Alliance of Shadows, Book 5: LEIF

When Truth Trumps Lies

Whispers rapidly spread around the room, rising as angered parties fought among themselves. I caught bits and pieces—accusations flying, chairs shifting, the collective tension thick enough to choke on. An idea crossed my mind as I mulled over something Kaden had said earlier.

"My version of it makes your body heat up until you answer the questions truthfully..."

Calling Kaden over, I said, “What happens if someone other than ye questions them?”

"Dude, Neil and my brother trained me well," he replied. "Logan's a seasoned liar 'cause of his dad, but he can't help telling me... oh, I get it now. It's stronger when I'm the one doing the questioning."

"Let's test that theory of yours, Leif," he said as he stood up, took Conner from me, and grabbed Heather by the hand. Without another word, he guided them back to the chair in the center of the room.

Clearing his throat, Kaden smirked. "Father, Mother, I'm acting as an impartial outside party. Since it's my power pulsating through the Truth spell, it'll work better for me. It won’t hit as hard for anyone else—the strength just isn’t the same if it’s not coming from the spell’s origin. That said, I want to be the one to do the questioning."

"How do you know that?" Rowan asked, clearly amused.

"I've questioned enough Rogue Werewolves and Tainted to know that conventional methods don't work on them. They believe their own lies, but there’s always a glimmer of truth in what a seasoned liar says," Kaden told him.

He continued, his tone a notch more serious, "Case in point—the night of the All Hallows Gathering last year, Logan lied to his father. But it was only a half-lie. His father believed him because Logan kept his heart rate steady—below the fear threshold. And because there was a grain of truth tucked inside the lie, he passed it off as the full truth."

Celestia grinned. "That’s rather interesting, my Prince. Continue."

Sitting beside her, Rowan nodded. "No objections. Do your thing, my son."

"Since the power in the spell belongs to me, and I'm a hybrid, I'll know right away if someone’s trying to lie. My power will pulse in time with their heartbeat, and I’ll hear any changes in the rhythm. Dre, I'm borrowing your kids."

"If you give them nightmares, I'm killing you," Dreson muttered.

Kaden ignored him, kneeling in front of the kids. "What colour is the sky?"

The question threw them off. Both just blinked at him in confusion until he reworded it. "Let’s try that again. What colour was the sky outside before we came in?"

Conner tilted his head. "I wasn't looking at the s-s-sky."

"I was," Heather chimed in. "Part of it was a pretty blue, but most of it was icky gray."

"Both children spoke their truth and weren’t affected by the spell. This shows how much the wording matters with my magic. To prove my theory, I’m gonna test it on whoever sits in this chair next. Go on back to your father's, guys. You did great," Kaden said.

Once he knew they were safe, he grinned, "Seamus McDillard is the one I want to question first. I know Leif's side of things, so I dare you to lie to me."

Unfazed, the man took the seat and smirked at Kaden. “Ye can try, Hybrid.”

As if to prove his point, Kaden said, "Name."

Seamus scoffed, “Ye already know it.”

My brother-in-law’s grin widened. "Now, let's try a more direct question. What is your name?"

"Seamus Walter McDillard." Seamus’s eyes flicked wide as he clamped a hand over his mouth. He realized too late that everything was about to fall apart. If anyone else had been doing the questioning, he might've gotten away with dodging it.

Kaden was too good at what he did. "How old are you?"

Again, Seamus tried to fight it but couldn't. "Twenty-four."

"What were you doing in the yard of Leif Robertsson and Dreson Cage?" Kaden asked.

“I was takin’ the boy fer insurance.”

George cursed from his seat.

Glancing over my shoulder, I spotted a dark-haired woman standing in the corner. She looked completely out of place in the room—her high ponytail braided with intricate care, black trousers tucked into thigh-high boots, and a long black coat that swayed lightly with her breath. She stood like a royal guard… or an assassin. But her eyes were vacant—like she was just there to observe for someone who hadn’t shown up yet.

She pushed off the wall and crossed to the other side of the room, disappearing from view. A cold shiver crawled up my spine just before a female voice whispered in my ear.

"I will return. Do not let them leave this room."

I nodded.

The chill left with her, like she'd carried it on her coat. I turned my focus back to Kaden and the man he was questioning. Seamus' hair clung to his forehead, sweat rolling off him in waves as he fought the hold of Kaden’s most vicious spell.

"You just have to answer the question, Seamus. That's all it's gonna take to turn down the heat," Kaden smirked. "Who told you to betray Leif Rob—"

“Me father! Gods damn it—it was me father.” Seamus broke, and ten years of secrets spilled out in less than five minutes.

Dreson bit his lip hard enough to make me squirm.

“E told me t’ earn Leif’s trust… then betray ’im—so I did. Then ’e offered ’is parents a fat sum t’ buy ’im. Father ’ad guests t’ entertain, an’ they wanted fresh meat what couldn’t be makin’ babes outta wedlock. ’E bought Leif… an’ charged the men five hundred pound apiece t’ play wi’ ’is new toy,” Seamus admitted, folding under the crushing weight of Kaden’s power.

"What happened the first time Leif got away?"

Seamus gasped for air, shaking his head as he fought against the answer. "Stop... please..."

"The only way to make the pain stop is by telling the truth, Seamus," Kaden said with a glint in his eye. It wasn’t hard to tell he enjoyed this part.

“I never ’eard from ’im again. Father moved on to other children. Poor families, hungry fer coin—he’d target ’em. Kids what wouldn’t be missed. We found Leif, see, but he’d already slipped us by the time we got to the boy’s home. Few years back, he was spotted with that man over there.”

A twitch started in Dreson’s jaw. "Bastard son of a w***e," he muttered.

Kaden shot Dre a sharp look, silently telling him to back off. "What happened during that visit?"

"Leif’s father rang mine and a few others. We needed to punish him for leavin’," Seamus replied, voice strained.

My brother-in-law’s grin widened. "Why did you follow them home?"

Seamus tried to fight it, but the truth forced its way out. "I were told to bring Leif back usin’ any method possible."

"Was your father behind the order for you to take the boy?" Kaden asked, glancing over at Dre as he dropped his head into his hands.

"Yes! Yes, damn it!" Seamus cried out, unable to hold it back. "Me father were behind everything, but there were others what helped ’im keep it buried. That Sage woman’s ’usband made sure to keep the Sages in the dark. If Leif had just died when he were supposed to, we wouldn’t even be here. But no, he had to live. He had to ruin everything!"

The woman he referred to was my Aunt Rayna. She cast an uninterested glance at the man she married, eyes cold. Scoffing, she turned away from his pleas and the tired excuses that it was all a mistake, that he never actually touched any of the children.

Rayna shook her head, her gaze sharp with finality. “Nay, but ye did somethin’ worse. Ye stood by an’ let it happen. Ye played the game an’ got caught wit’ yer trousers down, so ye’ll be dealin’ wit’ th’ consequences.”

“Ye’ll regret that, Rayna! Ye’ll regret standin’ against yer lawful ‘usband! Yer ‘sposed to honour and obey me, but here ye be, like th’ traitorous b***h ye is!” Grant snarled, voice cracked and furious.

Aunt Rayna scoffed again, stepping forward slightly. “That may be, but I’d rather stand for truth an’ justice than lies an’ crimes against the wee ones. Ye used me, Grant. Now ye’ll pay the blood toll for yer crimes. Our union shall be dissolved. I’ll be seein’ te that.”