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Everyone tensed up as Lord Merick turned to him. I saw no hints of hesitation or regret on King Duncan’s face.
“Is that so?” Lord Merick said after a pause. “Once you are dead, I don’t see anyone having the courage to oppose me.”
“Except the lords and ladies of the realm,” King Duncan replied. “They know what you really are. They won’t stop until they get rid of your vile tyranny. Everyone knows how little you are, Merick, and no one wants to be ruled by a cowardly facade of a man like you.”
I could not comprehend why an intelligent man like King Duncan would act out of anger and agitate Lord Merick when the latter held all the reins. Lord Merick already wanted to kill King Duncan; why did King Duncan seem like he wanted to anger him even more?
I did not know.
“You—“ Lord Merick stuttered. “You are done! I am going to kill you! Then, I’m going to kill your offspring. Your line will end here, Duncan. You are done!”
I thought I saw a flicker of hope in King Duncan as Lord Merick turned to his soldiers.
“Kill him,” he said.
The soldiers did not act as quickly as Lord Merick wanted. Their reluctance angered him even more. Before Lady Queill or Lord Lugh could stop him, Lord Merick went to the closest soldier and grabbed his blade off his belt. The man twitched as though he feared the false king would kill him, but Lord Merick spun around and went straight for the King of the Unseelie.
“You cannot kill me,” King Duncan said calmly.
“My King!” Lady Queill shouted. I wasn’t sure if she was trying to reach Lord Merick or if she was warning King Duncan not to anger the man any further.
“Father!” Even Lord Lugh seemed agitated for the first time since he entered the king’s quarters.
“My death will not be in vain,” King Duncan said, facing his fate head-on. His eyes caught mine at the last moment. “Make sure they know.”
“Oh, but it will,” Lord Merick moved the blade swiftly.
I stared at the blood gushing out as Lord Merick cut King Duncan’s throat. Lord Lugh attempted to reach Lord Merick before King Duncan fell, but there was no way of stopping him.
It had happened all too fast.
King Duncan smiled as he died. For a second, he on his knees, staring at me, and in the next, life fell out of him.
Tears sprung from my eyes as his body collapsed to the ground. He fell to his side. His eyes closed shut but the blood kept pouring. Lord Merick had to step away to keep the blood from reaching his shoes.
Everyone stopped. My heart ached so intensely that I could not even wrap my mind around what had just happened. King Duncan had not tried to fight for his life.
There was a momentary silence as all stared at King Duncan’s lifeless body.
“Now, we have no way of luring Fiona and Kieran back to the castle,” Lord Lugh said dryly. “You gave him what he wanted.”
I turned toward Xira to see her reaction. She was crying too.
“We don’t need them,” Lord Merick turned away from King Duncan. There was a mad look in him. “No one will support children who think they deserve the crown simply because it was once their father’s. The Unseelie want men to rule over them, not boys and girls who can’t even choose their friends well.”
“What of the witnesses, my king?” Lady Queill’s tone was cold. It seemed she had given up all hope that the newly appointed king would act logically. “The girls... The soldiers... They all saw you killing King Duncan.”
Lord Merick’s gaze darted toward the soldiers. The soldier behind me became stiff. Her grip on my wrists tightened.
Lord Merick smiled. “The soldiers are mine. The girls won’t live long enough to tell.”
“Father,” Lord Lugh took a step forward. “You’re not being wise.”
“Who are you to tell me what I am?” Lord Merick snapped at Lord Lugh. He faced his son head-on, then, as though he saw something in the younger man, he forced a smile on his lips. “We did it, son. We won. Why ruin the moment, now?”
“I could ask the same question to you,” Lord Lugh said, still staring at his father with an angry gaze.
Lord Merick saw something in Lord Lugh. He must have decided not to push his son. Instead, he turned to Lady Queill.
