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Victor shuts the door behind me and I try to mentally prepare for what is about to happen

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Victor

When Niklas and I were just boys, before ere taken by the Order, he wasto size the other up, and although we both often ca could make us turn on the other We would walk off the battlefield, carrying on about e thought our ot home And ake up and attend school the next day with er, of course, but then Niklas would say the saave an to change Vonnegut, although rarely ever ed even today--said that I showed pro about Niklas And the first tier than any assassin he had ever promoted--to Full Operative when I was just seventeen-years-old, I saw soainst hiht be forced to kill him

Niklas is the only family that I have left And as much as I wish it didn’t have to be this way, that I could be wrong about his were, I know that’s not entirely possible The truth is, I have been watching my back where my brother is concerned since last year

And our father is to blame for that

I suppose I should’ve listened to him…

I meet Niklas at the front door He walks in, calry with s the way I see fit

I shut the door behind him

"This is aup at the scaling ceilings with his hands folded together behind his back

I findfor traces of h his are bluer than reen at times than blue His face is rounder, mine slimmer But I think what separates us the most are our accents Our father and his mother were both German I was born in France, my mother a French spy for the Order My father moved us to Germany when I o-years-old and I did not lish and French, but he did not have the knack for linguistics that I had and so he never was able to fully lose the accent But despite the differences we have, I still see only a younger version of rasp the fact that I’ to kill hiet that it ever happened, but that’s not an option

He smiles at me

We have the sa ht it was tiet to stay here for a while"

"Has that changed?" he asks curiously, having reason to believe that judging byroom "Let’s sit down," I say and he follows "We have a lot to discuss"

He takes the chair next to the

I sense that he wonders why I don’t sit down as well, but the curiosity disappears froin

"Niklas," I say, "last year onentirely honest with you"

Niklas laughs lightly, adjusting his back against the chair He props his left ankle on top of his right knee and interlocks his fingers in front of him, his elbows propped on the chair arms

"Well, that wouldn’t be the first ti as if this is any other casual conversation between two brothers "You never were one to tell even me your secrets"

"I went to see our father," I announce

The sle, clearly confused by my admission

"He sent for me," I add

"What for? Why would he send for you, Victor? After all those years of never seeing him once, ould he send for you and not me?"

I don’t answer I find it ined it would be I always kneould be hard, but not this hard

"Victor?" Niklas’ eyes are filled with concern and…pain

He stands up from the chair

"Just tell me, brother, please"

I s hard and take a steady breath

"Niklas," I finally go on, "your mother was eliminated by the Order because proof was found that she was selling information You already know this" He nods "But after that, because she was your ut felt you were unstable, that one day, sooner or later, you would avenge your mother’s death and betray the Order"