Three
Liam
We stood just inside the open gate, looking down the long drive at the white and grey monstrosity ahead. Long shadows from the tall trees fell across the carriageway leading up to the main entrance of Snowfall Manor, its pale stone standing out against the dark of the night.
When storms dropped heaps of snow at the foot of the surrounding mountains, the house was nearly impossible to see. Luckily, there were no storms coming through tonight. The clouds had thinned, allowing the moon to cast a luminous glow upon our path.
The last time I'd visited, torches burned at the gate and fae lanterns hung every twenty yards or so all the way to the house. With so much white around, they were needed for guidance.
I remembered Snowfall's many hearths crackling with flames, the reflection of fires visible from outside. Even the stables would have fires lit for the animals.
Tonight, the only light came from the heavens. No torches marked the estate's property line. No lanterns lit the path. No welcoming lights shone from the manor's windows.
Worse, no guards patrolled the grounds. An eerie silence hung over the place like a suffocating blanket.
I shifted, a thread of unease winding through me. Snowfall was never this still, this empty.
Though late, some guard should have halted our approach, or some servant should have been bustling about at the first sign of our arrival. Instead, only the moonlight was there to greet us.
Saxon had reported back that the estate was quiet, but there were still fae living here. Which certainly wasn't out of the ordinary. The Brandenburgs employed a number of servants, guards, stable hands, laborers and the like.
The ones Saxon had seen, in fact, had all been dressed in servant attire. He hadn't picked up on anyone who shouldn't have been here, which was just two days ago. Even if some of them had decided they didn't want to work for the family any longer, the odds were someone would have stayed.
“Something's wrong,” Nox stated, drawing up beside me. His gaze was sharp as it swept the manor.
“Aye.” I nodded at the silence.
Nox's mouth flattened into a grim line. “Fan out, but not far,” he ordered the soldiers behind us.
I followed after Nox, keeping Aeryn between us. On high alert, the hairs on the back of my neck prickled. Despite the light-colored walls of the mansion, it felt forbidding and wrong.
Unease churned in my gut with every step. Snowfall had never felt so unwelcoming. So ominous.
Usually, though, there had been Raina waiting for me. I swallowed against the sudden tightness in my throat.
Nox led us to the front of the massive oak doors of Snowfall, peering up at the darkened windows. "There's no light within."
Aeryn's face lifted, searching the many windows across the front.
Nox frowned. "Where is everyone?"
"It's the middle of the night. Perhaps they're all in bed," Aeryn suggested.
Nox shook his head. "There would still be light from somewhere."
His gaze landed on me. "Liam, take your guards and search the grounds. Check the stables and see to the animals first. The rest of you, come with me."
Lorne moved closer to Nox, speaking low. Nox huffed but took his mate's hand and backed away from the doors.
The king had no business searching the house, not when it hadn't been cleared. Who knew what was inside.
Satisfied Nox and Aeryn would stay out, I motioned for five of the soldiers who'd accompanied us to follow me.
We made our way to the stables in silence. The usual sounds of horses nickering and snorting in their stalls were absent.
I pulled open the large wooden doors. Hanging on the hook just inside was a lantern. I took it down and flicked a small spark of magic to light it.
Lifting it, I stepped further inside, looking up and down the row.
Empty. The stables were completely empty.
I exchanged a glance with the soldiers.
"These were full when Saxon came," I said aloud, more to myself than anyone else.
"Search quickly," I ordered. "I don't want to be here any longer than necessary. Report anything suspicious."
Silently, we moved through the building finding nothing. I didn't anticipate finding evidence of a plot to overthrow the king, but the missing animals bothered me enough to be thorough. I had a feeling we were going to find more than just an empty stable.
We left the structure to search the grounds, moving through the courtyard and the gardens beyond. Due to the cold temperatures and constant snow here, the estate didn't have much in the way of blooming flowers, but it did have a variety of winter greenery.
As I got closer, I noticed an odd coloring mixed in with the dusting of snow atop the shrubbery. A chill ran down my spine.
"Sir, what is that?" Zeke, the youngest soldier of the group, asked.
"Ashes," I answered, turning to the rest of the group. "Find where these came from."
"The stables," Zeke said, eyes still on the bushes.
"What about them?"
"The ashes fly on the wind, which comes from that direction," he pointed. "From the direction of the stables."
My eyes followed his finger, thinking. "You three move south of the stables, the rest north with me."
On silent feet, we rapidly covered ground, finding nothing between us and the empty structure we'd already cleared. Once we were beyond it, we spread further apart.
About fifty yards beyond the stables, the trace of an acrid scent caught my nose. My steps quickened involuntarily.
I followed the smell over a small hill, halting at what was below. An enormous fire pit had been dug, at least twenty yards in diameter, and was now covered in a layer of ash and snow. The air grew thick with an unspoken warning.
Whistling, I raised my fist and signaled the others to hold. With trepidation, I continued forward.
The closer I got, the more the feeling intensified. I had an unspeakable understanding that whatever lay below was something I did not want to discover.
A pile of wood and kindling was stacked nearby. I grabbed a stick on my way past, walking up to the edge and squatting down.
Without hesitation, I thrust the stick into the soot, easily cracking through the top layer, only recently frozen judging by the thinness. The fetid stench of burning and decay wafted from the hole I'd made, making my nostrils burn with discomfort.
Poking and prodding, the stick soon scraped against something solid hidden under the frosty ash. Thankful for the thick gloves I had on, my trembling fingers brushed away the powdery debris until the object was revealed.
A foot, small and charred, hardly more than blackened bone, lay there. The size only added to the eerie and tragic vibe hovering over the pit.
My stomach twisted in horror, clenching as I dug further, unearthing more fragments of this grisly discovery, this twisted monument of violence.
