If Anelize hadn’t been looking at Aeric, and only him, she would have failed to notice the way his eyes narrowed upon the physician then to the king. She held her breath, waiting to hear what Horia’s answer would be. If he knew that he’d…failed in truly killing the prince, that it had all been a mere fabrication conducted by Castian and the captain before him.
“Y-yes,” Horia sobbed. “He is dead. And it is my greatest shame.”
King Amaranth’s cold expression seemed to fall before itwas void of all feeling once more. Then he reached for his cane and pulled the top free, revealing a long blade within it. It sang freely as he held it, and Aeric stepped back, as if needing no command to know what would come next.
Horia’s words died on his tongue as the king swung his sword down upon his neck with a vicious snarl. Spraying blood across his chest as he cut through flesh and bone, so easily. The king stumbled back a step, his crown slipping from his head as he stared at Horia’s lifeless body.
Blood spewed over the ivory steps of the king’s throne as both Horia’s head and the king’s crown toppled to the ground.
Anelize sat on the edge of her bed as she stared at the cracks along the wall and relived the execution of Physician Horia in her mind countless times.
When the sound of a knock came to her door, she startled out of her thoughts and rose. Opening the door, she found Adan standing in the hall. He didn’t so much as ask her permission to be allowed inside as he pushed her in and closed the door behind him.
“Are you all right?” he asked her.
Anelize nodded. “As all right as I can be, all things considered.”
“The ceremony is tomorrow. When you hear the musicians playing their songs in the Great Hall, start making your way through the servant’s corridors until you reach the spiraling staircase that will lead you to the east side of the courtyard. The postern gate is through an archway that will take you to the tunnels.”
“And if there are guards there?”
“You’ll know the signal to move when it comes. You can’t miss it.”
Anelize nodded again, feeling the weight of what they were truly about to do fall upon her now more than ever.
Adan’s hands landed on her shoulders, forcing her to look at him. His eyes were stern and unyielding. “You can do this, Anya.”
A wry smile made its way onto her lips. “I’ve heard you say otherwise—a few weeks ago, if I recall.”
“That was true then,” Adan said, making her scoff at his bluntness. “But then you saved Aeric and nearly lost your life in the process without so much as a single ounce of hesitation.”
“You weren’t there, how could you know that?”
This time he gave her a genuine, teasing smile. “I know you understand the cost now, and you paid it ten times over. More than you should have. And because I knowyou, you idiot.”
Anelize pushed at his shoulder. “Even when you’re encouraging, you always know when to insult someone. I cannot wait for the day when you will meet someone who will drive you mad and question every single action you make.”
Adan pulled her into an embrace so sudden that it stole the breath from her, stunning her into silence. “Should I ever meet such a person, I’ll gladly let you see that day come. Just make sure you survive down there. That isn’t a request, it’s an order,” he murmured in her ear.
When she shook herself out of her shock, she slowly returned the embrace.
“You do love ordering me around, you tyrant,” she saidthrough the knot in her throat as he granted her a fleeting chuckle. “I’ll survive. I promise.”
When they broke away from each other, Adan nodded curtly before turning around and leaving the room without another word. They had said all that they could.
The rest was left up to fate.
Or her.
30
The next day had come and gone in a blur. Without Horia, Anelize had been ordered by the king to mind the infirmary until a new physician could come and take his place. It seemed his interest in her had returned after he’d used her assessment in the hothouse as sufficient evidence that there was indeed treason at play with the physician.
Whether he suspected Councilman Esna, however, it was difficult to say.
Not that she cared as she pulled on the clothes she’d packed with her before leaving the Dobrins’ tavern and slipped them beneath her uniform, then stepped out of her room. The skies were starless as she walked along the hall, catching a glimpse of the port from here through the windows. The only part of the kingdom doused in shadows. Hiding from the rest of the world.
One day, that would end.
