Page 18 of The Healing Dragon
My brothers and I had guessed as much in the meetings after the attack. There are only so many reasons the traitor would choose to take the Red Book. I look back at Matias’ beaten form and broken spirit. The Red Book sealed something in us to cap our magic and whatever Lord Duelo is doing to uncap it, it’s simultaneously breaking the person.
“Your father must first figure out how to do it on others before doing it on himself.”
Janelle gives me a look that says I’m stating the obvious. “My father might be brave enough to declare war on the Black Castle, but he sent us, his children, to do the battle.”
“I saw him, you know.” I recall clearly the moment my eyes landed on him that night.
At the sound of distress, Brandon and I had agreed we needed to get to my grandfather. He had departed to his office to relocate the Red Book. Brandon took the route inside the castle passages and I, with a group of soldiers, took the castle halls. The smell of burning wood, the loud screams of people scared and in pain echo in my head.
I made it to my grandfather’s office first. Lord Duelo was already inside with his hand on the Red Book as my grandfather laid unmoving on the floor. The moment his eyes met mine, a smirk painted his lips. Ethan, his son, stood over my grandfather’s body.
“I killed him,” I say. A part of me is glad but another dreading the response.“Your brother.”
Would she hold it against me? A pause echoes in the space between us.
“I’m sure you had to,” she says.
I did. There was no choice. But she had choices.
Her eyes aren’t on me but on her own hands. The dread that must exist on her conscience must make it hard for her to sleep. Everyone back at Puerto Quinn thinks of the Duelos as soulless evil people who attacked us completely unprovoked. The latter is true, but I know the soul that lives inside that chest. At least I did, and it wasn’t evil.
At what point does the responsibility weigh on her, considering how much of what she did can be blamed on others?
“Do you feel guilty?” I ask her, not knowing if I will like the answer.
Her eyes finally meet mine once again. “There are no words to explain all I wish I could do over. But I cannot dwell on the past. I can do something about today, and that’s what I will focus on.”
A yes was all I wanted to hear to know the girl I once knew was still there.
“What about Oliver?” I ask her.
I’ve known Oliver far longer than Janelle knows. I knew he lived and worked at the Duelo home but I didn't know his connection with Janelle was deeper than the one between a soldier and the lady of the house. The hug and appreciation in both their eyes as they embrace one another tells me I am missing important information. It also fills me with fury because he should have taken her away at the whispers of Lord Duelo’s plans.
If I had known, I would have never left her there.
“Oliver isn’t like my father. He is good.”
I point at Matias over my shoulder. “He helped your father do that. He’s obviously not that good.”
Anyone that can look at Matias and not want to get him away from here is a monster.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” She frowns as if I’m the one who doesn't understand.
“Sure, Janelle, what I know is that you will make excuses.”
I once believed I knew Oliver, but after the night at the Black Castle, I cannot trust anyone. Including the girl in front of me. Regardless of how much I wish I could. Oliver obviously has affection for Janelle and the feeling is mutual. I’ve never seen her hug anyone before, let alone one of her father's soldiers. Having Oliver on our side inside these walls could be instrumental for the mission, but after laying eyes on Matias, I’m afraid that is not an avenue I’m willing to take.
She says nothing and instead turns away from me and the conversation. I let her have her space and peace. For the sake of having something to do, I move around the room and try to talk to the other prisoners, but none of them do anything but twitch or murmur to themselves. These people aren’t far from the brokenness Matias is in.
Aloud buzzing from above blurts through the walls, making the prisoners instantly move away from the cell bars towards the back of the prison walls. This urge to get away at the sound of the buzzing is the most reaction I’ve seen out of them in the past couple of hours.
I wave my hand toward the cleaning supplies still scrubbing the floors. They instantly drop. I pick the cloak up and wrap it around me just before a figure reaches the stairs landing.
The man who recognized Janelle outside looks around with suspicion. “Did someone come out here to help you?” he asks.
He probably didn’t expect Janelle to get this much done in just a few hours. We should have been more conscious aboutthis. I turn to look at Janelle to see if she also gets the feeling we might have messed up. She doesn’t look concerned. If anything, she wears a bored expression on her face.
“No,” she says. Then picks up the cleaning supplies and places them off to the side by the wall. “Is that why you’re here?”
