The pathetic man on the ground cried, his face a sniveling mess of tears, snot, and dirt. She kicked him in the jaw, satisfied when a few of his teeth flew out.
Three men were dragged forward and tossed to the ground, their hands and feet bound.
Clover looked at her fellow warriors. “He killed Marjorie.”
Everyone knew Baby Marge, and Clover had to close her eyes at the cries of outrage and grief.
“She was everything good in this world–an innocent untouched by the cruelty of man. He dragged her through the street and threw her aside like she was less than nothing.” Heat clawed at Clover’s throat. “He snuffed out her light without a second thought. Today, he will pay with his blood.” She stalked forward and flipped her prey on his back. “Hold his arms and legs.” Her fury knew no bounds.
She raised her head to look the other three rebels in the eye. “Watch closely.”
Her vision tunneled as she raised her dagger and sank it into the man’s chest. He fought against the women holding him down, but with Clover pinning his middle, he was trapped.
She carved away, her fury blinding her to the gore of it all. His body had stopped moving, but she didn’t stop. His ribs ripped away with little effort, and when she saw the sac holding his wretched heart, she grinned.
It didn’t take her long to cut away everything holding it in place, and once she had it in her blood soaked hands, she stood and walked to the three men. They trembled, begging for their lives.
“Take those two to the holding cells,” she said, pointing to the two oldest of the three. A wet spot appeared on the third man’s pants, his pleas incoherent through his fear.
Clover squatted down in front of him, holding the heart for him to see. “Take this back to your leader and tell them the Brutal Queen is coming.”
29
Amos and Rainer kept in contact through theirfamiliars. His cousin had insisted on meeting him in the East Oasis, but Amos assured him that by the time he arrived, Amos and Sariah would already be on their way back with Jennifer in tow.
Amos and Sariah didn’t know what kind of dwelling they would find at the address. Hopefully, something easy to break into so Amos could sneak in and search the premises while Sariah kept watch outside. As a royal, he could glamour far, and he’d be able to keep Sariah hidden, even from a distance.
Amos glamoured himself and Sariah to look like different people as they entered the oasis so they could tie their horses to a hitching post. Unfortunately, glamour didn’t mask sounds, so it would be strange to hear neighing sounds from the air. It would be a dead giveaway that a royal was near.
They slipped into a side alley to check their map before Amos glamoured them invisible and started toward the address on the note. “This is where Jennifer grew up.” His brows dipped, and he looked at the map again. “Her father’s property is not that far from here.”
“Do you think it’s a coincidence?”
“I don’t believe in coincidences,” he said gravely. “I killed her father a few years ago, so it’s not him.” He’d also killed the man her father had tried to marry her off to.
Amos and Sariah stopped in front of an iron gate that protected a small estate. The once-grand house looked dilapidated. The lush, overgrown yard looked wild, and Amos bit back a groan. He hadn’t planned on having to fight his way through vegetation.
“If you’re going to murder someone, this would be the place to do it,” Sariah muttered so low Amos almost didn’t hear it.
Amos lifted the lock on the iron bars. “We need to check the back for another gate.” He could bend the bars enough to get through, but it would be loud.
After an hour of testing the gate, Amos gave up. “I’ll have to bend them, but it’s going to be loud,” he whispered.
Sariah looked at him sideways. “You can bend iron?”
“Normal fae don’t realize just how much stronger royals are. I’m surprised Rainer hasn’t bragged about it.”
Sariah rolled her lips together to keep in a laugh. “It would be best to do it on the north side. It’s farthest from the house.” The house sat closer to the main gate on the south side, leaving a large open area in the back.
“We’re going to get bitten by a snake walking through that jungle,” he sighed. “Let’s go.”
“If I get trapped, tell my wife to come save me,” Amos said, only half-joking.
“Nothing is going to happen to you,” Sariah hissed. “Why would you tempt the gods like that?”
He ignored her and lifted himself through an open window, careful not to tumble to the ground once inside. They had givenlittle thought to the old house creaking as he walked, but he considered it now. He dug into the pack strapped to his bag and retrieved a lantern and flint, lighting it, then extending his glamour so others couldn’t see it.
The house wasn’t that different from his estate in Dragon Village, other than the size. To let a house like this fall into disrepair was a waste. It easily could have been turned into an orphanage or a boarding house.
