Page 20 of Claimed By the Fae Lord

A pile of wood and kindling was stacked nearby. I grabbed a stick on my way past, walking up to the edge and squatting down.

Without hesitation, I thrust the stick into the soot, easily cracking through the top layer, only recently frozen judging by the thinness. The fetid stench of burning and decay wafted from the hole I'd made, making my nostrils burn with discomfort.

Poking and prodding, the stick soon scraped against something solid hidden under the frosty ash. Thankful for the thick gloves I had on, my trembling fingers brushed away the powdery debris until the object was revealed.

A foot, small and charred, hardly more than blackened bone, lay there. The size only added to the eerie and tragic vibe hovering over the pit.

My stomach twisted in horror, clenching as I dug further, unearthing more fragments of this grisly discovery, this twisted monument of violence.

A hand. Part of a torso. A blackened skull. Then another.

As another skull emerged from the ashes, bile rose in my throat. Bits of charred flesh and bone. Younglings, at least three. The offspring of servants, most likely. I shuddered, clenching my fists.

Had they chopped them to pieces before tossing them into the flames? As though they meant nothing. There were fucking younglings in there! Who could do something so depraved?

I knew several of those employed at Snowfall. Not that we were friends, but I knew them, and they were merely trying to earn a living.

Only the vengeful ire blazing within, at those who did this to unarmed servants, kept me from emptying the contents of my stomach. I stopped digging.

"Over here!" I shouted.

The soldiers came running, a litany of curses and a few fervently muttered prayers filled the silence.

"Mother of Fate," Zeke whispered, eyes wide with horror. "What happened here?"

Anger continued to boil in my veins, hot and acidic. Our enemies were responsible for this. The traitorous group aligned to the family who owned the estate.

To Raina's family.

"We need to know who's in there. Figure out how to do that before we disturb it further," I ordered, voice tight.

Heading back over the hill, I spotted Lorne standing with Aeryn and Nox and yelled for him.

The soldiers huddled together, talking. I was left staring into the mass grave, a storm building inside me. Guilt, regret, hatred. And more, all at once.

The crunch of snow behind me drew my gaze, landing on a set of broad shoulders and blonde hair.

Lorne came to a stop beside me, peering into the pit. I heard his sharp inhale, felt the spike of rage in his energy.

"We need to find out how many are in there," I told him.

Lorne cracked his neck. "Count the skulls."

"You have that look. What are you planning?"

"I'm going to find out how many were employed at Snowfall when Portia and Rodrik left for Thornewood. And who else may have been staying here."

They'd attacked us at the castle with a small army, but servants and stable hands were unlikely to be part of those plans. The pretentious couple didn't see the lower classes as worthy of anything but menial jobs.

"How do you intend to find that out?"

Lorne glanced at me. "Let me worry about that."

"Raina," I remarked, fists balling at my sides. "You're going to ask her. You'd be better off finding the ledgers that tracked their wages."

Lorne stared at me for a long moment before nodding. He squeezed my shoulder, gaze softening. "Count the skulls, Liam."

With that, he shadow-walked away. I was left with a handful of stunned soldiers and a pit of bones.

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