"Tell me why, Akira. Tell me why you couldn't tell your Husband your Children were in danger?" Kendrick stepped forward so he stood towering over her. His eyes bore down into her. Akira's heart trembled with the truth but her lips stayed sealed. Pressed tightly together so that she did not betray herself. "I can tell you why. The child of your elder brother made the deal. You wanted to protect her, despite her trying to kill your children. Despite knowing her greed for the crown you refused to let father protect us. You protected our killer." Kendrick whispered his eyes burning with the truth. Akira looked back at him, eyes wide and panicked.
"How did you…" Akira began and Kendrick laughed turning away and putting some distance between them.
"Father can't watch the lives of his children, but he can watch the actions of his mate as he pleases. Your life is recorded in a spirit orb you created the day you lay in his bed. Unlike my brothers, I wanted to know the truth. I wanted to know why we died. So of all the creatures living and dead only I know the truth, besides you and that woman." Kendrick replied a bit cruelly.
"Please Kendrick, you can't tell her. If Kyera finds out…" Akira began to plead and he shook his head slowly.
"No, you don't get to plead. You do not get to play the victim here, Akira. The only reason I will not tell Kyera, and I mean the only reason is because I do not want her to be consumed by the fires of hatred." Kendrick replied, his voice sharp and filled with anger. "I do not do this for you, and on some level I pity you. You had so little trust in your own husband that you didn't give him the chance to protect his children. However, I pity father more. You do realize he had to feel us die? He was held in the chains of fate because you did not open the door by asking for his protection? Only after Keenan sent up his prayer could he protect little Kyera, but by then we were dead."
"He could have protected you with or without me. Do not try and act as though he is a victim here." Akira growled her anger sparking but her son didn't seem to even notice.
"No, he couldn't. You see Father has been fighting against the hands of fate to protect the dead, and his family. Fate wanted to see all of us dead, you and Kyera included. She wants to weaken father, take his family from him, and then take Moria. If he had broken the laws of the Godly realm then all would have been lost. He would have been mortal and then all of us would have perished. Our souls would have ceased to exist." Kendrick replied shooting her a glare. "You could have opened the door, a simple prayer but instead, you ran from him. You hid from your husband and you damned your children to their death. You are right, Kyera can never know. Nor can father. No one can know the truth of how spineless the Shadow Dancer really is." He spat the title at her feet and looked out at the forest, calming himself, and bringing his heart back to a normal speed. The pain was a deep ache, this was something he hadn't felt before. This betrayal, the truth broke his heart, and it was a feeling he hadn't missed as a spirit. The grief was overwhelming but then something else crossed his mind. Lazren, and the child.
"I'm sorry." Akira whispered, knowing there was no way she could refute her son's claims. He turned on her.
"Akira, Mother, I can not hate you. I can not let myself be consumed anymore than I can allow Kyera. You made your choices, and you will answer for them before Father one day. Pray my brothers are not there, for they are his loyal companions in the throne room." He replied softly, what had been done was done and he had years to come to terms with it while he was dead. Now, he was alive and letting these emotions in would only tarnish the time he would get to spend here.
"Thank you." Akira hugged her son, and Kendrick allowed it. He wrapped his arms around his mother and let her embrace him. Her sorrow was real, the loss of his brothers had been punishment enough, even though it was of her own doing. She would have to live with the guilt of knowing there was another choice and she couldn't hide behind the lie. He wouldn't let her.
Kendrick leaned forward bringing his lips to her ear "But hear this, if you do ANYTHING to bring harm to Raina again I will make sure you meet father the moment I see you again. I will face my father for punishment if I must, but you will not harm what little happiness Kyera has managed to find." His words were soft and filled with venom. He kissed her forehead and let her go.