Radiant's Honor (Founders Series Book 2)

by Mari Dietz

  “I don’t know most of the reapers, but you do. You’re the one who needs to trust that your comrades have a higher moral compass and would choose lives over money.” In Verrin, people looked out for themselves. She’d hoped reapers would be better, but so far, she’d been wrong. “We need to remember that Xiona’s group was small. Maybe it was small because only a few reapers would do something like that.” Vic wanted Kai to have faith in his comrades.

  “I thought I knew Xiona and those who helped her. Turns out they thought it was something they should do.”

  “Do you think Dei is helping?” Kai shrugged, and Vic continued, “Remember what Nel said? The numbers never went up despite how much blight was collected. Maybe we need to find out where all the extra blight is going and why people are still getting corrupted if there’s enough purified magic for them to charge?”

  “And how will we do that?”

  She tapped her sides. “I can go in and see.” And maybe look for other things while she was there.

  Kai raised his brow. “And that has nothing to do with you worrying about your sister?”

  “Maybe.” She hadn’t heard anything from her sister, which was normal, but with Tristan’s involvement in harming their people, she didn’t trust him that the vitals were safe.

  “I get it. If my sister were a vital, I’d be worried too, but you’re too obvious. We can’t send you. They’ll recognize you right away.”

  He was right, but she wanted to go herself. There was a short list of people they could trust. “What about William?”

  Kai got up from his chair and sat on the desk to face her. “Send in the radiant?”

  “We could find him a wand.” The more Vic thought about it, the more it made sense. As a radiant, he stayed away from magic and those who used it. His father was the leader, but William had yet to take over any responsibilities, so those in GicCorp wouldn’t recognize him.

  “We make the radiant use magic? That’ll go over well. And find him a wand? You have one lying around?” Kai flung his hands out.

  “As a matter of fact, we do.” Vic bit her lip. Kai’s family struggled since they only had his relic to support them. Founders had relics to spare.

  “Oh.” For the first time, she felt the distance between them. Part of her would always be separate because of being a founder. Vic had barely struggled growing up. She couldn’t relate to most of the reapers who’d risen on their own, fighting against founders who had access to better training and resources.

  “I’m not sure how this would work. Convince the radiant he needs to use magic?” He didn’t meet her gaze and tapped his chair with his foot.

  “He might.” William stayed in Kai’s house, and when she’d talked to him recently, he’d seemed off. His entire life had been turned upside down, so maybe he needed something to focus on other than his whole upbringing as a radiant being a lie.

  “We can see, but he’ll need to be willing. Why don’t you go talk to him while I waste an hour with Tristan, trying to figure out how they justify letting Boreus into our territory? Actually, they’ll probably say we’re mistaken.” Kai plopped back into his chair and put his face back in his hands.

  “I’m not sure if you’ll thank me for sharing more unpleasant news,” she said.

  He grimaced. “Pile it on.”

  “I found Tristan injured in the sewers last night.”

  “What was he doing in the sewers? I hope you left him to rot.” He crossed his arms.

  “He wouldn’t tell me, and I wish I had.” Vic didn’t know why, but she didn’t want to tell him she’d used up her question to ask about her sister. They were on team Nyx. “Afterwards, I went to my father, and he pointed out that there’s been a lot of foot traffic down in the sewers. He mentioned that hundreds, maybe thousands, of people in Nyx territory are missing.”

  Kai slammed his hand on the table. “How did I miss this?” He shuffled through papers. “I’m sending reapers to check now. Of course they’d just do it in Nyx,” he muttered to himself.

  He’d reached the same conclusion that she and her father had. Vic paused before reaching out. Before all this had happened, she’d thought there was something between them. In their brief moments, they did casually reach out to each other, but she wished she could help him bear the weight of his position as commander. She slid her hand into his, pulled him next to her, then folded him into a hug. His arms tightened around her. The gap between them got wider by the day, and she didn’t know how to stop it.

