Page 54 of The Jester

Everything is quiet, then there is another rustle of movement; the Leafborne from the dungeon are being herded out here, too.

They are pushed and shoved to the very front of the crowd, surrounded by at least ten guards holding them in place. Their heads are jerked back, so they are forced to look up. Every single one of them is sobbing.

Then I feel him. Finn. Behind me.

I’d know his energy anywhere, and though I can’t look at him or touch him, I lean into his warmth as if he alone can keep me from falling to my knees.

Without saying another word to the crowd below, Eldrion beats his wings, takes hold of Kayan with just one hand, and lifts him into the air.

He flies higher, holding Kayan so they are suspended above us.

Then, with his other hand, he rips out Kayan’s wings.

Kayan’s scream pierces the air and my heart.

I cannot breathe. I cannot see. Tears and darkness and pain swell behind my eyes as Kayan’s wings catch light and become nothing more than ashes on the breeze.

He writhes in Eldrion’s grip.

Still, Eldrion holds on to him with only one hand. Then, with the other, the one that ripped off his wings, he reaches for a knife and slits Kayan’s throat.

He holds him still while his blood drips down his body.

It falls slowly through the air, and by the time it reaches the ground, it barely makes an impact.

Eldrion keeps him there until the bleeding stops, until our necks ache from looking up, until our hearts burn and our bodies feel like crumbling.

Then, he lets him fall.

Chapter Twenty-Three

ALANA

Iam shaking. I cannot speak, and I cannot see straight. My entire body is racked with a pain so visceral I can’t breathe.

I hear it again and again. The scream when Kayan’s wings were ripped from his body, and then the thud when he landed on the ground.

Bent.

Broken.

Gone.

Finn and Briony dragged me back to my chamber kicking and screaming. “We can’t leave him there! We can’t leave him!” Now, Briony hands me a glass of whisky and takes one for herself.

Smoothing my hair from my face, Finn tries to make me look at him but I screw my eyes shut and turn away. “Why did he do it? I told him I’d help. I told him I’d set them free. Why would he risk it?”

I hear it again.

Rip.

Scream.

Thud.

“What will he do to the others?” I look from Finn to Briony.

She has stopped crying, and her voice comes out as nothing more than a reedy whisper. “I don’t know, my lady.”

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