Evelyn waited thirty seconds or so and didn’t hear anything else. But by then, her curiosity had teamed up with her anxiety. She carefully got out of bed, not wanting to wake Leo, and pulled a robe over her short nightgown.
Tiptoeing into the empty hallway, Evelyn gasped as a sweet stench forced its way up her nose.
What the fuck? It smells like a deer carcass.
Evelyn scanned the hallway. The last door at the end was ajar, revealing a staircase up to the attic.
I’m sure that door wasn’t open last night. Did a guard come upstairs?
She slowly approached the door. The odor grew more pungent.
I should call for a guard.
No, that’s silly. Probably some raccoon died in the attic. Does Gryon have raccoons? I can defend myself against a dead squirrel or whatever. It’s fine.
Evelyn crept up the narrow wooden staircase. She covered her face with her robe to mask the smell.
Maybe it’s a whole family of dead raccoons?
Once she reached the top of the stairs, Evelyn turned toward the large open space of the attic.
A horrified scream exploded from her lungs.
Over a dozen half-naked fae bodies were lying haphazardly across the floor. Their exposed flesh revealed various symbols carved into their skin, as well as sliced-open throats. There was very little blood, aside from what had dried around their wounds.
Evelyn couldn’t move, couldn’tbreathe. She barely registered the sound of footsteps and someone yelling her name.
Rory and Simon bounded up the stairs, swords in hand.
“Oh gods,” Rory whispered.
“Oh fuck,” Simon swore. “These are the missing guards!”
“What? How do you know that?” Rory questioned.
Simon paled. “I recognize them.”
“Shit.” Rory gripped Evelyn’s arm. “Your Majesty, we need to get you and the king out of this house.”
“What are they doing up here?” Evelyn asked, her voice unsteady.
“We need to go,” Rory insisted.
Simon ran down the stairs, and Rory dragged Evelyn behind him.
Leo stumbled out of the bedroom, shirtless and buttoning his trousers. “What’s going on? What the fuck is that smell?”
Rory sheathed his sword to avoid hurting Evelyn by accident, but Simon kept hold of his own. “We need to move you somewhere safe, Your Majesty. Right now.”
Leo looked nauseous, but the four of them quickly descended the stairs.
Another guard stood at the open front door. “What’s going on? Did someone scream?”
“Get Magalie and Savatier out here now!” Simon yelled, pushing past him to get everyone outside.
“Are you okay?” Leo asked, taking Evelyn’s hand. She could only shake her head.
They were escorted to the dining room of the guard house. It had the sparse furnishings of a place infrequently used. A couple empty beer bottles remained on the wood table from the night before. But the room was secure with just one door. Simon ran off to talk with the other guards, while Rory stayed with Evelyn and Leo.
