Chapter 15
Fifteen
It is the queen’s (or king’s) duty to kill those who commit acts of treason.
Pulling out intestines is like a magic trick. The “flags” just keep coming. It’s actually quite impressive, seeing how much the gods managed to squeeze into our bodies. - King Richard
Ignoring the loud fighting behind me, trusting Jace entirely, I watch as Fabia wrestles with her opponent on the ground.
She has kept up a lot better than I thought she would.
Six kidnappings she’s defended me from so far, two of which were instigated by my own guards.
Granted, with those, Jace had only allowed the weakest member to get past him.
But still. My guards train day and night, have since they were chosen to serve as children.
And with the amount of gold on the line, I know they gave it their all.
Which begs the question: where in Hel’s name did Fabia learn to defend herself? And why, especially when she lives in a cult where it’s illegal to be rude? They haven’t had a murder there in who-knows-how-many years.
My eyes narrowing, I watch her every move.
I don’t like puzzles. I don’t like unanswered questions.
Especially when they can ruin the plans I’ve spent the last six years making.
Did the Court plant her with Arienna? Is she an ant, an agent of Evangeline’s, a member of FI-9 who’d give up her life to the cause?
A cause that does not swear loyalty to the crown but to the kingdom itself? A kingdom I want to flip upside down.
I would be a fool to trust her.
Jace appears beside me. After sharing a glance to let me know everyone else has been taken care of, he tilts his head at Fabia. The same concerns are obviously on his mind. I nod. A lifetime of working together, of truly knowing each other, means conversations can pass wordlessly between us.
Raising a hand to his lips, he takes a bite of a gosberry. The gods only know where he got it from. “Lock your legs around her neck, my goddess. She’ll pass out faster.”
Fabia shoots him a dry look even as she does as he suggests.
Kristist claws at her ankles but can’t stop them from squeezing the air out of her lungs.
After a few seconds, the young warrior in training taps out, and Fabia releases her as she rolls to her feet.
Reaching down, she offers the golden-haired girl her hand with a smile.
“You’ll have to teach me how you did that jumping kick earlier. ”
“Only if you show me that thing you did with my blade.”
“Deal.”
Grinning, Kristist climbs to her feet. She hobbles around, looking for her weapon.
Taking another bite of the bright-red berry, Jace pulls a bronze knife out of his tunic. He offers it to the girl hilt first. “Looking for this, my lady?”
Glancing at me, she smiles wryly. Glancing at Jace, she blushes madly. “N-no,” she squeaks. “You can keep it.”
“When did you have time to get food?” Fabia asks as she pushes her lilac bangs out of her face.
“When you were taking your sweet time with this young lady.”
Kristist turns as red as his fruit. When he presses it to his lips, I think she’s going to swoon. So much for her training to be a tough-ass warrior.
I make a note to have Echo, the head of my Royal Guard, pit the girls up against the older, shirtless males, I grab her knife from Jace’s hand.
“You did well, Kristist,” I say as I walk over to her.
“But next time, aim for me, not one of my guards. I’m your target, and you always take them out as soon as you get the chance.
” I hold out the blade. She takes it with steady fingers.
“Y-yes, Your Majesty.”
“Now back to the training field. I’m sure Echo is looking for you.”
She grins devilishly. Scooting past me, she goes to help her team. Words of encouragement in the form of taunts and teases sound behind me.
A warmth seeps through my chest at the sounds. I am doing all of this because of them – the young that have not yet experienced the cruel horrors of war like our generation has.
“We should head to your rooms,” Jace says, finishing the last of his berry. “We only have an hour left for you to get ready.”
Nodding, I head down the hall. Fabia and Jace flank me. Had Irin been here, she would’ve taken point, but I’m not about to let a civilian be the first to enter a potential danger zone – even if I have my suspicions that she isn’t a civilian at all.
When we arrive at my quarters though, Jace is the first one at the door. Standing off to the side, he opens it, then strolls in.
I stand with my back to the wall, one eye on Fabia, the other scouting for danger. The Court hasn’t attacked yet, and with every passing second, my unease strengthens.
“Clear,” Jace says as he appears at the door. Stepping out, he gestures me in.
