chapter 5:2

5.2 Our Accurséd Lot

Ren knew he should have walked away, but ever

since boyhood, he'd had a habit of eavesdropping.

So he stayed. And he listened.

The rustle of fabric. "Sit down with me?" Markos's

voice was gentle. Affectionate. So unlike the way

he spoke to colleagues and inferiors.

Movement, footsteps, and the faint creaking of

wood followed. The Minister cleared his throat.

"I believe that the robbery, tonight's attack, Luiza's

abduction-all of it was retaliation."

"For what?" Nika exclaimed. "Until now, we didn't

know they even existed!"

"Shhh, not so loud. What I'm about to tell you goes

against my vow as a Minister. The public was

supposed to be protected from this knowledge,

and I'm technically committing treason by sharing

it. But if it's the Ministry's fault that Luiza was

taken, then you deserve to know.

"The Volkari race never went extinct. The Ministry

has known about them all this time, and the lie

was fabricated a hundred years ago, when my

grandfather was a Minister.I discovered it after my

appointment to the role."

Ren was glad to have been leaning against the

door frame. Otherwise, his knees might have

buckled. He wasn't ignorant to the fact that the

Ministry excluded the public from sensitive

information, but to blatantly lie about something

sO significant... It was unsettling

"Why would you do this?" Nika stole the words

right from his mouth.

"Me personally, or the Ministry?"

"Both."

"I did it because that's what was expected of me.

It's part of the job. But I take no pleasure in it. As

for the rest of the Ministry, especially the purists, it

was to make sure the wolves couldn't stir up

trouble."

And look how that turned out, Ren thought.

"Like Inferni, the Volkari race has never been

regarded as civilized in the eyes of the Ministry.

They're more monster than man, and that's why

they were annexed from the community."

"So tonight's attack was revenge for being

banished?" Nika asked.

"Not exactly. After the wolves had been exiled, they

tried to incite dissent against the Ministry, and the

Serafi race as a whole. And it didn't take long for

Nefili to start agreeing with them."

It was an age-long struggle in the Daemonstri

world. For centuries, Serafi had lorded over the

other races. They were smarter, wealthier, and

more suited for government than the rest of

Daemonstri, so it seemed an obvious choice.

But that power was easy to abuse, and the scepter

of tyranny often nudged keepers of the Vigil in its

desired direction. It was no surprise that dissent

had sprouted so easily among Nefili.

"The Ministry feared that a rebellion would occur,"

Markos continued, "and in order to stop it, they

cursed the Volkari of North America."

"Cursed? With magic?"

"Yes."

It was known to all that magic used to be a central

part of Daemonstri life. The Serafi race had once

mastered spell-casting and other witching

practices. In the modern era, however, Serafi no

longer manifested such gifts. Magic had essentially

grown obsolete.

"But magic hasn't existed for-" Nika scoffed. "Let

me guess, the Ministry lied about magic, too."

"More like heavily exaggerated. Magic has been

censored by the government because it's

dangerous and unpredictable. And as a result, it

has begun to fade over time. The less it's used, the

more it dies out.

"But the censorship of magic is a different

conspiracy. The Ministry promised to remove the

curse if the Volkari signed a treaty that stated they

would never incite rebellion again. So they signed

the treaty, but the curse wasn't removed as

promised, and so the wolves have suffered from

the affliction for the past one hundred years."

"What sort of affliction is it?" Nika asked.

"Volkari can only shift into wolves on the night of a

full moon, and only when the moon is at its apex. If

they shift outside of that timeframe, they'll turn

into wolves forever, and lose every last shred of

humanity. Some Volkari stopped manifesting the

ability altogether, and those who are able to shift

often die during their first transformations because

often die during their first transformations because

the curse makes it difficult on their bodies."

Nika swore, and Ren silently echoed the

sentiment.

"I still don't understand how it relates to what

happened last night."

"Ten years ago, the alpha of the North American

Volkari came to the Ministry in secret. He tried to

negotiate, asking us to lift their curse. But the

purists-mainly Prime Minister Rostova-wouldn't

even consider it. They hate Volkari just as much as

they hate Inferni.

"Personally, I sympathized with them, butl

couldn't convince enough of the others to help.

The alpha came to us again and again, until one

year ago, when his pleas turned into threats. He

declared that we would regret refusing him, and

that violence would be brought to the community.

"So killing Miles," Nika said, her words tremulous,

"kidnapping Lu... It was all retaliation. For the

curse. For the Prime Minister's refusal to help." A

pause. "But why target the school? Why steal the

journal? Why kidnap Lu?"

"I don't know."

"Maybe it's just a scare tactic to get the Ministry to

cOoperate."

"The Volkari are beyond scare tactics, Nika. This

attack was the first move in a dangerous game,

and now we have no choice but to play"

Movement on the crime scene snagged Ren's

attention, and he found Headmaster Kovachev

approaching the cabin.

Ren stepped aside as the headmaster opened the

door and said, "Sorry to interrupt. Minister Mirza

has arrived. He's requesting a meeting

immediately"

Kovachev departed, and Markos said something to

Nika in a low tone before they exited. Ren watched

the girl limp down the porch steps, nimble as a

bird. He almost followed, ready to guide the

Minister to the main campus, but Markos tugged

him back.

"Romanovich," he said, "I need a favor. And you

might not like what it's about."

"It's not my job to like things, sir."

Markos gave a small, almost woeful, smile. "Ever

the obedient keeper:"

Ren chose to disregard his slightly mocking tone

and said, "What's the favor?"

"Be a keeper. For my daughter."

He might have raised his brows in surprise, but his

keeper's mask was drawn, preventing all

manifestations of emotion. He didn't despise the

order, and he didn't challenge it, either. It was just

an odd thing to ask.

Nefili didn't have keepers. Ever. Not six centuries

ago, when the Vigil was first founded, and not

today. But Ren understood that Markos wished for

his daughter's safety. He supposed that was reason

enough.

He just had one question: "For how long?"

"Until Luiza is found, or until I say so. Whichever

comes first."

Ren nodded.

"Oh, and don't make it seem like you're guarding

her. She won't like it."

"It's not her job to like things either."

A breathy laugh. "Tell herthat. I dare you."

"Do you want me to stay at the school, then?"

"No the Ministrv wants to interview the survivorsso Nika will come to headquarters with us once the

funeral is over"

Markos's gaze fell to that blood stain on the

ground. "An innocent child dead. Another one

snatched away. It seems like things can't get

worse, but I have a feeling they will. So l'm

+

counting on you to keep Nika safe."

"I will," Ren said, his voice rougher than intended.

"I promise."

The Minister followed Kovachev into the crowd,

and with a sweeping gaze, Ren searched for Nika.

The sun emerged through spaces between the

trees, sending daggers of light into his eyes. But he

found her a short distance from the crime scene,

gazing into the ominous woods-almost as if she

could command her friend to reappear.