Through Sightless Eyes and Unforgivable Ties

Chapter 58: Spill It Benji

Narrator

Benji was able to convince the two snakes to allow Val to leave. The Herondales form disapparating the moment they left the castle wards.

Ominis invited Benji to follow them to the defense against the dark arts tower. Both men needed answers and it seemed he was the only one that could give them up.

Ominis

"This way." I said as we reached the staircase outside of the defense against the dark arts tower, heading through the small hallway.

"Of course, I bring someone to the undercroft because I trust her and want to help her out, and I get yelled at for weeks. Yet this jackass lied to our faces and he gets a private escort." Sebastian grumbled as we descended into the undercroft.

"I had no choice. Val was under orders. Edwin would have taken them from me in an instant if I said anything." Benji said, his voice low and apologetic.

Yet he'd still defended me when she'd berated me right outside this room. Benji is a good friend, a good person all around. We can't help who we fall in love with.

"Victoria was your friend! They were probably nonstop torturing her in that place, you let that happen by staying silent!" Sebastian said as we finally made it inside, the clang of the second door shutting behind us.

"Shouting about the past isn't going to fix it Sebastian." I said firmly as I made my way across the entrance to lean myself against one of the central pillars.

I don't think I can tell them about my dreams last night. I'm still not all too sure if they were real or not and Sebastian will kill me if he finds out what I said to her.

If it my fault she caved in? Would she rather be bled and locked up than spend her days with me?

"Edwin would never let her get hurt. She's his everything. From what Val said they just detoxed her. Apparently she had some kind of poison in her system that Sharp and Fig used to keep her weak." Benji said, his serious tone pulling an involuntary laugh from me.

"Her medicine isn't poison. It helps keep her at bay, keep the voices in her head low-" "No, he's right about that." Sebastian said cutting me off.

His tone was full of anger, but I could hear just from his breathing that this entire situation was making him feel sick.

I need to talk to him alone the minute Benji leaves.

"She tried tirelessly to get off of it. They turned her into an addict and all that stuff did was keep her weak. She's better off without it." Sebastian said, his tone moving to mirror mine at the pillar nearest to me.

"Sharp and Fig were helping her. Fig treated her like his own daughter, keeping her safe for the past two years so she could hide from the Herondales." I said thinking about the man Victoria spoke of so fondly. He would never hurt her.

"Their intention was to help her. It doesn't mean they accomplished it." Sebastian said before turning to Benji. "Alright Hills. You better have some good answers for us, starting with, how long have you known who Victoria was?"

Benji let out a heavy exhale. This entire interaction wasn't easy on him, but he wasn't going to back down, that much was clear.

"Since the first time I saw her in the great hall... Val hadn't shown me their form as Veronica since first year, but the moment I saw her with the sorting hat on her head it all came back to me." He admitted.

"You've known this whole time?" I shouted. I'd shared so many pointlessly coded conversations with her about Victoria when he'd already known everything?