Page 118 of Oath of Rebellion

She'd never seen anyone this beat up, even when she'd helped Lailant with healing calls. "Fisica protect–"

"The old gods aren't part of this," Gastone yelled, stumbling to their chambers. "Borga may side with the rebellion, but I will win the war. The one with Glathen and the one on our own people."

He hit the wall, and Bella cried out, throwing magic at the wall and changing the painting on the wall to a pillow.

"Leave the gods out of it, woman. They've turned their back on me, even though the mirror said I was divinely chosen for such a time as this. The mirror is never wrong. Only the mirror can help now. He'll have a way to fix this."

Gastone rambled and stumbled through her doorway. Her heart raced with fear as he sank to his knees. The mirror on her vanity shimmered with magic, and Bella gasped, her hands going to her lips.

"Magic mirror, hear my plea, who is better than me?"

King of nothing, your rule is through. Everyone is better than you.

Bella gasped, stepping back. No, what magic was this? She'd spent a lot of time around that mirror the past few months. Gastone had said nothing when she'd had it moved from the library to her bedroom.

She shook her head and backed all the way to the hallway wall. A shadow caused her to blink, and the ranger woman from earlier stalked inside on silent feet. Bella blinked, adrenaline pumping and shaking her head as she gathered her magic.

"No," she gasped, her voice barely a whisper as she followed the woman inside.

Gastone sank onto his haunches, his face pale and jaw slack as he stared up at the mirror in supplication. He saw the ranger come into the room, and his face shifted.

His jaw snapped shut, and his eyes glittered, blood still dripping down from his temple.

"You," he growled, lurching to his feet. He swooned where he stood. "If you would've killed that bitch like I hired you to do, none of this would've happened."

The woman shifted on the balls of her feet and stepped to the side of the room away from Bella.

"Me? If you hadn't gone power hungry and left your sister alone, none of this would've happened."

Bella gasped, looking from one to the other. "What?"

The ranger looked over her shoulder at Bella. "He hired me to kill Eirwyn, and I didn't do it."

Bella held her hands to her lips and shook her head in horror. Not Eirwyn, not her friend. He wouldn't do that. A blast of magic hit the ranger. With a grunt from Gastone, the woman fell to the ground.

Bella jumped in surprise, her heart racing as she flew to the woman's side to feel for a pulse. "Oh gods, did you kill her?"

She breathed a sigh of relief. The woman was shimmering with magic, her bones and body transforming into some kind of woodland creature.

"There are worse things than death. A polymorph spell, the next lesson for you to learn. She refuses to be my Hunter? Fine, she'll never hunt again. She's the prey now," Gastone said as he laughed maniacally. The laughter faded to a coughing fit, and Bella scrambled back as the woman finished her transformation.

Bella shook her head, looking back to Gastone. He wiped blood from his mouth and slung his fingers, throwing blood and sparks from his hand. He glared, his bloody grin scaring Bella.

She jumped to her feet, fisting her skirts and backing out of the room. Gastone was unhinged. Eirwyn had been right all along. They had talked about Bella's brother for years, but she didn't remember. It was all hazy.

And she'd married the madman. How could she love such a beast?

She turned to leave. She had to get out of the castle. He made the mess and now could clean it up himself.

She'd been running interference for him for months, trying to placate the nobles, the priests, the Chancellor, the General. She'd been so busy working on his image that she hadn't stopped to see what he truly was.

Bella stopped in her tracks as the man from the balcony entered the room. He'd left his boots below, trapped in the tile.

The Robins had finally come for the king. Her heart raced and she glanced over her shoulder at Gastone.

Fire flickered in his hands and he grunted, weaving from side to side as he widened his feet to fight again. "Ah, another party. How fun. Well, come on then, Robin."

Gastone made a come hither motion with his fingers and coughed again. Blood dripped down his chin, his eyes burned with hatred.

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