Page 48 of Sharpen Your Claws

William wouldn’t bluff. He knocked.

“Come in.”

He entered an office unlike their father’s. Where Robert’s office was meticulously clean, Henry’s may have done better if a tornado ripped through. Papers covered the walls with crooked handwriting. Books piled high in every corner, some laid open, forgotten on the floor. A pair of large windows illuminated the office rather than the chandelier that hung unlit from a long chain. Henry sat on his desk, legs crossed, with a book in his lap and four more hovering around his head. Those four dropped with loud ‘thunks’ followed by Henry’s surprised voice; “William? What are you doing here?”

He carefully maneuvered around Henry’s chaos. He didn’t know what half the items scattered about were, from crystals in the shapes of animals to items resembling jewels and ornaments teetering on the edge of shelves. Henry apparently thrived in an environment that could fall to pieces from the slightest breeze.

“I need to discuss a few things with you.” He swatted at a piece of paper in the shape of a butterfly passing by his nose. “How do you work in this mess?”

Henry called upon the wind whenever he pleased after he discovered he had the Sight. Making objects float had been a favorite pastime, and an easy way to frighten his brothers in the middle of the night. Though they knew the curtains fluttering or a window open could have been Henry, in the silent dark, they often ran screaming anyway.

Henry laughed. “I work perfectly well in my mess, thank you very much. Now, what do you want to discuss? You never come to visit me at work.”

Visiting was never on his agenda. Members of Heign’s Magical Society spoke to him not long after he returned home. They had questions about his arm, how he survived, and what he witnessed, particularly with Nicholas and Fearworn. They hoped he had better knowledge of what happened, but he proved disappointing, and frankly, he wouldn’t have shared. The questions were invasive. They saw him as an object in the same way the king did, a specimen to study and believed he would understand because it was for science. He didn’t fault Henry for that, but it made him hesitant to risk a visit, considering who else he may run into.

He didn’t know how to tell Henry he was leaving. He hadn’t determined how to tell their parents, either.

“It seems this discussion will not be a pleasant one, either.” Henry pushed himself off the desk where papers crunched beneath his boots.

“My missing patients are being taken to Faerie,” William said, because being blunt was the only option he could think of.

Based on his darkened expression, Henry caught on quickly. “Meaning you will follow them, and their captors, to Faerie.”

“Yes.”

“Do our parents know about this?”

He wished not to tell them at all. All he could do was give a lie that would make his departure easier. Should Matilda know he might have to battle shadowed disciples again, that Fearworn could be involved, and he’d be in Faerie, land that all of Terra feared, she would be beyond distraught. Henry knew that too.

“Not yet,” he muttered.

“So you have come to your dear older brother because he has more experience with Faerie.”

“I hoped you would have information that may help us. Shadowed disciples took them, Henry. Something is going on and I fear what it may be.”

“How did shadowed disciples make it into Alogan? My colleagues set up protection. We should know if they cross our borders,” said Henry urgently.

“Nicholas said there is a shimmer in the sewer, one we never knew of.”

Henry stroked his chin. “Strange. You must have Nicholas tell me where. It will have to be monitored. Now, what is it you wish to learn from me?”

“That’s it?” He hardly resisted the urge to twiddle his thumbs. “You are not upset that I’m leaving? No lecture or attempts to convince me otherwise?”

“Upset that you are risking your life for your patients?” Henry replied around a laugh that rumbled in the back of his throat. “That is so very like you. I couldn’t possibly be upset. Besides, there is no point telling you no. Once you set your mind to something, you will see it through, and my best bet is to help in every way I can to ensure your quick and safe return.”

William appreciated that. It would be one less person to be upset with him. “You’ve been in contact with fae even after the end of the treaty. If you know anything concerning peculiar magic, even if they are rumors, I would appreciate it.”

Henry laid his hands on the desk behind him, leaning slightly. “That is a tough question. There is much more magic in this world than most believe, particularly from Faerie. Their magic is wild and dangerous in ways they don’t even fathom, more likely because they aren’t so inquisitive about it. They accept everything as it is while we mortals want to pick everything apart.”

“To be more specific, then, have you seen or heard anything of magic requiring people? Sacrifices perhaps?” he asked. “I can’t imagine why else they would take my patients to Faerie.”

Henry’s frown spoke before he did. “Yes, there are many acts in Faerie requiring a life, blood rituals of sort. Most have to do with empowering oneself or their land, but if shadowed disciples are involved, this likely has to do with Fearworn.” Henry stepped past him to inspect the hall. He shut the door and came to William’s side. “You cannot speak of this outside of my office. Do you understand?”

He nodded tensely.

“There is an entire team dedicated to studying shimmers. We know so little about them. They can be volatile, but some believe a powerful surge of energy, like magic or souls, however we wish to describe it, could open further pathways. It could have been how Fearworn achieved it, sacrificing his disciples, beasts, or both. These disciples very well may continue their master’s work, attempting to open more after his demise.”

Bile rose in his throat. He forced it down with a hard gulp. “Does the king know of this?”

---