Page 126 of At the Mercy of Midnight
The door opened before she could knock, and her heart leapt into her throat, panic immediately coursing through her body at the sight of the woman there.
Her mother's eyes widened in surprise, a mixture of relief and apprehension.
“Amelia,” her mother said, her cold voice sending shivers down her spine. “Come in.”
A command, an expectation.
Her fingers shook, her teeth clenched. But she would not show them she was afraid. She was a storm. She was not the same teenager who had run. Amelia stepped after her mother, keeping a healthy distance between them.
Inside, the house was as immaculate as ever, a stark contrast to the turmoil churning within her. Photographs adorned the walls, and she was stunned to find many of her own face, barely managing a facsimile of a smile.
“You said you would never return here,” her mother said, voice like a memory that cut through her skin. She turned when they reached the sitting area, looking at her daughter and folding her arms across her white blouse. “I suppose you’ve come to ask us for something?”
Amelia’s mouth opened, but then her father stepped into the room, wearing a dark grey jumper, and looking down at a notebook, glasses propped on his nose. She stalled at the sight of him, sucking in sharp breath. He heard it, and glanced up, pausing, eyes widening.
He snapped the book shut and looked between Amelia and his wife, something creeping into his eyes that she didn’t understand. Something like triumph.
Unease settled within, and she took a step backwards.
“Amelia,” her father said. “This is certainly a surprise.”
She raised her head, glaring at him. The man who was supposed to love her, protect her. “I won’t be staying long,” Amelia asserted, surprised at the strength in her voice that she did not feel. “I’m working on a project, and I need archive access in the Spire. I came for your blood rite.”
She only knew of the term because she’d heard Halpert speaking of it. A ring, inlaid with a blood crystal that had beenformed with the High Scholar’s essence within, granting access to the restricted area. Amelia spied it on her father’s finger as he clutched the book to his chest.
Her father raised a thick brow, looking down at the golden ring, the blood-red crystal winking at him.
He breathed out a sigh through his nose. “What project?”
“Classified,” Amelia said, holding his unwavering gaze.
Her mother let out a small breath. She looked over at her, dark eyes cold as they gazed at her only child. “I knew it. You only came here for something, crawling back when you need a favour.”
Amelia bit into the side of her cheek until she tasted blood, raw anger swelling until she could feel it vibrating in her fingertips.
Her father cleared his throat, bringing her attention back to him. “You may use my blood rite,” he said, and Amelia’s heart jumped with sudden hope. “But we will require a favour in return.”
The hope deflated as quickly as it had swelled. She shifted her weight uneasily. “What favour would that be?”
“We've been working on a solution,” her father began. “The Rift's expansion is accelerating. We believe activating your intelligence rune could be the key to completing a formula your mother and I have worked on for many years.”
Amelia’s spine tingled at the mention, the carved runes reacting to the mere suggestion.
Dread.
Panic.
Rage.
She shook with all of it.
“No,” she said firmly. “You used me for years. I’ll never let you or anyone do that to me. Ever. Again.” Her voice was firm,yet it shook with the underlying emotions, with the taste of fear on her tongue.
Her mother tutted softly, and Amelia swung her head to look at her. “Don’t be so selfish, Amelia. This could save countless lives.”
Amelia breathed out with disbelief. “I will never be manipulated again, mother. If you need intelligence beyond your own comprehension—Rune. Your. Damn. Self.” She enunciated each word, almost spitting the last at her mother.
Her mother rolled her eyes. “You were always overly dramatic,” she sighed at Amelia. “You never strictly applied yourself to the sciences. The runes enhanced your true nature. We helped you.”
