“My Queen!” Lord Louis cries as I crash into him in the hallway.
But I do not stop.
I cannot because I have made the worst mistake of my life.
Lord Louis’s footsteps sound behind me, but no one can help me now.
When I open the door to my son’s chambers, there are no words for what I see. My three ladies-in-waiting lay in pools of their blood, with their throats cut and eyes forever wide. If this sight isn’t grotesque enough, the two beds where my sons should sleep lay empty, confirming my worst fears.
I feel the blood drain from every part of my body and my heart. My heart will never be the same again.
“No!” I scream, running over to where my ladies lie, their bodies arranged in the shape of a crucifix, positioned this way as some sort of offering to the Lord.
Only one breed would commit such atrocities; a reminder of who sees all.
Dropping to my knees, I grip Bella’s cheeks, begging that she speak, but she is no longer of this world. Julia faces the same fate, but when I hear a pained cough, I see Bianca struggling to breathe.
“Bianca!” I cradle her in my arms, just as she did with my sons, but she does not have long. “Where are my sons?”
Their beds are empty, which can only mean one thing.
The flickers from the candlelight seem to add to the macabre scene. How I wish Bianca could see the sunlight just one more time.
“Th-they took them,” she whispers so softly, I have to place my ear to her quivering lips. “I tried to fight.”
Her eyes drop to her stomach, where her dress is stained red.
“I am sorry, Emeline. I failed you.”
“Shh, you did not. You’re going to be all right.”
“Guards!” Lord Louis calls out, but I frantically shake my head. I cannot lose my composure, no matter how badly I want to reach for Lord Louis’s sword and join my ladies-in-waiting.
“Do not alert anyone to this!”
“My Queen?” he questions, baffled. “We need to find Sune and Loki. Those responsible must be held accountable for what they have done.”
“And they will.” I will not talk of war, as I do not wish for Bianca’s final moments on this earth to be such. “Who ordered this attack?”
I stroke Bianca’s bloody hair, wishing her nothing but peace. “It was…”
Her eyes flicker shut, but I beg that she doesn’t surrender just yet.
“Please, Bianca, please, I beg of thee this one final thing.”
Bianca inhales, and her eyes open with clarity. “Lord Rufus.”
All the saints above, I have been betrayed by one of my own men.
A smile spreads across Bianca’s face. “I see the light, Emeline. It is so beautiful. I love thee.”
And those are her parting words as she leaves this world.
A guttural scream gets caught in my throat as I rock her in my arms. “I will avenge you,” I avow as I look at my ladies-in-waiting. “I will avenge you all.”
Placing Bianca gently onto the floor, I arrange my ladies respectfully and take in the carnage I created because I was reckless for one selfish moment. My sons are gone, and I have no one to blame but myself.
“My Queen?” Lord Louis is waiting for my command.
