Kingston moves through the Void Keep’s corridors, and stops in front of a sewer grate secured into the stonewall. The ground is damp under his feet, and his heels dig into the loose cement as he tightens his grip around the steel bars, pulling the grate away. Water echoes through the darkness as a cold breeze dances through his white hair.
Jensen Saint Clair emerges from the drain, dressed in his red cloak.
“Thanks.” He pulls down his hood.
“You sure no one saw you?”
Jensen answers with a glare.
“I just had to ask.” Kingston closes the grate.
“How long have they been here for?” Jensen pulls his phone from his pocket to check the time.
“I don’t know. Since a little bit after I called you. I tried to get ahold of you the minute I knew what was going on.”
“Yeah, that’s so sweet of you. Where are they now?”
“In the Prison Ward.” Kingston shuffles his feet. “Jensen, things have happened…”
“What? Is Genevieve all right?” His voice rises.
Kingston nods. “Yes. Well, right now, anyway. She’s with my mother.”
“Are you serious? And you think that’s all right? This is unbelievable. How could you even—”
“The Magician is dead. So is Scythe.”
Jensen stares at Kingston, his brown eyes fogged with confusion.
“What?”
“Later, okay? You need to just get there and stop Valkryn from doing whatever she wants to do. Follow this hallway until you see the big purple door. I texted you the code. I’ll stall on my way to the Dark Lady.”
“Yeah, okay.” Jensen starts to walk away.
“What? Not even a thank you for my help?”
“Really?” Jensen scoffs. “You really think I should thank you for all this?”
“I think without my help, Genevieve would have already been dead by this point.” Kingston steps toward Jensen. “But you just don’t want to admit that because it would make you seem weak.”
“Wow, Starmantle. Sadie and I had this situation handled fine. It was you who decided to interfere.”
“I only did what your brother asked me to do. And when you think about it, how many days was I the one keeping an eye on Genevieve? Huh? While you or Sadie were running around doing whatever it was you guys were doing. It really says a lot that Casius didn’t trust you to handle this, doesn’t it?”
“Shut up,” Jensen growls. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I don’t understand why you dislike me so much. I have done everything to show my loyalty to your family, and yet you treat me like I’m going to turn around and stab all of you in the back. Do you know how many times I’ve risked my life for you guys?”
“I don’t care how much you do for us. And I don’t care how much you claim to love my brother. The fact of the matter is you are Kingston Starmantle, son of Valkryn Salharia, Second Commander to the Dark Lady’s Void Knights. And that is never going to change.”
Kingston laughs. “Ah, see, so this is about Casius and me.” He shakes his head. “You can’t stand that your brother and I are still in a relationship.”
“It has nothing to do with that. It’s completely separate from the politics happening in Banewind. You are a Voidweaver, and when it comes down to it, I know you would kill my brother and family if you had to save your—”
Kingston lashes his hand out and wraps it around Jensen’s neck. The metal gauntlet tightens as Kingston raises him into the air. Jensen gasps, sputtering for breath.
“You don’t know the first thing about what I would or would not do for Casius,” Kingston snarls. “I would never let harm come to him or the family.”
“And yet…here I am…choking by your hand.” Jensen wheezes, pulling at Kingston’s gauntlet.
He falls to the floor once Kingston releases him.
Boooooooooooooooom!
The hallway rumbles as dust from the ceiling falls to the floor.
Kingston looks at Jensen. “You need to go. Now.”
Jensen rubs his throat as he stands, and brushes off his cloak.
“I’ll hold off the Dark Lady as long as I can,” Kingston says. “But once you have Genevieve, get out.”
“Yeah, I got it. Thanks.” Jensen coughs out the words.
Kingston nods before the two of them run off in opposite directions.