Ian was fine.
Relief flooded through Onric as he assessed the new threat. His men were performing exactly as they had practiced for an emergency, although none of their drills had prepared them for this exact scenario. They had formed a tight ring around Ian, Onric, and the seemingly unconscious beast. The animal had the appendages of a human, but its inhumanly large body was covered in fur and the torn remains of what appeared to be human clothing. A strip of yellow fabric circled its neck, just below the beast’s head which was a ferocious mix of wolf and bear. Large, monstrous teeth were clearly visible as its head lay on its side, jaw open. A real red rose was clutched in one outstretched paw.
“Attack!” Onric ordered the men who were standing ready with their weapons drawn.
“Wait.” Ian held up a hand to halt his brother. “Onric, it’s Aden.”
Onric stopped cold, the screams in the room dulling against the sound of the blood pounding in his ears.
“What do you mean?”
“It was supposed to be me,” Ian said, trying to shake the beast awake. “It was some sort of curse. My feet were glued to the ground and I could not move them, and then Aden jumped in front of me when the Majis threw the orb.”
Onric had to find the attacker. “Make sure neither of them are harmed,” he instructed the ring of guards as he broke through them.
The ballroom was complete pandemonium as people anxiously fought to escape through the many open doors.
He looked down at the exact spot where the attacker had stood. It was the only empty section of the entire hall. A man’s cloak lay on the ground where the attacker had been. The Majis had probably removed the cloak during the flash of light when everyone was blinded. Five guards were scanning the faces of all those in the area, questioning what they had seen.
Onric glanced through the hall. The man could not have gotten further than a short walk from the dais with the crowd as thick as it was. “Block the doors,” he called as loudly as he could. His command was quickly passed through the web of guards spread throughout the room, and the doors were soon closed with surprising efficiency, locking them all in the ballroom.
An ear-splitting shriek tore through the air, shooting above the clamor of people. “It was her!” a woman’s voice yelled from the side of the ballroom. The crowd of people surged away from the attacker in fear, and the crowd parted to reveal Ashlin, standing at the closed door and wearing the cloak Onric had given her. He wished she would have made it out before he ordered the doors to be closed.
Her stepmother was cowering in front of her. “Look, she is even wearing a man’s cloak. She is surely the Majis attacker.”
Silence had fallen over the hall. For a second, no one moved.
Ashlin looked at her stepmother in shock and horror.
“She’s a Majis!” someone else screamed in terror.
“And look,” the stepmother continued shrieking, “her dress is blue like that of the Majis queen! She is here to conquer us once again!” She gestured wildly back towards the tapestry, where the panel of the Majis queen in the brilliant blue dress was front and center.
“Get her before she kills us all!” Screams and threats rose throughout the hall. Half of the people seemed to be moving away from Ashlin in fear while the other half had started to surge towards her, ready to attack.
“Arrest her!” Onric commanded, forcing his voice to carry over the rising sounds of the crowd.
Ashlin looked up at the sound of his voice, her eyes wide with hurt and betrayal.
“Trust me,” he whispered, hoping she could read his mind—or at the very least, his lips.
In an instant, she was surrounded by the four closest guards, and the surging crowd simmered down. Onric’s heart thudded in his chest. She was safe for the moment.
“Do not open the doors until we have seen this attacker safely to the dungeon.” He spoke out to the whole room, which quieted under his commanding voice and watched his actions.
He jumped from the dais and strode as swiftly as he could to Ashlin, keeping his face stern. He locked eyes with Drirsi, who had been one of the first guards to reach Ashlin.
Reaching the small group, he caught Ashlin’s gaze. “Trust me,” he whispered again.
Her face had gone pale, but she gave him a barely imperceptible nod.
“Put your hands behind your back,” he whispered. Then, in a louder voice to the guards, he said, “Secure her.”
Drirsi gripped her upper arm.
“It cannot be her; she has been with me this whole time,” he whispered to the guards, focusing his attention on Drirsi. “Take her to the stables and let her go.”
The guard nodded.
