Page 74 of Enchantment of Silver and Sea
“How?” It seemed like the logical thing to ask.
Maybe the question indicated some kind of acceptance because Westley’s toothy smile brightened even more. “That’s something we’re eager to learn ourselves. Your mother and Irene both had similar experiences, although separate from one another, where they accidentally siphoned outside the walls. That’s when they learned of their abilities.”
Oh, no.
A stomach-twisting dread washed over me. The kind that only comes when you realize something that you very much do not want to be true is, in fact, true.
When we were crossing the wall. Kieran jerked my hands away from his arms. Away from the tattoo that contained the magic of the Springing Spell.
And earlier. In bed. The surge of…strength that I felt. The way he lifted my hands from his shoulders. Breaking the connection.
Bile rose in my throat, and I clamped my hand to my mouth. As if that would stop it.
I turned to Kieran. I could feel by the subtle shifting of The Council members in their seats that it was right on cue, exactly what they wanted. But I didn’t care. “You knew about this?”
Finally, he twisted to face me. His jaw was set. “Yes.”
“You and—you knew that I could wield magic?” I had started to say Nya’s name, but somehow, even in the midst of the storm of chaos that was thundering in my head, I had the presence of mind not to mention her name in front of The Council. Just in case.
“Yes,” he repeated.
“So you didn’t—when you first—I mean, you knew from the beginning?” There was so much that I was afraid to say.
“Yes.”
Somewhere far away, I mused that this was much like the first time that Nya and Kieran had visited me. When all I could say, as Nya spelled out how the interaction was going to play out, was “Yes.”
“How?” I demanded.
“I can’t answer that.” There was an unspokenright nowat the end of his sentence.
Fine. He didn’t have to answer now. Or at all. Because even as I asked the question, I was already remembering everything that Cecil had shared with me.
Irene had obviously told him about her abilities. Maybe even demonstrated them.
Not with me, her sister. Her sister who had those same abilities and could have used her guidance. Used her fucking trust and transparency. But with Cecil, some man she had met in the woods.
Cecil knew. Nya and Kieran knew. All of the Strangers knew.
“When were you going to tell me?” I pressed.
“Today.”
I heard a scoff across the table. It sounded like it came fromQuinn.
“So all this time, you knew that I was a…a Conductor. And that’s why you sought me out. And you didn’t want me to know at first.” My thoughts were picking up speed. Piling on, one after the other. Piecing it together. Then it snapped into place.
“Everything you all were doing,” I whispered. At the change in my tone, Kieran’s eyes softened. As if he knew the conclusion I had just reached. “You all aren’t just trying to survive out there. Outside. You’re trying to get inside. Inside the walls.”
I didn’t wait for him to answer. To deny it.
“You’re trying to infiltrate Cyllene. And you were using me to help you do it.”
Even though we had the eyes of The Council and all theEnforcerson us, including Zander, it suddenly felt like we were the only two people in the room.
“You said you needed me for…unrelated things. For an unrelated purpose. But you knew I had this ability. And you thought…what? That you could get me on your side, convince me of how evil Cyllene was? And then I would use my abilities to help you destroy The Council? Destroy the whole city and everyone in it?”
“None of what I told you was a lie,” he cut in. He put an ever so slight emphasis on “I,” as if pointing out in a way that only I could understand that he was speaking for Nya and the others as well. “Everything that I asked for your help with was legitimate. You knew that I was trailing you for a while. And yeah, I made sure the things you were helping me with were things you would know about. But I still used your advice. I followed through on your suggestions. None of that was a lie.”
