“What’s going on?” Amalee inserted herself into the conversation, but I ignored her.
“There’s a mistake, you weren’t there—I would’ve remembered you.” The guard spoke slowly, his voice cracking. “This has to be a mistake.”
“You killed him, you fucking killed my brother, didn’t you?” It was a question I already knew the answer to.
“You weren’t there. I’ve remembered every person in the family viewing area, you weren’t—” Fisher’s breath shook. “I would’ve known.”
I’d been looking for the executioner, and he was right in front of me all along. I’d only been too stupid to consider the possibility. Making matters worse, Ryder knew the guard had killed my brother, but didn’t think enough of it to tell me. Instead, he’d sent me away with the asshole.
“I wasn’t there. Hours after you sliced his head off, I arrived. My consolation prize was watching my brother’s blood washed away with the others.” I lifted my chin and took a step toward the guard. Col mirrored me.
“Fuck.” Sky’s voice whispered to my right.
“Did he beg you for mercy? Did you enjoy watching my father being beaten? It must be nice to have so many kills under your belt.” My chin quivered.
“No.” Fisher looked at the ground.
“You ravaged my family!” I screamed as tears welled in my eyes and spilled onto my cheeks.
“Which one?” His voice was a whisper.
“Kamden Clair,” I spat. “Too many for you to keep track of, right?”
He shook his head. “Your brother’s was the last before I asked for a reassignment. There’s no pride in killing people. Especially when so many were innocent.”
“You suddenly had a change of heart? Because of Kam? I’ll be sure to let him know.” The back of my throat burned as sobs threatened to escape. Col attempted to wrap me into him, but I pushed away. “My brother should still be alive! My mother killed herself because of you! You destroyed my family—you destroyed me!”
Amalee moved to my side. “I’ll kill him.” Her voice was cold and calculating. “It doesn’t matter to me if my mother wants him alive or not, she has shit taste in men.” Amalee paused before continuing, “I’ll erode every organ in his body slow enough that he feels every drop of pain. Perhaps I’ll move limb by limb and watch him suffer.” She smiled, her black teeth sparkling against the drooping sun.
“No.” I threw the list at him, letting it float to the ground. “I’ll kill him myself.”
Fisher looked at me, pursed his lips, and nodded. “Hate me for what I’ve done. I hate myself too. If I could take it back?—”
“You can’t!” I went for Col’s black-hilted sword, but the beating of wings above stopped me in my tracks. Bile rose in my throat as my stomach tilted.
26
AUDRYN
Adozen gryphons circled above us, their white wings stark against the fading sky. With golden bodies, long thin tails, and yellow beaks, they looked almost friendly. If it weren’t for their taloned feet, I wouldn’t have recognized the threat.
The birds descended and landed one at a time in a semicircle around us. I went to yell at the intruders for nearly crushing the garden we’d worked so hard on until I saw Prince Sutton atop the largest beast.
“King Grave.” Ryder’s voice boomed.
Sickness coursed through my body, and my legs threatened to give out.
Col moved to my side and spoke under his breath. “Go inside. I’ll handle this.”
I shook my head, but couldn’t speak.
“My beautiful bride, I see you’ve been hard at work.” Ryder eyed the garden and gestured with a hand. “It appears you have more magic than I suspected. I would hate to accuse you of lying, so I will graciously take the blame for my naivety.”
My hand moved to my mother’s necklace; it was a small comfort in such a mess of a situation. Shifting on my feet, I plastered a fake smile across my face.
“Mostly just luck is all,” I offered. A shock moved through me as my mind urged me to run to the prince. I was nearly convinced that his arms were where I belonged. “It’s different ground, so that changed things a bit.”
“Yes, that must be it,” he said, pursing his lips.