A hand. Part of a torso. A blackened skull. Then another.
As another skull emerged from the ashes, bile rose in my throat. Bits of charred flesh and bone. Younglings, at least three. The offspring of servants, most likely. I shuddered, clenching my fists.
Had they chopped them to pieces before tossing them into the flames? As though they meant nothing. There were fucking younglings in there! Who could do something so depraved?
I knew several of those employed at Snowfall. Not that we were friends, but I knew them, and they were merely trying to earn a living.
Only the vengeful ire blazing within, at those who did this to unarmed servants, kept me from emptying the contents of my stomach. I stopped digging.
"Over here!" I shouted.
The soldiers came running, a litany of curses and a few fervently muttered prayers filled the silence.
"Mother of Fate," Zeke whispered, eyes wide with horror. "What happened here?"
Anger continued to boil in my veins, hot and acidic. Our enemies were responsible for this. The traitorous group aligned to the family who owned the estate.
To Raina's family.
"We need to know who's in there. Figure out how to do that before we disturb it further," I ordered, voice tight.
Heading back over the hill, I spotted Lorne standing with Aeryn and Nox and yelled for him.
The soldiers huddled together, talking. I was left staring into the mass grave, a storm building inside me. Guilt, regret, hatred. And more, all at once.
The crunch of snow behind me drew my gaze, landing on a set of broad shoulders and blonde hair.
Lorne came to a stop beside me, peering into the pit. I heard his sharp inhale, felt the spike of rage in his energy.
"We need to find out how many are in there," I told him.
Lorne cracked his neck. "Count the skulls."
"You have that look. What are you planning?"
"I'm going to find out how many were employed at Snowfall when Portia and Rodrik left for Thornewood. And who else may have been staying here."
They'd attacked us at the castle with a small army, but servants and stable hands were unlikely to be part of those plans. The pretentious couple didn't see the lower classes as worthy of anything but menial jobs.
"How do you intend to find that out?"
Lorne glanced at me. "Let me worry about that."
"Raina," I remarked, fists balling at my sides. "You're going to ask her. You'd be better off finding the ledgers that tracked their wages."
Lorne stared at me for a long moment before nodding. He squeezed my shoulder, gaze softening. "Count the skulls, Liam."
With that, he shadow-walked away. I was left with a handful of stunned soldiers and a pit of bones.
The males stood uncertain, shaken, and I couldn't blame them.
"Keep this secure," I barked, voice rough. "No one else comes near it."
"Kiel," I turned to the gruff redhead, "return to Thornewood and bring back the team we left on standby."
Kiel portaled away without a sound.
"Zeke?"
"Yes, sir?"
"Find some tools to help comb through this. We'll need tarps and whatever else you think of."
"We've made a bit of a plan to, uh, match up the ... parts."
I felt my brow lift.
"If you trust us, sir?" he hedged, not elaborating.
"Very well, but I need to know how many are in there, as soon as possible. Some of them have families out there who will need to be notified."
"I'm not sure how fast we can be."
"Count the skulls first, then do whatever you planned when that task is complete."
Zeke gave me a shallow bow and jumped into action. I approached the two nearest the pit, features hardening at their pale faces.
"You two, when Zeke returns with supplies, you'll sort. Until then, find the skulls and start counting."
The soldiers exchanged a look, swallowing hard. One nodded. "Yes, my lord."
They moved to the edge of the pit, peering in with expressions caught between horror and determination.
Shouts rang out from the courtyard, accompanied by a burst of magic. I portaled over the hill in time to see Nox and Aeryn lifting Lorne from the ground.
My heart lurched at the sight of the arrows protruding from his back. I started forward, gaze fixed on my friend, needing to assist.
I ground to a halt when Nox exchanged a look with Aeryn before shadows took them away from Snowfall, Lorne in tow.
My hands curled into fists at my sides, nails biting into my palms. I forced a breath through the rage clogging my throat.
Kiel appeared with the team in tow. Good. Now we had over twenty on the grounds.
"Zeke is in charge of the pit. Kiel, find your captain. He's in the manor house. Update him. I want the entire estate secured, locked down, and every square inch searched." My voice came out flat, devoid of inflection.
"I'll send reinforcements. You'll stay here until you hear from me or your king."
I didn't wait for any replies, too focused on getting to Thornewood. I portaled directly to the infirmary.
The only sound was coming from the exam room at the end. I hurried, pausing in the doorway.
Lorne was barely conscious, face pale, his clothing soaked in blood.
"Nox," he whispered.
"I'm here," Nox said gently, clasping his hand. "I won't leave you."
Lorne's gaze found mine, grey eyes dim with pain but still determined. "Raina," he said, the single word strained.
For a moment, I forgot to breathe. He'd gone to Greenhollow to get information from Raina.
"Is she alive?" I demanded.
Nox spun at the sound of my voice.
“Y-yes,” Lorne panted. “I ... inter ... interrupted.”
“Interrupted what?” I strode forward, lowering to Lorne's level.
“Taking ... they took ...” he groaned in agony.
My shoulders flexed. “They took her? Who, Lorne? Who fucking took her?!” my tone grew frantic.
Lorne collapsed and Nox had to steady him so he wouldn't slide off the small exam table.
Sage came running in with a group of healers behind her, pushing me out of the way and shouting orders. In my periphery, I saw Aeryn walk inside.
I couldn't tear my eyes away from Lorne's back, from the arrows sticking out. Three rings of red were painted on the crest of each shaft. Black fletchings with streaks of gold.
“We'll get her back, Liam," Nox vowed. “Come to my study."
He hadn't noticed. I tore my gaze away from Lorne. “The arrows, Nox. Look at the fucking arrows.”
Nox's face blanked then swung back to me. “Liam, don't you fucking dare! Don't–”
Without thought, I portaled away.