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The rest of the twenty or so men looked ready to shit their padded pants. Jari had seen the gold outside and the corpse,so clearly, something unnatural had happened although they obviously wouldn’t understand it. Aurelius and Jari were the only ones around too, and they didn’t belong inside the King’s Hall, so they had to be responsible in some form.
“Where’s the King?” demanded the first guard.
“He’s dead,” said Aurelius. “Good riddance.”
The men hesitated. Typically, admitting that one killed the ruler meant death was coming pretty fast, but whatever was going on there, they didn’t have experience with it. They might not have even realized who Aurelius was if he’d kept things quiet. Why would the Novan Prince be here? Jari reached to grab his sword.
“Put that down,” yelled one.
“Are you going to let us walk out of here?” asked Aurelius.
“No.”
“Aurelius-” muttered Jari.
“So I have to kill you?” asked Aurelius.
The men bristled as they started to move toward the table. A few archers had bows glowing with fire, and a soldier shifted his sword before he let lightning curl around his hand.
“There’s more outside.” One spread his wings like he was about to fly and possibly attack from above.
“I suggest they don’t come in,” said Aurelius.
A couple of the men yelled as gold spread out over their torsos. One dropped his weapon and swiped at it. The winged one tucked them close like that would protect them. It was too late. They froze in place with varying poses and expressions of panic, and cracks spread along their bodies.
“Aurelius-”
A second later, they burst into pieces, and chunks of gold skittered along the floor.
“Fuck,” swore Jari.
“Solid gold,” breathed Aurelius. “It was them or us. We wouldn’t have escaped without killing, and that’s quicker than a sword.” He turned around and headed for the rose, but Jari grabbed his hand. “Nobody will know they used to be living either.”
“Stay away from the rose.”
“It’s mine.”
Jari took his other shoulder. “You might be all right with salt in your locket now, but not if you touch that rose. I’m not taking the chance. I need you to be as clear-headed as possible.”
Aurelius’s gaze darted to the enemy, now in chunks and unrecognizable. “I’m already not myself.”
Jari took his chin. “You’re you. It’s enough. You won’t be if you touch the rose.”
Aurelius pulled away with a touch of his typical Crown Prick air. He could be like that every day as long as he stayed sane enough and didn’t gild Jari. Maybe it was because he’d touched every item, but that seemed to have been the worst.
“Open the locket so I can put more salt in.”
Aurelius closed his hand around it as he stared at the gold plate. “I don’t want to.”
“I don’t care what that thing tells you. Do it. You’re you, and you want that thing to back off. Why else did you fight for so long?”
Aurelius hesitated, but he finally opened it while keeping it flat so the contents didn’t fall out. A little lock of hair was inside and bound with a thin, faded pink ribbon. Miraculously, it hadn’t fallen out earlier, and specks of salt stuck to it.
“Who’s hair is that?” Jari asked, partly to keep Aurelius distracted as he scooped up some salt from the cellar with his fingers.
“It was Mother’s locket, and the hair was her Mother’s. King David had it because...” Aurelius cut off.
“How come you didn’t gild that?”
