Page 35 of Dead Wrong

“If I’m so safe, then why am I bound?”

“You’ve fractured, Tobi. There was no telling what state you were going to wake up in. We had to make sure you weren’t going to do something stupid.”

“Like get myself killed?” I huffed a breath. “Yeah, I already handled that.”

“You have every right to be upset,” Bastien offered, turning back to me again. “But if you’re up for it, I’d like to tell you how you got here. I can’t promise it’ll be helpful, but it could spark some specific memories. Fill in the gaps you’re looking for. I won’t force it, though. If you’d rather wait, then I understand?—”

“Tell me,” I interrupted, a surprising desperation in my voice. “Please, help me make sense of all this, Bast. You said there was a plan—who made it?”

Bastien nodded, clearing his throat. “We’ll get to that, but first there’s a few things you should know. A rumored plot against Lynette started circling around the City of Magi a few weeks ago. She would be targeted on the night of her appointment once she’d officially taken your mother’s mantle as Councilor. Those behind the attack would then fabricate evidence, leading the investigation toward Rudderkin as the prime suspect. The Council would have no choice but to immediately declare an all-out war against the Rebellion.

“Lenny says that she was aware of the rumors, that she was taking extra precautions that night, but that there was still work to be done. Rudderkin and the others begged her to keep hidden after the ceremony, to make herself a smaller target. Lenny told them to kindly ‘fuck off’ and that she had important things to take care of that night, that she couldn’t let fear keep her from what needed to happen. When the two of you left the ceremony, Rudderkin had three of his best spies tailing you just to make sure she stayed safe. It must have happened so fast, though. All three of them were gone in an instant. They weren’t expecting it to come from one of your own—an Adored assailant. You were the only one with her when they attacked.”

An Adored? Was that who killed me? Who would risk the ire of the Greene family? Even if I was the most expendable among them. It didn’t make sense.

Bastien’s throat bobbed as he swallowed, his gaze falling to the floor. “I was new to the Rebellion—I guess I still am. After what happened between us… I wanted to make a difference. Call it my subtle way of coming to terms with my power, but I figured it was as good a cause as any. And I wouldn’t have to deal with any of those Hallowed assholes breathing down my neck, at least. After the attack, Lynette came here. Rudderkin sent more operatives to escort her before the assassin could make another attempt on her life. She told me about what you did, Tobias. The bravery you showed when it mattered most.

“I’ve been around death my whole life, you know. It doesn’t frighten me. But when I thought of you crossing through those doors, all by yourself, I couldn’t allow it. I revealed myself to Lynette and showed her the marks that I had glamoured away, the proof of my heritage. And she—” he paused, swallowing again. “She didn’t even bat an eyelash. She didn’t recoil in disgust or pass any judgments. She wrapped me in an embrace and told me that it broke her heart I had to hide what I was.”

My chest ached at the image. That Lynette would be the one to comfort Bastien and not me. A flare of jealousy flickered along with the hurt, but I swallowed them down.

“I offered my services. I could bring you back. If we got to your body in time, I could pull you from Death’s door. She went to Rudderkin, and the two of them sent out more operatives to see what had become of your body. But it was already gone by the next morning, scooped up during the night. We kept searching, reaching out to discreet contacts to try and find you. Then, you came to us. Orion was looking for a Reviled to pay for an off-the-books resurrection with the highest discretion. I knew it was you before I even made contact. It had to be you.

“I didn’t think I’d make it in time. Typically, revivifications require specific prep work. Burial rites. My Grandmother passed them all down to me. All I could think of was, what if I couldn’t bring you back? And there you were. It was like you were sleeping, Tobias. Like all I had to do was reach out and give you a gentle shake. You responded right away to my magic. I created the Verdant gem and fused it to your body. It was stupid, but I thought to myself that it must be because of our history together, how I was able to call you back when you had been dead for nearly three days.”

He looked up at me again, an apologetic smile bending the edges of his mouth. “And the rest was history. I planned on sneaking you away at the earliest chance, but Orion was watching us like a hawk. I’m sorry it took so long to get some help to bust us out of there.”

“Why didn’t you just tell me this from the beginning?” I asked, my head swimming with the onslaught of information. “We were alone at Lorelei’s. You could have just told me everything.”

“I didn’t want to rouse suspicions before I could get you away from there,” Bastien explained. “If the Adored knew that you lived, possibly with the knowledge of the assailant, your life would be at risk once again. So, I leaned into the lie. Played the part of the scorned lover, if only to keep Orion at bay. That was, of course, before I knew she was a fucking Truthsayer. Who knows what she actually believed anything I said.”

It was starting to make sense. At least a little. But did that really mean that he wasn’t coming to bury me again? Had it all been a ruse?

“I’m sorry, again, that it took so long to get you back here. But you’re safe, Tobias.” Bastien took another step closer, still cautious. “Once you’ve recovered from this ordeal, and I have some time to prep, I can perform the true resurrection rite, and you’ll be back to your full strength.”

“True resurrection?” I repeated.

He nodded in response. “Right now, you’re technically revivified. That’s a temporary state. With the true resurrection, you won’t have to worry about fracturing any longer. It’ll make you whole again.”

Could it be that simple? I was still trying to wrap my mind around the deluge. More memories flashed through my mind, like bubbles rising to the surface of my consciousness, too numerous to track. They overwhelmed me, so much so that I had to sit back, resting my head against the pillow.

“You said all this was planned,” I recalled, closing my eyes and letting the roiling memories sink into the background of my thoughts. “By who?”

“Lynette,” Bastien answered. “She said that you saved her life that night. That you’d save us all, if we could get to you in time.”

Save them all? What did she mean? I wished she was still there, if only to explain all this in a way that didn’t make my head feel like it was about to collapse in on itself.

“I should let you rest,” Bastien said, turning over his shoulder and moving towards the exit of the tent. “I’ll come back when you’re ready, and we can keep talking. I—” he stops himself, clearing his throat and finishing with, “I’m glad you’re here, Tobi. I’m glad… well, I’m just glad you’re still with us.”

“Wait.” I tried to stand, but between the restraints and the cacophony of noise in my mind, I couldn’t keep my balance. Bastien moved in a blur, catching me at the waist before I could topple over.

Heat spread across my face as I looked up at the man, the locs of his hair hanging into his ochre eyes. He helped me to my feet, making sure I was steady before releasing his hold. “What is it?”

I shook the fluttery feeling from my stomach, chiding myself for the way the heat lingered at the site of Bastien’s touch.

“You’re coming back, right?”

His crooked smile shone in the dark, twinkling like a star amongst the inky cosmos.

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