Page 59 of A Kingdom of Lies

My legs moved without much thought, closing in on the unconscious body of my former guard. My Erix. The bedding of soft, fresh snow cushioned the blow as my knees hit the ground. With rushed hands I pushed the slush from his neck, pressing my fingers into his skin in search of a pulse. A pool of ruby gore spread beneath his head. My hands were shaking viciously as I pressed fingers into his neck, against his limp wrist before tearing back his shirt and pressing my palm against his chest.

I felt nothing. At first I thought there was a faint beat, the fluttering of tired butterfly wings. But it was brief, and the more I searched, the more my panic built.

“Wake up,” I demanded, “Erix, wake up!”

I lowered my ear to his parted mouth, hoping to feel the brush of breath against my skin. But between the wind, the rain and snow, I didn’t feel anything to suggest he was breathing.

There was nothing monstrous about Erix’s expression. Calm, no different from being asleep. I could have laid my head down upon his chest and it would have been a mirror to the many nights we had spent together.

That would never happen again. Erix was gone.

I rocked back on my haunches, tilting my face to the dark sky. A keening scream tore out of my throat, ripping my soul apart as I unleashed my grief upon the world. I’d hoped the noise would wake him, but when I looked back down, his face was emotionless. Perhaps I should’ve checked the damage to his head, but I couldn’t bring myself to reach behind his skull in search of the wound. Not that I’d find it. There was too much blood – it coated everything.

Small cuts kissed across Erix’s face, marks left as a gift from the ice that had exploded around him. Ribbons of scarlet melted the snow plastered to his cheeks as it dribbled and spread beneath him.

“If you can hear me,” I began, lower lip trembling as I held his cheek. “Know that I forgive you. Your will was not your own, I know that. Deep down I do. But please survive. Please…” I choked on the grief, on the hollow sense of loss. “You’re free now.”

With tears slicing lines down my face, I left Erix where he lay. Each step was torture, each second a chance for him to call after me and tell me he lived. But there was no such reaction. I had to focus on putting one foot in front of the other, carrying the hope that the deep, velvet voice I had grown all too familiar with would call my name.

By the time I reached Duncan, my world was in pieces behind me.

Duncan’s eyes were wide open, flickering frantically around. He was alive at least. I’d killed one person today, Hunter or not, I couldn’t cope with knowing I’d killed him too.

But Duncan didn’t move. Besides laying his frightened eyes upon me, mouth parting and closing like a fish out of water.

“Get up,” I commanded, standing over him. “We need to leave.”

He didn’t respond. Whereas Erix’s expression was placid, Duncan’s face was pinched in a scowl, agony etched into every line.

“Duncan,” I snapped, trying to conceal the shake in my voice. Lowering myself down, I dug a hand beneath his back, trying to help him to standing, when my fingers felt something wet. “Our opportunity will–”

I pulled my hand back, Duncan hissing as if I’d just hurt him. Red dripped from my fingers, fresh gore lathered across my palm; it spread down my palm into the sleeve of my drenched shirt.

My heart could’ve stopped in that moment. Pulling him gently up into my lap, I could see the dark stain of blood across the ground and the mess of dark, matted hair upon the back of his head. Duncan groaned as I held him, a sound that was more beautiful than I could’ve ever imagined.

“Fuck, Duncan, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to, I lost control. I–”

His hand weakly reached up and gripped my arm, eyes flickering open for a moment, revealing the whites now bloodshot. “I’ll survive.”

I wasn’t convinced.

Holding Duncan in my arms I looked around, unable to swallow the panic. Not a single horse was left, only the cage remained, and it was impossible to even consider putting Duncan in it and pulling him to the nearest town for aid.

I had no idea where I was, not recognising any landmarks. The overwhelming urge to scream again almost took over. My magic had retreated, like a scorned dog punished for misbehaving. There was nothing to help me.

My mind, in its panicked and horrified state, focused on Duncan and keeping him alive. Perhaps it was a way to protect myself from what I’d done, but I knew in that moment, there was no way I was going to let him die.

“I need to get you help,” I said, flirting with the idea of leaving him to find someone,anyone. How far was Althea’s army? Could we wait here for them to turn up? But I knew the moment they saw Duncan they’d finish the job. He was the enemy, and I wanted to save him.

A weak hand lay upon my arm and squeezed, snatching my attention back down to him.

“Don’t… don’t you dare leave me, Robin Icethorn,” Duncan warned, hardly able to keep his eyes open. He winced, trying to sit up but groaning as though his entire body ached.

“Then tell me what to do,” I said, urgent and panicked.

Duncan took a rasped breath in, filling lungs with frozen air. “There is a village not far from here. Look for the church.Hewill help.” His voice weakened, words broken by rhythmless breaths. “He will…”

Duncan’s eyes fluttered closed and didn’t open again.

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