Page 67 of The Ballad of a Bard

T he snakes curled around his thin wrist but did nothing to harm him as he searched for the bone. Their scales slank along his forearm as they winded in and out of his fingers, their forked tongues darting out as they made a hissing noise. Cobalt giggled, as if it tickled and fumbled past their long bodies. He reached for a small pile in the corner of the tank, touching a few bones. There was no flash of fangs, not even the whip of a tail.

“Almost got it,” He muttered and stood even higher on his toes, to the point where Crimson winced at how uncomfortable it looked.

West helped him up, allowing him to use his knee like a stool. Cobalt was able to fold over the lip of the cage easily enough that he grabbed the item within one swipe. He pushed off the tank and hopped down without any assistance, proudly showing off the clean bone in his hand like it was a tooth that had come loose from his own mouth. It was longer than most of the other ones, whiter too. There were still specks of dust along it, stained from aeons .

Cobalt was about to say something but then turned his attention towards the largest of the snakes as it rose up, propping its neck on the glass wall. He murmured a few things back to it, as if it were completely normal to take to snakes and then glanced down at the bone in his hand.

“Okay, I’ve got it. Thanks, Ranjiet.” He grinned and took the bone between two hands, snapping it quickly and calling out Altivar’s name.

Crimson prayed that it was the right thing to do. The serpents had no reason to lie, but it wasn’t very well like she could speak to them. West returned to his full height as a wasp buzzed through the air on fast wings. He backed up a couple of steps, urging Cobalt to do the same. He listened, standing in front of him and Crimson.

“Not in your creature form.” The boy commanded with a disappointing click of his tongue that she’d never heard from him before. “Your human form.”

A bolt of coal light burst from the insect, causing them all to look away as Altivar transformed back into his mortal shell. He scowled as he found all their faces, scanning for which of them had summoned him. Surprise plastered his expression when Cobalt held out the snapped talisman.

“ You summoned me?” He halfway bent to take a better look at him, his chocolate hair sliding over his shoulder. It wasn’t bound in a braid or tail, loose and flowing to his lower shoulders. Even his clothes were more plain that Crimson had ever seen him wear, as if he’d planned to run away and start anew.

“I did.” Cobalt stated, very proudly and very matter of factly. “And you have to listen to me because of it.”

The doors to Altivar’s rooms had been left open for anyone to wander in, and a couple guards had in fact done so. A crowd had begun to form, with a few advisors, some maids and others. Crimson glanced at them all, not caring enough about their presence. They weren’t disturbing anyone and they had a right to know what was happening since the fate of the Empire was at stake.

“What do you want, little child?” He purred, flicking a stray piece of Cobalt’s hair back. His eyes narrowed as he took in his features.

Connor protectively inched closer.

So did West.

Brother or adoptive son, West cared about Cobalt. And it meant the world to her that he’d taken both of them under his wing, under a snap decision, without so much as knowing them first.

Her brother smiled up, as if Altivar hadn’t killed his mother, tried to accuse Crimson for it, attempted to get rid of West and slaughter Connor for his heart.

“I want you to tell them all the truth.” He said.

Altivar looked at the folk that amassed by the entrance and blanched to the point where his golden shade turned nearly milk white. “About what?”

Spoiled milk, to her delight.

Cobalt turned to her, silently asking for the next step. She cleared her throat. “About who really killed the Empress.”

He turned even whiter. “You can’t make me do that.”

“He could, since he’s technically more Saint than you are. I could, too,” Crimson shrugged casually, a little gleefully, “Since I’m a full Saint after all, and you only bear the power of half of one. So you can either tell it of your own accord without us forcing you to, or we can use your talisman and make you. Your choice.”

Cobalt wiggled the two bone shards at him.

In anyone else’s grasp, the action might have been perceived as threatening- which her brother was without question trying to replicate. But for him, it came off as a suggestion.

Altivar hissed in rage and it echoed the serpents he kept as his beloved pets. “Yes. I killed my mother.”

She wasn’t sure if Cobalt had secretly ordered him to spill the truth or if he’d done it from his own volition but it didn’t matter because they’d all heard it. Even with the guilt on her conscience for those she had killed, her spirits lifted as the inaccurate accusation was removed from her lean shoulders. They’d already carried far more over the years than they should have.

West pulled her in closer as he noticed her instant relaxation. “Why did you lay the blame on Crimson?”

