underneath the restraint he was showing. “The only reason I am letting you live is because although you have proven a
failure
in extracting the information, you have at least exposed the truth of the matter.”
“Yes!” the man said, earnest in agreement with my father. “Exactly! See? Some good
has
come from this. Let me continue my work . . .”
My father set the man on his feet. “I think not,” he said.
The man paled. “So what are you going to do?”
“We tried your way,” my father said, turning and walking toward me. “Now we will try mine.” He looked to Devon, gesturing at the human. “Restrain him.”
Devon went to the man, grabbing him at the shoulders in his giant fists. The man hissed in pain.
“Hey, now, easy,” he said. “We can work something out. I’ll cut my price—”
My father picked me back up by my throat again and lifted me until I was fully in the air again.
“What do you mean when you say you will try things ‘your way’ now?” I asked.
Kejetan’s dark sockets stared into my eyes.“I spared those people of yours,” he said, “because I thought that I was not only getting my son back but that I would get the arcane knowledge I had gathered back. I put my faith in
family
and a trust in your word, but you have broken with that. You disappoint, Stanis. You have made a mockery of me, and for that, I will make sure your humans suffer when I march against them and reclaim the secrets that are rightfully mine.”
“You speak of
family
and
trust
as if those words mean something to you,” I said.
“I have only ever thought of our legacy,” he said. “Our desire to live forever!”
“
Your
desire,” I corrected. “Not mine. And certainly not at the expense of the people you have and would kill in your mad pursuit of that power. Including me.”
Kejetan shook his head, but there was no sadness in it for what he had done to me, only bitter resolve.
“Your death pained me, for centuries,” he said. “Do you think I meant to strike down my only son? I had just cast off my human form, this stone one new to me. I had not mastered its strength yet.”
“Your desire for longevity has blinded you,” I said, “and that is what pains me most.”
Kejetan shook his head, his words filled with bitterness when he spoke. “What pains me more is the man, the
creature
that you have become. Full of weakness, invested in these equally weak creatures.”
“I see no weakness in them,” I said. “Only strength.”
“I will show you their weakness,” he said, still holding me there. “Starting with the one you seem to favor most.”
I struggled, a small amount of my strength returning to me at the very thought of harm coming to Alexandra, her family, or her friends. I raised my claws against my father, but he held me farther away from him so that all I could do was claw at his arms.
“Control him,” he shouted out to the human.
“Can’t right now,” the man replied. “Kind of restrained over here by your second-in-command.”
“Release him,” my father said.
Devon did so, and the human stepped quickly away from him, rolling his shoulders as he went.
“Much better,” he said, moving closer to me. “Now, then . . .
relax
.”
My body went slack at the command, but part of my mind was still my own.
“You will leave Alexandra alone,” I said.
“I think not,” my father said, pulling me closer as he peered into my soul with those dark, dead sockets of his. “First, I will take from her that which her family has stolen from us. Then my people can be awakened from these hideous forms we now possess. Then . . . I will break her, as I did you. So fragile a thing like her must be. So many bones to crush . . .”
Although the dominant voice in my mind left me unable to react, the thought of Alexandra’s going through the painful death I had gone through at my father’s hand was too much to bear. The voice at the back of my head—my true
failure
in extracting the information, you have at least exposed the truth of the matter.”
“Yes!” the man said, earnest in agreement with my father. “Exactly! See? Some good
has
come from this. Let me continue my work . . .”
My father set the man on his feet. “I think not,” he said.
The man paled. “So what are you going to do?”
“We tried your way,” my father said, turning and walking toward me. “Now we will try mine.” He looked to Devon, gesturing at the human. “Restrain him.”
Devon went to the man, grabbing him at the shoulders in his giant fists. The man hissed in pain.
“Hey, now, easy,” he said. “We can work something out. I’ll cut my price—”
My father picked me back up by my throat again and lifted me until I was fully in the air again.
“What do you mean when you say you will try things ‘your way’ now?” I asked.
Kejetan’s dark sockets stared into my eyes.“I spared those people of yours,” he said, “because I thought that I was not only getting my son back but that I would get the arcane knowledge I had gathered back. I put my faith in
family
and a trust in your word, but you have broken with that. You disappoint, Stanis. You have made a mockery of me, and for that, I will make sure your humans suffer when I march against them and reclaim the secrets that are rightfully mine.”
“You speak of
family
and
trust
as if those words mean something to you,” I said.
“I have only ever thought of our legacy,” he said. “Our desire to live forever!”
“
Your
desire,” I corrected. “Not mine. And certainly not at the expense of the people you have and would kill in your mad pursuit of that power. Including me.”
Kejetan shook his head, but there was no sadness in it for what he had done to me, only bitter resolve.
“Your death pained me, for centuries,” he said. “Do you think I meant to strike down my only son? I had just cast off my human form, this stone one new to me. I had not mastered its strength yet.”
“Your desire for longevity has blinded you,” I said, “and that is what pains me most.”
Kejetan shook his head, his words filled with bitterness when he spoke. “What pains me more is the man, the
creature
that you have become. Full of weakness, invested in these equally weak creatures.”
“I see no weakness in them,” I said. “Only strength.”
“I will show you their weakness,” he said, still holding me there. “Starting with the one you seem to favor most.”
I struggled, a small amount of my strength returning to me at the very thought of harm coming to Alexandra, her family, or her friends. I raised my claws against my father, but he held me farther away from him so that all I could do was claw at his arms.
“Control him,” he shouted out to the human.
“Can’t right now,” the man replied. “Kind of restrained over here by your second-in-command.”
“Release him,” my father said.
Devon did so, and the human stepped quickly away from him, rolling his shoulders as he went.
“Much better,” he said, moving closer to me. “Now, then . . .
relax
.”
My body went slack at the command, but part of my mind was still my own.
“You will leave Alexandra alone,” I said.
“I think not,” my father said, pulling me closer as he peered into my soul with those dark, dead sockets of his. “First, I will take from her that which her family has stolen from us. Then my people can be awakened from these hideous forms we now possess. Then . . . I will break her, as I did you. So fragile a thing like her must be. So many bones to crush . . .”
Although the dominant voice in my mind left me unable to react, the thought of Alexandra’s going through the painful death I had gone through at my father’s hand was too much to bear. The voice at the back of my head—my true
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