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I did this.
I’m the reason this little boy is dead.
My existence has cost the lives of so many, but this one might hurt the worst. I took this boy’s life away. He never got to know love, never got to become himself or go after his dreams. He died here before he ever truly started living.
When I look at him again, that silhouette has become a glowing translucent boy. His bright blonde hair is shaggy, his dark eyes full of hope and love and innocence. That same crooked, mischievous smile paints his lips, nearly bringing a grin to my own.
“Do you know who you are?” I ask, thankful that those memories still exist in my mind, that they could make him remember.
The boy shakes his head no before tilting it, his eyes alive and curious.
“You are Chester.”
“Ches… ter.” His voice is rough and graveled as if his vocal chords have been dormant for far too long, shedding the mummified stone encasing them.
His soul, his ghost, becomes brighter as if saying his name has made him whole again. “Chester Wesbroke.”
I huff a short laugh, wiping at my cheeks. “Yes. Yes, you are.”
“And you’re Lord Asmo.”
“Just Asmo.” I give me my best smile, reaching out to grip his hand, even though I can’t touch him physically. Still, I hope the gesture is as comforting as if I could.
Suddenly, his gaze becomes grave as he stiffens. Those dark eyes meet mine. “I was supposed to find you.”
“Find me?” I shake my head, not understanding.
“I’m supposed to tell you what happened.”
My heart plummets into my stomach. “And?”
“The rest of them roam the woods. A few have moved on. The day you left, Lord Elcrys came with his men under the king’s orders to seize you. None of us knew where you were, but they didn’t believe us. They slaughtered us one by one if we refused to talk. It wasn’t until half of us were gone that a messenger came and told Lord Elcrys you’d been imprisoned. He destroyed the keep and killed the rest of us, anyway.” The boy lifts his head, tilting it back to reveal the jagged line across his throat where someone had drawn the edge of a blade.
Fury sears through me, my eyes flickering between man and demon. Lord Elcrys still serves on my brother’s court. He didn’t need to kill these people, but he’ll die for his crimes. His blood will be spilt on the very grounds of my keep. He’ll plead on his knees and my face will be the last thing he sees before I’ll end him, the same way he did Chester. By the gods, I fucking swear it.
A hand settles on my shoulder, ripping me back to reality and I twist to peer up at Griffin. “I’d told you to stay put.”
“And you took too long to come back.” His eyes flick from me to the boy. “I’d thought you were dead, that something had finally got the upper hand on you. Turns out, you’re just wiggling your fingers at a five-year-old.”
“Six,” Chester corrects.
“Same thing.” Griffin’s eyes roll in their sockets as he crosses his arms.
“It’s good you're here. I’m going to need your help.” Twisting, I purse my lips. My eyes lock onto a pebble on the ground and I pinch its rough surface between my fingers. “I have an idea.”
“Oh… Great. Because your ideas always end so well.”
I glare up at him. “What does that mean?”
“The last idea you had killed someone.”
Pausing to double-check my memory, I shake my head. “No. That man died of natural causes. I didn’t lay a hand on him.”
“Oh, okay, so what about the criminal who tried to poison Alice? Hmm?” Griffin crosses his arms, arching a white brow at me. “He just jumped from that tower window all on his own, did he?”
“Last I checked gravity was a force of nature.” Weighing my head from side to side, I frown. “He might’ve thought he could fly. It’s not my fault he believed something so absurd.”
“It is when the thought you pushed into his head was accompanied by magic. Youmadehim believe that.”
