He glanced at the door, nodding. “They’ll have a wraith posted outside. But the room is ours.”
My heart was racing. How much time did we have? What were the most important things for me to know?
“Did they take anyone else?” I asked. “When they brought me here, were there other prisoners?”
“Not that I’m aware of,” he said. “But I’m not exactly their confidant these days.”
I bit my lip, realizing this was the moment. Maybe the very thing the Searchers needed.
“Dad,” I began, trying to keep my voice from shaking. “What if I could help you?”
He turned sharp eyes on me, and my heart skipped a beat. Did my own father consider me a traitor? After all that had happened, was loyalty to the Keepers still important to him?
“Help me how?”
I felt breathless, but forced myself to go on. “I saved Shay because the Keepers were going to kill him.”
He didn’t respond, but watched me closely as I spoke.
“He’s the Scion,” I said. “A descendent of the Keepers themselves who can destroy them.”
“If he’s one of them, why would he turn against them?” My father’s brow creased.
“He’s not exactly one of them,” I said, words rushing out. “His mother was human.”
“I don’t think that’s possible—”
“It is.” I took his hands. “Everything we’ve been told about the Keepers and Searchers. About the war. Even about who we are. It was all lies.”
His hands gripped mine, so tight it was painful, but I kept speaking.
“The Keepers twisted us, this world, so they could rule it. The Searchers are trying to change that. They only fight to make things right again. Shay is the key to all of that.”
“How can you be sure?” he whispered, eyes wild.
I racked my mind. He hadn’t seen what I’d seen. The Academy—the beauty and grace of the Searchers’ magic, so contrary to the cruel manipulations of the Keepers’ spellwork. He hadn’t fought alongside my new allies, didn’t have reason to trust them as I did. What could convince him? I knew I had to bring him around. His help could change everything for me . . . for all of us.
“Calla.” He sounded as desperate as I felt. “What do you know? We don’t have much time. Emile—”
He couldn’t say the Bane alpha’s name without growling. My mind crackled as realization hit me like a flash of lightning.
“Corrine,” I said.
“What?” He frowned.
“Corrine Laroche.” I squeezed his hands. “She wasn’t killed by a Searcher ambush.”
My father stiffened, but I hurried on. “The Searchers were coming to fight with her. She was leading a revolt against the Keepers.”
Meeting his gaze, I expected to find disbelief, but it wasn’t there.
“But the plot was uncovered and they killed her and all the other Banes who’d sided with her,” I said. “And when the Searchers arrived, the Keepers were waiting for them.”
My father pulled his hands from mine as his fists clenched. “You were only one. Just an infant when that happened.”
“I know,” I said. “It happened on Ren’s and my first birthday.”
“I always thought . . .” He paused, a growl rumbling in his chest. “That something wasn’t right. When the Keepers summoned us to fight, we went after the Searchers—tore into them at the Bane compound, chased them all the way to Boulder. But there weren’t any bodies.”
“What do you mean?”
“The Banes,” he said. “The Keepers called us to battle because the Banes had been ambushed by Searchers. But when we reached their compound, no Bane wolves were there, injured or dead. There were no casualties. The Searchers are hard fighters; they leave wounded and dead in their wake.”
“But wraiths don’t,” I whispered.
His eyes met mine, glinting like steel. He nodded. “The Searchers told you this?”
Though his own memories were offering bits of truth, I could still hear his reluctance to trust his longtime enemies.
“The Searchers filled in some blanks,” I said. “But I read about Corrine’s death and the trap.”
“Where?” he asked, startled.
“In Bosque Mar’s library,” I replied with a shiver. “At Rowan Estate. There was an account in the Haldis Annals.”
“Corrine was a good wolf,” he said quietly. “She didn’t deserve the life handed to her.”
“I know,” I said.
“I suppose it’s a blessing in disguise that her boy never knew.”
My breath caught at his mention of Ren. “He knows now.”
“You know where he is?” My father’s eyes went wide. “The Keepers told us he’d run off. Couldn’t take the shame of losing his pack. Like Logan.”
A smile tugged at my lips. “I know where Logan is too.”
One of his eyebrows rose. “Really?”
“They’re both with the Searchers,” I said. “Ren because Adne wanted to save him . . . and I did too.”
“Who’s Adne?”
“Monroe’s—one of the Searchers—daughter. And she’s . . .” I realized just how much I’d learned and how little my father still knew. “She’s Ren’s sister.”
He gave me a long look, finally sighing. “Corrine and the Searcher Monroe?”
“You don’t sound surprised,” I said.
“You said before that Shay had a human mother,” he said. “So it follows that pairings between humans and our kind would have happened too.” Drawing a slow, deep breath, he said, “And no one takes the kind of risk Corrine did without something enormous at stake. Something like love.”
I blinked away the new tears that gathered in my eyes. “I know.”
The smile he gave me was kind. “You love that boy . . . the Scion?”
I nodded, drawing my knees up to my chest.
He watched me, frowning slightly. “But you also came back for Ren?”
My cheeks burned, as suddenly I was a daughter caught in an awkward conversation with her father. “It’s complicated.”
