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“Wren Mandalay?” Brentley breathed in astonished wonder, gaping at him. Then he shook his head slowly. “I thought you died ages go. How long have you been alive?”
Mandalay sent him a quizzical glance. “Since birth, I’d imagine.”
Flushing as he realized how ridiculous his question had been, Brentley shook his head and revised, “I mean, why did no one know you were still around?”
“Probably because I didn’t wish it to be known.” Mandalay finally reached us, slightly out of breath. “I only came tonight because I heard we’d been invaded and that the king had fallen.” He glanced toward the banquet table and sighed sadly. “My condolences.”
“Can you bring him back, sir?” Nicolette asked, moving to her dead brother’s side so she could touch Caulder’s leg mournfully.
“What’s that?” Mandalay wheezed out a cough before he shook his head. “Oh, dear child, no. I’m so sorry, but I possess no magic abilities, and even if I did, I fear only his one true love could fix this.”
“Poor Caulder,” Nicolette said, her eyes filling with tears. “He shouldn’t have ended this way. The two people he placed in the highest regard… And they betrayed him. They murdered him.”
Mandalay patted her shoulder sympathetically. “No, it isn’t fair at all. So few things in this life are.”
The young princess looked up at him. “You said I didn’t kill Yasmin. How are you so sure?”
“Because.” He nodded patiently. “The description you gave to the others of what you did sounded like a High Cliff way to exorcise demons from the bearers of dark magic. In most cases, the mixture will vanquish only the magic, le
aving the host body basically unharmed. But my unfortunate granddaughter must’ve carried the darkness in her for so long and accepted it so fully within her that it bonded to her soul. The two could not be separated, so when it died, she did as well.”
“Oh,” Nicolette said in a small voice as she hugged herself.
“She was beyond redemption,” Vienne told her kindly. “None of us could’ve known. Please don’t distress yourself over this, Nicolette. You saved us. Try to focus on that.”
“She’s right.” Allera nodded, backing up Vienne’s words, as she hooked her arm through Nicolette’s. “You’re our hero.”
Nicolette nodded but still looked troubled.
It made me remember the first time I’d taken a life. He’d been a nameless enemy from Lowden I’d met on the battlefield. But I could still remember the look of shock in his eyes when he realized I’d bested him and he wouldn’t survive the day. I wondered if he had family, a lover who’d mourn him, pets… Before another soldier had charged at me, and I’d been forced to kill again.
I still dreamed about that first death, though. It would take the young princess some time to get past this.
When Vienne shuddered in my arms, I realized she’d taken a life today too, as had Allera and Brentley. I wondered if this had been the first time for them as well. All of us had blood on our hands now.
Tucking my one true love in close to my side, I kissed her hair when she burrowed her face into my shoulder.
I closed my eyes, thankful she’d been kept safe.
“I should probably take Anniston up to our room,” she said, glancing up at me from exhausted eyes. “It’s been a long, traumatic day for her. She’ll adjust best with a spot of normal routine back in her system.”
It’d been a long day for Vienne too. Taking her hand, I nodded. “I’ll come with you.”
She smiled at me tenderly. “While I would love that, I wonder if you would be best suited down here for the time being, helping the new king step into his role. There’s still much to be done this night in the kingdom of Donnelly.”
I glanced over toward Brentley, who looked to be leaning heavily against Allera.
Our new king.
My God, my sister was a queen now.
Great. She’d no doubt lord this over me until the end of time.
“Damn,” I murmured, shaking my head. “Do you think it’s even occurred to him yet?”
“I doubt it,” Vienne murmured sadly.
I nodded, agreeing. “I’ll see what I can do then, my love. But I still feel uneasy about you going anywhere alone right now, even inside the castle. I know Yasmin’s gone and Far Shore has been handled, but—”
