Page 128 of Shadows and Roses

"I'm sorry."

"Then do something!"

"Jerrl." Castien glanced at Damon, who was still staring at his hands.

The grieving brother stalked out of the hall.

"Leave him be," Damon murmured as Castien began to follow. "He needs time, and he's not wrong. What are we doing to stop this horror, Castien?"

There was nothing he could say that would satisfy them against Kevam's death. Instead, he gestured for a guard to keep an eye on Jerrl.

"Let's get you cleaned up, Damon."

An hour, a change of clothes, and most of a bottle of wine later, Castien frowned at Damon. They were in the nobles’ wing, the chambers assigned to Lord Caemarn. A servant had stopped by to mention that Jerrl was resting, dosed with a sleeping draught. Damon declined the same treatment.

"I want to bury this place so far beneath the earth, it’ll never be found," Damon said while pouring the rest of the wine into his cup. He’d wanted to set fire to the apartments earlier. He’d talked about watching all their fancy silks go up in smoke. At least he wasn’t rallying his rebels to cause havoc; he seemed angry enough to do anything.

"Think I could find a way to piss off Delia’s goddess until she punches the entire palace into nothing more than a giant hole in the ground?" He gulped the wine, wincing as his knuckles bumped the bottle and knocked it off the table.

"You should get that bandaged," Castien suggested for the third time. Damon’s hands kept oozing blood when he gestured too sharply or hit something clumsily.

"I don’t need bandages. I need the nobles dead. All of them." He stared at Castien. "Do you think they’d notice or care if I started killing them, one at a time?"

"They’d bring you to the Queen. She doesn’t like infighting."

"Then maybe she needs to go first."

"Damon."

He growled. "She moves too slowly, too cautiously. If I were leading her army, there would be no civil war, no chaos. It would endin a day."

"She knows what she’s doing."

"What she’s doing got Kevam killed!" he snarled, throwing the empty cup against a wall. "She got you kidnapped and tortured! Raped, beaten, starved. It’s a damn miracle you’re alive, much less sane. Are you sane? Is anyone in this entire cursed madhouse sane?"

Castien drew Damon into his arms. His friend’s head lay on his shoulder, his words muffled. "I don’t feel sane, Castien."

Anais

The loud knock on her study door came after muffled, heavy footfalls. She'd learned the sound and pattern of each of her Escort's steps over the years. Octavius could move lightly with intention but he usually marched about, projecting a constantly ill-tempered demeanor.

"Enter," she said.

His thick brows and dark eyes accentuated his intimidating presence. "My Queen."

"Escort Octavius." Normally, she hid a smile of amusement. There was nothing to be amused about today.

"Kevam’s initial report is complete."

She nodded for him to continue.

"We found no other recent injuries or marks on the body. Death was likely due to broken ribs puncturing the lungs and heart. No drugs were found. Master Reivyath notes a few minor discrepancies. The body shows no rope burns or chain indents. It's possible he was already unconscious before the binding. The lord wore rings but there were no matching scratches on the body. And finally, this man was not known for his physical strength or propensity for violence. However, anger or passion could have compensated."

While the healers had extensive experience examining injured and deceased bodies, follow-up on their findings was rare. The court quickly drew its own conclusions and truth was of little interest. Kevam was a guard and immune to the nobles’ advances—the death was justified in the court’s eyes. That Damon had struck the killing blow was only a mark in his favor.

"Do you suggest further investigation, Escort?" This procedure would normally take more than a day, but the rebels were disgruntled and wanted their friend's body out of her hands.

"No, my Queen. Other than a few small oddities, the man appears to have died as reported—beaten and succumbed to internal injuries."

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