  “I’m sorry I can’t be around more,” he murmured into her hair.

  Vic pressed into his shoulder. He still smelled faintly like cedar, and she enjoyed being in his arms. “You have so much to deal with. I wish I could help, but it would only cause more problems with Landon.”

  He relaxed. “You’re right. But I’d rather spend time with you than him.”

  She snorted. “I sure hope so. He totally isn’t your type.”

  Finally, a laugh escaped Kai. “I don’t know. He seems like a cuddler.”

  “You have poor taste in men.” Vic leaned her head back and looked into Kai’s face.

  He brushed his hand against hers. “Good thing I have you, then?” They’d made no promises. They probably wouldn’t until this GicCorp situation was over, whatever that meant. He needed to be a leader, and she could support him from afar.

  Vic stood on her toes, and her lips brushed his. “I better get moving. I’ll find William today and talk to him. If it goes well, we can see my father later and maybe get a wand.” If this was all she could do, she would do it. Maybe it could give him strength.

  Kai slowly released her and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Be careful.”

  Vic left his office and quickly went to her room to take another shower. The nights in the sewers had left her always feeling dirty. Her cat, Scraps, slept through her routine, and she softly stroked his fur before leaving to see William.

  As she stepped out of the building, the sun soaked into her black clothing. The mildew scent of Verrin surrounded her as she neared the canal. Normally, reapers slept during morning hours, but she couldn’t sleep until she’d talked to William about going into GicCorp. He might not be what her father had in mind, but he might be all they had to offer.

  She glanced over her shoulder to make sure no one followed her. Who knew how far Landon would go to bother her? They didn’t need him finding Xiona at Kai’s place. Maybe Kai should give him more to do. Then he might leave Vic alone. To be safe, she took some random turns. There weren’t many people around, though it might be too early. The familiar door appeared around the corner, and Vic knocked.

  “Who is it?”

  “Vic.”

  The door opened, and William gestured for her to come inside. The main room looked the same—small and cozy, with thick rugs made of warm colors. Samuel and Xiona sat to the side in wooden dining room chairs. Their calm faces and slight smiles made Vic shiver. Those who’d been purified always seemed peaceful but strange.

  William didn’t wear his usual white anymore, but various black clothing he’d borrowed from Kai. They hung around his broad shoulders. Kai had thicker muscles, whereas William had broader shoulders but a trim frame. His light brown hair was no longer slicked back, but rumpled as if he’d slept on it wet. His clear blue eyes flickered with distant shadows. The tan he’d gained from working outside as a radiant had faded now that he spent too much time indoors.

  “Sit.” He pulled out another chair, and it scraped on the wooden floor.

  “Thanks.” Vic eyed him. “How are you?”

  “Fine. Is that all you came to ask?” He sat across from her.

  “I should stop by more often.” With the two smiling radiant watching on, Vic sat on the edge of her chair. She didn’t like being here with them. She missed the old Samuel, and guilt ate at her about what had happened to Xiona. Vic would have rather died than become a radiant, and maybe Xiona would have wanted the same thing.

&nbs
p; William laughed harshly. “We both know you’re uncomfortable. What do you want?”

  “I liked your brother.” The past tense had slipped out before she could catch herself.

  William’s eyes flashed, and his jaw tightened. “He’s still here.”

  “Yes. I mean …” Vic didn’t know how to recover, and she tapped her fingers against her thigh. “He’s a bit different.”

  William stayed silent.

  She took a deep breath. “I’m here to see if you’d be willing to use a wand.”

  His brows rose.

  “Kai and I think you might be our best chance at seeing what’s happening in GicCorp. I’m too recognizable, and so is he. Tristan might know you, but other than that, the radiant keep to themselves. We want to know where the extra blight is going—and maybe find a way into Haven.” Vic voiced her own personal agenda.

  William crossed his arms. “You want to know about your sister.”

