Gideon
Each step toward the healing room felt heavier.
And it sure as shit wasn’t going to be his father.
His room was sure to be half the size as the other sons, with far less lavish clothing and items given to him.
But he wouldn’t think about that now, because the time has come, and Audrira was standing in the healing room with a knowing glint in her eyes.
“It’s time, isn’t it?” Audrira asked, but her eyes flickered away from Gideon’s, her fingers fidgeting slightly. Jocelyn, another commissioned witch, leaned against the far wall with her arms crossed, wearing boots and a full satchel across her torso.
Gideon nodded, rushing past her to grab a pack out of a hidden cupboard, one Audrira didn’t know about. He threw it over his shoulder as he reached his hand out for hers. “A raven has already been sent to Iostria. We need to leave now.”
Audrira swallowed hard, but she took his hand anyway. Ready for them to make for their venture, Gideon yanked her close. His arm wrapped around her waist, the other hand in her hair as he kissed her deeply, urgently, and like he had always wanted to.
No matter the slightest, subtle advances she made towards him, the longing looks in their eyes. He knew the moment he showed interest in her, his father would too. Now, he worried for their lives, terrified of something happening to either of them, and he never showed her how he felt.
Audrira pulled back, her breaths quick and uneven. She stared at him. “Now? Really?”
“No, please,” Jocelyn snarked. “Continue making it uncomfortable for everyone.”
Gideon smirked, rolling his eyes. “Come on. We’ve gotta get out of here.”
He held her hand tight, peering out the door, scanning the halls, barely registering Audrira’s quiet snort. “It’s my head that’s at risk. You’re a prince.”
Gideon muttered, “A bastard prince.”
They moved silently through the halls, resisting the urge to run as their instincts screamed at them.
Audrira inched closer to him. “The castle walls are tense. It’s like a silent chaos.”
“Then we need to hurry,” he answered, knowing that could only mean they were looking for someone.
Since Gideon was also half his mother, a snake shifter princess from Iostria, he could sense things most couldn’t. Like the vibrations in the walls, the floors, the ceiling, and now the castle felt angry, desperate.
“Run!” Gideon’s voice was sharp as he broke into a sprint. He glanced back. His heart pounded with fear and relief. Audrira and Jocelyn kept pace, their faces filled with fierce determination.
Most witches lived sedentary lives compared to warriors, but they ran like they had trained for this day.
Gideon led them through the castle’s west side, to the passageway hidden by a glamour. A glamour undetected by his father, thanks to his own doings.
The souls of the fae and witches he killed remained stuck within the walls of the dungeon, unbeknownst to him.
Audrira asked those souls to help her, and none of them needed further convincing.
For as soon as the passage did its duty, or failed, Audrira crafted a spell that ensured their safe travels to the afterlife.
Heavy footsteps echoed in the hall, just outside the glamour. A knight stepped forward, his voice sharp. “Your father wants you. Now.” To another, he ordered, “Take the witches.”
Gideon filled with rage and did the only thing he could: he ran. He couldn’t teleport like his brothers, a constant reminder of his filthy blood. If his grandparents across the sea hadn’t known of him, the king would have killed him too.
To Gideon’s frustration, even the officers were able to teleport.
The guard materialized in front of him, his fist slamming into Gideon’s throat.
The impact sent shockwaves of agony rippling through his body, his vision blurring with dark stars.
The force of the blow crushed his windpipe, and he doubled over, choking.
A searing pain exploded in his neck, and he could feel his vision darken at the edges, like ink seeping into his eyes.
As if his title of prince meant nothing. Not a surprise to Gideon. Nobody seemed to give a shit about showing him respect, a bastard-born prince who should’ve never been given the title, they said many times.
He coughed, scrambling to his feet as he saw them grab Audrira’s arms. The officer twisted Audrira’s arm behind her back, hard enough that Gideon could hear her cry out, her shoulder nearly dislocating under the force.
Jocelyn was miraculously holding her own with her own magic and fists.
He lunged without hesitation. Audrira thrashed, screaming for Gideon as he lunged for her, but he was also pulled back by his arms.
Any moment now, they would teleport them to different cells, and Gideon screamed, knowing that as a witch, they might just kill her for treason and drain her blood for stronger enchantments.
Their screams were echoed by another familiar war cry, and Gideon was suddenly falling forward, towards Audrira.
