Later that morning, Sephia returned to her room to find more shadows waiting for her.
The room wasdrenchedin them.
They roiled about, her own private tempest that seemed to mirror the storm of emotions inside of herself. Panic tingled through her, turning the tips of her toes and fingers numb. She closed her eyes. Breathed in deep. Tried to will both her inner storm and the outer shadows into submission.
When she opened her eyes again, it was just in time to see one shadow peel away from the rest. It slithered toward her like a snake unwinding, and with a start she realized that she recognized its shape, its specific energy—this was the one she had ordered to spy on the prince.
And now it was back, presumably to give a report.
Heart pounding in her ears, Sephia went to the door. Locked it. Double-checked the lock. Cautiously backed toward that waiting shadow beast, and then took another deep, steadying breath.
“Tell me what you know,” she ordered, voice trembling slightly.
The shadows around the edges of the room billowed and collapsed, billowed and collapsed. A few pinched off from the larger masses and swept around her, whispering in a rapid and confusing chorus of different voices. Finally, one clear voice emerged, and it came from that serpentine beast directly before her:He plans to kill them.
It took Sephia a moment to comprehend. “The prisoners, you mean?”
The shadows tumbled more violently. They continued to whisper in chilling, distinct voices.
No trial,said one.
No mercy,said another.
No justice,hissed a third.
Kill him?begged a fourth.
Sephia’s knees felt weak. She walked over and sank down on the edge of her bed, folded her arms around her stomach, and looked toward the door that led to the prince’s room.
He wasn’t in there. He had left her alone, yet again, while he headed off to tend to business.
The business of preparing for executions?
He hadn’t told her any of that particular business while they’d been out for their walk. She should have pressed him about the matter more, perhaps. But she’d let herself get entirely too…distracted.
At least they had only kissed at the riverside. Nothing more than that. And she had been the one to pull away, even though she hadn’t wanted to. She’dhadto, and here was the reason for it, the reminder of what a fool she was to think she could stray from her initial plans.
Because whatever glimpses of decency she’d seen over this past week, she was fooling herself to think there could be a happily-ever-after for her here.
No trial, no mercy, no justice.
If he knew the truth about her, then he would kill her, too, wouldn’t he?
“Leave me be,” she ordered the shadows.
The whispers became more harsh, more rapid, more violent.
Kill him?
Kill him.
Kill him.
“No.” The room chilled and darkened around her, as if the shadows were protesting, but she ignored them. She fought off a shudder and went to the window, drew the curtain back to let in more sunlight. “Not yet,” she said. “I want to speak with him first.”
* * *
That evening,she was waiting in the prince’s room when he finally returned to it.
