Splinter (The Machinists Book 2) Read Online Free

unflinching and unwavering. He had held on until the end, and because of him, his Family survived. His children lived. And because Jaxon was too weak, he had put that all into jeopardy. His anger boiled again.
    “Nobody expects you to do this alone.” Leira’s words cut at the heart of his self-deprecation. Of course he was supposed to do this alone. That was what the position entailed. That was what leadership meant—a leader had to be the example he wanted the rest to strive toward.
    “We all need help sometimes, Jaxon. And it can take on many different forms—everyone needs something different. So whatever you need, I’m here.” She squeezed his hand, her eyes pleading with him.
    Jaxon took a deep breath. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, they were in this together. “Let’s take a walk.”

    A short time later, Jaxon found himself walking with Leira down the narrow mountain road adjacent to the cabin. The peaceful trickle of a slow-moving creek somewhere in the sparse wood off the road accompanied the soft crunch of their steps. Clumps of grass grew between the cracks of the crumbling asphalt, their green tips barely visible above the accumulating snow. Frozen branches overhead glistened like crystalline wonders in the soft glow of the winter afternoon. More tiny flakes fell, covering their tracks and melting against Jaxon’s bare arms. Most young magi assumed he simply ignored the cold. They didn’t know that as long as they kept their chests warm, their limbs would be, as well.
    Leira was bundled under a black coat held together by a series of silver buckles. Her chin-length black hair was hidden under its hood. She glanced at him from time to time, occasionally offering a smile, which he returned.
    Nothing centered him like the outdoors. I need to do this more often, Jaxon thought, remembering that Graeme had often walked in the woods surrounding the manor. He’d even cultivated an outdoor office there, a private sanctuary of sorts. Jaxon had been so caught up in managing the Family’s struggles that he’d forgotten to take care of his own.
    Yes, he decided, I will make a habit of this.
    “Do you remember the night Lukas left?” Leira’s voice was quiet and hesitant, as if she were afraid to interrupt their private retreat.
    “Of course.” How could I forget? Lukas had splintered the McCollum Family, leaving with nearly a third of its members, then continued to spread his vitriol, verbally assaulting their most sacred traditions in an attempt to recruit from Families unsympathetic to Graeme’s philosophies. He sought the youngest and most ambitious magi, those with a chips on their shoulders. Those who felt they had something to prove—and they flocked to his message. Lukas had done more than decimate the McCollum Family’s strength; he had destroyed their reputation. The Families avoided them as if their presumed weakness was contagious, and even after Lukas’s downfall—and Graeme’s death—the Family still hadn’t recovered.
    “I found my father in his study. It was dark, and he stood at the window, watching as Lukas led his followers away. To this day, I don’t know what hurt him more—their departure or their excitement in doing so.”
    Jaxon remembered the evening clearly. It had been a blistering-hot late-August evening, and tempers between Graeme and Lukas had flared for the final time. They had fled at dusk when the sky was an angry mix of reds, oranges, and yellows. Lukas had turned the somber event into a celebration, throwing balls of fire into the air like fireworks. His followers danced, cheered, and made a mockery of those who had remained. Lukas enjoyed rubbing Graeme’s nose in it.
    “A piece of him left with Lukas that day,” Leira said. “He became somber, bitter, and distrustful. He ceased being my father, instead becoming more interested in being my leader. And I hated him for it.”
    Jaxon looked at her in surprise. Leira had barely spoken of her father since