AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Can we go home now? My arms are getting tired,” I laughed, the sound of it everything I needed to release the turbulent emotions swirling within me.
“Let’s grab the others, and I’ll move us as far as I can,” he promised, helping me to my feet and off the boulder.
We huddled around Ruslan like we had before, speeding off in the direction of Radence, with one victory of many under our belts.
If only I didn’t have this nagging feeling that we were missing something.
***
The scaffolding stood like an ominous storm in the center of the square in front of Este Castle, where, only months before, the body of the former king had been burned and sent to the Goddess. That day, others would die, but as traitors, they were not permitted to burn and return to the mother of all nature. No, once they were dead, their bodies would be tossed into the raging ocean whose anger would pummel them into the sharp rocks until they were nothing more than ragged sinew.
The nobility sat on risers with their backs facing the castle so that no one missed the view of the consequences of betraying the Night Crown.
A hushed crowd of Night Fae lined the streets around Este Castle, waiting to catch a glimpse of the morbid display. It had been some time since there was a public execution of this scale.
Two noble families had gone against the new king, and he needed to appear strong to his subjects.
“Houses Valintin and Luzak, please step forward,” the king commanded, standing off to the side of the scaffolding with his hands clasped behind his back. A glittering crown of twisted black metal and diamonds adorned his head, glinting in themidday sun. The rest of his attire was that of a warrior’s, as if he needed to remind his people that he was also a renowned fighter and would deliver death sentences himself.
Six Fae stepped forward.
The two High Lords held their heads high, peering over the crowd gathered in front of them with the same disdain they’d given their new king prior to his departure. Their wives and children looked like they’d barely slept or eaten since the news of their deaths had been delivered. The two males did not even bother to beg for their families’ lives.
“Tomaz Valintin and Vaklav Luzak, you have both been accused of treason and found guilty. For your crimes you will be put to death, along with your families, banishing the last of your bloodline from the Night Realm.” The king read their sentence with a barely contained smile, though the nobles seated behind him shifted in their seats, many clenching their hands around their clothes or pressing their lips into a thin line.
“Alekzi Valintin, you are also accused of assaulting a female and have been found guilty. For that crime, you will also have your hands and genitals removed prior to death.”
A whimper escaped the young male as the king rolled up his parchment and stuck it in his pocket. With a nod of assent, two of his guards grabbed Alekzi and dragged him forward. He kicked and screamed the entire way, and it took another set of guards to hold him still enough to deliver the first part of his sentence.
His parents watched on, their heads held in place by a soldier so they could not look away as he was finally executed. They were dragged forward next, bodies and heads now piling up at the king’s feet. The king spared no one, even a few distant relations who’d scarcely spent time in Vaenor around the other nobility. The only sound filling the capital city was the whoosh ofhis blade as he brought justice down over and over again, until House Luzak also was no more.
“Let this be a lesson to any who dare cross King Kazimir Vaszoly. The price for your betrayal will be death.” With a pointed look at the nobles seated flush with the castle’s walls, he wiped his blade on the back of Tomaz Valintin’s tunic and returned to its interior, where his harem awaited his arrival, and his cock throbbed with its need for release.
III
27
Much to my dismay, Desmond managed to find over two dozen soldiers who could perform the moving spell. I, unfortunately, was one of them.
Clenching my teeth around the words, I cast a net of thought around me, willing those assigned to my group to join me as we crossed distances in a blur. In three days, we’d managed to move tens of thousands of soldiers, horses, and equipment to the border, and with each successive spell, my apprehension grew.
I didn’t want to destroy the Crystal Realm.
But I had no choice, not when Kazimir was watching my every move. I felt like an island in the middle of the sea, alone in my thoughts and feelings and adrift in my purpose.
Sweat soaked my hair as we reached the day’s stopping point, and without a word to my group, I stalked away. My knees banged the ground beside the large lake, and I dipped my hands into its cool waters, bringing them to my face and splashing it as I tried to calm myself. Over and over and over, I repeated the process, trying to cleanse myself of whatever it was that wanted me to abandon my friends.
“Can I join you?”
I whipped around to find Vadim standing there, a hand stroking his long beard as he examined me. His long hair was tied into a knot on the top of his head, though after a day’s worth of travel it was almost as messy as my hair. Wet drops from the black strands landed on my face as I nodded, then returned to the bright blue waters of the lake.
I sat back on my haunches, resting my elbows on my knees, and just stared into the distance.
Vadim settled beside me, heaving a long breath before rubbing a hand over the back of his neck. “I’m worried about you, brother.”
Without bothering to look at him, I asked, “Why?”
“You’ve always been the quiet, sensitive one, but I don’t think I’ve heard you speak more than a handful of words in the past few days.” He picked up a rock and tossed it into the lake, the smooth stone skipping across the surface before sinking somewhere in the distance.
