Book 2: Chapter 24 - Connected By Blood

Honestly, every single Asher freaks the absolute fuck out of me.
Every single one, without exception.

Violet is pretty cool, though.
—Guy Turner, Overheard

“Violet, are you sure about this?” Hazel asked. 

Violet gave him a sidelong glance. He was acting suspicious, which made her far more uncomfortable than the destination he was leading her to. He’d left home when she was fourteen, and the two had never connected on much more than a shared taste in dessert. He must have heard about her rapid advancement through red, she realized. He was doing the same thing her parents had. Trying to get close to her once he realized he could use her. Considering he hadn’t performed nearly as well since reaching Chromatic, he probably hoped she would earn him more trust with the Asher family.

The idea annoyed her. At the same time, it was more or less why she’d gone to him. It wasn’t the exact response she’d expected, but she’d specifically chosen someone she knew. Either way, it worked. After the police had left, students had started to emerge from their dorms. Despite the hour—now early rather than late—no one questioned the pair as they left. Which was a small favor, since Hazel had more asinine questions than Violet could remember. 

“Have you heard from the others?”

“Are Mom and Dad still fighting all the time?”

“How is Alex? Did he come with you?”

“Why did you come here? Were you drafted? Or did Mom send you?”

“How did you get your calling?”

On, and on, and on. She’d promised to answer most of them for him, although she only knew the truth for a few and would lie about the rest. But it took far longer than she wanted before she could tell him what she needed. Longer than that, even, before she could convince him to actually help her get it. Even after that, he still turned and tried to get her to change her mind every few minutes. All so she’d think he was on her side and cared more about her than he ever had before. It wouldn’t work, of course. But she’d lean into it for the time being, if it got her where she needed to go.

“Hazel, she’s my friend. I know I haven’t known her that long, but we survived a nest together. We fought a queen together. That sort of thing tends to speed up the bonding process. I want to help her!” Violet insisted.

“You always want to help everyone, Vi. But some people just don’t deserve that help. Or that trust. What if she really did try to kill someone?” Hazel asked.

“Then she had a good reason for it,” Violet replied. “She’s a decent person. Trust me.”

“You don’t actually know that, though. Sometimes people seem kinder than they are. Some people prey on that perception, even. You’re about to meet the main family for the first time. If you can’t recognize the difference between ‘likeable’ and ‘trustworthy,’ they will ruin your life,” Hazel insisted.

Violet stopped walking. The pair stood in the massive driveway of the estate she’d insisted he take her to. The crystal making up the walls and the shining gate in front of them was a deeper purple than Violet’s hair. They’d already taken the train to the violet district and found the mansion her family apparently lived in. It was obvious she wasn’t turning around at this point. But it was about time he dropped the facade. 

“I know. I grew up with the same mother you did, remember? I know what sweet words with a sharp edge sound like. We’d both have to be stupid to miss it by now. And maybe you’re right. Maybe everyone in this house will act kind and feed me poison. But you have to trust me. Kiera isn’t like that. She really is my friend. And I want to be a friend to her. This house? This family? It’s the only resource I have,” she insisted. 

Hazel swept his eyes across Violet’s face, then let out a breath. 

“Alright. I trust you, Vi. Just be careful. Don’t look Cyan in the eyes. Don’t talk back. Don’t be demanding. And do whatever you are told, no matter what it is. Be honest with him. And don’t believe his smile,” he said. He watched Violet carefully to make sure she was paying attention. There were several long moments with his gaze locked on hers before he was satisfied. Finally, he sighed. “I wish you wouldn’t do this, Violet. I’m really happy for you. You finally got your calling. I’m glad to see you alive and well. I hope we can start to reconnect, now that you are here. So, please. If you must do this, don’t piss anyone off and get yourself killed, okay?”

Violet smiled at him and put her hand on his shoulder. “I’ll be alright. I’ve lived my whole life surrounded by people who were more powerful than me, remember? At least now they have a reason to value me,” Violet answered.  Hazel grimaced, but nodded. Finally, he turned and pressed his hand onto the wall, which connected to the gate in front of them. His ring activated, and a moment later, a red light flicked on next to the intercom. 

“Send Violet in. Alone,” the voice on the other side commanded. Hazel swallowed hard. 

“Too late to back out now,” he said as the gate slid open. “I guess they’ve been waiting for you.”

“Isn’t everyone always waiting for me?” Violet asked with a wink. “Don’t worry, Hazel. I’ll be fine.” She leaned in and gave him a hug, as the emotionally needy boy would apparently would want, then pulled away and started walking down the driveway. “Wish me luck, alright?”

“Just stay safe, okay? Do what they ask, but don’t promise anything if you can avoid it!” he called. 

Violet just gave him a reassuring wave and continued to walk. He certainly made their extended family sound… interesting. But she’d expected nothing less. It didn’t matter either way. She was an Asher, and she was going to be a prominent one. She wasn’t going to stop advancing through the categories. She’d have been summoned here as soon as she officially reached orange, regardless.

The deep purple doors of the mansion opened for her as she approached, and she walked inside. It was unsettlingly quiet. This was largely due to the crystal all throughout the building, which silenced anything Violet’s perception could pick up. It was also because it was maybe three in the morning, and the entire staff was asleep. The only noises in the room were the loud chewing sounds coming from the only man present. He looked to be in his mid-thirties. He was wearing silk pajama pants and an open robe on his torso. His blue hair surpassed Violet’s in length, even when she wore it down. This was impressive, considering he was the first person she’d ever met who could make that claim. It rested messily on the imperial stairs he was sitting on.

