Page 21 of The Horned King

But why was that man there? He seemed laser-focused on the king and me. Yet, no one is supposed to know who he is. So the only thing that makes any sense is that he was there, not for Kairon, but for me.

As we walk through the enormous entryway, the king murmurs to me, "I need to find Shan. Excuse me."

The armed guards around me break off into perfect formations, half of them surrounding the king, the other half guiding me silently to my room. As I enter, the doors slam closed behind me, only to open ten seconds later to a frantic Raya.

"Are you alright?" she pants, eyes wide with concern. "I heard what happened. That must have been so terrifying."

"How did you already hear? We've been here less than five minutes."

She laughs, a joyless sound. "Word travels fast. The guards already told me everything. We've never had anything like that happen at the market. It's always so peaceful."

As she continues ranting about how unbelievable the attack was, once again, I'm hit with the knowledge that that means it was specifically meant for me. And there's only one reason that could be.

But why would he set me up like that? So he doesn't have to take responsibility for my death? It makes no sense at all.

Breaking me from my reverie, Raya says something that catches my attention. "You look like you need a drink."

"Gods above, yes."

She nods, making a quick plan in her head. "I'll get you a drink and dinner. The king will likely be strategizing and investigating well into the night, so you'll be dining alone tonight, alright?"

A sigh of relief leaves me. "That actually sounds great. I could use some time to myself to try to process everything that's happened."

"Understandable," she tells me, walking toward my bedroom door. At the exit, she turns to face me with a beaming, if a bit mischievous smile, and says, "I'll send something up, but just be warned. The wine is stronger than it tastes."

I laugh a bit. "I appreciate the warning, but I can handle a little drink."

The grin she wears as she closes the doors tells me she doesn't believe me, but how bad could it be?

Seven

Kairon

That was a fucking disaster.

"Shan!" I shout the moment I'm out of Elva's earshot. While I've no clue where he is, he has to have heard me.

Within moments, one of the doors in the long hallway before me swings open, a confused and worried Shan peeking his head out into the hall. "Yes, Your Majesty?"

"War room," I bark.

"Oh, shit. Okay, let me just clean up what I-"

I interrupt him, "No. Now."

Without a moment's pause longer, he falls into step beside me, assuming the positions we've become so accustomed to in our time together. "What happened?" he finally asks. "Something with Elva?"

"Miss Aistin is fine," I assure him, disliking how comfortably he uses her first name. "But there was an attack at the market today. She was definitely the target."

"And how could you possibly know that?"

Without so much as a whistle to summon him, the grisly-looking man who pulled the trigger on my people this afternoon comes walking into sight.

Though walking isn't exactly the right term. I would call it more of a drag, barely able to move his body at all with how broken his neck is. One snap from Gerald was all it took. Other than the decidedly broken tilt to his neck, you'd never know this man is wholly and utterly dead.

"That is so wrong," Shan mutters under his breath, causing me to laugh.

As we walk through the doorway to the war room, the broken man follows closely behind. As I sink into my chair at the desk, Shan stands beside me, watching him with morbid fascination. "I've never seen one look this normal before." I don't tell him that he actually has, not ready to burst that particular bubble. "How does he still look so… alive?"

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