Page 56 of Feathers and Thorns

“We came to see someone hang!”

“Justice for the king!”

The man raised his liver-spotted hands to hush the crowd. “I know many of you feel slighted by their actions, so in an attempt to placate you, I have brought the traitors’ bodies with me.”

The crowd fell silent once more, their hunger temporarily satiated by the man’s words.

“I think that is the uncle Jai spoke about,” Enara whispered. “The one who had him attacked.”

“It would make sense,” Soren replied. “The king only had one brother, and without Adaryn to fill her role as queen, he would be made steward.”

“How do you know so much about court politics?” Enara asked.

“Books.”

Their conversation was halted when the palace guards walked forth, carrying two limp bodies. Enara’s and Soren’s mouths gaped open in horror, as there was no mistaking that mop of dark hair.

The first body belonged to Jai. Enara could even make out the turquoise ring on his finger, which could only mean that the long-legged woman dangling in the guard’s arms next to him was none other than Princess Adaryn.

There was no mistaking the way their bodies thumped heavily as they were carried up and dropped onto the floor of the platform. The girls flinched as they watched their friend get dragged across the wood, a splinter catching on Jai’s embroidered jacket. The guard pulled harder, and the fabric gave with a loud tear. They propped Jai and Adaryn back-to-back, the center post sandwiched between them.

Their heads lolled forward, and their hair covered their faces. But, for a moment, it almost looked to Soren as if Jai were smiling. She brushed it off as a trick of the light. She knew what a dead body looked like—images of her father’s plagued her mind on a daily basis. In that moment, she knew her friend was dead.

She bit her lip to hold back the tears that welled in her eyes as the steward spoke once more.

“To pay homage to our king, we will leave the bodies of his betrayers in the square as a reminder of what happens when you forsake the crown. In this way, we will honor my brother and cleanse our lands of this treasonous blight. Thank you again for your attendance today. I hope that, as steward, I can continue to make Patrivah as bountiful as ever.”

“Here, here!” someone jeered.

“Maker rest the king!” another chimed in.

Soon, the whole crowd was yelling, “Maker rest the king!” and the steward waved his goodbyes, making to return to the safety of his castle.

The crowd had started to disperse just as an explosion rang out west of the gate. A large cloud of black smoke billowed into the sky, turning the once-white clouds a nasty shade of gray. People started screaming and running in all directions, pushing past each other in search of safety. Soren and Enara jumped up onto the platform that was now free of guards to get a better view.

The twins, Baz, and Callan were moving slowly in their direction but making little headway against the current of bodies attempting to leave the square. Soren deflated when she noticed Rook was no longer at his post above the fabric shop. Fucking coward.

A voice from the crowd caught her attention as Saoirse screamed for help. She was being pulled back toward the east entrance by a wall of people who were unwilling to let her pass.

Enara was about to jump down to assist her, but she spotted Callan switching directions, no doubt having heard his lover’s cries for help. She also noticed that Rook was nowhere to be seen and scowled before turning back to Soren.

“What now?” she yelled over the noise.

Another explosion rang out from the opposite side, which caused the crowd’s panic to rise even higher.

Somewhere to her left, a child was screaming, and Enara watched, heart-stricken, as the mother shielded her son from the swarm of bodies that were now pushing them the other way.

She turned again to Soren, who had yet to answer her, but she was no longer at her side. Enara whipped her head around to find her kneeling by Jai’s and Adaryn’s bodies, and her stomach twisted painfully at the sight. She joined Soren, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, and closed her eyes, tears starting to form.

Jai had been a loyal friend, and she felt partly responsible for his death, and Adaryn had been unfortunate enough to be caught in the crossfire.

“Enara,” Soren said, grabbing her attention, “I don’t think they’re dead.”

“What?” she asked, wiping away her tears to get a better look.

Soren had brushed Jai’s hair out of his eyes and tilted his head back to reveal that his mouth was set in a wide grin. Normally, the sight would have been unsettling, but in this case, she couldn’t have been more relieved.

“Is he?—”

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