Chapter 35
Lyv was staring at the trail of blood on the floor from where they dragged Balian's body away. She sat in the same spot she had been when he passed, her hand crusted with dried blood.
The guardsmen came back an hour later for them.
Gideon and her father were shackled before they even open their cells. They still didn't realize Gideon was Fae, or that the iron had such an effect on him. He was willing, even though they made him twinge in pain.
Amory was a different story, though. One of the guardsmen had a metal syringe and jammed it into Amory's thigh without any warning. It did its job, though, as Amory immediately gasped, shooting up to his feet and swinging at them. The shackles he now wore were on tight, the iron cuff still in place as well, and all they had to do to have him bent over in pain was punch anywhere they could. It almost always landed on a bruise or cut along his body.
They didn't shackle Lyv, though, which she found strange. But then she realized something...they did have her shackled by keeping those she loved in chains.
Her father, Gideon, and Amory were escorted out of the dungeon first, followed by Lyv. She had two guardsmen on either side and one behind, an easy combination she could have easily taken on even without her magic. She couldn't, though, not when they had those she loved. Head held high, she continued on.
As they reached the ground floor of the palace and passed by an open window, she couldn't help but pause and look out. Even though she couldn't see into the streets of the city past the palace walls, she didn't need to. The silence was answer enough to her mental question. Fires burned in different areas. It wasn't just a blacksmith shop, though, but rather the burning of bodies. They weren't even going to give those who had friends and family killed the right to give them a proper funeral.
It wasn't just the streets. There were the scars of slaughter inside the palace as well. And even more so when they passed by a group of staff being herded in the same direction they were. All eyes went to the king, who led their processional line. They glanced by Gideon and Amory...and landed on Lyv.
Lyv's heart sunk when she saw that Evelien was one of them, her blue dress splattered with blood, and instantly knew by the look on her face that she had seen what happened to Balian. When her eyes met Lyv's, she knew what she had to do.
It was no trouble breaking through the guardsmen that surrounded her. She rushed over to Evelien, wrapping her in a hug and kissed her cheek, and quickly whispered everything to her – about the money Balian said was hers, that she needed to get out of the city as quickly as she could, find her family, and book passage on a ship bound for a land that wasn't Escarral.
At first, Evelien was stunned at the princess's actions. But with one word of how much Balian loved her and longed for a life for the two of them, she wrapped her in a hug equally as fierce before Lyv was pulled away.
She knew the way to the throne room, knew it was the place they were going to then. She always hated it, too – a huge room with arched ceilings, stain glass windows, the Escarrali banner flags hanging on the walls, and the ornately carved gold and wooden throne that sat up on the dais. Before, there had been two smaller thrones for her mother and Lyv herself. Those were gone now.
When Lyv, Amory, Gideon, and her father entered, all eyes went to them. There were many who cried out at the sight of their king and princess. Shock covered most of their faces. And helplessness. They were being held back by guardsmen, spears crossed in front of them as a barrier.
They had crammed in as many of the city citizens they could into the throne room. Most of them – men, women, and children – had dark circles under their eyes from the sleepless night after chaos reigned the day before. Many had cuts and bruises, bandages wrapped around wounds. All of them, however, wore identical looks of loathing and disgust as they toward the queen.
Her mother sat on the throne with her red lips stretched into a smile, leaned back with her legs crossed like she was just casually there and waiting for her morning tea.
Lyv wanted to yank her off it by her hair.
Her eyes lifted to the wall behind the queen. Four bodies, unrecognizable, were strung up for all to see. A warning.
Their escorts led them to the dais, stopping them just a few feet in front of it.
"Hello, again, dear husband."
Her father didn't utter a word.
She pushed up from the throne, stepped off the dais, and walked toward them. Her eyes lit up when she saw Amory awake and staring at her.
"Ah, the man who seemed to have stolen my daughter's heart. A spy from Dalcaine, too." She turned toward the crowd, gesturing to him and Gideon. "Your traitorous king brought our enemy into our land, into the palace. And one of them..." She looked back at Amory, grabbing his face in her hand. "This one had the nerve to go after my daughter. He seduced her, fucked her like some whore, and all to get into the back pocket of the king. If she ends up pregnant with a bastard child..."
She shook her head, backing up so she could walk to stand in front of Lyv. "I hope you took my advice from the other night, darling. Did you hold him tight?"
She gave her the answer that even had Gideon snort out a laugh. "Yes, because when I make love to a man, I'm not acting the whore that they can just stick their cocks into. Do they even bother to allow you your own pleasure before they find their own?"
Her mother's eyes flared. "You had better be careful, darling. One of your lovers is already dead. You only have one more."
