Page 3 of Witch’s Ruin

“Hmm…” The guard frowned. “Been strange things happening in the city. Been commanded to be extra careful. Suppose we ought to send word to the palace first, make sure you’re expected.”

“This is ridiculous,” I cried, failing to stop the surge overtaking my voice. My fingers flexed, fisting the reins. Never mind that we’d been traveling for days on end. I was tired, hungry, and uninterested in his power play. “I am a Citadel witch, here on Citadel orders. I’m not some ruffian looking to make trouble. Now, step aside.”

His smirk boiled my blood.

My nostrils flared. How difficult would it be, to reach behind me and remove my blades? To slice that sneering head right off his shoulders. The hungry thought played out before me, everything else fading—

“Can’t be too sure these days,” the guard said. I wiped the wicked thought clean. “We’ll need to make certain. You just sit tight beside the queue there, while we send up a messenger. Shouldn’t take but an hour or two, assuming you’re permitted to be here, Lady Witch.”

I bristled.

Behind me, there came a long, heavy sigh. Rixon urged his horse forward, drawing even with me. The guard’s eyes settled on him. A look of uncertainty flashed across the male’s face, there and gone. Yes, Rixon had that effect on others. He found his courage and said, “Have you something to add, Lord Wielder?”

“Step aside.” The deadly low command, a mere two words, landed like a blow. It hit the intended target with a force that left me blinking. The two guards in the back exchanged looks.

“You have no authority here, wielder.” A disrespectful splat of spit hit the ground beside Ferrah’s hooves. My jaw ticked, clenched hard as I struggled against the crackling surge of my emotions.

My sole purpose as a witch was to protect the people of Raeria. Rixon and I risked our lives in the wilderness, slaying demons, so that they might live more safely. This was the respect we received in exchange?

Outright scorn?

Fury clawed up the column of my throat. The shadow of my hood kept hidden the thing thriving inside me. I could feel the dark veins, spreading beneath my skin. Feel the writhing thing—

“No authority, you say?” Rixon’s voice was sharp as steel. “I am your prince. I outrank you. Now open the fucking gate.”

I sucked in a gasp, my head whipping to the side. For a moment, my world froze at the sound of Rixon's words—at what he’d just revealed. He sat in his saddle with perfect posture, but the fury on his face, the way his muscles were clenched, said enough. Raeria’s heir had returned. All who crossed him would suffer the consequences.

Chapter 2

Rixon

A vein in Rixon’s neck twitched. He’d lost control. It was so unlike him. Then again, what did it matter now? It wasn’t as if he could hide his identity whilst here.

“Prince?” muttered the two guards standing back as the other said, “You ain’t no prince, or I’m the king of Raeria.”

Mina, always sharp, pivoted. “Have a little respect,” she commanded. “You are speaking to Alexander Rixon Kozma.”

He was already jumping off his horse.

The guard staggered backwards, eyes widening. Rixon grabbed him by his uniform, slamming him against the wall. The guard’s skull thunked on the stone. The other two gave shouts of surprise.

Uncertainty flashed across the guard’s face. “Her words are true,” he growled. “I am Prince Aleksander Kozma. Now, if I hear one more fucking word out of your mouth, I’m going to smash your nose and rip out your fucking—”

“Rixon! Enough.” He froze. “Stand down.”

He dropped his hand, stepping back a pace at the sound of Mina’s command. “You’re lucky she’s got me on a tight leash,” he said, eyes narrowing.

“Return to your horse,” Mina added, more calmly this time. She hadn’t pulled on the bond, hadn't needed to. He followed her orders without a second thought. She could have told him to fall on his own fucking sword and he would have done it—for her, only for her.

“We’re going through now,” Mina told the guards. “You may attempt to stop us, if you like. But your prince is rather handy with a blade, and I admit, I wouldn’t mind seeing you skewered on the end of one after all this trouble.”

The guard’s mouth opened and closed, but he didn’t attempt to stop them. She spared the male a final glance before she urged Jarrow forward. The other two merely gaped. Jarrow trotted past them, tossing his head and offering a snort of disdain. Rixon followed after, keeping his stare pinned on the guards in warning.

They entered the courtyard, turning their horses towards the city beyond.

Mina sighed, turning towards him. “Was that really necessary, Lord Wielder?”

He blinked, memories of this place engulfing him. His breath stagnated in his chest, got stuck. All around him, the buildings pressed in. “I hate this fucking place,” he muttered, ignoring her question.