The Peregrines

Chapter 17

{ Is my birthday <3 }
{ Birthday bonus = 1600 worded chapter }

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Myron nodded. "His real name is Jack."

Emma leaned forward. "Then your sister is-"

"My sister is Alma Peregrine," he said.

"Then that makes Kira your-" - Jake

"Niece?" I cut Jake off, Myron and I exchanged nods. 

"And Bryce-" - Emma

"We get the picture. Alma, Kira, Bryce, Jack and I are family," Myron says slightly irritated. Emma and Jake were completely astonished, their jaws dropping as they stared at us.

"If what you say is true," Jake said, "Then you must be a wight."

Nim's mouth fell open. "Mr Bentham is not." He stood prepared to protect his master's honour, but Myron gestured for him to step back.

"It's all right, Nim. They've only heard Alma's version of things. But there are gaps in her knowledge." he said.

"I don't hear you denying it," said Emma.

"I'm not a wight," Myron said sharply. He wasn't used to being interrogated by people like them, and his pride was starting to show beneath his polished exterior.

"Then would you mind if we checked, just so we can be sure?" said Jake.

"Not at all," Myron said. Using his cane for support, he managed to rise to his feet and made his way towards the empty space between their couches. PT glanced up, mildly interested, while Nim turned away, feeling frustrated that his owner had to go through such embarrassing moments

They encountered Myron on the carpet. He slightly stooped down so they wouldn't have to strain on their toes—surprisingly, he was quite tall—and patiently waited as they scrutinized his eyes, searching for any hints of contact lenses or any other form of deception.

They stepped back. "Okay, you're not a wight, but that means you can't be Caul's brother," said Jake.

"I'm afraid the set of assumptions you are working from is erroneous, I was responsible for my brother and his followers becoming hollowgast, but I never became one myself," said Myron.

"You made the hollows?" Emma said. "Why?!"

Myron turned and gazed into the fire. "It was a terrible mistake. An accident." Patiently, we anticipated his explanation. It was evident that it took a significant amount of effort for him to retrieve the story from wherever he had stashed it away."It was my fault for letting things go on as long as they did," he said heavily.

"I kept telling myself that my brother wasn't as dangerous as he seemed. It was only after he imprisoned me, and it was too late to act, that I realized how wrong I'd been."As he approached the comforting heat of the fire, he moved closer and knelt down to gently caress the bear's broad belly, allowing his fingers to disappear into PT's soft fur.

"I knew Jack had to be stopped, and not simply for my own sake—nor because there was any danger he'd ever find the Library of Souls. No, it was clear his ambitions had grown beyond that. For months he'd been moulding our recruits into the foot soldiers of a dangerous political movement. He cast himself as an underdog fighting to wrest control of our society from what he called 'the infantilizing influence of ymbrynes.' " said Myron.

"Ymbrynes are the reason our society still exists," Emma said bitterly.

"Yes," Myron said, "But you see, my brother was terribly jealous. From the time we were boys, Jack envied our sister's power and status. Our inborn abilities were puny compared to hers. By her third birthday, the elder ymbrynes who cared for us knew Alma was a great talent. People made such a fuss over her, and it drove Jack mad. When she was a baby he would pinch her just to see her cry. When she practised turning into a bird, he would chase her and pluck her feathers."