He was biting from an apple suspended on purple threads which had no source.

“Your dad is kind of a simple fellow, isn’t he?” the man asked.

“He’s not complex,” Violet answered immediately. 

The man laughed and wiped his mouth with one sleeve. “I suppose not,” he replied. “When I heard one of the branch families had named their daughter ‘Violet,’ I thought they were either incredibly arrogant, ambitious, or their child had manifested a calling extremely early. But it was just because of your hair, wasn’t it?”

Violet shrugged. “On Dad’s part? Maybe. I think Mom may have had some ridiculous expectations, though,” Violet answered.

“And ones it really didn’t seem like you were going to live up to, huh? A lot of our dear sweet cousins thought you were a waste of the name. But we showed them, didn’t we?” he asked.

Violet lifted an eyebrow. She didn’t miss the use of the word ‘we.’ Like he’d been involved in her sudden advancement somehow. But she let it pass. It wouldn’t do her any good to interrogate him, and the implication was clear enough. Even if she didn’t quite understand every facet of it. “Sounds like I’ve had fans for quite a while. I’m flattered,” Violet responded. 

The man grinned and rose to his feet in a single, fluid motion. He didn’t even use his hands to push himself from the stairs. He simply stood, the floating apple coming with him. One of his pupils narrowed to a slit, and his grin widened. 

“Ah, and that explains it. Another Nightshade, huh? And what an interesting one, at that.” Violet tensed immediately, but the man waved her off. “Sorry, your Obfuscate talent isn’t going to help you here. It seems to perform better than your resistance would imply somehow, but… not against me. But don’t worry about it. I’m not gonna turn you in or anything. We’re on the same side, after all.”

“Turn me in for what?” Violet asked with a sweet smile. “I’m perfectly innocent.” 

The man smiled softly at Violet. As he did, she felt her anxiety calming and a sense of perfect contentedness descending onto her. An extremely relaxing feeling—which promptly pissed her off, only for his talent to calm her again.

“I’m Cyan Asher. Category Violet, if you are curious… Violet. I’m your uncle, or something of that nature. A few generations removed, I suppose. Old enough to know a so-called ‘Reaper’ doesn’t reach orange in a matter of weeks with no blood on her hands. But alright. Tell me. What ‘perfectly innocent’ request brings you to my home so early in the morning?”

“A pleasure,” Violet replied with a dramatic curtsy. “I’m sorry for disturbing your, uh…” she glanced at the apple on the strings as it orbited Cyan’s head. “This.”

“No worries at all, little one. It is the purpose of old men like me to listen to the woes of our children, is it not?” he asked.

“Not in my experience, no. And I don’t think that’s the case now, if I am being honest,” Violet replied.

“Children are so cynical these days. It breaks my heart,” Cyan pouted. “Alas, there is nothing for it. You’ll simply have to assume I am livid and get to the point, I suppose.”

“Mr. Bouvier wants me to spy on you,” Violet answered. 

“I see. How impolite of him. How lucky we are that you are so loyal to the family, then. Although I do worry. Even though you admit to this yourself, I’m concerned that I can’t know for certain that you will not comply,” Cyan said. 

Violet shook her head. “You can’t. I intend to do exactly what he asks,” she replied. 

Cyan paused, then tilted his head. He took a bite from the floating apple and watched her as he chewed. “How impolite of you,” he replied after finally swallowing. 

“I’m a very dutiful student,” Violet replied. “So I’d be careful what information you share with me.”

Cyan smiled. He picked up the implication easily enough. On Violet’s part, she didn’t particularly care. At the moment, there was no information on the Asher family she was all that interested in. And she hated Bouvier for the talent he’d used on her. She would happily feed the headmaster whatever information the Ashers wanted. And if she changed her mind… She would stop. 

And in the likely event she needed to kill this man—based on his earlier implication about her first trip in the mist—well. What he didn’t tell her would be as interesting as what he did. And she already knew where to learn a lot of it.

“I see. And what, exactly, would you like from me? As an act of benevolence, of course, despite your spying,” he asked.

“Legal help,” she responded. 

Cyan lifted an eyebrow again. “You have potential value to our family, Violet. I’ll happily admit as much. But if you can’t make it to that point without me holding your hand… perhaps ‘potential’ is all it is. If you already have the police after you, I do think it would be best that you seek legal counsel with your own resources. What sort of uncle would I be if I helped you avoid the consequences of your actions?” he asked.

“A rich one,” Violet answered easily. “But no. Like I said, I am perfectly innocent. But I have a friend who has been accused of a terrible crime. I’d like to help her.”

“Is she guilty of this crime?” Cyan asked.

“Probably,” Violet answered. 

“Then it is her own failure, I’m afraid. I will not put any pressure on the police for something so small. If you want to help her, I applaud you. But children don’t grow if they are never punished,” he insisted. 

“I wouldn’t think of asking you to,” Violet answered. “All I want is a small allowance—enough to post bail for my friend and get her back in school—and a little information.”

Cyan crossed his legs like he was sitting on the ground. Which would have been unremarkable, if he actually was. Instead, he hovered in the air and rested his head on one hand. “Well. I suppose paying you for your labor is a fair enough request. Although, if you want two forms of currency, you’ll need to do a little more than… perform well at school. But we can get to that later. What information can I help you find?”

“I’m looking for everything there is to know about Samuel Mulberry,” Violet answered.