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Benton blinked at her in confusion. “But, Mistress…”
“Kerrigan,” she repeated. “Just Kerrigan. You have lived long enough in shadow. I want you to each have a room. If I have guests, they can sleep on the couch or the floor for all I care.”
“That is most generous,” Bayton said. “Too generous.”
“It’s the least of what you deserve.” Kerrigan very well could have been them if she had been born a thousand years earlier. Things weren’t that much better now, but it wasn’t slavery. It wasn’t what the twins had endured at the hands of tyrants. She wouldn’t subject them to that ever again. “They’re yours. Do with them as you will.”
“Yes, Miss… Kerrigan,” Benton said, stumbling over her name. “Also, this was delivered for you.”
She held out a plain envelope, but Kerrigan recognized the calligraphic writing as Fordham’s. She took it out of Benton’s hand and stepped into her new living quarters, tearing the envelope and retrieving the letter from within.
* * *
Kerrigan,
I’ve started this letter a thousand times. I have never been one of many words and always felt that I could express myself better on paper. Thus, I write to you today to express my deepest regrets about what I must do. I will speak plainly: I am leaving the Society.
Netta and I are still bound, and I will not let her suffer a terrible fate by leaving her behind. By the time you read this, we will have already left the aerie with Kinkadia far behind us. Do not look for us. We do not wish to be found. Not when the potential for harm is so great with our continued existence in the mountain.
My biggest regret is that you will read this letter and be hurt by the contents. I wish with all my heart that I could stay behind. That we could live a faerie tale, as we had that week at Waisley. Though it was not reality, and I can no longer pretend that being near you does not endanger your life.
Loving you is the best and the worst thing that ever happened to me. You challenged me to be a better version of the male that I am. Together, we were so much more than we ever could be apart. Which is why I must leave.
The curse hangs heavy over my heart. It is only a matter of time before you fall prey to it. So, I go in search of a way to break this abomination once and for all. Know that I do this for you, for us. If I survive, then I hope I am not too late to fight for you.
* * *
Yours always,
Prince Fordham Ollivier
Kerrigan stepped carefully back into the living space. Benton and Bayton stared at her curiously but dared not ask. More conditioning.
“How long ago was this delivered?” she asked.
“Before we moved your quarters, miss,” Bayton whispered.
“Hours ago,” she gasped. She choked on the thought.
“What is it?” Benton finally asked, helping Kerrigan to a seat.
“Fordham. He’s… he’s gone.”
64
The Execution
“What are you doing here?”
Kerrigan swallowed and stepped deeper into the prison beneath the mountain. Lorian’s face looked as determinedly irritated as ever. They’d stripped him of his Society robes. He was in a filthy beige shirt and black pants that clung to him from sweat and grime. Kerrigan had never seen him in anything but his robes. He was fastidious about his hygiene as well. It was shocking to see him like this.
“I wanted to see you.”
“You’ve come to gloat. Your plan worked. I am the one behind bars now.” He came slowly to his feet and stepped up to the ironwork. “Is that it?”
“No,” she said carefully. “I didn’t do this. That was all you.”
He huffed and rolled his eyes. “If that helps you sleep at night.”
She took a deep breath and released it. “I don’t know why I’m here. Something didn’t feel right. Alura was so adamant of your innocence, and I’ve never known her to be a liar.”
“Maybe because I didn’t do it.”
“The evidence said you did it. The council voted.”
He sighed and slumped back against the cot. “My daughter is not a liar. I am not a liar. If you believe me to be so, then you can leave. I don’t wish that my last hours be disturbed by you.”
Kerrigan bit her lip and turned to leave. But still, something nagged at her. It had nagged at her for two whole days as she waited for the execution to take place. She just didn’t know what it was. Lorian wasn’t telling the truth. Surely, he knew what he was doing. Twisting his words so that she had sympathy for him.
“Who were you working with in the House of Shadows?” she asked, her back to him.
“I assure you that I was not working with anyone. Why would I go to war against a group that I helped?”
