Page 97 of Twisted Truths
Fuck.
All I have is more unanswered questions, and the only people who can answer them are either dead or in a coma. I’ll have to confront Levi, but I don’t want to do that until the morning. Until I hear his side of the story, Paige doesn’t need the stress of it all. I’ll give him one chance to come clean and tell me about Paul and the money, but his actions put my family in danger. I’m not sure we can move forward from that.
“Did you find any other connections between your parents and Crawley?” I ask, trying to distract myself from my dark thoughts.
Gabriel shakes his head. “Nothing.”
“Do you think they had him put in a coma?” Hadley asks.
He pauses, thinking. “I don’t know. But if his attack was related to the murders, why not finish the job?”
“Maybe they were interrupted,” I muse.
“So, we still think he was involved?” Hadley glances between me and Gabriel. “We still think he was working with them?”
“If it wasn’t him, then we’re back to square one,” I say, rubbing a hand over my face. “Fuck. It’s like we keep going around in circles. One step forward, two steps back.”
“I’m not ruling out my parents’ involvement, but maybe they weren’t working with Crawley.”
Hadley looks up at me, her brow crinkled. “Why would someone put him in a coma?”
“Because he’s an arsehole,” I mutter. “I don’t know. But if he wasn’t working with them, who was?”
I stare at a scuff mark on the laminate kitchen bench as my mind drifts back to the compass still sitting on Ziggy’s desk.Who does it belong to, and where have I seen it before? The memory is like smoke blowing in the wind, twisting just outside my reach.
“Grimshaw is going to do more digging. We’re close to finding something,” Gabriel says with conviction. “I can feel it. But if we bring my parents down, I’m sure I can convince my dad to give us answers about who was involved with your family’s murders. He’s a pawn in my mother’s game, not the mastermind. I promise I’ll get the answers you deserve.”
I’m not sure I believe him, but we have no other leads, so I nod.
“It’s not the only news I have, though. I took the opportunity to visit my uncle while I was in Sydney. My mum’s youngest brother.”
I lift my eyes, looking at him warily. The dread in his voice sends a ripple down my spine.
“When we lost Ezekial, my uncle was furious at my parents. Accused them of neglect and said they’d lost their damn minds with all of this spiritual nonsense. I hadn’t seen or spoken to him since we left Sydney, but now that I’m exiled, he finally gave me access to some of my father’s private notes, which his son stole.”
My brows raise. “His son?”
Gabriel nods. “When I was nineteen, my cousin came to us after he was diagnosed with cancer. We lost my aunt when he was only young, and Jed was convinced it was the devil’s work. He threw himself into the Circle life, and my father was happy to take him under his wing. Unfortunately, without the proper treatment, Jed fell ill and deteriorated rapidly.”
Anger floods my veins. How many people have to suffer before these people are brought to justice?
“According to the letter my uncle received from Jed after his death, he had begged my parents to let him return toSydney, but they refused, telling him he needed to stay the course, that the sickness was part of his spiritual cleansing. My mother tried to convince him that his suffering meant he was shedding his mortal corruption.”
I mutter a curse under my breath. Seraphina Solomon is a fucking psychopath.
“Knowing he didn’t have long, Jed tried to get closer to my father to discover what their end goal was. Whether he felt vindicated by Jed showing an interest in their plans, or he knew my cousin didn’t have long left, my father opened up about everything. Jed wrote it all down. I’m still not sure how he got the letter and his notebook posted to my uncle, but I’ve read over some of it, and—” he pauses, shaking his head. “It’s not good.”
“What was it?” I choke out when Gabriel’s expression turns pained. I’m not sure I want to know the details.
Tension thrums through Hadley’s body, and I tighten my grip around her waist.
Gabriel exhales. “In order to fulfill the Divine Light prophecy, they need to complete the Ritual of Illumination.”
I blink, dumbfounded. “What the hell does that mean?”
“The ritual uses the energy of an eclipse. Since Franklin was born under the annular eclipse, they consider him even more powerful than what they initially believed. At midnight on the eve of his third month Earthside, he will undertake a blood rite and cleansing fire. They will mark him with the divine rune.”
The words sink into my gut like a stone. My throat goes dry. “He’s almost eleven weeks old.”
