He straightened his robes. “I’m sure you remember the two masked individuals connected to the Black Brotherhood who attacked you in the dungeon beneath Derwin Moriarty’s home?”
“Yeah. What about them? They’re both dead.”
Heath stared me straight in the eye. “One of them is, yes.”
The floor seemed to fall out from beneath me, and I had to grip the arms of my chair to keep from plummeting into the depths below. I choked down the fear building at the back of my throat. “What about the other one?”
“He’s been in a coma since you shoved a column over on him, something we discovered when I sent the gargoyles to clean up the mess. I assigned a team of Healers and experts to tend to him in secret so we could question him when he awoke, but he remained unconscious — until today. That’s what the call was about.”
“Why didn’t you tell me any of this? Don’t you think I’d want to know?”
Heath’s expression fell. “Trust me, I wanted to, but I didn’t think it was prudent. The attacker isn’t who you think he is, Zoe, and I didn’t want any of the wrong people finding out about him.”
“Then who is he, and why is he worth protecting?”
Heath broke eye contact with me and sighed. “He’s my son, Adam Highmore.”
The ground beneath me that had already opened up and threatened to swallow me seemed to crack further open, such that I swore I could feel the flames of the abyss licking at my toes. I’d always known in some abstract way that Heath had a family and children — I’d attended Veilside briefly with his grandson, Seth, after all — but for whatever reason, I never thought to ask about his son.
Now, I realized he probably wouldn’t have told me anything about Adam even if I had, and for good reason. How in Lilith’s name could the Head Warlock of Moon Grove possibly tell anyone that his son was a member of the Black Brotherhood, the same group working to undermine everything Heath and his Council had been trying to accomplish for years?
“I’ll understand if you can’t forgive me for keeping this from you, but I hope now that you have your own children on the way you can empathize with why I did it,” Heath said, but his words barely registered. “Adam hasn’t been well for a long time, and he and I haven’t had contact for years. Believe me, I had no idea that this is where life had led him until I saw him lying in a hospital bed.”
“So, what happens now? You can’t keep this a secret forever.”
Heath hung his head and sighed. “I’m painfully aware of that fact, but I also can’t protect Adam from the consequences of his actions. He’ll answer for what he’s done, but I’m prepared to offer him immunity from exile and having his wand snapped — if he’ll agree to make a public statement condemning the Brotherhood and provides us insider information on the organization.”
“And you think he’ll sign up for that? I don’t know much about the Brotherhood, but if they’re like any other gang, I’m willing to bet they won’t tolerate rats. Adam will know that too. Won’t they come after him for this?”
Heath shook his head. “He’ll have no choice. This is his last remaining choice to redeem himself. I don’t know if I’ll be able to get him to see that, but I‘ll certainly try. Before I do that, however, I want your permission.”
“What?”
Heath raised his eyebrows. “Don’t sound so shocked, Zoe. You and I are the leaders of the Council. I would never do something like this without your knowledge and consent. I owe you and the other members that level of respect.”
“How could I say no? For Lilith’s sake, he’s your son,” I said and instinctively massaged my stomach. My own children hadn’t yet been born, but I couldn’t imagine facing a choice like the one before Heath.
He breathed a sigh of relief and rested his hand on mine. “Thank you, Zoe. You have no idea how much it means to me.”
“After everything you’ve done for me, it’s the least I could do to repay you.”
He smiled and stood. “I’m sorry again for dampening the party, but I’m sure you understand that I need to attend to this.”
“Of course, go. No need to apologize, just keep me posted.”
“Thank you again. Hopefully, sometime this week this will all be behind us,” Heath said. I highly doubted that, but I kept my tongue in my mouth as he headed for the fence to take the side route out of the backyard where no one would see him leaving.
At the last second, he stopped and turned. “Oh, I almost forgot to give you my gifts,” he said and reached for his wand in his robes again. He waved it and a massive pile of bottles, nipples, diapers, and formula appeared on the table beside me. “That should be more than enough to get you started,” he said and winked before he disappeared into thin air.
Somehow, I knew the quiet over the last ten weeks was too good to last.
Chapter Three
Thankfully, I sneaked out the door for work on Monday morning before Grandma Elle woke up. As much as I appreciated her being back, I couldn’t stand the thought of her doting over me like she had been all weekend. Besides, between the enchanted necklace she’d given me and Umrea, my gargoyle guard who spent every night on my front porch and accompanied me everywhere, I didn’t think I had any danger to worry about.
Unfortunately, flying to work had stopped being an option as soon as I realized I could no longer lift my leg high enough to mount my broom, so instead I walked — or, more accurately, waddled — there with Umrea.
Though the walk wasn’t long, it still felt like an eternity when I had what amounted to a bowling ball strapped to my stomach. More than once, I’d considered asking Umrea to carry me the rest of the way to give my aching feet and calves a break, but somehow, I didn’t think she’d take well to the request, so I decided against it every time.
“How are you this morning, Councilwoman?” Umrea asked as we stepped off my front porch, her voice like stones grinding against one another. Since learning of my pregnancy, the gargoyle had grown more talkative with me in the mornings.
Normally, I didn’t mind — in fact, I appreciated the company — but given the fog I’d found myself in when I woke up thanks to a night of buzzing anxiety about Heath and his son and the twins doing boxing practice with my guts, chatting with her was the last thing I wanted to do.
“Oh, you know, I’m fat, aching, and I have to pee every five minutes. I’m pretty much perfect,” I said, and she stared at me with her haunting eyes and a confused look on her face. No gargoyle had ever won an award for their sense of humor.
“Meaning?”
“Meaning I’m miserable, thanks for asking. How are you?”
“I’m well, thank you,” she said, puzzled by the conversation, but she seemed to have at least gotten the hint I wasn’t in the mood to gab.
We struggled the rest of the way to the Town Hall in the center of Moon Grove in sweet, sweet silence, something I’d grown to savor more than ever before if for no other reason than I knew I wouldn’t get much more of it. Once I had two kids running around screaming and wetting themselves, I’d probably appreciate it even more.