Page 99 of The Twisted Mark
Voluntarily choosing not to use it is one thing, but the thought of it not actually being there is like a physical pain—and now the lien isn’t an issue, I’d like to keep using it a bit more anyway. Besides, however much I want to believe that he has no intention of further expanding the Dome, Chrissie had reassured me that even if he did want to, he didn’t have quite enough power to do anything large-scale. And I guess he’d sort of hinted at something similar. I can’t risk my magic tipping the balance.
I’ve chosen this private, sacred place so I can let him down gently, without our family listening in. And so I can try once more to get a straight answer about what he’s done in the past and what he intends to do in the future.
“Hey,” Bren says, suddenly traversing into place. He’s clearly forgotten Nan’s old advice about the walk here being half the point.
“Shall we go in?” I take his hand and lift it up. We open the door together and step through the ruined arch and into the perfectly preserved church inside. However many times I activate this particular piece of magic, it never ceases to thrill me.
“You’re doing the right thing,” Bren says, the second we’re inside. “With your power added to mine, the family will be unstoppable.”
I study the stained-glass windows, trying to memorise every pane. “Bren, listen to me—”
“At best, you sit on all that power, fighting the urge to use it. Which must be exhausting.” He paces up and down the aisle, barely looking at me. “At worst, it bursts out of you. Power and no control.”
I sit down on the pew nearest the door. “Bren, I haven’t said I’ll do it. You’re out and you’ve not got to worry about the risk of me dropping the case. I’m back to being your sister rather than your lawyer. And we’re somewhere it’s hard to lie. So I’m going to ask you one more time for the truth about you and the Dome.”
Brendan sits down on the back pew next to me. It’s cosy, safe, like something from childhood. No need for drama, though it’s unclear whether he’s about to tell me everything or try once more to persuade me to give him my magic.
“Sadie, please don’t do this.”
Gabriel appears out of nowhere in the pew in front, facing towards us. He’s back in the white linen suit and there are no traces of his injuries.
Brendan’s hands are up in a fraction of a second. “Don’t push me, Thornber. This is Sadler family business.”
I lift my own hands in turn and mentally raise my protective shields. I don’t think I’ll need them, even after what I did to Gabriel, but it’d be madness not to do so.
“I sensed this was happening,” Gabriel says, speaking to me and entirely ignoring Bren. “On some subconscious level, you were calling out for help. I couldn’t just stand by and let it happen.”
“Why are you so desperate to stop this?” I ask. “Because you don’t want me powerless, or because you don’t want my brother more powerful than you?”
He smiles. “You know me. At least two reasons, always.”
Bren stands, murder in his eyes. “Just this month, you’ve had me falsely imprisoned, killed one of my best friends, slept with my fiancée, and done God-knows-what to my baby sister. So, let’s settle this the old-fashioned way. One-on-one duel to the death, magic only.”
I grab his arm and try to force him to sit back down. “Bren, no. This is crazy.”
He shrugs off my grip. “Because you don’t think I can take him, or because you don’t want me to?”
“You know I trust your powers. You know I’m loyal to this family. There’s just no need for these extremes. I’ve got you out of prison. Renegotiate a peace.”
“I’m sorry, Sadie. You’ve been away too long. You don’t understand how these things work.” He takes a few steps away from me and fronts up to Gabriel.
Against all the odds, I look to Gabriel to be the voice of reason, but he’s nodding. “Fine, let’s do it. I’m not going to be as cocky as I would be with anyone else and say I’ll win for sure. I respect your power too much for that, and I’m still recovering. But I’ve got a fighting chance.”
I get to my feet. “What? Seriously, don’t do this.”
“Sadie, get the hell out of here,” Brendan orders. “This isn’t about you. This fight’s long overdue. But I don’t want you getting involved or getting caught in the crossfire.”
“I agree,” Gabriel says.
It’s probably the first time they’ve ever agreed on anything.
“No way am I going anywhere,” I snap, moving my hands and letting my defensive shield morph into something more controlling. “You both need to stop this right now.”
“Bubble of protection around the two of us, keep her out of range?” Gabriel muses.
Brendan nods. “Sure.”
They shake hands, and a bubble closes around them and drags them away towards the altar, leaving me languishing in the pew, locked out. What the hell am I supposed to do? Whatever happens, someone I love is going to get hurt, perhaps even killed. Neither of them is exactly innocent, but I don’t give a damn about that right now.