Page 27 of Hero of Havoc

This time, it’s not fear that threads through my limbs, but sadness. Pure sadness. It’s all I can feel as I stare at the woman who shares my blood, who plays such a monumental part in my origin, my heritage, my magic. Yet she stands there without a single care or maternal instinct.

Before I can find my next words, a flash of red darts through the door, eyes wide with panic.

“What was that bang?” Ember yelps, speeding toward me, but before I can answer, my mother moves with a sense of speed that steals my breath.

I can’t even comprehend what’s happening before it’s too late as my mother extends her hand, capturing Ember in her grasp.

Fear burns down my spine, stiffening my muscles. “Let go of her,” I bark, hands curling into the sheets beside me as my mother’s mouth curls with a sneer.

“Shut your mouth.” Her voice is like ice, a contrast to the rest of her.

That’s when I see it.

A familiar ring of orange sits around her irises.

Is that what I look like with my eyes rimmed orange, all disheveled and jittery?

I shake my head. That's the least of my concern when she has my sprite in her grasp.

Lifting my hands in surrender, I take a deep breath. “Let go of her,” I state calmly before pulling the sheets from my body and swinging my legs over the side of the bed.

The second I stand, a whimper falls from Ember’s lips as my mother squeezes.

“Stay exactly where you are,” my mother commands, and for the sake of my sprite, I do as she says, but that doesn’t mean I’ve given up.

My gaze darts around the room, searching for answers, but there's no sense of hope. My inability to control my magic is hazardous in comparison to my mother's, or I assume, at least, and I don't want to make the situation worse and cause any more harm to Ember.

“Release her,” I command, attempting to keep my magic at bay as I talk as calmly and as firmly as possible.

My mother's pupils dilate, an unamused smile tainting her lips as she peers at Ember. “Why do you care so much?” She twists her in her grasp, looking at her from every angle as if she’s an object.

It makes me hate her more.

“Because she hasn't done anything to you,” I bite back, and she purses her lips. “Why are you even here?” I snap, and my mother shakes her head.

There’s an air of distrust consuming her, enhanced by her clear distress, but she’s too messy for me to figure out the best way to approach her without making the situation worse. Especially since I’ve never seen her like this.

Not only was she always composed physically, but mentally too. Her commands came with a sigh, her orders unwavering as she held power over me, but this…

It’s something else entirely, and she seems lost to it.

“Let her go,” I repeat.

“Then do as I say,” my mother retorts, and I throw my hands out wide at my sides.

“What is it you want from me?”

She hasn’t even gotten to the point since she got here, and she's already holding someone captive for no reason.

“I want you to tell me everything Leonardo has said to you,” she demands, and I scoff.

“He spent more time killing than speaking,” I clarify, and my mother exhales sharply, irritation tightening her jaw as her gaze returns to the window for a moment.

“Classic Leonardo,” she mumbles, her distress intensifying as Ember whimpers in her grasp.

I clench my hands together at my sides, trying to contain my emotions as worry seeps through me, when a thought comes to mind. One that threatens to make this worse, but it slips from my lips before I can consider it.

“Why didn't he just take you?” I blurt, and her withering stare returns to mine.