I didn’t kill him, she thought, feeling tears forming in her eyes. I didn’t mean to get him killed.
She blinked the tears away, angrily. It had been a long day and…she looked out the window, noting that the sun hadn’t even begun to sink towards the horizon. God alone knew what was going on out there, beyond the wards. Sienna had called it a coup, and Emily suspected she was right. Janus had used Justice to clear the way for his takeover, and that meant…
It has to be a trick of some kind, she told herself. But what?
She looked down at Frieda, sleeping peacefully. Her friend had risked her life to save them, yet she’d also snapped and snarled at Caleb…Emily knew she’d have to tell Frieda to apologize, when she woke up. They were all on edge, Frieda and Marian included, but that didn’t excuse any of them. Justice might not have managed to worm his way into their minds, as far as she could tell, yet he’d definitely left his mark.
There was a faint tap on the door. Emily hesitated – it could be Marian – and then rose, opening the door and peering out. Caleb stood there, holding a broom in one hand and a mug of Kava in the other. It took Emily a second to realize he’d actually used the broom handle to knock on the door, just in case Sienna had booby-trapped it. There were so many wards protecting the house that it would be hard for anyone to pick out a specific spell.
“Emily,” Caleb said. He looked relieved. “Is she awake?”
“She’s sleeping,” Emily said. She could hear the faint sounds of an argument echoing up the stairs. “Caleb, I…”
“Mother wants me to sit on the roof,” Caleb said. “Do you want to sit with me?”
Emily hesitated. She wanted to be with him, she wanted reassurance…and yet, she knew they’d both be in deep trouble if Sienna caught them. Caleb’s mother had too many problems already. The sounds from downstairs were growing louder. Marian didn’t seem to know when to stop.
“Yeah,” she said. “Just let me get my cloak.”
She couldn’t help feeling cold as she followed Caleb up a wooden ladder and out onto the roof. The wards floated through the air, roughly a metre above their heads…she sensed smaller spells snapping and snarling at any trace of rogue magic, far too close for comfort. She kept her head down as Caleb turned, gazing around the city, then sat on the roof. After a moment, Emily sat next to him.
Beneficence was burning. Smoke and flames rose from a dozen separate places, all to the north. She could taste smoke on the air. It was hard to tell what was burning, yet all the fires were clearly concentrated in the same general area. And yet, it was terrifyingly quiet. She couldn’t hear anything louder than her own breathing.
Caleb wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “I’m sorry about Marian. She…”
“Don’t worry about it,” Emily said. She’d never had an older brother. She had no idea what it was like to have someone like that in her life. And yet, if she’d blamed someone for killing Caleb or Jade, she wouldn’t have hesitated to let them know either. “She’s young.”
“That’s not an excuse,” Caleb said. He sounded pained. “She should never have said that to you.”
“Thanks,” Emily said.
His arm tightened, just for a second. “I spent half my life trying to get out of Casper’s shadow. And now I find myself reprimanded for not being him.”
And Casper spent his life trying to get out of his father’s shadow, Emily thought, remembering Casper’s drunken confession. And…
“You don’t have to be him,” Emily said. “You’re nothing like him.”
“Six months ago, I would have said that was a good thing.” Caleb looked down at the rooftop as a gust of cold wind brushed against them. “Now…I never realized just how much Casper had to learn, when everyone thought he would inherit. All the little things I have to remember, all the obligations that come with being part of House Waterfall…”
Emily hugged him, awkwardly. Caleb had never been particularly interested in power for its own sake. He was a born scientist, a researcher into magic…she smiled in sudden warmth as she remembered their ever-evolving joint project. Caleb would have been happy to build their university and then vanish into it. Now…he had responsibilities that came with his family. He couldn’t walk away from them.
And yet, she was tempted to tell him to do just that. She had money and a house, enough to support both of them for the rest of their lives. They could move to Heart’s Eye and build their university in peace, then open it for other seekers after truth. But she knew he wouldn’t be comfortable, if she supported him. Lady Barb had warned her, more than once, that men needed to feel useful. They had to feel as though they were earning their keep.
But he wouldn’t have any difficulty supporting himself once he graduates, she told herself, dryly. He could pay me back then, if he wished.
She shook her head, telling herself she was being selfish. She couldn’t ask Caleb to abandon his family, to walk away from his parents and siblings…she couldn’t ask that of him. How could she? She rarely looked back at her mother and stepfather, despite the long, dark shadow they had cast on her life – she would be happy if she never saw either of them again – but Caleb had been raised in a loving environment. He might fight with his family from time to time, yet he loved them…
“You’ll be fine,” she said, softly. “I have faith in you.”
“Thank you,” Caleb said.
She leaned into his embrace, forcing herself to think. Justice was…what? The entity wasn’t a simple illusion, not when she’d felt the presence centered on it. Whatever it was, it could clearly use magic at will. And yet…it definitely wasn’t human. A Manavore? She’d seen spells strike them and vanish, back in the past. Or a Mimic?