“It was the perfect alibi. She had Saint-made blades, and came from the Bronze Gate with nothing to lose. After all, she’s the notorious fighter Red Lyric. The pieces lined up and it was too perfect to ignore.” He reluctantly explained and a sprinkle of anger surged through her like a rapidly increasing inferno. Her status, her way of living had bolstered his reasoning and it curved her flare into something that tasted like fury and death rolled into one sour thing.

Her brother frowned and marched to Altivar, sending his fist sailing directly into the Prince’s groin. Crimson bit back a laugh, as did Connor by the looks of it. But West barked his out, unobstructed as the heir doubled over.

“Don’t you ever talk about my sister like that again!” He fumed, shoving the talisman in Altivar’s face.

Mutters came from the doorway and she could make out the whispered words of Altivar, traitor, punishment.

Her gut told her to remove her brother before things became too harrowing and intense for his young eyes to see. Her chin angled towards her partner .

Her soulsaint who knew her mind far too well as he said, “You should take Cobalt out of here.” He quietly murmured in her ear, “He can’t continue to live after everything he’s done and I highly doubt you want to expose him to that part of life yet. If we don’t act now, then the people will riot and choose their own leader in his place. We have to do this correctly, or chaos and bloodlust will ensue.”

He was right.

Crimson went to lead her brother out of the room, to find some tarts or candy to distract him whilst her father dealt with Altivar but Cobalt sent another command at him before she could stop him. “Turn into a bug. I don’t care what one, but a small one.”

Connor snapped his gaze to her as the Prince had no choice but to obey. He curled around himself with a vulgar gesture and a burning glare in his gaze, black fur sprouting as he shrank in size, a spider in his place. One she recognized from the first time she’d found an insect in her room.

And then her brother moved.

With a hard press of his bare foot, Cobalt smashed his bare heel on top of him. A squelch sounded, dark blood splattered on the chequered tiles and the eight legs bent sideways.

“Did he just-” West swept him up into the air with hands under his arms, checking the ground. “He did .”

Cobalt had killed Altivar.

Crimson was horrifically astounded at his actions, taking in the glob of mashed insect parts for herself. “It can’t have been that easy.”

“He was only half a Saint.” Connor muttered with a hint of mirth in his low tone that she wanted to smack out for finding humour in the event. “Anything could have killed him, including that it appears. ”

West handed a squirming, laughing Cobalt to her and brought his heeled boot down on the spider’s remains, dragging it back and forth to be absolutely sure. “For good measure.” He explained at her bewildered look. “And partially because I wanted to after what he put you through.”

Not at what he’d put them through, but what he’d put her through. Her heart constricted to the point of pain at how much she loved this man, the one that would do anything for her. She handed Cobalt to her father and threw herself at him. He caught her with ease, spinning as she lowered her mouth to his.

West kissed her without holding anything back.

She tasted the stars as they exploded in her vision, the moon as it curved through her, night-light on water. His hands roved over her back, tracing her spine and she wanted nothing more than to finish what they started when he first kissed her back. But there was an audience, and she wasn’t too particular about sharing her first time with anyone, let alone her father and brother in the room.

Her Saint kissed her tenderly one last time and dragged it out before lowering her back to the floor and setting her down. He sent a cocky wink at her that promised more to come before she flushed, wiping the residue off her mouth. Connor had his hand over her brother’s eyes, but she saw the struggle he gave in order to see past the finger blockade.

“Come on,” He grumbled and swatted it away.

Connor playfully punched his shoulder. “I can tell that not only have you been a handful for your sister in the past, but you’re going to be far worse when you grow up.”

Cobalt stuck his tongue out and crossed one arm over the other in protest, as if it would do anything to stop the ageing process. “I’m never growing up. And if I do, then I’m going to be taller than Red. Perhaps even Gold. ”

West boyishly chuckled and sighed deeply as if he had to prepare for whatever he was about to unleash next. “I’m afraid you’re going to have to grow up, little man.”

“Why’s that?”

He turned towards the crowd that still stood stunned by the doorway. “With Empress Osira Talon gone, and her son following after for the rightful execution of his crimes, there leaves a gap for the throne. If Altivar hadn’t sired a son, then there would be a problem to fill, but luckily for us, he did.”

Crimson’s knees might have buckled had West not been directly behind her, holding her up as if he sensed her shock and awe from what he was insinuating. Her head spun around and around as she began to understand what he was implying.

“No,” She rasped.

“Yes,” He confirmed. “Altivar’s son is none other than Cobalt, which makes him the next in line for the throne of Tazali.”