The Torn Sins

Chapter XXXIII

"I'm so proud of you Cybil," Matrix has tears blooming in his eyes.

"I'm proud of you too. Natham, come on," I call to him and he comes over as I start climbing down into the tunnel. Matrix follows after me, with Natham being the last one down. When he closes the door behind us we are completely engulfed in darkness.

"Only a vampire's eyes could see through this," Matrix muses.

"Yes well it's a good thing the human army won't be attacking through this tiny tunnel now isn't it," now it's my turn to tease.

"Okay, I see your point. It was made with our kind in mind, but I wonder what the purpose was," Matrix whispers.

I cannot deny I wondered the same thing many times, who built this passageway and why? When would a noble vampire ever need a dark place to flee and hide?

"You guys don't know?" Natham sound surprised.

"And you do?" Matrix snaps back, annoyance in his voice.

Natham clears his throat and I can imagine the blush on his cheeks, "I'm sorry for speaking out of turn," he whispers.

"No, tell us Natham, why was the tunnel built?" Matrix growls and I grab his hand giving it a gentle squeeze.

"Seriously, I want to know," I add on, a much more friendly tone.

"Your grandparents had them built," he mumbles.

"Them? There are more tunnels?" the venom is gone from my brother's tone now, he's just surprised.

"Gwyneira and I stumbled across this information while studying in the library one day," I can hear the wistfulness in his tone. There is a part of me that pities him, but I also know the anger and wrath my friends feel, I have felt it too. His loneliness has been earned. "Your grandparents had emergency tunnels built when they started enslaving the humans, in case of a revolution. They wanted a quick way out if things went wrong. The location of them wasn't revealed, only their purpose. I assumed Cybil knew this, otherwise I would've told her sooner."

"They were afraid," Matrix whispers.

"They should've been," I growl, rage building up inside of me. I had known my grandparents had started spinning the wheel my mother had rode on for decades, but hearing it confirmed just makes me sick.

"Easy there girl, you're getting what you want, without violence, alright?" Now it's Matrix's turn to give my hand a squeeze.

"Turn here," I urge and we make a quick right in the tunnel. We travel for a few minutes more in a comfortable silence until we reach another ladder. Climbing upwards first, I push open on the trap door and greet the warm blazing sun of the Outskirts.

"Papa!" Lilly calls out as soon as Matrix comes into her sight and she rushes over to us, wrapping us both up in a hug. "You got him out," she grabs my hand tight.

"Of course I did Lilly, I would never hurt my brother," I tilt her chin up, forcing her to look at me, "Or you."

She nods solemnly, her trust in me finally complete. I look up at my brother for a moment more, my eyes gazing deep into his own, "Forgive me," I whisper as the bombs go off behind us.

He flinches once, just once, before he closes his eyes and holds his daughter close. He listens to them all, but he does not turn around to look, not yet. I move to back away from him but he grabs my hand and clenches so tight it goes white. 

Now it is my turn to close my eyes, shame racing through me for withholding information from him.He is not angry though, my gift tells me that in fact he is feeling some strange kind of pride.