Family of Lies: Sebastian (27 page)

“Are you ready to have a peaceful conversation?” Lord Orwell asked.

Sebastian bit his lip but nodded once.

“You can speak.”

“There’s a page missing from the book my magic is attracted to,” Sebastian said.

“That’s unfortunate.”

“And convenient.”

“Are you accusing me, a washed-up old wizard, of breaking through the queen’s wards and destroying an item in the royal library?” Lord Orwell asked while slumping to his side as though he was feeble.

“Try not to sound so proud,” Sebastian said.

“That sounds a little bit like your temper rising up.”

“How did you do it?”

Lord Orwell shook his head. “You ask a question like that without throwing up a ward? What have I been teaching you all these years?”

“I know that you would never have said a word confirming or denying your activities without putting up a ward yourself. Did it activate when I entered your room?”

“As soon as the door closed behind you.” Lord Orwell smiled. “At least you have some sense right now. Why were you dumb enough to perform that spell in front of Lord Piadas?”

“I had no idea what you had been scheming, and I was caught off guard. Thank you for making me look more suspicious than I already did.”

“Next time, you’ll take heed and obey my commands,” Lord Orwell said.

“How did you do it?”

“A stick insect from the Sanctity territories. It can walk through any ward in its path.”

“And it eats paper,” Sebastian said. “I still don’t get why you destroyed it. You knew I would go looking for it before anyone else found it. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were hiding it from me as much as you’re hiding it from the others.”

“Your curiosity can be just as dangerous, and I need to protect you from yourself.”

“What is your endgame?”

“Just as I told you: my family stays safe, and Trenton never uses the Heart of Light. Believe me, Sebastian, a world conquered by him would be intolerable. I could barely stand living with him.”

“I hope you know what you’re doing. There’s something else I want to know. When did you destroy it?”

Lord Orwell smiled. “You know the answer to that question.”

Sebastian gritted his jaw under his hood. “I want to hear it from your own mouth.”

“I waited for you to disobey me. I waited for you to seek out the prince and take away the eyes of Frederick and Captain Pembrost from me. Don’t worry. Since you weren’t privy to my plan, Lord Piadas no doubt told them your surprise appeared genuine.”

“I’m happy that you were thinking of me.”

“That’s your second warning,” Lord Orwell said as he looked at his nails. “One more jab, and you’ll have to woo the prince with silence tonight.”

“How did you catch me in this spell? I didn’t feel anything.”

Lord Orwell laughed. “Nineteen years I’ve had you. Don’t you think I’ve accumulated plenty of your hair?”

“Normal people don’t do that to their children.”

“I have cursed myself for being less powerful than other wizards, but a worse fate would be a normal life.”

“You don’t object to me seeing Turren tonight?”

“Not particularly. I hope your tryst gets him out of your blood, but don’t forget this is only a tryst.”

“Have I disturbed your plans at all since we’ve come here?”

“Not so much that I couldn’t contain the situation.”

“I don’t know if I like you,” Sebastian admitted.

Lord Orwell lay back on the bed and rested his head on his hands. “People who don’t like me are usually the ones who can’t keep up with my mind. You’re barely a man, so it’s to be expected. One day, you’ll reach near my level, but you have many years of growth before then.”

Sebastian rolled his eyes. He couldn’t think of anything to say except an insult, so he told his father good-bye and left. If there was a way to beat Trenton and his father, Sebastian hoped he would find it, because that ass needed to be taken down a peg. Until then, Sebastian had to concede that his father was smarter.

“For now,” Sebastian whispered.

T
HERE
WAS
a knock on his door, and Lord Orwell rolled his eyes.
Probably that damn wizard.
“Come in,” he shouted without getting out of bed. The door opened and Frederick stepped inside. He closed the door behind him and walked to Lord Orwell’s side.

“You’re not pretending to be helpful anymore?”

Lord Orwell smiled. “I trust my boy’s magic. That’s not an odd thing when he’s saved your prince twice.”

“Captain Pembrost believes he’s part of your schemes.”

“So are you, but I wouldn’t call you my accomplice,” Lord Orwell said.

