The Winter Long by Seanan McGuire Page B

they’re normally inclined to follow their own rules.”
    A horrifying picture was starting to form at the back of my mind, assembled from things people had said to me over the years. Arden’s confusion when I said my mother was married to a human; Oleander’s visit to the tower, all those years ago, when she’d taunted Amandine with her relationship with Simon. The way Sylvester cared for me . . . and then the last piece of the awful puzzle fell into place as I recalled Simon’s own words about my mother in my kitchen only a few hours ago.
    â€œYou’re not serious,” I half-whispered.
    â€œI’m afraid I am,” he said.
    â€œI want to hear you say it.” My tone was suddenly challenging. I didn’t try to rein it in. “Say it! I won’t believe it if you don’t say it.”
    â€œYou are my niece, October, in the eyes of the law, if not the substance of your blood.” Sylvester looked at me solemnly. “My brother took Amandine to wife long ago. Things were different then.
He
was different then. And no matter how much he changes, no matter how much he has changed, I truly do believe that he still loves her.”
    â€œYou are
not
serious.” I jumped to my feet, beginning to pace back and forth. “Why are you telling me this now? You don’t think this is something I should have known years ago, like, I don’t know,
before you sent me after him
? This is not okay! This is the new dictionary definition of not okay!”
    Sylvester sighed, shaking his head. “I didn’t expect you to take this well, but I had expected you to take it a little bit better than this.”
    â€œYou think I’m overreacting? You’re telling me your brother was
married to my mom
, and you thought I was going to do anything other than exactly what I’m doing right now?” I glared. “This is not okay.”
    â€œAccording to fae law, my brother is still married to your mother,” said Sylvester, sounding apologetic.
    I stared at him.
    Under fae law, a pureblood who has an affair with a mortal isn’t even cheating on their spouse. Showing bad judgment, maybe, but that’s it. Which meant that marrying Dad wouldn’t have required my mother to divorce Simon, because the marriage wouldn’t have counted under fae law. It was just a dalliance taken uncomfortably far. It wasn’t
real
.
    â€œThis isn’t happening,” I said.
    Sylvester stood. “I’m afraid it is.”
    â€œSimon Torquill is my
stepfather
.”
    He nodded.
    â€œThat’s just . . . that’s not okay.”
    â€œNo, it’s not. But I believe it may be why he chose to transform you, rather than killing you. My wrath means nothing to him. Your mother’s, on the other hand . . . there is nothing in this world he wants or yearns for more than Amandine’s forgiveness.”
    â€œForgiveness for what?” I asked.
    Sylvester turned his face away.
    I groaned. “So great, he did something so bad you won’t tell me about it even now, and now he’s back in the Kingdom, where he can get to her.” I shook my head, pushing my shock and anger aside in the face of something much more immediately important. “Oak and ash, Sylvester, we have to warn my mother that he’s coming.” Amandine would have no idea. She wouldn’t be prepared. And Firstborn or not, if he took her by surprise . . .
    Sylvester shook his head. “Your mother is the last person he would bring to harm, in this world or any other. He loves her. He has always loved her.”
    â€œHe’s your brother, and he kidnapped your wife and his own niece,” I snapped. “Why the hell would his estranged wife be off the list of people to hurt?”
    â€œPerhaps because he and Luna have never cared for each other,” Sylvester said. “Why he would hurt Rayseline, I don’t