“I suppose it is.” He laughed. “And I understand now why Renier is nothing like his father.”
My heart was racing. How much time did we have? What were the most important things for me to know?
“Did they take anyone else?” I asked. “When they brought me here, were there other prisoners?”
“Not that I’m aware of,” he said. “But I’m not exactly their confidant these days.”
I bit my lip, realizing this was the moment. Maybe the very thing the Searchers needed.
“Dad,” I began, trying to keep my voice from shaking. “What if I could help you?”
He turned sharp eyes on me, and my heart skipped a beat. Did my own father consider me a traitor? After all that had happened, was loyalty to the Keepers still important to him?
“Help me how?”
I felt breathless, but forced myself to go on. “I saved Shay because the Keepers were going to kill him.”
He didn’t respond, but watched me closely as I spoke.
“He’s the Scion,” I said. “A descendent of the Keepers themselves who can destroy them.”
“If he’s one of them, why would he turn against them?” My father’s brow creased.
“He’s not exactly one of them,” I said, words rushing out. “His mother was human.”
“I don’t think that’s possible—”
“It is.” I took his hands. “Everything we’ve been told about the Keepers and Searchers. About the war. Even about who we are. It was all lies.”
His hands gripped mine, so tight it was painful, but I kept speaking.
“The Keepers twisted us, this world, so they could rule it. The Searchers are trying to change that. They only fight to make things right again. Shay is the key to all of that.”
“How can you be sure?” he whispered, eyes wild.
I racked my mind. He hadn’t seen what I’d seen. The Academy—the beauty and grace of the Searchers’ magic, so contrary to the cruel manipulations of the Keepers’ spellwork. He hadn’t fought alongside my new allies, didn’t have reason to trust them as I did. What could convince him? I knew I had to bring him around. His help could change everything for me . . . for all of us.
“Calla.” He sounded as desperate as I felt. “What do you know? We don’t have much time. Emile—”
He couldn’t say the Bane alpha’s name without growling. My mind crackled as realization hit me like a flash of lightning.
“Corrine,” I said.
“What?” He frowned.
“Corrine Laroche.” I squeezed his hands. “She wasn’t killed by a Searcher ambush.”
My father stiffened, but I hurried on. “The Searchers were coming to fight with her. She was leading a revolt against the Keepers.”
Meeting his gaze, I expected to find disbelief, but it wasn’t there.
“But the plot was uncovered and they killed her and all the other Banes who’d sided with her,” I said. “And when the Searchers arrived, the Keepers were waiting for them.”
My father pulled his hands from mine as his fists clenched. “You were only one. Just an infant when that happened.”
“I know,” I said. “It happened on Ren’s and my first birthday.”
“I always thought . . .” He paused, a growl rumbling in his chest. “That something wasn’t right. When the Keepers summoned us to fight, we went after the Searchers—tore into them at the Bane compound, chased them all the way to Boulder. But there weren’t any bodies.”
“What do you mean?”
“The Banes,” he said. “The Keepers called us to battle because the Banes had been ambushed by Searchers. But when we reached their compound, no Bane wolves were there, injured or dead. There were no casualties. The Searchers are hard fighters; they leave wounded and dead in their wake.”
“But wraiths don’t,” I whispered.
His eyes met mine, glinting like steel. He nodded. “The Searchers told you this?”
Though his own memories were offering bits of truth, I could still hear his reluctance to trust his longtime enemies.
“The Searchers filled in some blanks,” I said. “But I read about Corrine’s death and the trap.”
“Where?” he asked, startled.
“In Bosque Mar’s library,” I replied with a shiver. “At Rowan Estate. There was an account in the Haldis Annals.”
“Corrine was a good wolf,” he said quietly. “She didn’t deserve the life handed to her.”
“I know,” I said.
“I suppose it’s a blessing in disguise that her boy never knew.”
My breath caught at his mention of Ren. “He knows now.”
“You know where he is?” My father’s eyes went wide. “The Keepers told us he’d run off. Couldn’t take the shame of losing his pack. Like Logan.”
A smile tugged at my lips. “I know where Logan is too.”
One of his eyebrows rose. “Really?”
“They’re both with the Searchers,” I said. “Ren because Adne wanted to save him . . . and I did too.”
“Who’s Adne?”
“Monroe’s—one of the Searchers—daughter. And she’s . . .” I realized just how much I’d learned and how little my father still knew. “She’s Ren’s sister.”
He gave me a long look, finally sighing. “Corrine and the Searcher Monroe?”
“You don’t sound surprised,” I said.
“You said before that Shay had a human mother,” he said. “So it follows that pairings between humans and our kind would have happened too.” Drawing a slow, deep breath, he said, “And no one takes the kind of risk Corrine did without something enormous at stake. Something like love.”
I blinked away the new tears that gathered in my eyes. “I know.”
The smile he gave me was kind. “You love that boy . . . the Scion?”
I nodded, drawing my knees up to my chest.
He watched me, frowning slightly. “But you also came back for Ren?”
My cheeks burned, as suddenly I was a daughter caught in an awkward conversation with her father. “It’s complicated.”
“I suppose it is.” He laughed. “And I understand now why Renier is nothing like his father.”
