Page 78 of Wingless Crow: Part 1

“She’ll stay,” the king demanded.

Voron straightened, rising to his feet.

“She will not.” He calmly met the royal glare.

“The human is too weak-hearted. It’d do her good to watch. It’ll make her stronger,” the king insisted, but Voron was no longer listening. Turning his back to the king, he followed me and the guard.

“You cannot disobey my direct order, High General!” the king screeched, leaping from his chair.

“You gave me no formal orders,” Voron said over his shoulder. “And it’s not me who’s taking her away.”

That was true. His guard was leading me away, not Voron. Still, I feared Voron would pay for this, as well as for turning his back to the king.

The king snatched the weapon from the guard nearest to him. It was a crossbow that he aimed at Voron’s back.

“No!” My throat seized with terror.

“Your Majesty…” Queen Pavline tensed.

In one smooth movement, Voron slid out his sword from the sheath on his back and turned. He stopped short from attacking the king, holding the sword out in front of him. But if looks could kill, his glare alone would have incinerated the king on the spot.

With an evil smirk, the king raised the crossbow, aiming it higher.

Voron’s pale skin turned completely white at the soft “kraa” above his shoulder.

The king’s bolt pierced Magnus’s chest, sending the innocent bird to the ground at his master’s feet.

“Magnus!” I gripped my cloak at my chest. My throat closed, making me choke on my next breath.

He fell and lay motionlessly, his wings spread wide. Ink-black feathers swirled softly over Voron’s head then flew away, blown by a gust of wind.

The king’s smirk deepened.

“Everything you own is mine, Voron. And you belong to the crown, too. Don’t you forget that or you’ll end up on the spike yourself.”

Not a muscle moved in Voron’s face. Not a word left his mouth. He calmly stepped over Magnus’s motionless body on the patio stones and left the terrace.

Did he really not care about the poor bird? I had a hard time believing he didn’t. He’d had Magnus since he was a kid. It must pain him to lose his pet this brutally.

But I also sensed that Voron would rather take a crossbow bolt through his own heart than reveal his true feelings to King Tiane.

Farion promptly ushered me back into the palace. Before the door closed behind me, I saw Alcon quietly swipe the dead bird off the floor, then carry it away.

ChapterTwenty

SPARROW

Voron was not in Elaros, and the palace didn’t feel the same without his quiet presence. For me at least, it didn’t.

I used to see the High General everywhere I went. Even if it was just a glimpse of his black cape, a glint of his watchful eye, or a flash of his silver-black hair, I knew he was close, keeping order of the king’s chaotic court from the shadows.

As infuriating as I found him at times, generally, his calm demeanor made me feel safe. Despite his outer bitterness and sarcasm, deep inside, our values seemed to align. With Voron, I never experienced the same anxious confusion as I felt with King Tiane.

The king’s punishment of the cursed had shaken me to the core. The splendid image I had of the king had been cracking little by little, and I wasn’t sure it could ever be whole again. I was glad he hadn’t summoned me to dinner, because I wasn’t sure I could act unaffected with him. The screams and growls of the cursed echoed in my ears all night, keeping me awake.

I jumped in panic at the sound of the knock on my door the morning after that horrible day. I was alone in my room. Alacine had just cleared the dishes after my breakfast, and with Voron gone, Brebie wouldn’t come to dress me until the king would send for me.

The knock sounded again, louder this time.

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