After the Walls

Chapter 19

"Why does he want the Floodgates if not for revenge or safety from the sickness?" Ajax swirls his ale. "I don't understand."

"He was part of the Red Movement," Edward says. "He got sick. His being partially human would explain why he could be sick. I'd need to look at his files to see what I pegged him as given he must have healed quickly."

I drink the ale and wipe the dribble from my chin. "There must have been someone else in the Red Movement you experimented on for him to want your head so badly."

"Maybe his father or a lover?" Ruben says, shooting his brother a dirty look.

Edward purses his lips, hurt glinting in his eyes. "I'll have to look at his files."

"It must have been someone he loved deeply. Someone human. They must have died," Ruben continues, plowing on with the anger of a God of Wrath. "I'm not sure he fed you lies, Elle. I think he wants the shadowteeth blood to heal his loved ones from the sickness. He wants the control he didn't have when he was Edward's prisoner."

Edward grunts, muttering a curse under his breath. "I am no longer that awful person."

Ruben rolls his eyes and snorts. "Seems like your awful, knotted past is still unraveling, still chasing you down. Turns out, you couldn't hide for too long behind father's throne."

Aston chews his lip, snatching my pint of ale since his empty, and apparently, mine is up for grabs. He takes a drink.

"Hey!" I say, grabbing it back.

"Sorry, Elle. I couldn't be bothered heading to the bar and I need it." He laughs. "Seriously though, this man and his magical army are apparently running around the city, and they will arrive in less than two weeks."

Ruben nods. "We must change tactics. I think he's a man of his word and he will be here when the moon disappears from the sky—when there's a new moon. But I'm not sure we should sit around waiting for him."

"Are you saying we seek them out in the city?" I ask, glancing around the shadowy bar as if I'm expecting to see a fishtail drooping from someone's pants.

"We should find his base," Ruben says. "There must be some clues in the library."

The barman swoops by, clearing the table of the empty pints, and we fall silent. Aston requests another beer.

As soon as the barman places a frothy ale before Aston and trudges away, I lean forward. "Do you think the library holds literature about the sirens?"

Edward tilts towards me, a smirk on his face. "Does that mean we'll have more time in the library together, Miss Elle? I believe you offered to help me find information about the shadowteeth too."

"Nothing like a cozy study session," I say through gritted teeth. "Ruben, care to join us? Could use another pair of eyes."

"I have lots of training to do," Ruben says, shooting an uneasy glare at his brother. "We will need to increase training intensity for the squads if we are to attack them in their own lair. But I'm sure we can all find time to help."

"You should still continue defense training, in case Theseus and his buddies attack us sooner than the new moon," Edward says, earning a glare and grumble from his brother.

Aston's face brightens. "I've always wanted to see the great library."

Ruben shakes his head. "It smells of mildew, dust, and liquor."

Edward slaps his brother on the back. "It does sound cozy."

Ruben scrunches his nose. "Aston, Ajax, and I will make our way in the morning. But be warned, if I'm hungover after tonight, you better be on your best behaviour. Not a peep unless absolutely necessary."

Edward made a salute. "Gotcha."

--

My head throbs as I make my way down the hall the next morning. The sunlight glaring in through the arched windows of the hallways pierces my retinas like a hundred tiny needles. My stomach churns, threatening to hurl the swishing bile onto the marble floors. I rub my temples, groaning as I push the double doors open, dragging my toes as I enter the library.

"Do not speak just yet," I say, holding up my hand as I spot Edward. He lounges on one of the red velvet couches, sipping black coffee.

"You look awful," he says, ignoring my request.

"Didn't you and Aston order three rounds of vodka shots?" I say, clamping a hand over my mouth during a wave of nausea.

He laughs, sipping his coffee. "The good thing about drinking the shadowteeth blood is it heals me from the woes of alcohol poisoning."

"I'm glad at least one of us will think with a clear head," I say, almost rolling my eyes at the irony. The Devil's Ivy plant still hides behind my bed pillows. I stuff my hands in my pockets, feeling the spikey edges of the one leaf I plucked in case Edward pushes it today.

"The others are running late," he says. "I assume they're still feeling sorry for themselves."

"It's an easy trap to fall into when everything hurts."

On cue, the three boys stumble into the library, grumbling, and wincing, looking like wagons have run them over.

"A pitiful sight," Edward says. "Care for a coffee?"

"I trust it's spiked with shadowteeth blood," Ruben mumbles, slumping into the couch next to him.

"Only the very best." Edward leans back into the chair, closing his eyes with a smirk.

Ruben groans, pinching the bridge of his nose. "While he's high off his octopus healing juice, let's get on with the search for any siren literature."

The other boys and I follow him down the aisles and aisles of dark, dusty shelves. Aston looks like a small child seeing snow for the first time. His eyes are wide, sparkling, and darting all over the library, drinking in every inch.

Ruben stops at the section of Monsters and Creatures. He thumbs through the spines, and we mirror him, splitting off into the aisles. Ruben slinks after me into the third aisle of the section, stepping after me like a shadow.

"How hungover?" he asks, flicking me a side eye as he crouches, running his finger over half a dozen spines.

My stomach churns and a spark of amusement pulls at my face. "I threw up twice before making it here."

"I suppose he's not that bad if he will buy us so many shots," he says, pulling out a book before sliding it back in place.

I arch a brow at him, grinning. "I will need you to write that down. Such a revolutionary thought from you, Ruben."

"Let's not tell him I said so." He tuts and stabs his finger on a title. "This looks promising. The Many Lives of the Sirens."

Ruben tips it from the shelf, and pries it open, flipping through the yellow pages for the index, and running his finger down the page. "Shadowteeth Blood. Why is that a chapter?"

A million questions want to tumble from my mouth, but I clamp my jaw tight. I step to his side, and we read the first page together.

"Oh, my gods," I say as I come up for air. "The shadowteeth blood, when taken in a concentrated dose, combined with a single Siren scale, can mimic the Siren's abilities, making one swim fast, and form gills along their ribs."

Ruben scoffs, shaking his head. "That is completely ridiculous. A child could have come up with this."

"I think it's true," Ajax butts in from the aisle over. He hurries around the shelves and into our aisle, holding another book with navy binding. My pulse thrums when he holds up the title. "Sirens: Sorcerers of Life. It just explained the same thing with the Shadowteeth blood. Elle, have you ever stolen a siren's scale before?"