“You do like to push your luck.”

“Why did you summon me?” Lord Orwell asked. “You don’t trust me, so it was foolish to allow me near your library. Not that I’m saying I did anything.”

“Your actions are just as revealing as the contents of the book you hid,” Frederick said. He moved closer to the bed and bent so he could look Lord Orwell in the eye. “Trenton should be sieging cities or countries, but he does nothing. He can’t get the amulet to work. And then you destroy the page we’re looking for. I thought it was to help Trenton, but your actions make no sense. That book is rare, and Trenton had little time with it. He would steal it, not get rid of it.”

“Well there you have it. If I’m suspected of destroying the passage, then I’m innocent of conspiring with Trenton.”

“But that still leaves why you did it,” Frederick said. “What are you trying to erase from history?”

Lord Orwell rolled onto his elbow and eyed Frederick. He didn’t respect him when he was younger and still didn’t. But Frederick had a bit of intelligence that he could admire. “There are two things I care about. My family and my home. I’ll do whatever I have to in order to make sure both are protected.”

“And how does coming here accomplish that?” Frederick asked.

“At this moment, both are safe. If Trenton figures out how to use the amulet, that will change. If I help you, that will also cause harm to my family.”

“You can’t play the middle ground for all of your life, Caspian. At one point, you have to choose a side. What about Sebastian?”

Lord Orwell frowned. “Do not think that you have the right to concern yourself with him.”

“But he cares about Turren,” Frederick said. “Possibly more.”

Lord Orwell rolled his eyes. “Sebastian is naïve, and Prince Turren is fulfilling a childhood curiosity. It will pass, and Sebastian will forget him.”

“What if you’re wrong?”

“If I see anything on Turren’s part that contradicts my belief, then I will consider new options.”

Frederick smiled. “That’s a relief. You’re not questioning Sebastian’s emotions, so you think he loves Turren.”

“A boy with little physical contact with anyone besides family falls in love with the first person who says his cloaks don’t matter? That is not a hard feat, and a prince with pretty words has little competition.”

Frederick blew out his breath and sat on his heels. “You are the biggest cynic I ever met. You cared about your wife despite her beauty, but you think that Turren can’t see beyond Sebastian’s looks too?” Frederick tilted his head to the side. “Has Turren seen what Sebastian looks like under his hood?”

“Knowing my foolish romantic son, probably.”

“Then Turren does care about Sebastian,” Frederick said.

“For as long as the lust lasts, and please don’t compare him to me. I was smarter in my younger days and knew how to avoid assassins.”

“You should listen to reason and allow your son and Turren to live their lives.”

“I am listening to reason and stopping my son from being hurt beyond what can be healed,” Lord Orwell said. “The fickleness of royalty will be as painless a lesson as I can make for him.”

“Turren is not like that.”

“Your prince knew his life was in danger and went in search of Sebastian. If you loved someone, would you put their life in jeopardy?” Lord Orwell asked. “And because I’m not as ignorant as you think me, your answer is important.”

Frederick stood and adjusted his robes. “You are always one step ahead of us, but you won’t always be a step ahead of Trenton. He must suspect your motives too.” He bowed. “Good day, my lord.” He turned and walked out.

Lord Orwell watched the door close behind Frederick and smiled.
He didn’t reveal his relationship with Ophelia in order to give her privacy.
“Now that is a match I approve of,” he said.

S
EBASTIAN
WAVED
his hand in front of the mirror, then planted his chin on the back of his hands. Ophelia appeared at her bedside table, writing a letter with a magicked pen.

“You would be less stressed if you stopped antagonizing Father,” she said while placing her pen down.

“What would be the fun in that?”

“You don’t sound like you’re having fun.”

“How did James and Kevin win against Father?” Sebastian asked.

“Do you really want to know the truth?”

“Yes,” Sebastian said.

“They didn’t win. Father and Mother goaded them into taking paths they thought would be best.”

Sebastian straightened in his chair. “Horseshit. They wanted to strangle those two when they went off to get married.”

“James ended up with a powerful wizard and Kevin married a prosperous blacksmith. If anything, those two were manipulated more than our other siblings,” Ophelia said.

