Enchantment of the Bow

Chapter Fifty-Eight

Sam's POV

The King wasn't lying. It wasn't the cruel joke that I'd hoped it had been as I rushed straight here. I was hoping to see the Duke sitting in his cell nibbling on his morning piece of bread, asking me why I look like I'd seen a ghost. But that isn't the case. Danak Staph is a lifeless corpse lying in a pool of his own blood, with no hope of ever seeing his beloved again. I rest in knowing that Annalise is safe with Thomas, as I has just received word from him late last night. Now I dread having to send them a note about this.

My most recurring thought as I stand in the open doorway of the dungeon cell is, "How am I going to tell Lyra about this?". I feel suddenly tired as I scrub my face with my free hand, standing in front of a gory scene. It is a good thing that I never get attached to them, or else I would likely be distraught over it. Now I just feel worn as I worry about how this death will affect those around me, and what I wil do about it.

Danak had his throat slit in the middle of the night, as I know from previously inspecting the body, and he now lays in the soiled, mildew dusted straw in a scarlet stain of blood. In the firelight cast by the torch in my grasp I can see that his eyes are wide open from the terror he must have felt as he died. His once dark eyes are now pale and lifeless, never again to see anything of this world. I wish very suddenly that dead men could speak. Then I would know who to blame for his murder.

I said I would protect him. I should have been the one guarding his cell. Maybe then he would not be dead. "Who was Guarding him last night? I thought Cam was on duty." I ask the red bearded Claudius, who was put in charge of finding the killer. I suppose the King wanted to make it look like he cared, at least. But I know that I can at least trust Claudius to aid me in catching the man who did this.

Claud's thick brows are drawn together as he strokes his chin, a deep frown pulling at the lips that hide behind his beard. "It was supposed to be Camiseal, but I've already asked him. He said that Sebastian came down and told him that Lyra ordered him to switch out with Cam for the night. I assure you that Lyra gave no such order."

I turn to him, ready to scour the castle for the blue-eyed serpent. I knew that there was something off about him since I first saw him, but a murderer is not something I would have taken him for. The King may have been the one to employ Sebastian, but once I did some digging, I realized that the darkness of his intentions goes far beyond that of Aizen. The Snake is working for someone other than the King, and I know that the death of Danak was his doing. Of course, there is little way to prove that he did it, since the only eye-witness is dead. Because of the high death risk of Danak, his cell was not near the other prisoners, so no one else would have been able to see anything. Could it be that Sebastian was working for the Staph family this whole time?

"And where is he, then? Have you spoke with him already?" I ask, turning from the scene of Danak's crippled heap of a body. I can't help but feel pity for the poor sod. He may have lived if this hadn't happened.

Claudius turns to me, eyes glinting in the firelight. "It would seem that no one has seen him since then, Your Highness." I know that Claud has discovered the same thing that I had- Sebastian is working for someone other than Aizen, someone more sinister who moves his pieces from the shadows. Whether or not that person is a member of the Staph family has yet to be revealed, but I intend to find out and take care of it before the day of my wedding. I will not have Lyra upset and worrying over something like that. She needs to focus on ruling this country, and I need to focus on keeping her safe.

"Well, let's get going. We need to find Sebastian before he gets too far away." I say, brushing past the giant of a man.

Claudius turns and follows me up the grime covered stairs. "You intend to come with? But Sir, what about-"