Heart of Sparrow

Chapter Twenty-One

"BOOKER SAID the Hallowed killed his dad."

I watch Lora's face, searching for signs of shame or guilt. We decided to go into my room to chat, but because Caleb kicked the door knob in last night, it won't close properly.

Lora remains the godmother I've known: sweet-faced and sympathetic. She even tilts her head down. "I see."

"Is it true?" One way or the other, I have to know.

"Sparrow," Lora says quietly, eyeing her folded hands, "you're my goddaughter and you've been through so much already, which is why I'm going to tell you everything point blank." She brings her head up. "Yes. We had to deal with Jeremiah Johnson, which I've only now pieced together is Booker's father. He posed a major threat."

I shake my head. "So you guys just killed the man without any warning? How does that make the Hallowed any better than street thugs?"

"Booker hasn't told you the whole story," Lora says in her normal calm. "We gave Alpha Jeremiah several warnings before the final strike."

"You've got to be kidding." I scoff. "Booker's dad was an alpha? That seems like he made for a good target then." Lora's silence is confirmation. "You preach that the Hallowed is all about keeping balance and protecting people, but to me, the first opportunity you guys get, you kill. I knew Mr. Johnson. He was a kind and reasonable man. He—"

"He was smuggling hellfire, dear," Lora cuts in. "As its name suggests, it's an incredibly powerful type of flame from the very depths of Hell. He conspired with demons and a few Unseelie fey to track innocent witches down—girls and boys as young as you—and set them aflame. And then, the alpha and his conspirators collected their charred remains and sold the magic in their bones to the highest bidder."

Unable to stop it, I gasp, "No."

"Yes, Sparrow," Lora confirms. "Some of these innocent witchlings were on their way to school or work. He did it out of pure hatred for what they were—not who they were. He was going to do so again unless we took extreme measures." She pauses while I grip the bed frame, sickened. "I'm sorry your friend lost his father, and I'm sure he portrayed himself as a good person to both of you, but I cannot apologize for what my colleagues did. I would've done the same had it been my unit sent to deal with Alpha Jeremiah."

If what she says is true, I don't blame her for saying that last bit. Because wouldn't I do the same? If a domestic terrorist was hurting innocent people, then he needed to be stopped. But Mr. Johnson didn't seem capable of harming anyone like that.

My eyes harden. "It still doesn't make any sense. Why would Mr. Johnson attack young witches?"

Lora releases a paper-thin sigh. "There are many out there that see witches as the source of all their problems. They see the Hallowed as a threat to their way of life, because ultimately it was witches that created them. But the truth is, the Hallowed was formed to make our country a safer place. Alpha Jeremiah was a lead organizer in a witch hate group called the Collective. He had plans for much worse if we didn't stop him."