I needed to check in on him as soon as I could. I had not heard from him, or Erik for that matter, for too long.
After ensuring his soldiers were properly positioned, the General walked to the front of his brother’s coffin—he would lead the entire cavalcade.
As if waiting for General Hyton’s signal, the Great Sorceress of Nordingaard appeared beside us as she walked to the front of the procession. The Hyton sisters all held their breaths as she passed and so did I, but for a different reason.
Before, Fraleigh had been a walking legend, a pillar of ancient power, and the greatest ally the House of Hyton could ever have. Now, even though the cerulean luminescence of her skin was the only color in the bleak morning, I could not pry my eyes away from the golden collar around her neck that I had never seen her without.
I tried to swallow but my mouth was too dry. The evidence of her servitude had been right in front of our faces, and yet none of us had ever noticed.
But why would we? Even as she walked to stand behind the Duke’s coffin with her golden eyes bolted forward, she still carried an air of omnipotence. The soldiers bearing Anders’s coffin even stiffened as she approached.
Though I knew the truth, the question pulled at the back of my mind—how was a sorceress as powerful as Fraleigh still in servitude? Why could she not fight back?
Trumpets and pipes blared, so my mind went quiet. The iron palace gates creaked open and the procession began.
So we took the first step into a new world where Derrick reigned.
Annalisa gripped my hand as we passed through the palace gates and walked the long path to Hyton city square. The citizens of Lycaster lined the streets of Hyton in somberreverence as their fallen Duke and Duchess passed them one final time.
We slowly marched through the square as the pipes sang. Cobblestones turned to grass as we arrived at the cliffside overlooking the Western Sea. Annalisa shook with silent sobs as we stepped into the royal cemetery.
Stone markers of every Duke and Duchess of Lycaster stretched to the sky, standing tall as giants. Each marker was in pairs except one—“the Wise” stood alone.
Ilsa was not even allowed to rest as a Duchess. From what I had heard, her corpse was burned like a peasant—no trace left behind.
We passed “the Wise” to two freshly-dug graves. A whole team of diggers must have worked all night to have them ready.
General Hyton ordered us to stand next to Freya’s grave. Brietta took a step to go first, but then Annalisa tugged me along to walk past her. Brietta stood to the side, allowing Annalisa to stand closest to her mother’s final resting place.
Annalisa stared at the hole in the ground as Brietta joined me at my left side. I took Brietta’s hand in mine, finally ending her tragic solitude.
The eyes of the growing crowd turned to me and I wanted to hide, but I had to be a pillar for the friends who clung to my hands. Out of the three of us, I never thoughttheywould rely onmefor strength.
The burden of being their support in front of all those eyes was sudden and heavy. Was that how Riyan felt as the Hero of Lycaster?
I had once thought his stony countenance before a crowd made him heartless, but that was likely just his way of staying strong for the people. He was steel when I needed him to be, and he had not faltered once.
I never gave him enough credit for the pressure he had faced.
The other Hyton daughters filed in behind us as the six Barons appeared, standing in a line by Anders’s grave. All of them had their eyes on the veiled Duchess.
I glanced out into the crowd of noble mourners and saw my mother, standing near Anders’s grave and clutching a small bouquet of fuchsia flowers. Her eyes sparkled with tears. Even though Anders was dead, she still had to play the part of the dutiful mistress.
General Hyton stood in the space between the two graves and his voice rang through the stale morning air. “We gather to say a final farewell to Alastar XI—a brother, father, and friend—who reigned over Lycaster for twenty-two years.”
“All hail the Duke,” the line of Barons chanted.
General Hyton’s eyes swept over the crowd. “Before we begin, it is only right that all of Lycaster knows what became of our ruler. After a lengthy investigation last night, we found that Alastar XI fell from the balcony in his chambers. He was trying to get a better look at some…activityin the garden and lost his balance.”
Brietta gasped and gripped my hand. Even the black veil could not hide her scarlet cheeks.
The Barons exchanged glances, some hiding their amusement better than others. Whatever Brietta had done with Myles and Gerond at the ball was apparently anything but private.
General Hyton cleared his throat, silencing the snickering Barons. “We also say our final goodbye to the bearer of the Lycaster heir—beautiful, faithful and dutiful.”
On cue, the soldiers approached the grave with Freya’s coffin.
“Hail the Duchess,” the Barons muttered.
