Free Thorns of Decision (Dusk Gate Chronicles) by Breeana Puttroff

tears that flowed down her cheeks now, didn’t even notice them, actually, until one dripped onto William’s hand, and he reached into his pocket to retrieve his handkerchief for her. “But … what? How? … Why?”
    She glanced over at William. He’d moved closer to her, and his whole body was visibly shaking now, as hard as hers was. Thomas still just looked stunned. She had learned, on her second trip to Eirentheos, that Nathaniel wasn’t really related to William and Thomas – that he’d lived with their father’s family since he was a teenager, and his status as “uncle” to them was an honorary one. But she’d never imagined that he was actually related to her.
    “I can’t even begin to answer all of your questions right now, Quinn. And I can’t tell you how sorry I am that you’re just finding this out now. This was never how I intended things to go.”
    “Does my mom know this?”
    “Yes, she does. Not many people did know that we were actually brothers. That part we kept quiet, to protect the secret, to protect you , but of course Samuel shared that with Megan.”
    “Then … my dad was from Eirentheos? ”
    “Your father and I were both from that world, yes.”
    “What about my mom?”
    “She’s from this world. Your father met and fell in love with her after he’d already been living here.”
    “Was he a … did he come here to study medicine, too? He couldn’t have also been a healer.”
    “No. Neither your father nor I first came here to study medicine. That was an unexpected benefit I discovered after our first several trips. There were other reasons we came … things in our own world we came to get away from, and that I am not at liberty to share with the three of you, at least not yet. Really, I’ve shared too much already.”
    “Are those the same reasons you never told me you were my uncle?”
    “That part I never meant to keep from you, Quinn. When you were tiny, you knew – at least in a way. I used to spend so much time with you when you were little – spoiling you rotten.”
    “So what happened? Why have you been keeping this from her – from all of us?” William’s still shook in anger.
    “Everything changed when Samuel died. It was hard enough on Megan to know that her daughter was part of this other world that she didn’t understand, and the situation was so complicated. There’s still a lot she doesn’t know, and she always knew we weren’t telling her everything – some of it was understandably frightening for her. We agreed on a compromise – that I could tell you about some things when you were eighteen, and old enough to decide for yourself. And then things changed again when you discovered the gate on your own.”
    She nodded, although she wasn’t sure what she was agreeing to. Her brain felt overly full – like it might burst, and she was having trouble staying on the couch. “Can I – I need a few minutes to myself.”
    Without waiting for a response, she stood and walked out of the room.
     
    Inside Nathaniel’s bathroom, she opened the medicine cabinet and looked for something she was almost certain she’d find, as several things clicked into place at once.
    There it was. A small, brown, glass bottle, exactly like the one in her bathroom at home, and the one in the bathroom in her bedroom in the castle. She dug in a drawer for a clean washcloth, held it under hot running water, and then opened the bottle.
    The comforting scent of lavender and vanilla filled the room, and she carefully placed three drops of the oil into the center of the cloth before folding it and burying her face in it.
     
    When she returned to the living room, almost half an hour later, Thomas was asleep, and William and Nathaniel were both silent, staring into the fire.
    “I’ve made a decision,” she said, and they looked up, both wearing cautious expressions. William raised one eyebrow.
    “I’m going back to Eirentheos with you tonight. It’s Spring Break, and