The Rede Breaker

Chapter 34: Brother's Keeper

Parking is hell.

I park at least a block away and hoof it all the way to Sandersons. The scent of lavender fills the air as I march into the store. There is apparently a sale on all cleansing crystals. A couple of wannabe-wiccans are practically fighting over an amethyst.

Icarus is leaning on the counter speaking with a blonde woman with huge...orbs. The two are flirting shamelessly while all of the commotion is going on over the crystals. I need his attention more than she does.

"Babe? What's going on?"

Icarus is stunned. The woman looks between us.

"The test results are back and it doesn't look good."

The woman is disgusted and pushes the sage she was planning on buying onto Icarus before storming out. Icarus glares at me with annoyance and I smile at him. He sits the items on the counter and grabs me by the arm, pulling me to the back of the store.

"What the Hell was that! You screwed up a potential sale." Icarus asks.

"A sale? That's what we're going to call it."

"That's what I call it." Icarus says. "Any reason you're being a wayward witch today?"

For the ten-thousandth time, I explain the situation. His attention is fully on me as I ramble on about everything that happened in the last couple of weeks. The story concludes and he is not as impressed as others would be.

"What's this got to do with me, again?"

"Well, I was wondering if you could tell me anything about David that would lead me to Laura."

"His favorite color is purple. His favorite desert is rocky road ice cream. His favorite past time was conjuring demons. Anything else?" Icarus asks.

"Icarus."

"You want more information on Laura, right?"

"Perceptive. What do you know?"

Icarus shuffles his feet as he looks at the floor. His feelings are frayed. There is a concoction of emotions tied to our conversation. Sadness, anger, anxiety and lust fill my senses.

It is clear he is burdened, much like the rest of us. His calmness is a front. There is a certain chaos underneath the surface of the middle Tereso.

"You want to know about David and Laura? Fine. David dove deeper into magic than anyone I know. And that's saying something in our family. My family has a penchant for diving headfirst into darkness without looking. So, proceed with caution."

"I think I can handle Archer's darkness."

"Right. Well, David took it to a new, dangerous level. We should have paid more attention, especially when he dragged Laura into it. She was innocent."

"Guilt? I can't tell if it's a Tereso thing or if it's a big brother thing. It's in the handbook, isn't it?"

"I am my brother's keeper. I'm just bad at it."

"Nobody is anybody's keeper. I am not my brother's keeper; I am my brother."

Icarus laughs. "Nice sentiment."

"Bad things happen, Icarus. To good people, to bad people, but bad things happen." I say. "David did what most people do when confronted with power. He leaned into it. Sometimes people come back and sometimes they're swallowed up."

"It's different when it's your brother."

"That's just it. It's never different. It all sucks."

"If professor doesn't work, you could be a pretty good therapist."

"So, Archer talks about me, huh?"

"Incessantly. It's not like we haven't all been watching you anyways. We felt you when you came into town."

"What about my past life?"

"The vampire and the coven? Listen, it would be ridiculous to think we wouldn't have heard of you. You pulled off some pretty epic shit, bro."

"How do I line up with what you've heard?"

"You're not what any of us expected. You've certainly made an impression on Archer. He's so much more fun now." Icarus says. "I'm not sure I can tell you much more you haven't already heard. I haven't seen Laura. Whatever she's mixed up in, I can't help."

"She in over her head with this demon. If you want to help her, help me."

"Help her?"

"It's surprising that I want to help her?"

"I doubt the Council will be too forgiving to her. I doubt they'll want to help her like you do."

"Probably not. I'm not interested in what they want when it comes to her."

"Doesn't matter. I don't know anything else, Park." He says. "And while I've enjoyed your version of cock-blocking, I may still be able to catch up with Serena."

Panic sets in as he begins to walk away from me. I have one hail Mary left that I have been saving.

"He's not dead. I saw David when I went to the demon's realm. David is alive and I can save him."

Icarus stops in his tracks. He turns to me with a skeptical expression and asks. "You've seen David?"

It clicks. It finally clicks and I feel like an idiot. David is trapped in the demon's realm and Laura is helping the demon by feeding him innocent people. But to what end?

What does Laura get from helping him?

David.

"Whatever he was attempting to do that night didn't kill him. It did what Laura has been doing to others. It opened a portal to another realm."

"You've seen him?" Icarus repeats.

"Listen, I'm in no position to pass judgment. I'm not exactly the morality police. I just need to find her and end all of this before someone else gets hurt. Whatever good girl image she built up with you, you're going to need to see past it. She's harming others now."

"I haven't seen her. But my family owns a cabin a couple miles outside of town. David loved it there and he would sneak away with Laura often."

I thank him. As I am passing him to leave, he grabs my arm.

"Try not to get blood on the rugs."

A strange feeling passes between us. Her face appears to me briefly. An emotion accompanies it. He admires her. He is worried about her.

I pull away from him. "Does she know? That you care as much as you do?"

Icarus stares at me as if all the air has escaped his lungs. He does not answer the question and I have my answer. I see myself out of the store.

I shoot a quick text to Archer, asking him to meet me at the cabin as I climb in my car and pull off.