Page 66 of The Oracle's Journey

I, though, had remembered something that everyone else forgot. The thing I was there to do, to make sure of.

I staggered toward the throne and the half dead wizard on the floor. De Rais raised a finger to curse me, but not before I drove a sword through his skull.

“That’s for making me a rapist,” I snarled in elvish and spat on the twitching corpse.

Lhoris’ jaw dropped when he heard my words. They all turned to look towards the commotion.

Then the storm hit.

I kept stabbing the corpse. Harder and harder. Faster and faster. I wanted to hack him to pieces, but—fucking broken ribs—I had to settle for tiny stabs, only chipping fragments off the mountain of pain and anger in my heart.

Then the blade snapped.

I bellowed in frustration and hurled the hilt across the room. My friends and family stared at me in shock. I turned away and stared up at the ceiling, breathing in and out. In and out. Just focused on that, then finally, I shuffled out of the laboratory.

The chateau healer had everyone that needed treatment gather in the great hall. Naturally, the severe cases got attention first, as it should be. Lhoris did his best to help with the work, though he was dead on his feet. Emma worked alongside them to help any way she could. She applied the weaving technique she used to mend the duke in the worst cases, but it seemed she was running herself down.

“I need stitches.” I pointed to a gash on my cheek when the healer got to me. “Everything else is minor and will heal on its own.” I wouldn’t have even gone to the great hall if Lhoris hadn’t pushed.

The old man looked haggard, his gray hair standing on end, and had four fingertip-sized bruises on his forehead. “Your people handle infections well?” the healer asked blandly. “Because you reek of infection, son.”

The bite on my thigh throbbed and burned, but I was not ready to let somebody touch me under my clothes. Just … no. My stomach clenched even remembering that I hadn’t had control over my own body. Again. I didn’t blame my friend for how she’d touched me. It wasn’t really her choice. That made it hard to think about what I’d enjoyed doing to her, which was something I knew she didn’t really want. It was so confusing to be both villain and victim.

I was … conflicted.

I still wanted to smash things and scream and rage but couldn’t with these broken fucking ribs. I thought I might burst into flames ...

Emma held up her hand as if to stop me from doing just that. “If what Lhoris said is true, you didn’t have a very clean nine days in the cellar. I could heal your infected wounds in privacy if you’d rather.”

She didn’t have to touch to heal someone. That could work.

“Fine,” I said curtly. “I’ll be in my room.” I’d just pretend she didn’t know what really happened down there in that cell.

I hated myself so much.

CHAPTER 26

Lhoris

Everyone ate a cold dinner that night: bread, fruit, and cheese. There wasn’t much else around after nine days of violently hedonistic insanity. The household slowly came together once everyone started getting back on their feet, and people from outside the chateau began checking in.

Guille, Oz, and I went hunting with a few of the other men one day and brought home a massive wild hog. It easily fed what was left of the household. The chateau population had dropped from 43 to 20. The guards suffered the most losses as they had mostly turned on each other when things got violent. Nicolas was quite relieved to see most of his friends had survived, including Guille, who was abruptly inseparable from Eve. Nicolas sent word to his older brother of our trouble, so King Sebastian came for a visit and brought some of his own forces to bolster the chateau’s guard.

Summer relented to autumn and the nights were increasingly chilly. It was time to prepare for winter and the community turned its attention to the work at hand because there was also a celebration to prepare for.

Emma and Nicolas decided to get married sooner rather than later, partially because they wanted the King to perform the ceremony. It didn’t seem to be in good taste to ask any clergy. She was a demi-goddess, after all and neither of them wanted to wait for a big ceremony. No one could blame them. After everything that had happened leading up to the wedding, everyone needed something normal and happy—something to look forward to. The household staff decorated the library in autumnal blooms and ribbon of red and gold.

Emma met me outside the library doors as I had the honor of “giving her away.” She was literally radiant, glowing faintly as though there was sunlight beneath her skin. Her gown was a simple white brocade with soft pink trim, and she wore a flowing gossamer veil over her hair. I shed a tear, unashamed.

“Look at you,” I said, a hand over my heart. She’d grown so much over the short time we’d been friends. I was so proud of her, so happy for her. She smiled up at me when I held out an elbow, just as the matron had instructed in rehearsal, and she rested her delicate hand on my forearm. Gentle harp music started playing, which was our cue.

The library doors opened, and she beamed at her bridegroom. Nicolas’ face lit up at the sight of her, the unabashed look of a young man in love. She didn’t rush. She didn’t tremble with nerves. She had the quiet confidence of a woman that knows herself, a woman without any doubts about this moment in her life.

I performed the final step in my duty and passed her hand off to Nicolas before finding my seat beside Oz. The bride and groom looked incredible as they stood at the dais. Nicolas’ dark blue surcoat trimmed in silver, Emma still glowing; it struck me that they looked like the embodiment of the ocean and the sun. Emma and Nicolas hardly seemed to notice the words King Sebastian said over them. He ended up nudging his younger brother to prompt him to say his vows.

Nicolas, being the dashing young duke he was, wrapped his arms around Emma and dipped her mid-kiss to much cheering from the members of the household and the few noblemen and women in attendance. When they broke the kiss, both were flushed and giddy. It was heartwarming.

The time between the King presenting them as husband and wife, until we all retired for the night was a whirlwind. I’d never been to a wedding of any kind before and there was so much happening! The couple followed many traditions observed during such celebrations. Or at least that’s what Oz and Guille told me they were. I couldn’t keep track of them all! Everything from feeding each other from their own plates to many drunken toasts, and a rather bizarre spectacle of Emma and Nicolas kissing over a stack of cakes. Nobody seemed to have an explanation for that one. And the dancing! There were many dances I didn’t know. I’d have loved to participate but did not want to stand out any more than my role in the ceremony made necessary. There were too many new faces around the chateau, and my nerves were still raw. When we returned to our room, I fell asleep the moment my head hit the pillows.

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