Wow. “That’s how his swarms of banwyn are coming here, too, isn’t it? They’re eating people.”
He nodded again. “We wiped out one of his swarms on the night Connor attacked you.” His eyes darkened. “But he would have gone back to their realm to bring more. Because he devoured the banwyn spark stone, he can come and go as he pleases.”
I took a deep sip of my beer, trying to quiet the panic that kept rearing up in my gut. It felt like every other moment, a new worry rooted itself inside me. “If Audrina is in the Berserker realm–”
As usual, he seemed to know exactly what I was thinking. “She would not have had to consume any blood. As long as she was pulled through by a willing full-blooded berserker, she would make it through their portal easily. Besides, I doubt they would take her there. Berserkers are not stupid. She would not survive there for long.”
“Great,” I said weakly. So, Audrina wouldn’t be corrupted by blood. But she could still be dead.
I needed to change the subject. “Tell me about the other assassins. I know about Agarthon, your old swordmaster. Who are the others?”
“There are three.” Donovan settled back in his seat. “You met Purg. He was our royal tutor, a mage. Connor corrupted him while I was away—when I went to my military service.”
“He didn’t have to do military service?”
“No.” He shook his head once, abruptly. “Connor was, as Lady Bronwyn said, devoid of the burden of duty, spoiled rotten, and left to his own devices.” For a quick second, his brow creased. “She was also right about one other thing. I am starting to redirect my anger. I feel more enraged with my parents for allowing him so much freedom. Without a purpose, Connor was left to fester like a boil.”
“You should still be angry at Connor. He’s responsible for his own actions.”
Donovan nodded thoughtfully. “I did not see it that way. I was never angry at him.”
“So, who were you angry with?”
“Myself.” He held my gaze. “It was my duty to make sure Connor followed his own path as second-in-line, and I failed him.”
“Except there is no path as second-in-line. And he’s a grown adult.”
He nodded slowly. “Anger is difficult to let go of. The weight of duty is hard to shift.” He met my eyes again, the tension around his jaw softening. “Speaking of these things helps. You are even more perceptive than Lady Bronwyn.”
A blush rose in my cheeks. “Tell me more about Purg.”
“He is a Batalan, like Nate, his uncle, in fact. A combat mage. His role was to teach us to use offensive magic in battle.” He glared down at the table. “Purg is an exceptionally powerful mage. Connor whispered lies in his ear for years, suggesting to Purg that, as the strongest kingdom in Faerie, we should begin conquering the weaker realms for their own good. He also began to convince Purg that he was the firstborn—the true heir—and he had been cast aside for me, the dutiful son who obeyed his parent’s orders.” Donovan sighed. “He convinced Purg to murder a pikiwidyn so they could enter the pikiwidyn realm. I believe that was the thing that broke Purg for good. Once you have imbibed the magic essence of a creature, it gives you power, but it takes away a part of your soul. Now, both Purg and Agarthon are broken shells of who they used to be.”
Purg was even more broken now. I sincerely hoped that it took him a long time to recover from being squished by a school bus. “And the other assassin?”
“Grisela.” His jaw ticked. “She was our old nanny. She did not have much of a soul to begin with. Her purpose was to feed and protect us.”
“Your nanny? Connor corrupted your nanny?”
He nodded.
“And, uh, this Grisela. Is she magical?”
“In a way, I suppose. She is a troll.”
“Oh.” For a second, I was truly speechless. Connor really had taken everything that Donovan had loved. His tutors, his nanny, his fiancé. Now he was trying to take the crown and all the Worlds.
I met Donovan’s eye. Anyone else, when looking at him, would just see a shockingly handsome man. But I saw a man filled with grief. “I’m so sorry.”
He cocked his head. “Whatever for?”
“I’m sorry your brother has done all that to you. You’ve had an awful time, Donovan. It’s not fair that your parents put all this on you.”
“It is—”
“Your duty. I know.” I took a big gulp of my beer to try to stifle the yawn that threatened to erupt out of me. “That doesn’t change anything. It still sucks that it’s all on you to clean up the mess that your brother is making. None of this is your fault.”
“It–”
“None,” I said firmly. “Your parents made their choices, and Connor made his own choices. You need to start offloading some of this guilt you feel, because you don’t deserve any of it.” A memory nudged me. “And it’s especially not fair that your brother is your identical twin, and he pretends to be you sometimes. As far as I’m concerned, that’s the worst thing he could do.”
Donovan put his arms on the table and leaned closer, putting his head close to mine. I caught his scent, and the edges of my vision went fuzzy.
“You are the only person in my memory who wasn’t fooled,” he whispered. “When I realized he was in your House, with you, I lost all hope. I thought he would do something awful and turn you against me, like he has done so many times before.”
I shook my head. “I knew right away.”
“How did you know?”
“I honestly don’t understand how anyone could not realize it.” My mind’s eye threw up the memory of Connor, standing by the window. “He’s nothing like you.”
“We are identical.”
Without thinking, I put my hand on top of his. “The outside might be identical. The insides couldn’t be more different. Connor is completely different from you, Donovan. You’ve had different experiences, and that might have contributed to both of you being the way you are, but at its essence, you are two completely different souls.” I shrugged. “In the next life, you will have nothing to do with each other. It was obvious to me.”
“But for this life, we are chained,” he said, scowling, the fury rising again. “I confess it is not the only chain that the fates have forced on me that I have lamented, but it is the only chain I despise now.”
“What does—”