Lyv silenced herself with that threat as her mother moved on to the king.
When she did, one of the guardsmen stepped up beside her. He already had his hand on the pommel of his sword, ready for when she gave the word. His sword wasn't for battle, not when it was a heavy and sharp as it was. Lyv knew immediately who this man was – the executioner.
"Now, onto other matters," she smiled at him.
"And what is that, my dear?" the king asked.
The queen reached up, touching her new crown. "Well...you are going to renounce your title, that's what. You have lost, my dear. You were losing even before the siege of the city."
"You will never win when our people despise you. Like I said before, continue ruling the way you have in this past day and a half...and you will rule a city of corpses."
She clenched her teeth in frustration. "Renounce. Now."
"Never."
She nodded then, stepping back. It wasn't a nod of acceptance, but rather command.
The two guardsmen who were beside him grabbed his arms, allowing for the others to come forward. All except for the one who had come in behind Lyv. This one stayed put, watching.
The first strike of a fist to Bence's jaw...and Lyv screamed in rage.
"You traitorous bitch!" she spat at her mother, surging forward.
But the guardsman at her back held her fast. He was so much stronger than any other she'd come in contact with before. He easily held both arms behind her back with one hand while his other secured her to his chest.
Even those who were watching began to murmur. Some even tried to rush forward but were held back by the guardsmen who created a barrier between them and where their king was being beaten within an inch of his life.
They continued the beating, one even bringing out a knife to slash across his chest. A knee to the face, busting his lip and loosening a few teeth. More punches...and Lyv could have swore she heard ribs cracking. She certainly heard when they pulled her father back so his legs gave out in front of him...and one guardsman slammed his boot down on his leg, breaking it in an instant.
The king's cry echoed through the throne room as the queen laughed.
"Renounce," she smiled, staring down at her bloodied husband as they dropped him.
He gritted his teeth, reaching up to wipe the blood and saliva from his face. "No."
Her mother looked toward her then. No, not to her. The guardsman who held her.
He let go of her body, but still held her hands, reaching for the knife at his waist. She recognized that knife. It was hers. His hands were in her hair then, yanking her head back as he put the blade to her neck.
Her father's eyes widened.
He stayed silent.
The knife got closer, nicking the side of her neck.
"Renounce, Bence."
Lyv tried to get out of the hold...and the guardsman leaned forward to whisper in her ear, "Do not move, Alyvia."
It wasn't the voice, but rather the tone she recognized.
It was Jai.
Jai pressed the knife to her throat even more. Even though Lyv knew he wouldn't do it, her father didn't. The words that came from his lips in the next moment even made Jai pause.
"Don't do it," she whispered to her father, her voice breaking. "Please, don't let her win."
But he shook his head, eyes dropping to the knife at her throat.
"I renounce...I yield."
Lyv wanted to sink to her knees, knowing her father had given up because she was in danger. She started crying as Jai took the knife from her throat but kept his hold on her.
Her father smiled sadly at her. "It's over, my dear. For now."
The queen started laughing then, holding out her arms as she addressed everyone in the room. "And in an instant, you are no longer ruled over by a traitorous king! Do you see how little he cares for you? That he would give up his throne and give up on you? And I don't think I want to kill him just yet...maybe keep him alive so he can see what we accomplish? Bring him back to the dungeons!"
No one moved. No one made a sound.
And her mother didn't care.
Because she turned her attention back to Amory.
"Now, for the next one...and I'm afraid this one is going to be a little more gruesome."
Two other guardsmen came over to take her in their own holds. Jai, glamoured as a guardsman, stepped off to the side, discretely headed toward her father.
"Now," the queen said, stepping closer to Amory.
Her father winced as he tried to push himself backward. Jai went to him, pushing the others away who were going to take him to the dungeon. In one swift motion, he threw him over his shoulder, ignoring her father's shouts of both dissent and pain.
"We are going to go through the same questions we did yesterday, all right? What is your name?"
"Amory."
"And where are you from?"
He swallowed, his eyes glancing over to Lyv. "I'm from Oria."
The queen struck out, backhanding him across the face. "Wrong answer."
But he continued with his charade. "My name is Amory and I am a blacksmith's apprentice from Oria. I have only been here in the city for a few weeks on a trade trip with..."
He continued talking, weaving together a tale that Lyv knew the queen wasn't buying. She waved her hand again and the executioner stepped forward once more.
Even Gideon knew what was going to happen, what she was going to do, anchoring his body in anticipation.
The executioner drew his sword as Amory continued with his tale. The guardsmen sent him forward, pushing him down in a kneel.
The sword raised.
And Lyv's temper exploded.