Wicked As You Wish (A Hundred Names for Magic #1) - Rin Chupeco Page 0,55

that she didn’t love him anymore.” There was no trace of anger in Ryker’s tone. His voice was curiously indifferent, like he was telling a story that could have happened to anyone.

“They sent him to a detention center. There were so many children like him there, all without their parents. The adults told him that they, too, had been bad, and that they deserved to be punished. And so they were.

“Later, when he was much older, he would learn that the agents had accused his mother of kidnapping him and pretending to be his parent. That she was part of a trafficking ring that brought children across the American border. After all, the boy took after his American father in features. Who would know better?”

Another loud crack, and Appleton’s right arm landed alongside its partner with a thunk. “They gave him nothing but a foul blanket and a hard mat to sleep on. He was fed nothing but gruel and water. When he tried to rebel, they would beat him. They divided the children into groups—first into boys and girls, and then by age, to control them better. If any one kid within that group misbehaved, they would all be punished.

“The boy wore the same clothes for months. Their bathroom was nothing more than a bucket in one corner that they didn’t empty for days at a time.”

Faint, muffled noises were protruding from Appleton’s open, nonfunctioning mouth.

“The agents in charge of the children were instructed not to touch them unless they had to be punished. But some of those agents didn’t always obey those orders.” The boy’s eyes were an icy blue, so similar to the other compelled students back at the school. But at the same time, they were different; his were bright with barely concealed rage. “There was one in particular who delighted in it more than the others did. He hurt those under his care. The boy was unlucky enough to be one of them.”

“Chhhh.” Appleton was croaking, eyes darting from the boy to the other agents around him, pleading for help. None of them moved. None of them could.

“Eventually, the boy was sent out of the facility where he was moved to foster home after foster home. The families took him because the government offered them a paycheck, but the reality was he suffered more abuse there. When he was fourteen years old, he escaped his last home and found himself on a bridge, staring down at the cold waters below. For a moment, he thought that would be easier, that everything would be better this way.”

Ryker’s voice never wavered, even then, but there was another sharp ripping sound, and Appleton stumbled down to one knee, the whole leg underneath him torn away. “And then she came. She was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen in his life. She sat beside him, brushed away his tears, and told him that she would be his new mother. She took him away and gave him good food to eat, and warm clothes to wear, and for the first time since setting foot in America, the boy was happy.”

“Chhhh,” Agent Appleton gasped.

Ryker smiled. “The boy finally had a family, but he couldn’t forget the time he spent at the detention center. Or the agents who had mistreated him and so many others. And of that one agent who had been the cruelest of all. And so, sometimes, when the world is dark and when no one else is looking, the boy would break into detention centers and save more kids. His new mother welcomed them all.”

He grabbed Appleton by the hair and yanked him closer. Cracks formed around the agent’s skin, like he was an ice sculpture too fragile to last much longer.

“On your knees, boy,” Ryker hissed, copying the agent’s drawl. “You give me tears and I’m going to beat you black and blue, boy. Remember me, Appleton? Do you remember saying those words back at Southwest? Ever wondered why Lady Ice Maiden here insisted that you be in charge of this operation? Or were you too arrogant to see why an emissary from Beiran would specifically ask for you?” His voice dropped. “Was it because you were such a good agent?”

“Chhhh,” Appleton bleated. “Chhhhh—” and the ice closed over his head, finally silencing him.

Ryker released the man, but the ice had thickened enough around the agent’s body that he remained in the same position, bent over in midair without any other support. Even then, the man