. Take what you’ve learned and go inform the others. Fill in any gaps they may have. I’ll be there once we’re done here,” I order low.

He holds my darkening gaze for a long moment, making sure he still sees the man inside of the monster.

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