Mid-step, I hear someone shouting my name. I turn just as Jace shoves me inside the room. He grunts in pain, then erupts into laughter. And I know that whoever hurt him will not be alive by the time I turn around.
Fabia screams as she’s shoved in behind me. I catch her in my arms, backpedaling fast to counter her momentum. As a window shatters behind me, I curse.
Shoving Fabia back towards the door, I grab the two knives sheathed on my forearms. Pulling them out, I turn.
A shuriken cuts across my cheek. Another hits my left shoulder. A third sails overhead as I drop to the ground and throw one of my own knives into the stomach of a woman with blue hair.
As she falls to her knees, I roll towards the assassin to my left. My fingers grab the shuriken embedded in my flesh mid-roll. Pulling it out, I fling it at the assassin on my right.
Shooting to my feet beneath my last target, I jerk my hand up.
My knife sinks deep into her stomach. Grabbing her arm as it arcs towards me with another blade, I lean back until I hit the ground.
Flipping us over my head, I jerk the knife all the way up to her throat.
She gurgles in the last seconds of consciousness as I toss her across the room.
Back on my feet, I turn to face the other two I wounded but didn’t incapacitate.
Fabia stands over them. Shaking. Bloodied. But strong.
One of the assassins is lying on her back, unmoving. The other is sitting on the floor, her hands pressed to her belly, trying to hold in her intestines.
Walking over to them, I squat in front of the gutless woman. “Who are you working for?” I ask softly.
Lifting her chin, she refuses to answer. I’m not surprised. I’m not exactly known for my mercy even if they do talk.
Nodding at her, respecting her loyalty even though it isn’t for me, I turn to the woman passed out on the ground. Without a word, I slit her throat.
Ignoring Fabia’s shout, I swivel and bury my dagger into the first assassin’s heart. She holds my gaze until the last of her life escapes her lips.
“Why did you do that?” Fabia shrieks as she points Jace’s knife at me. “They were down. They surrendered. They –”
“Committed an act of treason. If I’d let them live, they would have only tried again. And an execution could turn them into martyrs.”
Her head shakes feverishly. “You could’ve imprisoned them. You’ve could’ve –”
“Let them rot away for the rest of their lives?”
“Yes!”
Her innocence makes me smile. What I wouldn’t give to believe that death is the worst thing that can befall a person.
Her eyes widening in disgust and fear, she backs away. Right into Nicholas’ hard chest. His arms wrap around her, and he disarms her in the same second. As the knife clutters to the floor, he pulls her away from me.
“Let me go!” she screams
He murmurs something in her ear. It doesn’t seem to calm her any.
Turning from her, I look at Jace as he enters the room. My eyes latch on to the wound in his arm. A massive hole requiring immediate attention according to anyone else. A flesh wound according to Jace.
“How many?” I ask.
“A dozen, including these three.”
“You know any?”
He nods. “Frances, Lei, Delilah, Prione.” Gesturing at the one I threw across the room, he murmurs, “Jennifer.” He looks at the one whose heart I pierced. “And that’s Ashley. I’ll get the identities of the rest.”
“Any of them have ties to the Court?”
“All of them. Frances and Jennifer are Tanya’s nieces.”
I curse. Wiping my blade on my bloodstained tunic, I scowl. “Move the wedding up to fifteen minutes. I’m going to get changed. Make sure my bride’s ready at the altar.”
“Yeah… about that…” Nicholas says from over Fabia’s shoulder. He still holds her wrapped in his arms. Her hands still grab at his wrists, but at least she’s quiet now.
“What?” I snap.
“She’s having second thoughts.”
My eyes lock on to Fabia. “You said you can talk her out of second guessing herself?”
Shaking her head, she gasps. “No. I won’t do it. I won’t let her marry a monster.”
Her eyes flicker to the women at her feet.
“She can either marry me, or she can join the women on the floor.”
Fabia’s face pales. Her lips waver. But she doesn’t cower. “No.”
“You will,” I say softly, “or I will kill you first and make her watch. I suspect that will hurt her more than any blade.”
A single tear slips down her cheek. “You’re a monster.”
I shrug. “So I’m told.”