Page 69 of Play of Shadows

‘Mine, you claim, most esteemed of wives?’ Pierzi asked in the past, the deep baritone of his voice breaking with a grief that bordered on madness. ‘You lie to me– to your husband? To yourprince?’

And as the blindfolds fell away from the children’s eyes, I realised what had brought Pierzi to his wife’s room in such a rage that he’d scarcely noticed she was in the embrace of his most hated enemy.

Corbier couldn’t bring himself to describe what he’d seen, but I had no choice. ‘Their eyes,’ I cried, ‘the boys’ eyes—’

Abastrini, instantly understanding, cut me off, giving voice to almost exactly what Pierzi himself was saying to Ajelaine ahundred years before. ‘Blue as yours, they were, Lady Wife, blue as the honey-dove who sings from the branches of our favourite oak in the gardens. Blue since the day they were born. But not today. Today their true colour shines through, just as my dearest friend’s eyes were so befouled when he turned seven. Then was Corbier’s devilish nature revealed to us all– and now see: are these boys’ eyes not red as blood?’

The sharp intake of breath from the audience was like a wind rushing through the theatre as they saw the history of their duchy being torn apart.

Abastrini gave Zina and Tolsi a gentle push, signalling they should stumble towards Shariza. In the past, Pierzi shoved the boys so hard they fell to the floor. I heard the awful crack as the slighter of the two struck his head on the hard stone.

‘Oh, faithless heart!’ Abastrini shouted, his words overlapping eerily with Pierzi’s. ‘You call them doves, but in truth, they are ravens!’

The boy who’d struck the floor looked up, blood trickling down from the cut on his forehead, his gaze unfocused, confused, as if he was seeing me there and not Corbier.

He can’t possibly see me,I thought.I’m not here. These are just Corbier’s memories– aren’t they?

Then I saw that Ajelaine was looking at me strangely, too.

What’s happ—?

‘My lieutenants!’ Pierzi called out, shattering my concentration.

Heavy footfalls heralded the arrival of the same two armoured men who’d chided Ajelaine outside the fortress. They came storming into the chamber.

I spun towards the wings as if startled, catching Beretto and Teo’s eyes. They reacted instantly, drawing their swords and striding onto the stage. The audience roared their dismay, an ocean of anger crashing down upon the auditorium.

‘The children wereCorbier’s– Ajelaine lovedhim, not Pierzi!’ someone yelled, as if no one else had been paying attention.

But there were other protests, too, and these sounded far more dangerous for the Knights of the Curtain.

‘Lies– treasonous lies! This is black, bloody sedition,’ another shouted, and more took up the cry.

But for all their protests, not one of them moved, sitting as if chained to their seats. No matter whether they were entranced or outraged by what was happening on the stage, everyone in that theatre– including us– was desperate to know what happened next.

And with Corbier’s weeping voice in my ears, it was down to me to dredge the horrors of the past into the present. Using every piece of stagecraft we’d ever learned– and several we made up on the spot– we players brought to life those events taking place in Ajelaine’s chambers.

And in doing so, I made every single person in that theatre a witness to murder.

Chapter 34

The Ravens

Pierzi’s sword was still in its scabbard, but his hand rested on the hilt and Corbier had seen too many times the lightning-fast draw that could summon his falchion into action.

Pierzi was just as aware that Corbier’s rapier had the reach of him, but with his most loyal lieutenants at his back, though he might take the first wound, the end of the fight would never be in doubt.

I stared at the lieutenants, trying to focus on something glinting on their tunics, peeking from beneath the studded leather armour, but Corbier kept pulling me back.

I tried desperately to breach the wall of hatred lying between them.

‘I beg you,’ Corbier cried, ‘let me take them from you, these ravens you so despise. We will leave this city tonight and ride far from this duchy,yourduchy, never to return. You have always said you were the better man, Nevino, the more fit ruler for this duchy. Prove it now. . . my Prince.’

Corbier had sworn never to call him prince– that he broke that vow even as he invoked Pierzi’s first name was enough to shake him from his rage.

‘Your Highness?’ one of the guards asked.

Prince Pierzi gazed upon Archduke Corbier, then upon the two boys clutched in their mother’s arms, and some shred of the man he’d always claimed to be broke through the unyielding iron of his desire for vengeance.

---