Page 9 of Unraveled
“The mayor and her council know we need the energy of a magical beast to maintain the veil. Their own essence repels them. We capture them during the blood moon, before they can take any of our citizens to be killed.” Skylar gestures to the corpse. “That one tried to take a six-year-old girl with it a few months ago. We barely made it in time to save the child.”
I turn to my sister, who nods, and the corners of her lips dip into a grimace. “It’s true, I was there.” She reaches for me, her small hand grasping my shoulder. “Do you remember that our father, who was a good man, helped create this machine?”
I can’t breathe as his face flashes in my mind. Then I remember how my fingers cracked open as I struggled to clean his blood from the concrete.
“If you help us, Mia, then you’re here with a formal invitation, which makes your previous... mishap a necessity for the greater good.”
I always defend the scientists to everyone who doubts their worth. My father was a scientist, and my sister still is. Yet here I am, refusing to help the only way I can when it truly matters. But my respect for their work only goes so far, especially now that Skylar’s laid this threat in front of me. Even if their intentions are for the good of the people, I’m being forced to perform. Or else.
“I won’t kill the beast,” I warn.
“It’s alright, Mia. You just have to help us stop him from destroying the veil. That’s all.” Irene’s smile eases some of my wariness.
Will I be able to cast a spell strong enough to put the beast to sleep? I hope so.
As the dead creature is being dragged away, its feet catch on a hose on the floor. The tarp slides and reveals part of its leg. Instead of the familiarity of a human foot, there are claws in its place.
It shouldn’t matter that they aren’t human, I should want to protect their lives regardless, but it matters tonight. I have to choose between them or us, and the choice is easy. “Alright, I’ll do it.”
Irene beams at me, and I wish I could match her enthusiasm.
“Great,” Skylar says. “I brought you to the machine room, so you could see for yourself what goes on here. We aren’t ashamed of what we do.”
“For our father,” Irene whispers to me, and I nod, the weight lifting from my chest.
Hate doesn’t have a place in the life of those who wield the borrowed power of the grimoires. But knowledge sometimes breaks even our most deeply embedded promises. They took my father, who was kind and the rock in my world after my mother disappeared. He didn’t deserve to go the way he did... andneither did the 120 other Penumbrians who’ve been taken by the beasts even with the veil’s protection.
I’m ready for my revenge.
Chapter 4
Skylar and Irenetake me to the west side of the building, and I clutch my amulet. The waves of magic lying dormant within the stone pull at something in my stomach.
We climb a spiral staircase, dozens of steps up into a narrow tower. My breath billows in front of my face as the air grows colder the farther up we go. The red light of the moon bathes the upper steps as we pass a tall, pointed window.
“Is the necklace a magical amulet or a lucky charm? You’re holding it like a lifeline.” Skylar looks back at me with a raised brow and focuses on my hand. And what’s within it. “I thought only sorcerers used such objects to harness their magic.”
He’s far too interested, and it makes my skin crawl.
I grunt noncommittally and drop my gaze. I’m not feeling chatty, and I never show my amulet to anyone, let alone speak about it.
“It’s a family heirloom and belonged to our grandmother.” Irene tucks a long strand of black hair behind her ear, doing her best to match his grueling pace, but her heavy breathing gives away how tired she is. “Nanny was rumored to be one of the first librarians...”
I inhale sharply, and my blood flares hot, my cheeks heating. First, we never met our grandmother. Second... “Irene! That’s my private business.”
She glances back and looks almost apologetic, but still, I glare at her. Amulets are rare. Coveted. Mine is embedded with a beautiful gem that originated in the fae lands, far beyond the veil, where humans should never go.
My father gave it to me when I turned twenty and showed an affinity for wielding magic. A small amount. Nothing like the sorcerers I’ve read so much about, who could cast spells to end wars and who could fight the fae when they still walked this world. Their magic was the kind a person like me yearns for.
I can’t create dragons out of fire, but I can light a few torches and candles, and tonight, I’ll wield a forbidden ball of energy to stop the birdlike beast attacking our city.
“Calm down, I don’t care about magic trinkets, much less a stone that’d be a paperweight for someone like me.” Skylar waves his hand over his shoulder, dismissing me. He doesn’t even look back this time, instead just exits through a wide archway and onto the upper landing.
I follow him onto the empty rooftop, which is surrounded by a four-foot-tall stone wall with a decorative pillar at each corner.
Irene stays behind, leaning on a rounded column of the open archway we came through. She clasps her hands in front of herself and pins me with her doe eyes. “I’m sorry. I know you hate when I talk about the necklace. But I don’t understand all the little details that make itextraordinary.” She puts air quotes around the last word, and my annoyance burns bright once again.
“Your non-apology is as refreshing as always,” I say, not hiding the bite in my tone.
