Honestly? I feel amazing,‘ she said. “The morning sickness is awful, but I welcome it. All of it. Brylach is over the moon. He’s already talking about converting one of the spare rooms into a nursery.”
I’m so happy for you, I I said sincerely.
‘Me too,” Scarlett said, then turned to Freya, I’m sorry if I’ve been… distant or made you uncomfortable lately. It wasn’t intentional.*
Freya held up her hand, stopping Scarlett before she could get too emotional. “It’s okay. I get it. She took a sip of her tea. “I wasn’t angry. Just giving you space.”
Scarlett nodded gratefully, and 1 felt a surge of affection for both of them. Despite everything we’d been through, we’d formed a strong bond.
“So, Freya said after a moment, “how long do you think they’ll be with Fox?”
I shrugged. “I’m not sure. It depends on how cooperative he is.”
“It’s boring being excluded, Freya complained with a sigh.
I sighed too. “I know. But in this case, I don’t think I could stand to see that kid tortured for information.”
“He’s only seventeen,” Scarlett reminded us.
“Seventeen and involved in something terrible,” I said, my anger rising. “He was used by some despicable people, and I’m furious about that. But I’m even more furious at his mother.”
“Lyric?” Freya asked.
Yes. What kind of mother lets her son move to Lakeside on his own? And then gives in to his strange demands?” I shook my head in disgust. “If Ulysses hadn’t confirmed she was Fox’s mother, I would have thought differently.”
“Not having friends isn’t an excuse,” Scarlett agreed.
“Exactly,” I said, thinking back to my own childhood. “I didn’t have friends when I was younger. It sucked, but I didn’t join a treasonous organization.”
“What do you think they’ll do with him?” Freya asked.
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “He’s committed treason, whether he understood it fully or not.”
“You think his mother was involved?” Scarlett asked quietly.
I nodded firmly. “All signs point to it. Maybe she wasn’t directly active, but she facilitated it.”
Scarlett cursed under her breath. “As a soon–to–be mother, I can tell you I would never allow my child to get involved in something evil, even if I thought I was fighting for justice.”
Freya shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. She’s as guilty as he is.” She took another sip of her tea. “You know what happens to traitors, right? The whole family is punished. It’s either execution or exile. That’s the law.”
“I know,” I said grimly.
“And let’s be honest, Freya continued, “this wasn’t just an attack on Evanth. It was an attack on Augustin. They used Evanth to get to him. Thank God… saw through it eventually.”
“Speaking of people who want to get back at everyone,” Scarlett said, “what about Quentor? He’s been suspiciously quiet in the Elder Council lately.”
“That’s true, I mused. “We never really considered him before.”
1/2
Chapter 243
Oli my God, you’re right, Scarlett said, her eyes widening. He’s been so quiet lately that we forgot about him.
Well, we should focus on him,‘ Freya insisted. “He’s the kind of person who’d hold a grudge for decades,
I’m going to focus on Lyric first,” I said decisively. She’s a Delta, which means I don’t have to worry too much about using force. I allowed a mad, cold smile to cross my face. “And we’ll have plenty of Warriors to help.
Scarlett shook her head. ‘I don’t think I could do anything physical in my condition.”
“I understand,‘ I said gently, “And you won’t have to. Neither of you will. We’ll have others handle that part
We continued talking for another hour before Freya and Scarlett finally said their goodbyes.
‘Get some rest,‘ I told them as they headed for the door. “We’ll talk more tomorrow.”
After they left, I realized Augustin still hadn’t returned. That was a good sign, it meant Fox was talking. If he’d been resistant, Augustin wouldn’t have stayed so long.
I decided to check on Amelia. Whatever was bothering her had seemed serious, and I was genuinely concerned.
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