“Oh?” Ambrose cocked her head. “And what have you heard?”
She tried not to entertain the fear that coursed through her when she thought about how many people knew Adym was her twin. The last thing she wanted to do was draw unwanted attention to him and make him more of a target than he likely already was.
“You’re quickly becoming a bit of a legend.” Oryon nudged his brother. He was bold and didn’t know how to hold back his tongue. Ambrose immediately liked him. “We heard all about your trial. Is it true you made a pledge at a criminal trial? What a brilliant move, what made you think of it?”
“I don’t—” She didn’t know what to say.
“Enough,” Akadian snapped. “I picked you two for your professionalism, show some respect.”
“I forgot myself.” Oryon straightened and placed a closed fist over his heart. “My apologies Your Highness, it won’t happen again.”
Just as the sun decided to reach over the horizon and bathe them all in warm light, a blood-curdling scream pierced the early morning.
Ambrose sprang into action, running directly towards the source of the scream, the others right behind her. She pulled around to the front gate where a woman cowered, crying, as she pointed at something on top of the gate. When Ambrose reached the woman, Oryon and Eurus stood on either side of her, swords drawn, while the hum of Akadian’s magick lapped against her back. Felius stood ready, battle axe in hand to fight off whatever caused the woman so much distress and Danthan’s jaw droppedas he covered his mouth with one hand, wide-eyed. All while Podara took her time sauntering over, flipping a dagger in her hand, unfazed by the commotion.
Ambrose wished she hadn’t come running.
She wished she wasn’t looking at what the woman saw.
She wished she wasn’t standing there, frozen and unable to look away.
Twenty feet in the air, atop the iron gates that protected the city, a body had been pierced clean through on the spikes. Blood spilled from the corpse to the ground as though the person had still been alive when they were speared. Every inch of his skin was charred and flayed to a crisp, so red and blackened it was unrecognizable. Skin flaked off bone and melted fat pooled on the gate. Smoke still rose from the fresh remains as its mouth hung open in an eternal scream.
The stench!
Far worse than during her altercation with Thornehart. That smell had singed the hairs in her nose, butthis? This smell was something she would never be able to erase from her memory.
The only part of his body that remained untouched was his uniform.
A guard’s uniform.
Someone murdered another guard!Ambrose choked down the fear that gripped her, eyes scanning the uniform for his rank, she desperately sent a prayer to Zyros.Please don’t let that be Adym stung up for the world to see.
But it wasn’t Adym.
On the guard’s uniform were three gilded stars.
Oh gods.
It was Thornehart.
“Ahhhhh… I see you found my gift.”
On instinct, Ambrose spun around into a crouching stance, reaching for an invisible sword on her hip.
Damn it. First. Priority.She chided herself. She wouldn’t be surprised unarmed again.
Casimir sauntered towards them as though he were enjoying a pleasant morning stroll—not announcing a horrible murder. His light blond hairwas tied back into a ponytail and his deep red suit stood out against the green grass. Like he was cloaked in blood. Emerald eyes set ablaze with playful danger. Icicles formed on the gate as he passed through. Frost covered the iron and the body which stopped smoking as it cracked under the immediate temperature change.
“Youdid this?” she asked, horrified.
“With a little help.” Casimir grinned as he reached Akadian and tapped him proudly on the shoulder. “It was quite the sight to behold.”
Akadian did this?
This wasn’t the usual execution of beheading or hanging. This was cruel. She hadn’t any love lost on Thornehart, but he only attacked her because she killed his son. No one could truly blame him for what any father would likely do. She wanted him punished, not murdered.
How could Akadian do something like this? She looked at him, disgusted with what she saw. She was a fool. Distracted by a pretty face and a garden of all things. How could she ever let herself forget what he was? A royal. Inhumane with no conscience, just an insatiable taste for cruelty.
