Page 13 of A Tempest of Intrigue (Tempest of Shadows #4)

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Ryker

“Ivan’s guards failed to stop the attackers, because of that, they were also punished,” Samael said.

The amsirah who burned here had chosen their path, and I had no sympathy for them. However, they all died horrendous deaths because of the choices I made.

Shit.

“He blamed his guards for this,” I stated.

“They failed him,” Gaius said.

Samael shifted, and something flickered through his eyes before he responded. “That they did.”

That was an unexpected turn of events. Ivan had plenty of guards, but to torch…?

I tried to count the bodies but gave up after fifty. There were over a hundred, which meant he’d burned over a hundred members of his guard.

I had no sympathy for those guards. They’d chosen their path to protect a tyrant with no hesitation to destroy anyone in his way; that they hadn’t seen his wrath possibly twisting toward them was an oversight they’d paid the ultimate price for.

“Does he blame you for this too?” I asked Samael.

Samael sneered. “I may have helped organize the transfer of the prisoners, but my men and I didn’t guard them. Ivan was adamant only his guards do so.”

“Lucky for you.”

Something flickered through Samael’s eyes again as some of his anger dissipated. “Yes, I’m most fortunate.”

“What about your father?” I asked. “What does he think about all this?”

“I’m sure he realized how badly he fucked up once Ivan ordered him to be impaled and set on fire.”

Before I could stop it, my mouth parted at this revelation. Samael’s gaze went to the body in the center of it all.

Now I understood why it stood a little higher than the others. Ivan would make it clear he didn’t care who it was; he’d burn all those who imposed or failed him.

“It was his duty to ensure the guards were well trained and that nothing happened to the prisoners,” Samael continued. “He failed.”

Beneath Samael’s steely words and rocky exterior, I sensed his anguish. Despite Samael’s thirst for power and compliance with everything Ivan was doing, the king viciously murdered his father, a man Samael had always respected and admired.

I wasn’t sure what was going through the sheriff’s mind, but I bet he hadn’t expected the turn the night and day had taken.

“When did all of this happen?” I inquired.

“The attempted rescue happened after midnight,” Samael replied. “The burning happened at dawn. Ivan gathered the whole town for it.”

Of course he did.

“I’m surprised Ivan didn’t keep them all alive and parade them through the towns like he’d intended to do with the rebels,” I said.

“He was far too pissed off for that.”

And now, I also sensed fear in Samael. The man had realized no one was safe, not even the ones who licked Ivan’s boots.

“Besides,” Gaius said, “the whole town saw what happened. They’ll tell everyone what will happen if they betray or fail Ivan.”

Gaius was still foolishly confident in his ability to remain free of Ivan’s wrath. Samael was not.

I rubbed the stubble on my chin as I surveyed Samay’s remnants. I could only imagine how apoplectic Ivan had been to burn the man who’d watched over him since he was a baby.

After Ivan’s birth, the old king appointed Samay to protect his child. Samay had kept Ivan safe as he grew from a baby to an adult and rose from the spare to the king. Then he had taken command of Ivan’s guard. Samay had been loyal to him all his life.

If I’d ever considered a friend for Ivan, it would have been Samay. They’d gone through a lot together, and I was sure Samay knew most, if not all, of Ivan’s secrets. Samay was fiercely loyal to the man who’d impaled and burned him alive.

Samael had grown up knowing his father was the leader of the prince’s guard. He’d felt secure in knowing his father was a powerful man.

Ivan ripped that security away from him during a sunrise.

“Where’s the king now?” I inquired.

I hadn’t seen any sign of him in town. There was no convoy of carriages, no guards, and no way Ivan would lower himself to sleep at an inn here.

“He’s returned to the palace,” Samael said.

“Without the rebels to punish, the show has ended,” I remarked.

“He has something much bigger to deal with now.”

The conversation had just turned to Ellery and what happened here last night. “What is that?” I asked, though I already knew the answer.

Samael’s yellow-brown eyes fixed on me as he sought to judge my reaction to his words. “Last night, a female lightning bearer revealed that she exists in the realm.”