Without a glance back, Gideon drew his sword and lunged at the guard gripping Audrira, plunging the blade into his gut with a savage twist. The man gasped, his eyes widening as Gideon twisted the sword, feeling the resistance of flesh and bone, hot blood spurting onto his hands.
Many backed up for a moment, taking in Gideon’s wrath before making any other sudden moves, but then they looked behind him to see Oliver, with his back facing Gideon, he killed the officer who thought to detain his youngest brother.
Turning around with blood splattered across his face, with eyes that looked like he was dead inside, he teleported behind Audrira, defending them before screaming, “GO!”
Gideon’s eyes began to water.
“They won’t kill him,” Audrira whispered in his ear. “Let’s go.”
Gritting his teeth, he and Jocelyn followed Audrira to the hidden doors and tunnels that led to the forest, west of the castle. Audrira at his side, they ran towards the horses tied to the trees, less than a mile into the forest.
“How did—”
“Max and I have been bringing them out here every night for weeks.”
Jocelyn narrowed her eyes as she mounted her horse. “How long have you—”
“Years,” he answered her. “We’ve been planning this for years. It wasn’t until Sin came around that Max felt more urgency. We’ve gotta find her first, then head to the coast.”
Audrira’s eyes widened dramatically, understanding the importance of their detour. “We don’t have anything that belongs to Sin. How am I supposed to find her?”
“We’ll have to go to Sin’s home.”
“Stars,” she breathed. “Okay, let’s find Magnolia first.”
“You know her name?”
She rolled her eyes. “Us witches are all connected.”
He gave her a pointed look.
She sighed. “And she may have taught me a thing or two as a child.”
Gideon snorted. “That is a story I will need to hear later.”
They reached the orchard outside Sin’s village after an hour.
They approached the witch’s cottage, shocked to see the door cracked open, and the hinges broken off as if it had been kicked in. The wind made it sway, the creaking stirring dread in his chest. Something was wrong—terribly wrong.
To most, witches were revered and not to be messed with. Mostly. There were exceptions, such as Sin’s family and the king.
The only sound was the wind, and the door being creaked open by Jocelyn. Her satchel glowed for a fragment of a second, making her choke on a wince.
“You alright?” he muttered as they followed her inside. No sign of life, he thought, until a forest critter appeared, running out of the house and into the woods, making them jump in surprise.
Gideon held his hand up against his chest as Audrira spoke, interrupting his question. “Why isn’t she here?” She walked further into the cottage, noticing the many potion bottles and glass shattered throughout on the floor. “Someone took her. But who?”
“I don’t know,” Gideon said with defeat in his voice. “Let’s go to the manor.”
“But—”
“We don’t have time, Audrira. Sin’s clock is ticking, and Max wouldn’t survive it if she died. Grab what you need and let’s go.”
“He’s right. We can come back here later,” Jocelyn added.
Audrira sighed, but agreed, grabbing the items needed to scry, and onward they rode towards the manor.
It took no time before finding it, and just like the cottage, it was abandoned.
When they walked in, Jocelyn commented on the obvious luxuries they must’ve had.
“Not Sin,” Gideon added. “According to my brother, and her room that we found the first time we came here, none of that was shared with her.”
Audrira grimaced with distaste, mirroring how Gideon felt. To treat a child like that, and then for over a hundred years—
Gideon stumbled before freezing in place.
“What is—” Jocelyn smelled it right after he did. “What the fuck is that smell?”
Gideon couldn’t reply, because it smelled like rotten flesh, and he worried if he brought the words to voice, something horrible would manifest. And that wasn’t news he ever wanted to share with Max.
Gideon clenched his jaw, ignoring the cold air stinging his lungs as Audrira grabbed his hand. They pushed forward.
They stepped into the dungeon, the air chilling them to the bone. The same place they found the parents’ insides scattered all over the room.
Only there was another, almost familiar scent.
A broken sob escaped Audrira, despite the fact that there wasn’t a body.
“No,” Jocelyn breathed.
The table was slick with congealed blood, entrails splattered across it. The stench of decay filled the air, flies buzzing as Gideon stepped closer, his stomach twisting.
But that scent…
“Oh, gods,” Gideon breathed, because that was the scent of the witch missing from the cottage. A part of him hated the relief he felt that it wasn’t Sin, but of someone else. Clearly someone of importance in Audrira and Jocelyn’s lives. He cradled Audrira’s head against his chest as she cried.
He urged her out of the room at the sound of her gagging. And held her close until they found Sin’s room.