My Brother’s Mate
Chapter 56

Emily's POV

"What do I do?" I ask Marcus.

"Here. Just say ostende mihi pater meus and shove your head into the water." He hands me the bucket. Seriously, shove my head in here.

"What?" I ask looking down into the bucket.

"Trust me. ostende mihi pater meus." He repeats gesturing for me to just do it. I take a deep breath.

"ostende mihi pater meus." I dunk my head in the water. I open my eyes and look around me. Everything looks like smoke. I can make out A figure lined in black dust. A man walks away from a body on the ground. I walk over and see my fathers body laying on the ground lifeless. I scream, but the choking water brings me back. I pull my head out of the water and gasp for breath. I can't believe what I just saw. Tears fall down my face, but they mix with the water. My father was dead, murdered. By that man. Who was he? How could I find him. My mind floods with thoughts and emotions.

"Em are you ok?" Liam asks. I bury my head into his chest and wrap my arms around him. He holds me while I cry. My dad is dead and my mom might die too. What am I going to do? I feel Liam's arms around me and his scent helps calm me. As I breathe him in my mind clears. I need to make sure my mom wakes up. I almost died when Liam got hurt and he and I weren't even marked yet. I'm so scared I'm going to lose my mom.

"Liam, we have to help my mom, I can't lose her too.. Wait a minute. W-" I cut my self off. I just remembered something really important. I pull back from Liam and look him in the eyes. "You died!" I say, almost cheerful.

"What?" Liam asks confused.

"You died, and then." I say again. I look over at Marcus, who looks even more confused. I don't have time to explain, I need to get to my mom and Hiroen. I take off back to my moms room. I race up the stairs, I hear Liam and Marcus following behind me. I see Hiroen standing outside of my mothers room while I pass the doctor. I'm pretty sure he wants to talk to me but I don't have time.

"Hiroen! Liam died!" I shout as I head towards Hiroen. He looks at me then to Liam, then back to me.

"What?" He asks just as confused.

"When Liam died what happened to me." I ask stopping right in front of him. He thinks for a moment. Still thinking. Then like a light switch, he shoves his hand in his pocket. He pulls out a ring and hands it to me. "You want me to do it?" I ask.

"You are ready." He says. I take the ring into my moms room and sit next to her bed. I put the ring in her hand and wrap her fingers around it. I close my eyes and focus on the talisman I placed in my mom's hand. I focus on the magic inside of it and draw it out into my mom. I feel it flow into her, like water flowing down river. Soon my mom starts moving and she takes a deep breath in. She stirs more, and her eyes flutter.

"Mom. Mom can you hear me?" I ask. I wait a minute and the doctor comes back into the room.

"You didn't tell me she was a witch." The doctor says to Hiroen.

"Her powers were bound." He whispers. I can see my mom's eyes shifting around behind her eyelids. They creep open for a moment, but close again. I keep waiting but she doesn't open them again. I feel the doctor's hand on my shoulder. "May I examine her again?" He asks. I move out of his way and watch as he examines her again. When he is done he packs his bag.

"Well she is in a much better place than her first exam. Her heart is strong and so is her breathing. I think she will wake up soon. The shock is what she needs to over come. But I think she will be up in the morning. Your magic saved her." He says. He pats my arm and leaves the room.

"No, her magic saved her." I say to myself.

Unknown POV

I'm leaving Mike's cell and decide to check in on the Tribrid. Looks like the mom got her magic back. Great, someone else to fight. I make my way back out to the outer city.

Earlier that same day

Mikes POV

I wake up in my cell again. I don't know how long I've been here, there are no windows to the outside. But it's the same everyday. My attention peaks at my food slot opening. A guard slides a tray through the slot.

"Oh great" I say sarcastically to myself. "Here's the slop they like to call breakfast." The first week I refused it, but as my hunger grew I realized I couldn't hold out forever. So I eventually ate. After breakfast they leave me alone until lunch. They bring me lunch and try to ask me questions about Luther and the Seeker's plans. In the beginning of being here, it was more intense. They would take me to a separate room and sit me at a table. They would interrogate me for what felt like hours on end. They would withhold food from me. They would offer me treats, money, a shower. They tried everything. Well everything except for like full on torture. They don't have the guts I guess.

"Where is Luther? What is his plan? How big is his army?"

"I don't know."

"I don't know."

"I don't know."

I kept repeating, and it was the truth. I don't know anything. I tried to stay as far away from Luther as possible. Now, they don't bother with me too much. I hope they have realized I don't know anything. After lunch, it's more of just sitting around. Unless I have to work in the laundry room. It's the only time I'm allowed out of the cell. They take me out, down the hall, and into another locked cell. Only this one is larger with a wash area and piles and piles of clothes. I actually like doing laundry. It gives me something to do instead of sitting around doing nothing all day. And the laundry cell has a single window in it. I can see outside and hear the birds chirping. It is my little piece of sanity.

I walk over and pick up my breakfast. Grits again. At least this time they put some sausages in there. I sit down at my bed and begin eating.

"Psst!" I hear from outside the cell. I turn my head, but don't see anyone. Other than the guards, no one has ever come to visit me. I often think of Emily, what she is doing, how she is doing. I miss her. I miss a lot of things. "Mike." Someone whispers.

"Who's there?" I say. I set down my tray of breakfast, and try to focus on what direction the words are coming from.

"Shhhh. You don't want to alert the guards." They whisper to me.

"Who are you?" I ask.

"I'm here to help you and to warn you." I get up from my bed and walk over to the bars of the cell.

"I can't see you. Do I know you?" I ask.

"You don't know me. I'm with the Seekers. I'm here to tell you Luther is on his way to the mountain." They whisper. I can tell it's a woman and can see a faint silhouette. "Why do I care if he's coming?" I ask.

"You are a Seeker. Your promise to him has not yet been fulfilled."

"How do you know about my promise?" The person moves closer.

"When the battle begins, you will escape. Do not think you can run from him." She whispers.

"How can he know if I'm going to escape?"

"What do you think he sent me in here for? I don't know why you would give your life for someone who doesn't even want you."

"She is-..was my best friend." I say. I hear the sound of the guards coming to get my breakfast tray and the person slips back into the shadows. The guard approaches the cell. "Have you decided to start talking?" The guard asks.

"Not to you." I say. He opens the slot waiting for me to pass him my empty dishes. I shovel in another mouthful of grits and grab the sausages out.

"Maybe you'll lose the attitude when I feed your lunch to the dogs." The guard says and heads back out.

"I see you've made quite the friends in here." The voice teases.

"You should leave. And I don't just mean the mountain, leave Luther. You can escape too." I say.

"Now why would I want to do that? He can be a bit ruthless, but daddy always has his reasons." She says. DADDY?

"Your Luthers daughter?" I ask.

"Yes. One of a few."