  “That too.” Vic pulled at a loose thread in her pants. “I’ll be honest, I’m more worried about her. I’d like to think I’m a better person and say I’d put civilians before my sister, but I want to know she’s safe.” She broke the thread off her pants. “I’m trying not to be foolish and run in there and demand to see her. I can’t do that, but you might find something. You honestly owe me nothing.”

  He turned his face away. “But don’t I? It’s only because of you I can stay here. Even though I feel more like a prisoner, Sam and I have nowhere else to go.” He looked sad. “He’d find it funny, the thought of me using magic. I’ve already gone against the radiant by forcefully purifying two people. What’s one more transgression?”

  Vic couldn’t read him. The prim and annoying William that she knew didn’t sit before her anymore. “You don’t seem okay with it, though. I don’t want you to do it because you feel indebted to me.”

  “Then what other reason would I have?” He leaned forward. “I think it would be better if you called in your debt. I don’t want to use magic. I want to honor my beliefs. I don’t agree with what magic is doing to us.” He walked over to his brother. “I want magic to end. Ask me to do this because we owe you our lives. Kai wouldn’t have let us stay here if you hadn’t fought for it. You saved my brother in the Dei battle. Tell me you want me to save your sister.”

  “Fine. Come over to the Glass house and see if you can bond with a wand. You owe me for saving your brother.”

  “I’ll see you this afternoon.” He brushed Samuel’s hair. With his backed turned to her, he ended the conversation.

  Vic left, saying nothing. Doubt filled her about using William. The radiant might not be as stable as she’d thought. Was he their only option for infiltrating GicCorp? Vic didn’t have many people she could trust. She’d broken off contact with many of the founders she’d grown up with. The unstable radiant was all she had left.

  Lost in her thoughts, she went back to Nyx. Kai’s office was empty, so she went to get some sleep. Only a few hours passed before she woke up not feeling rested. Scraps purred at her side, his warmth comforting her back pain. She stroked his fur absentmindedly.

  Thoughts of how to break into GicCorp took up her thoughts. How could she trust William? She didn’t want to wake up Kai, but they needed to see her father today. He stayed in his own bedroom on the first floor. Vic had a feeling he didn’t want to touch Xiona’s things. No one was in the hallway when she reached his room. She knocked and heard a tired groan before opening the door. Kai was stretched out over his bed without a shirt on. The sun hit his built chest, and she blinked a few times before glancing away.

  “Enjoying the view, Sparks?” He stretched and pulled the blankets up on his bed, then went to his closet.

  Vic faced him as he put on a shirt. “Of your messy room?”

  He winked. “You’re more than welcome to stop by and look at my messy room anytime you want.”

  Things almost felt normal between them. “William’s meeting me at my father’s house. Did you still want to come?”

  Kai groaned again. “I suppose I need to. Can we trust your father?”

  Vic started. “That’s a loaded question.” He felt more like the father she used to know, but she didn’t know his agenda. There was a bit of madness around him. Everyone she knew bordered on the edge of insanity these days. “I’m not sure what he’s involved in with the founders. Do you want to talk to him about the missing people in Nyx territory? If nothing else, I know he wants to protect his family.” Whatever else he was involved in couldn’t hurt her or Em—she hoped.

  Kai rubbed his forehead. “I sent out a small patrol this morning, and they found many abandoned homes with entire families missing. I’m thinking we need allies. Dei is out. Becks wanted nothing to do with us, and we may need some founders on our side. I don’t know if they’ll go against GicCorp. Do you know anyone?”

  “I’m not sure. We can ask my father.” She wasn’t sure where she stood with him. He seemed like an ally. Vic couldn’t help feeling hurt that he hadn’t trusted her sooner. They could’ve worked together instead of her leaving the house. Childish. Tristan had been correct in that aspect. Her actions these last months had been useless.

  “We’ll sink without support. We’ve lost a few reapers already. There’s enough food so far, and we pulled in a few mogs last night, but I hate to say it … without people living in Nyx, we’ll have fewer mogs and less corruption. The other reapers won’t have a choice but to leave.” Kai tied his boots and strapped on his harness.

