The Songbird

Chapter 22: Confess

"Sam, what are you doing here?" He asked, and Lorenzo was surprised to hear the edge come out of his voice, the sound matching the youth of his face.

"I got tired of staying in bed. Besides, I feel fine. And like I said, he's lying."

"Dante, I assure you, I speak nothing but the truth," said Lorenzo.

"Oh, how he mocks me," teased the other knight, Sam, slinking in beside Dante to watch the show. Now that he was closer, Lorenzo could see that he was younger, younger than even Dante, with blond hair and a sly smile.

"Tell the truth," Dante said simply.

"But I am, I-"

"Look here, smart guy," Sam cut in. "I'm not really supposed to say this, but since Dante has his shadows out, might as well. I can hear every inhale of yours, every stutter of your heart and the blood rushing through you. It is physically impossible to hide a lie from me, so don't bother."

"What kind of monsters-"

Lorenzo didn't get to finish the insult as another shadow wound its way around his middle and pulled him to the floor, and he hit the ground with a resounding thump and a cry of pain.

"How did you blackmail her to work for you?" Dante said, stepping toward Lorenzo and leaning down next to his form. "I will not ask again."

"Please, don't..." Lorenzo trailed off, body flooded with terror as part of it screamed to stay silent and the other part begged to answer. He trembled, considering his situation and what could happen if he didn't speak up.

"If it's any interest to you, we're not going to hurt her," offered the more cheerful knight, but Lorenzo just shook his head.

"I don't give a damn about her," he snarled. "I just don't want to go to jail."

"Tell us what you know, and I promise, you won't have to," said Dante, sounding sincere.

The admission gave him comfort in his defeat, and he felt himself sag further into the floor as he confessed the story to the two of them, not sparing any details as he recounted that day, recounted Serris and Damien, recounted the baby who'd grown into a young woman unaware of what she could do, unaware of the deal her parents had struck with him to keep her safe.

When he was done, the shadows retreated, and the room was flooded with light once more. Lorenzo scrambled from the floor and away from the knights, coming to stand on the opposite end of the room toward the door.

"What scum you are," said Sam, eyes furrowed in disgust.

"Now you know everything," said Lorenzo, ignoring the insult. "Go and get her, do what you want. Just leave me be, please."

Dante and Sam shared a look, seeming to work out something without words. After a few seconds, Sam gave a nod and came over to Lorenzo. He bowed away, but Sam grabbed him by the shoulders and twisted him around to wrap a rope around his wrists.

"What on earth are you doing?" Lorenzo demanded.

"Arresting you," he said, as if it were obvious.

"But you said-"

"I lied," Dante cut in. "I'm not about to allow someone who knowingly shielded a Favor Born for almost twenty years go free. I have what I need. Abbott will decide your fate from here."

Lorenzo desperately tried to shake Sam off, but strength failed him in his aging state as the knight only pulled harder and tightened the rope more.

"Don't struggle," Sam said. "Trust me, this is a better alternative to shadows. Unless you'd prefer it that way?"

Lorenzo went slack, body sagging in defeat, and heard Dante quietly tell Sam to take him to the castle. He was escorted outside his house, meeting the eyes of his neighbors as he went. One in particular, an old woman named Elizabeth, sent him a smug grin from her window, and he mentally cursed her a thousand times over.

The only person he cursed more was Mina, wondering what sort of trouble she'd gotten herself into to draw this kind of attention, what sort of trouble had ended Lorenzo's livelihood and put him on the road to a jail cell.

Sam said they weren't going to hurt her.

Lorenzo prayed that was another lie.