The air was so tense, Vera could barely breathe.
Slowly, the Keeper’s arm eased down, pulling the dagger away from Rebecca’s small body. “You haven’t won,” he warned them. “This doesn’t end with me.”
“No,” Venn agreed. “But itwillend. You have my word on that.”
The Keeper moved with a lightning-fast motion, throwing the blade across the room.
Vera gasped when she saw his target—Finn.
Zander dove, shoving the children aside. The blade sank into his arm and he hissed in pain.
The Keeper tried to dive away, but chains rattled as David Holm grabbed the Keeper’s arm and hauled him back with a snarl.
Vera barely managed to look away before he shoved a knife into the Keeper’s heart.
Chapter 20
Venn
Venn and Vera sat in one of the main rooms of the Keeper’s large tent. The night was halfway gone, but Zander Fellnor showed no signs of slowing. Even with his arm bandaged, he was giving orders and taking charge of the camp with ease. He was a strange mix of charismatic and authoritative, and that served him well.
Then again, the leaders of the corrupt camp were far outnumbered. Zander had already made several arrests, and he was working hard to calm the masses after they’d learned the truth of what the Keeper had been doing. Most of the guards responded to Zander’s authority without question, since they’d been serving the Keeper out of fear, desperation, or even greed; very few seemed to be part of the Hunt.
Those who didn’t want to recognize Zander’s leadership had fled, and the nobleman had let them go. He had detained the record master and other key leaders for questioning, though, so they could determine who was actually part of the Hunt.
Zander had also started investigating the men the Keeper had imprisoned, with plans to set free any of the accused rebels.
Venn wondered if he should have an issue with that. Rebels had tried to kill Serene, after all. But as he’d watched David Holm, bloody and beaten, hold his children in a crushing embrace, Venn realized he didn’t actually care right now.
It was difficult to comprehend the depth and scope of the evil the Hunt had wrought. The fact that Prince Grandeur—a man younger than Venn and who had seemed pleasant enough in any of their limited interactions—was the cause of all this . . .
It made Venn’s entire body ache. What hope was there for a kingdom when the enemy was the crown prince?
He didn’t have an answer, but Serene needed to know about this. And so did Desfan Cassian. The things the Keeper had done were monstrous and illegal. Grandeur had no right to establish a prison and order brutal interrogations and executions in Mortise. Venn knew there would be repercussions for that alone.
He held Vera’s hand as they sat at a long table, the candles slowly dripping wax. They’d just concluded a brief meeting with Zander, and Vera was finally able to tell him everything that had led to her and the children being in that cell with David Holm. The tension in Venn’s gut hurt, because if only one thing had happened differently, she and the children might have been seriously hurt—or killed—before he’d made it to them.
“There’s something I don’t understand,” Vera said, distracting him from his thoughts. “You explained how you found the beggar, and that he led you to the prison, but how did you manage to get in? There were so many guards.”
“Not enough.” Not when they’d tried to bar his way to her. Besides, Zander had proven to be a surprisingly agile fighter. “We eliminated the couple outside, and then we made ourselves look like them as much as possible. We walked right in.” They’d made a few kills, but had rendered most unconscious. The screams of the children had led them to the back room.
That chilling sound would probably haunt him for a long time. Venn didn’t think he’d ever moved so quickly.
“Do you think Zander’s managed to find all the real members of the Hunt?” Vera asked.
“I don’t know. But the guards he’s arrested so far are turning each other in fairly quickly.” It would be hard for members of the Hunt to hide.
“Should we stay to help him, do you think?”
“I thought we’d stay for a couple of days, just to make sure the camp will remain stable. But then we need to get to Duvan.”
“You’re right. Serene needs to know the things Grandeur and the Hunt are doing.” She shook her head, her face pale. “That man would have tortured Finn. He was ready to. Only a boy, and . . .”
Venn tightened his hold on her hand. “You kept him safe.”
“And you came.”
“I told you—I’ll always come for you.”
