Chapter 35

                                    

                                          
                                                                      Reece
It has been weeks since Sylvia passed through here on her journey back to Heartgrove. She hadn't said anything to him about what she'd gone out to Latherket to do. Reece knew it was a mission the High Lord didn't want everybody to know about, but he was still upset that she didn't even hint at what she was sent to do. He didn't blame her, especially because he saw how tensed and annoyed she appeared when she arrived here before she had to leave for her task. Perhaps she had a disagreement with her unit back in Heartgrove. If he knew his sister, she got into a fight with the wrong person before leaving. He still sometimes expected to see her on the training grounds, shouting profanities at the soldiers who refused to listen to her. He misses everything about her. He missed her laugh, despite the fact that she started fights with him and broke every rule she could find. As rare as it might seem, she had a terrific laugh and was always up for whatever mischievous plans he came up with out of boredom. 
"Reece, are you listening?" Jasper mulled from behind his desk, holding the most recent Heartgrove reports in one hand. His father must have called his name several times, judging by the knit in his brow. 
"Sorry, dad. I was thinking of Syl." Reece confessed, shifting in the armchair he was sitting in to rest one ankle on his knee. Jasper's expression softened as he heard her name, and a small part of him ached because his father always softened for her. It was understandable to want to be a parent's favorite, but he never hated Sylvia for it. He adored her as much as any sister, because that is what she was, from now till his dying breath. His sister. His partner in crime. 
"I'm sure she's alright, Reece." Jasper offered, laying the paperwork down on the wide oak desk in front of him. His father always exuded elegance. Even the tiniest action like that seems deliberate and graceful. It terrified him at times to think of having to fill Jasper's shoes someday. At least Ariel didn't have to worry about such things; she had it easier than most, and the fact that she was dating Lord Howell's son just added to her advantage. But, lord or not, Cole will have the hells to deal with if he hurts Reece's sister, and Sylvia will be at the forefront of the barrage of pain hurtling at him. That's another reason why he adored his adoptive sister. He could always count on her to protect those she cared about. Even if she never said or spoke those three long-awaited words. Even Jasper hasn't heard those words in all the years she's been a part of the family. 
"She just seemed so lost and conflicted the last time she came home." Reece groaned and leaned back into the warm, velvet cushion, while Jasper nodded briefly, peering out the arched window behind his desk at the dark world beyond. 
"Do not let her hear you say that. She might just thrash you to the ground over it. You know how much she values her ability to control her emotions." Jasper teased, a tiny smirk spreading across his father's face. Jasper knew Sylvia's fury better than Reece. His father had to tear his sister off of him more times than the grains of sand in the Pyronix desert. Reece enjoyed taunting her and getting a rise out of her. She always had such a fire in her beautiful green eyes that even the bowels of hell would bulk at them, and he admired her for it, for it was that spark that kept her alive all those years on her own. That drive drove her up the ranks like a tornado. The notorious Red Bandit. 
"Did the reports say anything about her?" Reece inquired, almost holding his breath. The traitor from Yellowseed died about two weeks ago. Jasper did not have the heart to attend the execution and instead sent a condolence letter to the families. 
"Nothing new since the last report; it would seem she's doing well as one of the High Lord's top commanders." Jasper replied, his eyes still fixed on the dark sky. Reece had no doubt that his sister had earned a place in Xander's unit. She created waves wherever she went, and she deserved nothing less than that accolade. He wished she were here, commanding his father's army instead. Jasmine and Felix were doing well, but they lacked the aura of Sylvia. She was strong and unwavering. She was a force in her own right, but Jasmine did an admirable job of standing in for his sister.