Flashback ( PDFDrive )

predictable. I knew you’d envision some grand conspiracy for your
brother after my success in Lumenaria—but if you think Alvar could
ever muster the discipline, determination, and endurance he would
need to pull off a feat like that, you’re even more foolish than I
thought.”
The pride in Gethen’s voice was equal parts disgusting and
terrifying.
It took a special kind of evil to brag about murder.
“How’s the Black Swan faring without their bloated leader, by the
way?” Gethen asked, as if he knew what Sophie had been thinking.
But he didn’t know that there used to be two Mr. Forkles gobbling
up ruckleberries to disguise themselves for that role—or that one of
the twin brothers lived on. And it was Sophie’s job to make sure it
stayed that way.
So she let her shoulders slump and curled one arm around herself,
looking every bit the grief-broken girl she knew Gethen wanted her to
be.
He rewarded her performance with another smile.
“I still have the sword,” he said, pulling aside the thick fabric of his
cloak to reveal the familiar diamond-encrusted hilt protruding from a
gleaming silver sheath. “I’m sure I’ll find another use for it
eventually.”
His voice sounded flat and bored, as if he were talking about a pair
of shoes instead of an ancient weapon he’d pulled from a stone in
Lumenaria and used to steal a life. But there was a wild gleam in his
eyes, a hint of whatever damage the murder had done to his mind—
and now was not the time to let that madness take over.