Page 69 of A Fractured Song

“Yes, for now.” His father was unabashed. “So go ahead.”

Zev drew a deep breath, keeping his eyes determinedly away from Azai’s scowl. He was angry enough with his brother not to care what Azai thought. It was his parents he wanted to convince.

“My perspective may have changed,” he said, trying to speak evenly. “But my judgment has never been clearer. I’m not questioning what happened in the past. I’m just questioning the conclusions we’ve drawn from it regarding all songcraft. What the singers did back then was evil, no question. But the problem was never magic. It was how they chose to use that magic. You all mistrust Marieke just because she’s a singer, but she would never use her magic for evil like they did back then.”

“So you think we should just forgive and forget, pretend the slaughter never happened?” Azai asked sarcastically.

“Of course not.” Zev shook his head. “The country will always be fractured while our way of life is built on lies. The rewriting of history is almost as bad as the initial crime. But that doesn’t mean all singers are complicit. Marieke had no idea of the truth—I doubt the rest of the singers who go through the academy know either. She shouldn’t be held accountable for lies told by others—ever since she realized she was lied to, she’s been determined to uncover the truth, even though she has nothing to gain from that and everything to lose.”

His eyes passed between his parents’ faces, willing them to see the truth of his words. “It feels wrong to not care about what’s happening to Oleand. Even if it is a result of what was done to their monarchs, how does it benefit anyone for the land to remain cursed?”

“But Oleand has nothing to do with us,” his father said.

“It has something to do with Marieke,” Zev replied simply. “And that’s enough for me to care. I know it’s probably not enough for you to care, and I don’t blame you. But we’re lying to ourselves if we think we can just cut ourselves off from Oleand and be unaffected by its fate. Do you really think there will be no impact on Aeltas if Oleand becomes so barren it can no longer sustain its inhabitants?”

His father didn’t look happy, but he didn’t contradict Zev’s point.

“And it’s not just the deteriorating land,” Zev pushed on. “There are more disasters happening. Floods and fires and storms. Our neighbor is under attack, and it could very well have something to do with the secret we’ve been keeping. I want to help make it right.”

“How could disasters in Oleand have anything to do with the secret of our ancestry?” Azai protested.

“Not our ancestry,” Zev said. “I’m talking about the slaughter of the royals.”

“It’s the Council of Singers who’ve been keeping that secret,” Azai said. “Both councils.”

“We’ve been keeping it just as surely as they have,” Zev said. “We play our part in this mess.”

“Our part is to stay in Aeltas,” his father said firmly. “Our presence carries a blessing that helps our land to thrive. We’re doing right by Aeltas, and that’s our duty. We owe nothing to Oleand, and we don’t have the power to help it anyway. We have no heartsong there. They killed it when they killed their royal family.”

“Maybe so,” Zev said. “And I know we can’t change the past, or bring the Oleandan monarchs back. But the people of Oleand don’t deserve to suffer any more than the people of Aeltas do. It’s pure luck for the Aeltans of today that our ancestor escaped.”

“I don’t understand,” his mother cut in. “Are you saying you think that the absence of the Oleandan monarchs is contributing to these disasters? Because how can that be? Their monarchs were killed centuries ago.”

“I don’t have that answer,” said Zev. “And I don’t think I have the understanding of magic to figure it out. But others do, and maybe if we were honest about the past, itwould be possible to find a solution to whatever is happening. Marieke was smart enough to make a connection between Oleand’s sufferings and the true history as soon as she found out she’d been lied to. I want to help her find out the truth of whoever or whatever is behind the disasters. She’s convinced they’re connected to the land’s deterioration, and I think she’s right.”

“I wish her every success in finding the problem and solving it,” his mother said simply. “I just don’t want to give my firstborn son to the cause.”

Zev felt his face soften a little as he saw the genuine fear behind his mother’s calm expression.

“You’re not going to lose me, Mother. I’m pretty tough, and I have every intention of surviving whatever misadventure I embark on.” He searched her eyes. “And you’re not in danger of losing me in any other way, either. Not unless you cut me off.”

“That we would never do,” his father assured him. “But I feel as uneasy about all this as your mother does.” He exchanged a look with his wife. “There’s a great deal to think about. We can talk more tomorrow.”

With a nod, Zev’s mother rose. The pair of them bid their sons goodnight and made their way from the room. Zev doubted they would be sleeping any time soon. They were just moving to another room so they could switch from talkingtohim to talkingabouthim.

He stared at the empty doorway for a long moment after they left, trying to muster the energy to deal with the most difficult member of the family. But his brother couldn’t be avoided forever. Zev turned slowly back to see that Azai hadn’t moved. His arms were still crossed, and his eyes bored into Zev’s. Zev realized all at once that while his brother’s words might be aggressive, his posture was defensive. He was afraid, afraid of what Marieke’s presence might do to their family. Maybe even afraid of losing his brother.

“Azai…” Zev started, trying to force his voice not to be combative.

But Azai was having none of it.

“You didn’t even ask about things here,” he said. “You left a mess behind, and you don’t even care.”

Zev frowned. “What do you mean?”

“I mean that we’re under scrutiny from the council. Someone came by here not long after you left for your little rendezvous with your sweetheart.”

Annoyance flickered in Zev, but he pushed it aside, knowing he wouldn’t get answers from his brother if he started a fight. “Who came by here?”

---