Charlotte and ask her
what happened, I knew that it would be better to wait. I wasn’t sure how I
would react to whatever the news was with my friends around me.
The
foyer is brightly lit by the chandelier above. Voices are heard in the Great
Room, but I can tell that there are multiple conversations going on, and
someone is crying loud, muffled, sobs. My heart leaps into my throat and my
stomach is in knots. I don’t know what happened but tears are already springing
to my eyes.
Around
the corner Charlotte greets me in a strong embrace. Over her shoulder I see
Darla French sobbing into her hands. Enchanters flank her on each side. I
clutch Charlotte’s shoulders and look around desperately for Darryl.
“No.”
It’s all I say before the tears really start pouring from my eyes. No . “What happened?” It’s a question I
really don’t want to know. I’m scared
of the truth—the truth of how an Elder was murdered.
Rose
joins us then and wraps her arms around me too. Her fragile frame is light
against me, but her grip is strong.
Her
voice comes out hushed but heavy with emotion. “Darryl was locking up the
meeting house tonight and he was attacked. Security found him face down in the
fountain. The way he was laying there—it appears that someone forced him
under.”
The
words clutch me and my tears fall faster. Who would do such an awful thing? The
image of Darryl’s violent death is too much to bear.
“Why?”
I ask. I don’t want to be part of this life if the result is murder. How can
there be something so evil out there, hurting innocent people?
“We
can only guess he was vulnerable because he was alone. We think it may have
been another warning. This isn’t how the Equinox usually does things, but maybe
he’s grown more frustrated over time. We just don’t know.”
Rose
is telling me this calmly but I hear her voice shake. She’s not devoid of
emotion. She’s very much upset about current events.
I
hold on to her tightly. “Rose. I went to see Arabella and her sisters today.”
She
doesn’t break hold, doesn’t lose her cool. “I know,” she says, and she doesn’t
sound mad. “Isaac called me to find out why you ran out of there, and he told
me about your conversation. I think he was worried that you were upset by what
he told you. I’m glad you know.”
“I am upset by what he told me.” I pull
away, tears tracking down my face.
“You
have every right to be. I was trying to find a way to tell you—but you
have to understand, Grace was my daughter, I never saw her as evil. I can’t
even talk about her as if she’s connected to any of that. I don’t know how I
would have found the words. I am glad you know now, and I’m glad you met Isaac.
He’s the reason you exist today.”
I
wipe the tears. I have so many questions but right now they just don’t seem as
important as finding out who did something so terrible. Rose ushers us into the
Great Room. Charlotte and I stand behind the couch as Rose grabs everyone’s
attention. She’s gentle, knowing that people are here to mourn the death of Darryl.
Even
Darla manages to quiet her sobs in this moment, but her sadness looms over the
room like a dark cloud.
“Friends.
Tonight we mourn the loss of an Elder. A wonderful husband to our dear Darla,
and a brave, kind gentleman who sought to give back to our community in every
way that he could. Tonight, he was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and he
saw a tragic death, that was marked as an act of the Equinox.”
Rose
allows a few moments of silence before speaking again. “Just as they did a
decade ago, the Equinox has branded their symbol into the scene to let us know
that it was them.”
“Them?”
Someone asks. My question is the same.
Rose
frowns. “Yes. Erebus doesn’t travel alone. He’s too much of a coward. He forms
groups where he travels, and he teaches them to travel, hunt, and kill. Erebus
hides behind his Followers – so that they do his bidding but if
what happened, I knew that it would be better to wait. I wasn’t sure how I
would react to whatever the news was with my friends around me.
The
foyer is brightly lit by the chandelier above. Voices are heard in the Great
Room, but I can tell that there are multiple conversations going on, and
someone is crying loud, muffled, sobs. My heart leaps into my throat and my
stomach is in knots. I don’t know what happened but tears are already springing
to my eyes.
Around
the corner Charlotte greets me in a strong embrace. Over her shoulder I see
Darla French sobbing into her hands. Enchanters flank her on each side. I
clutch Charlotte’s shoulders and look around desperately for Darryl.
“No.”
It’s all I say before the tears really start pouring from my eyes. No . “What happened?” It’s a question I
really don’t want to know. I’m scared
of the truth—the truth of how an Elder was murdered.
Rose
joins us then and wraps her arms around me too. Her fragile frame is light
against me, but her grip is strong.
Her
voice comes out hushed but heavy with emotion. “Darryl was locking up the
meeting house tonight and he was attacked. Security found him face down in the
fountain. The way he was laying there—it appears that someone forced him
under.”
The
words clutch me and my tears fall faster. Who would do such an awful thing? The
image of Darryl’s violent death is too much to bear.
“Why?”
I ask. I don’t want to be part of this life if the result is murder. How can
there be something so evil out there, hurting innocent people?
“We
can only guess he was vulnerable because he was alone. We think it may have
been another warning. This isn’t how the Equinox usually does things, but maybe
he’s grown more frustrated over time. We just don’t know.”
Rose
is telling me this calmly but I hear her voice shake. She’s not devoid of
emotion. She’s very much upset about current events.
I
hold on to her tightly. “Rose. I went to see Arabella and her sisters today.”
She
doesn’t break hold, doesn’t lose her cool. “I know,” she says, and she doesn’t
sound mad. “Isaac called me to find out why you ran out of there, and he told
me about your conversation. I think he was worried that you were upset by what
he told you. I’m glad you know.”
“I am upset by what he told me.” I pull
away, tears tracking down my face.
“You
have every right to be. I was trying to find a way to tell you—but you
have to understand, Grace was my daughter, I never saw her as evil. I can’t
even talk about her as if she’s connected to any of that. I don’t know how I
would have found the words. I am glad you know now, and I’m glad you met Isaac.
He’s the reason you exist today.”
I
wipe the tears. I have so many questions but right now they just don’t seem as
important as finding out who did something so terrible. Rose ushers us into the
Great Room. Charlotte and I stand behind the couch as Rose grabs everyone’s
attention. She’s gentle, knowing that people are here to mourn the death of Darryl.
Even
Darla manages to quiet her sobs in this moment, but her sadness looms over the
room like a dark cloud.
“Friends.
Tonight we mourn the loss of an Elder. A wonderful husband to our dear Darla,
and a brave, kind gentleman who sought to give back to our community in every
way that he could. Tonight, he was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and he
saw a tragic death, that was marked as an act of the Equinox.”
Rose
allows a few moments of silence before speaking again. “Just as they did a
decade ago, the Equinox has branded their symbol into the scene to let us know
that it was them.”
“Them?”
Someone asks. My question is the same.
Rose
frowns. “Yes. Erebus doesn’t travel alone. He’s too much of a coward. He forms
groups where he travels, and he teaches them to travel, hunt, and kill. Erebus
hides behind his Followers – so that they do his bidding but if
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