Page 104 of A Kingdom of Lies

I was aware of the bodies who walked ominously behind us. Was it Aldrick? I suspected not. I was helpless, like a butterfly pinned to paper and kept from flying.

Aldrick’s control meant I no longer required physical bonds to keep me still. I sat rigid in the chair, every bone in my spine pressed uncomfortably against the velvet cushion that was stitched into the chair’s back. His control, however, didn’t stop my mind from wreaking havoc; nor did it keep the anxiety from burning beneath my skin, making it feel as though it would melt away if I sat here a moment longer.

It was soon clear that we weren’t the only ones enthralled by the Hand’s immense power. As the Hunters who filled the room distracted each other with chaos and excited shouts, no one cared to witness Elinor Oakstorm being escorted towards a seat beside me. She walked, chin held high, and arms pinned to her sides. As she took her seat, silver chain connecting her collar to the personal guard who had brought her, she paid me no mind. But her eyes mirrored those of the king and queen. If I could’ve seen my reflection, I too would’ve looked as deranged as she did.

Aldrick, although nowhere to be seen, kept all of us complicit. Controlled. Puppets on a string of iron, moving only when he desired.

It was evident that his power didn’t need to control the crowd. They were rampant and wild, shouting and chattering over one another as they filled every inch of possible space on the cobbled floor beneath the podium, like fish rotting and stuffed into barrels. They flooded into the room until not a speck of floor could be seen. Theywantedto be here. Their excitement soured the air. It entrapped me with horror and all I could do was watch, my neck frozen so I could only face the crowd and no one else.

Something was happening tonight, and my skin shivered with unwanted anticipation, dreading whatever was coming. The Resurgence, as Kayne had called it. But what that entailed was still a mystery.

At the far end of the room were two doors opened up to a courtyard full of bodies. More Hunters. Their grumbling displeasure mixed with the excited chatter, irritated that there wasn’t enough room to accommodate them all inside.

I focused on the Hunters, trying to remember details to stifle my panic. Many looked upon me with the disgust I’d grown accustomed to.Imagine if you knew whom it was you followed blindly.If I could’ve smiled, I would have, but the echoing voice that bounced across my mind kept me from doing anything but watching silently.

“Silence – watch – comply.”

There was a part of me – a hopeful yet foolish part of me – that scoured through the crowd in search of Duncan. Although I knew he wouldn’t have been among them, I still yearned to see him. Aldrick was many things, but I hoped he kept promises for Duncan’s sake.

It took a while, observing the many faces, before I spotted Kayne. He’d been looking at me the entire time, expression stoic and unreadable. Unlike those who pressed in around him, laughing and shouting, talking and stamping with excitement, Kayne was as still as me, but not for the same reason.

The entire room silenced within a moment. From terrible noise, to dead quiet, I watched almost every pair of eyes shift to the left side of the room. I strained my own vision to see what it was that kept them quiet, but the movement was just out of sight.

Then the chanting began.

“Duwar, Duwar, Duwar.”

It was low at first, then the stomping began, and the room seemed to shift and shake as though the stone beneath us all would crack.

I could see Elinor from the corner of my eye as I strained to witness what caused the commotion. Although statuesque, there was something calm about her posture, as though she physically sat in the same room, but her consciousness was elsewhere.

“Duwar, Duwar, Duwar.”

The human king and queen didn’t look towards the chaos, instead their eyes strained to look at one another. I could almost sense their desire to reach out and touch – but Aldrick’s control was stopping them. Fear spilled out from their gazes, framed by exhaustion and shadowed skin.

“Look at them all.”My eyes snapped forward and looked to the crowd, but not out of choice. Aldrick filled my mind again, voice loud and demanding attention. “All this time they have longed to see me. Unlike you kings and queens, they follow my dictation all without the need for heavy metals atop my head and a title that is given to you but never earned.”

Aldrick spoke to every single one of us upon the podium. I sensed it as though his voice was stretched across us, growing louder and quieter as he spoke, as if he walked from either side of the podium.

“All these Hunters have come for me. See how they hunger for what I can promise them. Possibilities beyond anything you can provide them.”

There was no denying that the Hand was in control here, the human royals no more than his playthings. It explained everything. How the law had turned its back on the brutality that filled the lands in the name of the Hand and Duwar. How the faith of the Creator had dwindled, like a candle beneath a storm, on the edge of being extinguished, snuffed out in the name of Duwar.

The chanting ceased, stomping feet fading until silence bathed the room once again. And everyone watched as the limping cloaked figure of the Hand entered and paced slowly across the podium as though it was his birthright.

“My ferocious, dedicated Hunters, welcome.” Aldrick spoke from beneath the shadows of his hooded cloak. His voice was strained with age. It cracked as he shouted, breaking with the great effort it took for his frail body to pretend it was strong. “My, how many there are of you! It warms my soul to see that you have all received my invite for this evening’s festivities. Unfortunately, not all those who have been invited have come, but what more can we expect from the cowards lingering across the Wychwood border?”

Aldrick turned his crooked posture towards Elinor and me. From beneath his hood, I caught a glint of those glazed, narrowed green eyes.

“But alas, the show must go on. That is what you are all here for, is it not?”

The crowd released a shout of agreement in unison.

Aldrick turned his back on the sea of his adoring followers, looked towards the human royals and bowed. It was strained. Anyone with vision could see it caused him discomfort. It was all part of his act. Aldrick’s head tipped slightly, but enough to notice the respectful gesture. “As always, we thank you for your warm hospitality. Duwar will favour you both for turning your back on the old god of lies.”

Both of their eyes flew wider, yet not a sound came from them. He commanded such, I was certain, filling their heads with his overwhelming presence so that they reacted just the way he wanted.

“I can sense your hunger.” Aldrick’s voice rose, speaking back to the hundreds of Hunters who’d come to see him. They were enthralled by his presence, waiting with bated breath for his every word and movement. They looked towards the cloaked man as though he was a god himself, keeping silent for fear they’d miss a word he said.

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