Page 71 of A Shattered Kingdom of Steel

“Gods above,” I murmur, ripe with realization. To the others, I explain, “When the late High King’s body was found, he was several feet above the ground, held up by a sword through the chest pinning his corpse to the castle wall.” I press my lips together before continuing. “The killer must have used his wings to lift the body so high off the floor.”

“Yes,” Arella says slowly. “I… I watched him do it.”

Kheldryn gives Arella’s arm a light squeeze. “That must have been terrifying.”

Tears well in Arella’s eyes. “I was so sure I was going to die.”

“But you didn’t,” I say, my voice warm. “You’re here. You’re alive.”

She nods, taking a deep breath. “Only because I screamed. When I did, the killer fled.”

“Were you able to see his face?” I ask.

High Keep had been on lockdown leading up to Vorr’s death. That means, the murderer is someone known to us, and we have a definitive list of suspects to draw from. Maybe, with some kind of physical description, Asheros and I can narrow our list of potential suspects.

Arella shakes her head, mouth curved into a frown. “Not really. But his eyes…” Her voice trails off, lost in the memory.

I lean forward. “Can you remember what they looked like?”

Brows drawn, a crease forming between them, she’s quiet for a moment.

“They were red,” Arella murmurs. “And they were—gods, they were so angry. I’ll never forget the way he looked at me.”

Dread sinks into the pit of my stomach. “Red eyes?”

“Blood red,” Arella says. She sniffles, shoulders shaking with her breath. “I’m sorry. That’s all I know.”

Kheldryn pulls Arella into her arms, and the girl melts into the fae’s embrace. Orim approaches them, touching his palm to Arella’s back, rubbing the space between her shoulders in a back-and-forth motion.

Tugging at Asheros’s sleeve, I pull him aside, leading him some distance away from the others. I keep my voice low, though my breath grows quicker with each inhale. “Red eyes.”

“Which means the killer is from the Copper Court,” Asheros says, finishing my thought.

“But—” My words catch in my throat like knives slicing into me from within. “Myrdin and Tanyl were the only Copper Court nobles at High Keep when Vorr was murdered.”

“What about the servants?” Asheros asks.

“I’m sure some of them are from the Copper Court, but…” I shake my head, unable to face what must be the truth. “Do you truly believe a servant is behind this?”

Asheros presses his lips into a fine line, tension working at his jaw. “I don’t.” His eyes narrow. “But a servant could have been acting on behalf of someone in a position to gain from Vorr’s death. Until we know for sure, we can’t rule out the possibility.”

“And whoever did this is fae, or part fae,” I think out loud.

“Right.” He nods. “And I imagine not many of High Keeps servants are part fae and from the Copper Court.”

“Exactly.” I clench my jaw and curl my hands into fists at my sides. My mind struggles to make sense of the possibilities: Tanyl, Vorr’s loyal, soft-spoken brother-in-law. The mediator, the diplomat. Myrdin, the cheerful, charismatic nephew of Vorr. The Myrdin I know could never hurt a fly. Or a servant working on behalf of some other noble fae with much more to gain from an all-out war amongst the Courts.

None of them are easy to swallow But only one of those theories seems plausible. I don’t want to dare consider that one of my closest, most trusted friends could be behind such treachery.

“It will be all right, Lymseia,” Asheros says softly. He cups my face, bringing my eyes to his. “We’ll find the killer and bring him to justice.”

Sincerity and resolve blaze in Asheros’s gaze, pouring into mine. I wish I could share his optimism. But I’ve never been one to get my hopes up.

“Justice is worthless if there’s no kingdom left to defend,” I say.

Still cupping my face, Asheros touches his forehead to mine. “There will still be a kingdom to defend, my Bladesinger. You’ll make sure of it.”

He’s right.

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