Page 6
The guard dropped, clutching his throat as blood pulsed between his fingers.
The second guard hesitated, then thrust his spear at Lairos’s chest. The king met him head-on, their bodies twisting in a deadly dance. The guard’s blade caught Lairos’s arm, drawing aline of red, but Lairos didn’t slow. He drove his knife up under the guard’s ribs, and made a savage twist.
The guard’s eyes widened in shock. Lairos yanked the knife free, his expression cold and remote. Nothing remained of the playful, flirtatious king from the beach. This was a predator in his element, efficient and merciless as he kicked the bodies into the water.
Lairos turned back to me. Blood stained the stone at our feet, but he seemed unbothered as he stripped the guard of his arm sheath and claimed the still-pulsing blade as his own.
“We need to move,” he said, as if he hadn’t just killed two men in front of me.
I couldn’t move. Couldn’t think. The bodies—the blood?—
“Emme.” His tone softened slightly. “Please. We need to leave before more come.”
My legs shook as I backed away from the blood-slicked edge, keeping as much distance as possible between myself and the carnage.
“You killed them,” I said, the words hollow in my ears.
“They were traitors,” he said, finally turning to face me. Blood splattered his chest and arms, but his expression remained calm. Almost bored. “They attacked their king. The punishment for treason is death.”
“So, you just killed them? Without a trial?” My voice rose with each word. “Where I come from, we have this thing called justice. Evidence. Innocent until proven guilty.”
“Where you come from is gone.” His voice hardened. “Here,myword is law.Myjudgment is final.”
A chill ran down my spine that had nothing to do with my wet clothes. “Will you do the same to me if I displease you? Slit my throat without a second thought?”
Something flickered in his eyes—surprise, maybe even hurt. “No.”
“Why not? What makes me different from them?”
He closed the distance between us in three long strides. I held my ground despite every instinct screaming to back away. He cocked his head, studying me with an intensity that made my skin prickle.
“Can you not hear it?” he asked softly.
My heart tried to pound its way out of my chest. “Hear what?”
Before he could answer, footsteps echoed from the tunnel. Another guard appeared, wearing the same black and silver uniform. He froze at the sight of us, eyes widening at the bloody stone and ripples in the water where the bodies had disappeared.
“My king,” he stammered, dropping to one knee. His hand trembled on the hilt of his sword, but he didn’t draw it.
Lairos stepped in front of me, his posture deceptively relaxed. “Explain yourself.”
“Please, my king,” the guard’s voice cracked with emotion. “By order of the Knights?—”
“What orders?” Lairos demanded.
“They’re watching all the drycaves. They’ve already taken control of the outer atolls.” His eyes darted to me, then back to Lairos. “Please understand. You need to leave now.”
The guard’s voice wavered between loyalty and terror, telling me more about the political situation than any mission briefing could have. This wasn’t just an attack on a diplomatic summit. This was a coordinated effort against Lairos himself.
“Who gave these orders?” Lairos asked, his voice dangerously soft.
“The Knights’ High Commander. He says...” The guard swallowed hard. “He says you’ve betrayed our people by bringing the humans here.”
Lairos went very still. “And my brother? Where does Prince Nedaris stand in all this?”
“I don’t know, my king. Truly.” The guard glanced nervously over his shoulder. “My daughter was just born last moon. I can’t... Please, my king. You must go.”
Lairos nodded once, then turned to me. “Back in the water. Now.”
The second guard hesitated, then thrust his spear at Lairos’s chest. The king met him head-on, their bodies twisting in a deadly dance. The guard’s blade caught Lairos’s arm, drawing aline of red, but Lairos didn’t slow. He drove his knife up under the guard’s ribs, and made a savage twist.
The guard’s eyes widened in shock. Lairos yanked the knife free, his expression cold and remote. Nothing remained of the playful, flirtatious king from the beach. This was a predator in his element, efficient and merciless as he kicked the bodies into the water.
Lairos turned back to me. Blood stained the stone at our feet, but he seemed unbothered as he stripped the guard of his arm sheath and claimed the still-pulsing blade as his own.
“We need to move,” he said, as if he hadn’t just killed two men in front of me.
I couldn’t move. Couldn’t think. The bodies—the blood?—
“Emme.” His tone softened slightly. “Please. We need to leave before more come.”
My legs shook as I backed away from the blood-slicked edge, keeping as much distance as possible between myself and the carnage.
“You killed them,” I said, the words hollow in my ears.
“They were traitors,” he said, finally turning to face me. Blood splattered his chest and arms, but his expression remained calm. Almost bored. “They attacked their king. The punishment for treason is death.”
“So, you just killed them? Without a trial?” My voice rose with each word. “Where I come from, we have this thing called justice. Evidence. Innocent until proven guilty.”
“Where you come from is gone.” His voice hardened. “Here,myword is law.Myjudgment is final.”
A chill ran down my spine that had nothing to do with my wet clothes. “Will you do the same to me if I displease you? Slit my throat without a second thought?”
Something flickered in his eyes—surprise, maybe even hurt. “No.”
“Why not? What makes me different from them?”
He closed the distance between us in three long strides. I held my ground despite every instinct screaming to back away. He cocked his head, studying me with an intensity that made my skin prickle.
“Can you not hear it?” he asked softly.
My heart tried to pound its way out of my chest. “Hear what?”
Before he could answer, footsteps echoed from the tunnel. Another guard appeared, wearing the same black and silver uniform. He froze at the sight of us, eyes widening at the bloody stone and ripples in the water where the bodies had disappeared.
“My king,” he stammered, dropping to one knee. His hand trembled on the hilt of his sword, but he didn’t draw it.
Lairos stepped in front of me, his posture deceptively relaxed. “Explain yourself.”
“Please, my king,” the guard’s voice cracked with emotion. “By order of the Knights?—”
“What orders?” Lairos demanded.
“They’re watching all the drycaves. They’ve already taken control of the outer atolls.” His eyes darted to me, then back to Lairos. “Please understand. You need to leave now.”
The guard’s voice wavered between loyalty and terror, telling me more about the political situation than any mission briefing could have. This wasn’t just an attack on a diplomatic summit. This was a coordinated effort against Lairos himself.
“Who gave these orders?” Lairos asked, his voice dangerously soft.
“The Knights’ High Commander. He says...” The guard swallowed hard. “He says you’ve betrayed our people by bringing the humans here.”
Lairos went very still. “And my brother? Where does Prince Nedaris stand in all this?”
“I don’t know, my king. Truly.” The guard glanced nervously over his shoulder. “My daughter was just born last moon. I can’t... Please, my king. You must go.”
Lairos nodded once, then turned to me. “Back in the water. Now.”