Page 25

“I think,” Runa croaked, seeming to have lost her voice. Likely, it was a first.

“Louder,” the guard urged, taking a menacing step.

“I think you look—”

“Remember the villagers of White Bridge,” Drazen hissed.

Energy crackled as a dark shroud settled over our shoulders.

“I think you look like a murderous piece of—”

Before she could finish, a unified gasp rang out. Hushed voices muttered their excitement. From a door at the side of the room, an ethereal woman appeared, gliding toward the throne.

Attired in a flowing gossamer gown that dragged along the chilly marble, the woman came to stand at the king’s side. Onher head was a smaller version of the king’s crown. Pale lavender hair hung down her back. Her eyes were glazed white like the guards. I studied her arresting features, finding her exotic—and familiar.

“Raelynn,” Runa grated in a furious snarl, the name scraping past her lips.

Both Drazen’s and Kronk’s thick skulls whipped in Runa’s direction.

“Raelynn? I thought you said your sister was dead,” Drazen hissed.

“It is a miracle,” Kronk stated in that deadpan way of his, the words lacking emotion.

“My love,” King Idris grasped the queen’s fingers in his hand, kissing their blackened tips. Inky flesh shadowed her porcelain skin from fingertips to shoulder. Black veins spread across her chest, creeping up her neck.

“Look at us. I adore family reunions.” The king beamed, pleased at his game.

Family. My ears twitched. So this was why the queen and Runa were so similar. My little thief had been keeping secrets. Perhaps I could use it to my advantage.

“I have no family.” Runa sprang to her feet, violence in her snarling visage. “You made sure of that.”

Too late, I realized Runa’s initial fear had turned into blinding rage.

“Runa, no.” Kronk attempted to stand, far too slow to intercept her. Drazen as well.

Since I was the only one with my hands bound in front, I sprang up and looped my arms over the raging sorceress’s head.

Runa struggled against me, and I held her tight. Reasoning, if she angered the king, she’d place my own life in danger. This I wouldn’t tolerate.

“Easy, pet. This isn’t the time or place,” I whispered.

To my relief, she calmed, settling in my grip.

Ignoring Runa’s hysterics, the king set the queen’s hand on the arm of his throne, and the great tree pulsed beneath her blackened touch. Idris groaned as if she had reached down and stroked his manhood instead.

“Yes. Yes, I know,” he said over his shoulder to someone. Except there was nobody there. Did he speak to ghosts? “When I want your opinion, I’ll ask for it,” he muttered to an entity only he could see before straightening. Was the king mad? Hearing voices? This, too, I could use to my benefit.

With his queen at his side, he turned to Runa. “While Queen Raelynn has been a valuable and treasured addition to my kingdom, it saddens me to hear of the discontent her sister has been brewing. Just this quarter, three of my conveyances were robbed. Honestly, Runa, I expected a little more gratitude from you when I granted you your life, despite your parents’ disobedience.”

“You expect gratitude after you murdered my family and burned my village?”

The king heaved a dramatic sigh. “While sparingyou. At your dear sister’s request, of course. Still, you are unappreciative—stealing from my caravans, undermining the reasonable expectations I’ve placed on my kingdom.”

“The villages cannot afford to pay your tax, and you know it,” Runa spat. “Your reign is a disease, sucking the life out of everything it touches.”

Gasps echoed from the crowd. Murmurs of outrage bounced off the walls.

King Idris lurched from his throne, anger darkening his conscience. “You stand before me, in chains no less, spitting this blasphemy?Iam the true king. The divine being whose veins run with the blood of the gods. Your own sister knows this. Be grateful for your queen’s generosity, or I’d smite you on the spot.”