They're Only Children

Etna looked at her brother, frowning. The orb lay on the floor, shattered bits clawing into the wood and she knew no one would be safe walking barefoot in that room again.

It shouldn’t have been so. Wisdom’s soul should have slingshot itself back into the network of orbs, like his wife had. But no, there was her brother- exactly the way she remembered him, down to the perpetual dirt under his nails from a day spent in the forge.

She took a step towards him, unmindful of the glass.

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The orb lay shattered at her feet, shards clawing into the wood and she knew no one would be safe walking barefoot there again.

It shouldn’t have been so, that was her first thought. Wisdom’s soul should have slingshot itself back into the network of orbs, like Virtue’s had. Like the spell had done. But no, everything that should have happened hadn’t.

There was her brother. Her wonderful, brave, brilliant older brother- exactly the way she remembered him, down to the perpetual dirt under his nails from a day spent in the forge.

She took a step toward him, unmindful to the glass. A hand shot out to stop her, but it was too late and there was pain as glass embedded within her skin. Wisdom’s arm hovered through her shoulder. A coarse reminder that really, he wasn’t here anymore.

He wasn’t here anymore. Etna forgot the pain, ignored the blood, and leveled her brother with a frown. She never spoke to the orbs her niece kept around, preferring her pain to stay in the fucking past where it belonged, and now it was right in front of her.

Wisdom’s look was unreadable. He could never figure out what was going on in his baby sister’s mind, and right then wasn’t any different.

“Etty?” He ventured, drawing his hand back.

“You knew.” She snapped. Wisdom did not say anything, not even to ask what she meant. He didn’t have to and that just angered her more. She waited.

And waited.

And waited.

“Yes.” Wisdom finally confirmed, realizing she wouldn’t continue until he did.

“They’re children.” Etna snapped, “They’re you’re children and you set them up to die.”

“Etty-”

“No. There’s no forgiving any of it. Not from me.” She leveled him with a glare. “But you’ll need it from them. That is, if they survive.”

“They?” It was Wisdom’s turn to be confused. It was only supposed to be one of them and be over with. Only one of them would have been of age at the time, leaving the other one safe- unharmed. Had they miscalculated.

“Oh, you didn’t know? Your little fucking parlor trick involves both your kids, and Virtue’s niece.” She frowned at him.

He didn’t have a response for her. Only the feeling of wanting to throw up, without the parts to do it.

The door opened, and Newt poked his head in. “I heard something brea- Uhm. Am I interrupting?”

“No.” The spell was broken. Etna stood alone, looking anywhere but Newt. Glass covered the floor, and she made no move to clean it.
At least not immediately.