Once Upon a Dark October

Chapter Thirty-Eight

S ome of the guests had trickled back into the ballroom to seek out their missing dhampir loved ones from the carnage. Most had fled into the night after having their eardrums shattered, including the High Council who had allied themselves with Sonia’s burgeoning court. Morrigan spoke quietly to the few remaining councilors—who stared aghast at the red staining her skin and the utter wreckage around them—and assured that the former Lady Tremaine wouldn’t be resurrecting Dreadmist’s throne, as she now painted the throne room floor.

But the High Council’s trust had been broken irrevocably in the eyes of the harbor. It would take months to rebuild another administration and find a proper punishment for Sonia’s conspirators. There was already talk of sealing up the ruins, condemning them so even a curious wanderer wouldn’t trespass.

The High Council had already promised to oversee the care of the dhampir and the injured. Dazed with bloodstained earlobes, several healers made their way through the ballroom to tend to the casualties. Some of the night watchmen had come to their aid, shuffling through a layer of glass shards by candlelight. Part of me was burdened with guilt that I wasn’t helping to clean the mess.