“And those two bastards are probably smug as pie,” Sebastian said. “Where does that leave me?”

“Do you want advice or use of my power?”

“No,” Sebastian said. “Father is right that we need to remain below scrutiny, and your help could bring Trenton’s eyes to us.”

“He’s going to be a problem,” Ophelia said.

“I know that without your power.”

“Yes, but I think Father is in over his head.”

Sebastian rolled his eyes. “Father thinks he knows everything, so good luck telling him that.”

“The best I can promise is that we will come up with a plan when you get home,” Ophelia said. “When we’re not at each other’s throats, all of us make a good team against Mother and Father.”

“He’s going to expect it,” Sebastian warned.

“If you want to show you’re cleverer than him, prove it,” Ophelia said. She smiled. “Enjoy your dinner.”

Someone banged on Sebastian’s door, and he frowned at his sister. She waved good-bye at him, and the mirror went dark. Sebastian went to see who it was and found Turren grinning with a large silver platter balanced on one hand. “I expected a later visit,” Sebastian said as he moved out of the way.

“If you’re breaking the rules, I don’t see why I should follow them.” Turren walked inside and transferred the platter to Sebastian’s bed.

Sebastian shut the door and said nothing about how convenient Turren’s location for their meal was.

Turren lifted the silver domes from the food and bowed extravagantly. “I challenged the chef to wow you because you’re used to Margaret’s cooking. How did I do?”

Sebastian joined Turren’s side and bent over the first plate. He inhaled the light earthy tones of the dark beef soup. Sebastian moved to another plate, and the smell of mushrooms swimming in a cream sauce filled his nose. Next was chicken smothered in—wait, that wasn’t chicken. Sebastian frowned. “Why are you sneaking in weird things?”

“There’s only one strange dish, I promise.”

Sebastian sniffed at the mysterious meat covered in green sauce, but his nose twitched in confusion. It didn’t smell heavy or light, and there were flecks of yellow spices. He frowned at Turren but moved on. A domed chocolate cake sat on a caramel drizzle, and Sebastian moved closer as he caught hints of cinnamon. “Remember, if I die, no sex for you.”

Turren clutched his heart. “I only aim to kill you with pleasure.”

They adjusted pillows so they could sit comfortably on opposite sides of the dishes. Turren produced a bottle of wine from his pocket and glasses from the other one. Sebastian took one and filled it. “You’re being exceptionally charming tonight.”

“I have to deal with the castle on full alert to prevent my death, you are not having a great time with your father, and we could use a night of relaxation.”

Sebastian hugged his hands around the warm bowl of soup. “If all of this food makes me fall asleep, you only have yourself to blame.”

“You sleeping peacefully in my arms won’t be a loss,” Turren said.

“Eat and don’t waste your energy on pretty words.” After saying that, Sebastian held his bowl without eating from it. He glanced at Turren.
I guess I can take my hood off.
He grabbed his hood and lowered it. Turren glanced at him but continued eating. As they ate, Turren’s movements became more energetic, and he talked longer than before. “Does taking off my hood make you that happy?”

“I’m happy that you weigh whatever thoughts you have about it and conclude that you can trust me,” Turren said. “That’s all I ever wanted.”

“I guess you can return to your room when we finish if that’s all you want.”

Turren lunged and stole a spoonful of Sebastian’s cake. He gulped it down and pointed the spoon at Sebastian. “No mocking me.”

“You and your mother have terrible habits.” Sebastian scooted his cake behind him and raised his fork. “Do that again and I will stab your hand.”

Turren frowned. “How do you know my mother steals food?”

Sebastian slid his empty soup bowl out of the way. “She might have popped out of nowhere and accosted me with cake.”

Turren stopped eating. “What day was this?”

“It was the day after we performed the spell on our mirrors. Why?”

“Was it a good cake?” Turren asked. “Maybe a really good cake?”

Sebastian shrugged. “It tasted like….” He trailed off as Turren leaned in to his hear his answer.
That devious royal.

“Go on, Sebastian.”

Sebastian smiled. “It tasted horrible. It was the worst cake I’ve ever had.”