Chapter 71 Rhea #2
I gaze down at my hands. At the ring that sits atop one of my fingers.
Foolish as it was, a small part of me thought that maybe under duress I could access my magic.
It wouldn’t be the best way to use it, but if it meant getting free…
I blink away the pointless thought. Imagine my hand swiping away at that seedling of hope.
“I’ve been ordered to let the king know when you’ve awakened,” Xander says, bracing his hands on his hips. Erica scowls at him. “But I wanted to warn you first.”
There’s a skip in the beat of my heart when I ask, “Warn me about what?”
“King Dolian intends to make the death of the man who attacked you a public event. And he wants you there when he does it.”
The next morning comes far too quickly, and though I skipped breakfast, nausea still threatens to expel the meager contents of my stomach.
“I can’t believe he is making you watch,” Eve says from behind me as she runs a brush through my hair. King Dolian had ordered her to spend extra time on my appearance this morning, so that I might be presentable enough to watch a man’s execution. “It is cruel.”
“It’s his idea of showing me he cares,” I respond, my voice hollow even to my own ears.
I had expected to wear black, sure that was the only appropriate option.
But the king had a crimson dress made for me, the cut of it dripping from my body as if made of liquid.
It follows the contour of my delicate curves, gold lace edging the long sleeves where they flutter around my wrists.
The neckline dips just enough to show the top of my cleavage, but Eve layers multiple jewel-laden necklaces to conceal as much of the skin as possible.
I swallow the bile that rises to the back of my throat.
“If he knew anything about me, he would know that I do not want this. I would never want this.”
“I know,” she says quietly, laying the brush down.
I stand, my heart racing as I grip the back of the chair and look over my reflection.
But I don’t see me so much as I see the color of blood.
Red and red and red. Splashed over my body and leaking to the floor.
Staining skin a shade too pale. “Hopefully it is quick,” she says, wincing.
“In any case, I can be here once it is over if you like. Perhaps we can sneak into the library to get your mind off of it all?”
I force a grin as I nod, appreciative of her offer even if that place is no longer the refuge it once was. Eve’s reassuring smile is the last I see as I step into the hall, Xander and Brisk waiting to flank me. As we begin to walk, another two guards join us from behind.
“Is all of this a result of the king’s command?” I ask Xander under my breath.
“No. This is a result of my command. I trust each of these men with my secrets. You can trust them with your life.” He spares me a glance, ensuring that I understand his intention.
And even with my complicated feelings about him, I do.
“I’m not going to pretend that anything I say will help make the next few moments more bearable.
I don’t know exactly what the king has planned, but I’ve bore witness to enough of what he deems entertainment to know that it will involve making a spectacle. ”
My entire body bows under the weight of those words.
I hold no fond feelings for the man who tried to kill me, but neither do I want to watch my uncle torture him on my behalf.
We walk for a while, the occupants of the castle thinning out until we arrive at a set of gilded double doors, and Xander holds his hand up to halt the guards stationed there from opening them before he turns to me.
“We will not be able to interfere,” he says, remorse heavy in his gaze. “But you will not be alone.”
My eyes bounce from one man to the next, each of them offering a small nod. “Thank you,” I say quietly. But even with Xander’s assurance, and those of the men around me, dread still holds me within its clutches.
“Get ready,” Xander says quietly before dipping his chin for the guards to open the doors.
My heart pounds as I dig my nails into my palms, unsure of what I’m bracing for.
But as I walk forward with Xander at my side—his own hand resting on the hilt of his sword—and we pass the doors, my brows knit together.
“What the fuck?” Xander whispers, confirming what I see. That this is not some strange dream.
Like the rest of the castle, this room is painted in red and gold, fabric draping from beam to beam making it look like a bleeding sky.
Gold flecks the cream tile floors, and as I take another step forward, it’s hard not to feel two feet tall under the sheer magnitude of this place.
Especially because there is no one else here.
Heavy steps sound behind us, and Xander rips his sword free as he spins, the light from flame gems reflecting off of his golden armor. Guards spill through the doors, a sea of glinting gold as they file off to the sides and stand at attention, their hands clasped behind their backs.
“Guard!” Xander shouts at a man a few inches shorter than him with short blond hair. “What is your order?”
“I invited them here.” My breath catches in my throat at his voice, that feeling of dread squeezing more tightly as the king walks in next, followed by Simon and men I recognize from my forced dinners with the king but whose names I cannot remember.
“Your Majesty,” Xander says, bowing deeply. I don’t join him. “What is the meaning of all of this?”
“This”—he waves his hand to the guards behind us and the men seated near the throne—“is about showing what happens when you hurt something that is mine.” Each of his steps are measured, just as they had been before he killed Alexi.
Like they had been when he would taunt me before hitting me in the tower.
He walks to the center of the room and stops, while Simon and the rest of the men continue to the far wall, where rows of benches staggered in height like this is some sort of stadium and they are here to enjoy a spectacle.
The doors to the room close, the sound making my stomach sink. King Dolian’s gaze bores into mine as he reaches a hand out to me.
“Come, darling. Let’s show my men who you really are.”