  “I’m surprised Tristan won’t replace you as the commander.”

  “They don’t get to decide. I have a feeling that could change, though.”

  They left his room and found Landon standing down the hall.

  He eyed them and glared at Vic. “Where are you going?”

  “Outside.” Vic walked around him.

  “Why are you going together?” Landon stepped in her path.

  Kai pulled him out of the way. “Go start the training. I’ll be back in an hour.”

  Landon clenched his fists and left.

  “He’s getting bold.”

  Did he stake out Kai’s office to watch where he went? Vic shuddered.

  “He’s a good reaper but very territorial about his placement. He thinks you’ll replace him.”

  “I think he has a crush on you,” Vic teased.

  “I wish that was it. Did you do anything to piss him off?”

  “Me?” Vic blinked.

  “Why do I bother asking?”

  They left the Order and took a water taxi to her old home. The glass walls gleamed in the light, and William waited for them by the gate.

  “He seems more rumpled than normal,” Kai noted.

  Vic was already on edge about trusting William. She didn’t need him falling apart at the thought of using magic. As they approached, William didn’t greet them and waited for Vic to open the gate.

  The glass statues her sister had made remained in the yard like sentries waiting for their maker’s return. Each one gave Vic a pang of regret over not having done more to stop her sister. Like William had told her, it had been her sister’s choice. They’d grown up in Verrin, believing that vitals were heroes and her sister would leave to protect them. The more they uncovered about GicCorp, the less Vic believed anything the city told her. Did no one else care, or did GicCorp hold all the power?

  Vic pushed open the front door, and the two men followed her into the foyer. She went straight to her father’s office. He sat, drinking amber liquid from a glass tumbler. She frowned at him drinking this early, and he set it aside after noticing her disapproval.

  He sat back when he saw everyone with her. “What brings my daughter, her fiancé, and her boyfriend here today?”

  Kai and William shifted at their titles. Vic glared at her father’s joke. He chuckled.

  “We think William can get into GicCorp.”

  “The radiant?” Her father’s tone came out flat.

  Kai snorted
behind Vic, and she glared at him to keep silent. If she got early wrinkles from all the glaring, she would smack them. “Who else do you know? A random imb off the street? A founder they would recognize?”

  Her father emptied his glass despite his daughter’s disapproval. “I suppose you came for a relic, then? Nothing else?”

  “What else is there?” Vic asked.

  She curled her toes in her boots. What did he want from her? To stop by and act like normal? They’d connected last night, but now it felt off. The confusion of their on-again, off-again relationship hurt her head. “This is our best chance to see what’s happening to the vitals and the extra blight. I thought you wanted that.”

  “I do.” He looked past Vic. “What do you want, radiant? Can you use magic?”

  “I owe Vic, and my brother would want me to help her. I don’t know if a wand will even bond with me, but I’ll try.”

  “Do you even know what you need to do to get hired by GicCorp?”

  “I guess that’s something you’ll have to tell me.”

  Her father combed back his hair with his hands. He glanced at Vic. “This is a mission doomed to failure.”

  Kai stepped forward. “Magic users may not trust the radiant or even like them, but William went into battle with Vic, at a risk to himself. He may not look like much, but I honestly believe he will do everything in his power to help us.”

  William, who didn’t care to sell himself, remained silent. Her father turned his back to them to shift a glass figurine on the shelf. He drew out his wand and slid open a panel. Vic didn’t know what he did with his magic, but the wall opened, revealing the large door of a safe. He twisted the lock and used his wand again to open the door. A woodsy scent came from inside the room. Her father walked in and gestured for them to follow.

  Vic had never seen the inside of where her father stored all the Glass relics. Kai and William followed behind her, and she gasped at the array of wands on the shelves. No other scythes sat in the room. The wands gleamed in rows with various colors of wood. They all had large colored stones attached to their ends.