Page 61 of Chasing Tail
“That’s a handy trick!”
“I get to stab that one!” I yelled.
As soon as my water bubble wrapped around the guard trying to get into the king’s chamber to kill Cassandra, Harland tackled him and tore his throat out with his teeth. That just left one evil man, and someone needed to feel my blade for what happened in my home.
Jorah gave me a slight bow and indicated with his sword the kill was mine.
“Normally, I’d say to arrest him and put him on trial, but these two were already supposed to die for their crimes. The king pardoned them and told everyone he saw something redeemable in them. They just got worse with their second chance, but had a king protecting them this time. Have at it.”
Taron jumped behind him as he clawed his face and tried to get my water off. He was much bigger than the drowning man, but he was angry too—his fist connected with the man’s side in the gap in his armor. I knew how much Taron hated the taste of land dweller, but I wasn’t even mad when he bit a sizeable chunk out of his neck and spit it out.
I poked my water bubble and broke it. He started choking but still looked at me with pure venom. Finally, he actually spat in my face.
“The evidence is probably already gone,” he snarled. “He’ll overpower all of you as soon as you open that door and have you killed for treason.”
I laughed and ran my blade down his cheek.
“I almost want to let you live long enough to watch him go down. Then, you can try to protect his sorry ass when the wolves hunt him for hurting their pup. Almost. My sister and Taron’s family are dead because of him. I’d prefer sticking this knife in his gut, but the wolves have claimed his life. So I’ll settle for you since you made all this possible.”
I drove the knife in his gut and ripped it upwards. Talora told me she cursed the dagger and it would kill anyone with just a cut. She didn’t tell me exactly what it would do. We were on a time limit, and I needed him dead, so I gutted him like a fish instead of cutting him and waiting for the curse to take hold.
Talora’s magic was extremely effective. The man was dead, and his insides were all over my hand and dress, but his skin was rapidly turning black and cracking. I pulled the blade out of his stomach, and Taron dropped him. Taron kicked the corpse and pulled me into a tight hug.
I knew what he felt because I felt it too. We didn’t have to say a word. I didn’t feel better. I used the dagger on someone who helped the king do his evil deeds long enough to come to my home and do them there. We were mere seconds away from proving that to his people and making him pay.
It wouldn’t bring Seira back. It wouldn’t bring Taron’s family back. It wouldn’t stop me from seeing all that blood and mutilated parts floating in the water when I went to sleep. I thought revenge would do it. We had a plan for that, and it was nearly complete. I thought killing someone would make this feeling go away, but it was still there.
Jorah stepped forward and pulled something from the belt of one of the dead bodies.
“Even if there’s no wolf pup in there, it was worth it to kill those two. They had a history of hurting women, then killing them when they were done with them. Men like that don’t stop, even if a king vouches for them. I tried to catch them doing it again since I was the one that arrested them the first time, but I could never prove anything. It’s time for the moment of truth. I’ve got the keys to getting inside.”
Harland threw back his head and howled. There was a smaller, higher pitched howl from the other side of the door.
“That’s my pup. You’d better let me in there, or I’ll break down the door to get her.”
We all crowded behind Jorah as he stuck the key in the lock. Maybe reuniting Cassandra with her father would make this pain stop. Maybe I needed to save a life instead of taking one.
As soon as the door was open, a bloody girl who appeared to be ten moons old came barreling out the door and into her father’s arms. There was way too much blood on her for her to still be alive.
I peered into the room and started laughing. We were all worried about saving Cassandra, but she just needed her wolf back.
As soon as she got it, she killed the king and queen herself.
