“It's true!” Gleb shouted. “Lord Timofey found proof. He found the birth records. And that woman they're about to hang was the Royal Midwife!” He pointed at Valeriya. “She fled with the King and Queen and witnessed the birth of their son—King Mikhail. That's why Nikolay is trying to kill her. To cover the truth!”
“He hired humans to slaughter everyone who lived in the village of Kirvenia, where our royals and their court had gone into hiding,” Valeriya said in a clear voice that carried over the crowd. “He assassinated our true monarchs and then he stole their child! Mikhail is that child.”
“Gag her!” Nikolay gestured at the other guards on the platform. “And chain everyone who has spoken against me.” He stomped to the edge of the platform. “You want to test me? Forget pinioning, I willhangevery traitor here!”
The crowd drew back, several of the courtiers edging toward the castle while the villagers moved toward the gate. But the guards were everywhere, hemming in our people. Knights started moving through the huddled group, heading for those who had spoken on my behalf.
But then something changed. A portion of the gathering boiled forward, weapons pulled from pockets and belts. Swords, daggers, even, in the case of Master Erik, a wrench. The members of the White Feather Rebellion strode toward the guards with the grim look of those ready to die for their cause. And they would. With a glance around the courtyard, I saw how outnumbered they were and knew they'd fail.
“Stop!” I shouted.
Everyone went still, even Nikolay.
“The truth has been spoken and heard. That is enough for today. Do not die for me.” I looked at Nikolay, arching my long neck in his direction. “Show mercy not to me, but them, Niko. Please, if there is any kindness inside you, show it now. Let them go.” I waved my beak toward the prisoners waiting to hang. “Be a king and show your people that you care about them. Make a liar out of me. And take my head instead.” I laid down upon the pinioning platform with a sense of relief. It would all be over soon. I stretched my wings out, over the leather straps, but also stretched my neck straight and angled my head to look at Nikolay. “Kill me and you win. The Lebedev line will be gone forever.”
A horrified silence fell. I didn't see the reaction of the Larchs; I kept my stare on Nikolay. His face twitched. He looked down at the pinioning blade that hung from a hook on the side of the platform—a carving knife really. It wouldn't be enough to sever my head, even in swan form. Still, he picked it up. He'd have to hack at me. Dear Goddess, it would be brutal.Why didn't he take a sword from one of his knights?
“How dramatic,” Nikolay drawled as he weighed the knife in his palm. He looked me over and then crouched before me, just beside my head. Leaning in, he whispered, “I can't kill you, Misha. I still want you. And I always get what I want.”
“You will never have me. You will have to chain me, Nikolay. You'll have to rape me every time, and I will not be taken easily.”
“Oh, don't be ridiculous. There are drugs that will make you pliable.” He grinned wickedly. “You will be back to sucking my cock by this evening.”
“Not fucking happening.”
He laughed as he stood. “Look around,Your Majesty. You have lost. Your lover is dead. Your pathetic rebellion is over. You are strapped to a pinioning block, about to have even the sky taken from you.”
“And still, I will not be yours.”
“You already are.” Niko tapped my beak with the tip of the knife. “You captured my heart from the very beginning, sweet Misha. First as a child, then as a man. I am hopelessly in love with you, so can never let you go.”
Well, fuck. That was not what I was expecting.
I lifted my head. “Love shouldn't be hopeless, Niko. It should banish despair and bring hope. But for you, yes, it is a lost cause. I will never love you.”
Nikolay bared his teeth at me, then snarled at the guards, “Strap him down!”
The guards strapped my wings to the block, and I laid my head back where it had been.
“No!” Olga screamed. “Help him! He's our king!”
“How many of us have Mikhail saved from that man? Even now, he tries to save us. It's time we save him!” Gleb shouted.
But Nikolay didn't try to remove my head. Instead, he kept to his original plan and went to the end of my right wing.
“Lebedev!” someone shouted like a battle cry.
At first, I thought they were rallying for Nikolay, but then I lifted my head and saw the White Feathers attacking Nikolay's guards.
“For King Mikhail!” Gleb punched a dagger above his head, then rushed the line of knights with Master Erik at his side.
And then it was chaos.
As shouts and screams rent the air, I began to struggle. I didn't want this, but if they were fighting for me, I wasn't about to just lie there and let Niko hurt me. Except there was a problem; my wings were already strapped to the block. As Nikolay brought the knife down, there was nothing I could do to stop him.
But suddenly, my left wing was free. I glanced over and saw Sir Ivan nod at me just before he punched Sir Timur in the face. The other knights on the platform gaped as the two men tussled, too focused on them to see me bash their king in the face with my freed wing. Niko stumbled back, and I used the opportunity to shift into my prime form. I unbound my right arm and shot to my feet.
“Kill the prisoners!” Nikolay shouted.
