“Kane, an angel saved you.” Briar’s eyes are clear, but her words are anything but sane. In all the lifetime’s that have passed since my spawning, I have never once laid eyes on an angel. Like many things people believe, only legends exist behind the name. Briar believes in angels. “I know it. I saw the light when you were hurt.”
I shake my head and help her sit up against the wall. She stares around the tomb, looking at the burn marks all around us. I can tell she wants to understand, but there has to be so much going on inside of her that the truth can’t quite break free.
Willem chuckles openly, casting a belittling glaze upon Briar. “There’s no such thing as angels, foolish girl. Time to get your head out of the clouds.”
Briar goes rigid. “We walk among demons and Leviathans, and the gods only know what else, and you say angels aren’t real? Do you truly believe that? Or do you simply wish to believe that nothing of the light could ever best a Reaper?”
“Hold your tongue, mortal! You aren’t my queen yet and even so, I would never bow to a sniveling brat like you.” Willem bares his fangs at Briar, but she refuses to back down. I don’t know what happened between the two of them to put so much anger and hatred in the air.
“Stop it. Both of you.” Of course, they ignore my orders and continue to glare.
I release an irritable sigh and assist Briar as she attempts to stand. She shrugs off my hold. They stand in front of each other like squabbling children. I try to ease my way between them, to stop the fighting before it escalates into something violent. Briar is too quick to reach for her blade and Willem could tear her apart with his talons. She sidesteps me with ease. I give up trying.
Peace talks have never been my strong suit.
“I’m the coward?” Briar shrieks. “Where were you when Kane was fighting the Leviathan? I heard you say that you wanted to run. I would have stood by his side and fought with him even if it meant we would die. That’s what loyalty means, Willem.”
The word causes the Reaper to pull up until his full height is revealed. Even so, Briar swallows down her fear and meets his gaze. “It would be wise for you to hold your tongue, lest you wish I carve it out of your face. Yes, you are a coward, Briar. You might stand up for yourself right now, but deep inside you’re still the fussy little princess that hides behind her father’s name.”
Willem’s smile summons a cold sneer from Briar.
I’ve never seen such a blatantly angry look on her face.
The Reaper’s tongue is sharp, but Briar looks every bit a queen right now. Her shoulders are pulled back, spine straight, and head held high. There’s pride and conviction in her eyes. I feel the same pride when I think of her as mine. Briar will make a fine wife and a benevolent queen. There’s no doubt of that in my mind, but the fighting must stop. I grab Briar around the waist and she’s unable to stop me this time.
“He was nearly assassinated while you were busy bedding Elluine,” she says.
Willem chuckles sarcastically. “I trust him to watch his own back. Is it my loyalty you question or his abilities? Stop treating him like a child who needs to be coddled. He’s Death, a battle-hardened warrior with more blood on his hands than either of us. He doesn’t need protecting from anyone except you.”
Briar tries to lunge at him, but I force her against my chest.
“How many times have you tried to convince Kane not to come here?” she asks. “How many times have you argued against him about what path we should take? I’ve lost track of the times you’ve flown off or hid when we were faced with danger. I saved your life in Yolnheim, remember? I guess you conveniently forgot that too. For someone who is practically immortal, you seem awfully scared, Willem.”
“I’m not afraid of anything,” the Reaper replies. “And you’ve saved my life once where I’ve contributed to saving yours dozens of times! You never should have left home, Briar. You’ve been nothing but a problem since you’ve came to the underworld. You’ll only get us all killed.”
“Go fall into a rift, Willem!” Her body bucks as she speaks, spit hurling at his feet.
Willem is my second in command. I can’t afford to lose him over whatever misunderstanding is between them. Briar’s rage takes shape. Her hands begin to emit a faint glow that grows stronger, pulsing brighter with her anger. I hold them up in front of her eyes and she jumps back. Briar presses herself against the wall, staring down at her fingers like they belong to someone else.
Blue swirls in her gaze as the light sears my eyes.
“Yes! Finally,” I grumble as I pull her towards the doors of the tomb.
Briar stumbles a little as she tries to keep up. I grab her wrists and force her hands against the runes. A loud clang follows the sound of spinning cogs until the door opens with a hiss. Dust kicks up from the ground. Musty air wafts in our faces as the tomb allows us entrance. Briar looks up at me in bewilderment.
“I...how did I do that?” she asks, but doesn’t wait for an answer. “The dreams, the visions, the feelings...it’s...it’s all because of this, isn’t it? It’s because of my blood? Lux’s blood.”
Chapter 15
Briar
“Yeah!” Kane lets out a victorious whoop as I stand in the next chamber of the tomb feeling like my world is coming apart at the seams.
He claps his hands a
