Taking a deep breath, I kept my eyes on the door in front of us and nodded. Samian opened the door, his face set in the usual cool indifference he wore in front of Ambrose. Letting Samian stride into the office first, I swallowed down my nerves and followed Samian’s cue, keeping my face as emotionless as I could.
Ambrose leaned against his desk, his lips lifted in a smug grin when I entered the room, his eyes bright with satisfaction. Arianna and the other lords, along with Ivara, sat in the chairs, each holding a cup of tea and eyeing us with bored expressions.
“Great,” Ambrose said as Samian and I moved to stand along the wall. “Now that we are all here, we can get on with today’s short meeting. After interrogating the guards and servants, they confessed their roles in the rebellion. However, because of how close they are to us, I believe we should punish them publicly.”
“And what punishments will you be giving them?” Lord Troya said warily.
“Aligning with the rebellion is counted as treason, Lord Troya. Their punishment is death.”
“Death?” Lord Troya breathed. “And to do it before the public? Isn’t that a little extreme, Ambrose?”
“Your Majesty,” Ambrose gritted out. “I am now king, Lord Troya, and if we do not make this punishment public, every rat in the villages and towns will begin to think of us as weak. That is something we cannot have. Having a public execution will make those in the villages think twice about stepping up to the crown.”
“Or it might have the opposite effect,” Ivara said softly. Ambrose’s eyes cut to her, narrowing on the teacup against her lips as she took a sip. Setting the cup back on the small plate, she met Ambrose’s piercing gaze. “If we are not careful, the public could see this as an assault. The villages are struggling as is. This could be their breaking point.”
“I would have to agree with Lady Ivara,” Daelan said, his face hard. “There’s unrest among the villagers. Having a public execution will do more harm than good.”
“I disagree,” Lord Bramwell sighed. “I think this will serve as a reminder to keep their heads down unless they want to follow them in death.”
The other lords nodded, grunting their agreement. Ambrose studied Lord Troya, Ivara, and Daelan, his finger tapping impatiently against the desk. “We will put it to a vote, then. All in favor of holding a public execution?” Ambrose’s face lit up in triumph when five hands rose into the air, and I fought to keep my mouth shut. I moved my hands behind me, letting them curl into tight fists. The bite of pain was the only thing keeping my head clear. “Well, there you have it. We will hold a public execution in three days, along with a celebration to keep the public’s morale high.”
“What about the ones you agreed to let go?” The words came out before I could stop myself. I felt Samian tense beside me, but I kept my focus only on Ambrose.
“What about them?” Ambrose drawled, his lips pressing together in a thin line.
“Sybil,” Samian warned, his voice tight.
“You promised them their freedom,” I pressed on. “You told them that if they confessed, you would let them go.”
“Did I promise them?” Ambrose smirked. “Did I make any bargains? Or did I just tell them whatcouldhappen if they confessed?”
The lords chuckled at Ambrose’s remark, and I opened my mouth to respond, but no words came out. I could feel the heat gathering on my face as my anger rose.
“Sybil, calm down,” Samian pleaded, but I ignored the insistence in his voice.
“You told them they would go free.” I forced out, my breathing becoming erratic. “You told them if they gave you the information you asked for, you would let them go.”
“Yes, well, that was before they ignored my offer. If I remember correctly, you had to force it out of them.” Ambrose sighed and moved toward his chair, easing himself down. Leaning to one side, he rested his cheek against his hand. “Last time I checked, Sybil, you are my grand paladin. Your job is to do as the king tells you, and as king,I’mtelling you that those found aiding the rebellion will be punished by death.”
My nose curled, unable to keep the anger from my face. The lights around me brightened as the control of my magic slipped, my eyes boring into Ambrose’s. I could hear Samian’s shouts in my head, the alarm in his voice increasing, begging me to stop.
“She’s a feisty one,” Lord Bramwell chuckled, snapping out of my trance.
“Feisty indeed,” Ambrose repeated, though his words felt empty. Breaking his stare, he glanced around the room. “I believe that is all for now. The execution will be set for threedays' time. I’ll send out more information once the time and place have been decided.”
The lords stood, each making their way out of the room. Ivara and Daelan kept their eyes ahead of them, and a knot formed in my stomach, making me queasy. My gaze fell to the floor, not wanting to see the look on Samian’s face, when a pair of boots came into view. Lifting my head, Lord Bramwell stood in front of me, his eyes trailing down my body in a way that sent warning bells ringing in my mind.
“My offer still stands on helping you break her, Ambrose,” Lord Bramwell flashed his rotten teeth at me, his gaze dipping to my chest.
I stood still, keeping my breath steady. Samian moved closer, his arm brushing against mine. My palms became clammy behind my back. The last time Lord Bramwell offered hisservices, Ambrose refused, though I knew I couldn’t count on him to continue his objections.
“Breathe, Sybil. I won’t let him touch you.” I swallowed, not wanting to react to Samian’s words. As much as I wanted to let Samian protect me, I knew it wouldn’t end well if he made a move toward Lord Bramwell.
“As I said before, that won’t be necessary. I can break her myself.”
I should have been relieved; however, the bite in Ambrose’s tone told me what was coming soon. He was going to punish me for speaking out of turn, especially in front of the lords.
“Have it your way,” Lord Bramwell sighed, though he leaned in close. His hot breath washed over me, the putrid smell of his rotting teeth making me gag. “Next time I’ll make sure we have some fun,” he whispered, chuckling as he walked out the door.
