Page 69 of Stars May Fall

I’d seen this type hundreds of times in the courtroom or on paper. Bullies. The type who craved power over others and tried to appear strong to cover up their own inadequacies. They took that power from anyone weaker than them. I knew that they didn’t stop their bullying if they believed there would be no consequences.

No, this guard wasn’t from the king at all.

He slammed the girl back against the wall again, and a jagged sob tore from her lips.

I hated violence. I’d seen it used inappropriately too many times. I had never ever thought I would resort to it myself. But right now, I couldn’t think of any other option.

I unsheathed the dagger at my belt. All lords carried a weapon for ceremonial purposes; where many preferred a light sword, mine was much smaller and frequently left lying around so it didn’t get in the way. Today, however, it was exactly where it was supposed to be.

I crept up behind the guard and hesitated, trying to determine how I could disable him with my limited strength and skill without alerting the guard upstairs…or being killed within seconds by that massive sword at his waist.

I would only get one chance. Anatomical diagrams of wounds on murder victims flashed through my mind. I picked a case where the victim had been knocked out first and recalled exactly where the blow had been delivered just behind one ear.

This could go very wrong, but I had no other choice if I was going to help Jess.

Before I could overthink this further, I leapt at the man, and rammed the hilt of my dagger into his skull as hard as I could.

With a strange grunt, the man crumpled, and his limbs started to spasm. I didn’t force myself to watch. Didn’t even let myself worry that I had killed him. Instead, I pulled Jess away from his thrashing body with trembling hands and helped her to her feet. I inspected the blood in her hair. She seemed dazed.

“Thank you.” Her voice was so shaky, the words were mouthed more than spoken.

“We need to get out of here.”

Footsteps sounded on the stairs. I fought panic. I pushed Jess down and pulled us both back under the table. Not that it would be a good hiding place when the guard was unconscious mere paces away. She stifled a sob.

“Jess?” The voice was male, hushed, and anxious.

Jess slipped from my grip and ran toward the newcomer, her actions disorientated and clumsy.

I followed more cautiously, keeping an eye on the stairs for the second guard, and praying the first guard didn’t recover.

The newcomer was a servant I didn’t recognize. He wore a brown coat over his shirt and a cap on his head. He hugged Jess, but his eyes were staring at the guard who, thank the kingdoms, had finally stopped spasming. I didn’t dare look at his chest tosee if he was still breathing. The servant’s gaze shot to me with wide eyes. He clung to the girl but bowed his head.

“My lord. Who…what?”

We didn’t have time for this. “He was assaulting Jess. He was after me but turned on her when he couldn’t find me.” I realized I was still clutching my knife in a death grip and that Jess’s blood was on my sleeve. I concentrated on loosening my fingers one by one and putting the knife back in its sheath.

The man nodded as if realizing something. “You’re Lord Venerick. They’re looking for you.” He looked down at Jess’s shaking body. “Thank you for helping my sister. Come with us to the kitchens. The servants are gathering in there for safety. They’re unlikely to look for you there.”

Through my nerves, my mind started piecing things together. If all the servants were hiding… “What is going on?”

He glanced back at the empty stairs and the dead guard. “It’s some sort of coup. People are running around screaming that General Kasten has murdered the king and other members of the royal family. It’s chaos. Every second, more guards seem to enter the palace.”

I grabbed his sleeve. “Whose guards? Can you tell?”

He winced slightly. “They’re not marked, but I suspect they’re Lord Lyrason’s. We need to get to safety. Now. There are other guards in the library. We can take a servant’s passage to the kitchens. Come on.”

Murdered the king and other members of the royal family…Annabelle…

Fear gripped me as the words took a few seconds to fully register, and I shook my head wildly. “I need to reach Princess Annabelle. Have you seen her or heard of her whereabouts?”

He winced. “You’ll never find her in this chaos. Come to the kitchens. Those guards are hunting for you.”

I frowned. “No, I must find her and keep her safe.”

The man sighed in impatience, his body becoming increasingly tense the longer we lingered. “Don’t tell her I told you this, but she keeps crossbows hidden in her room. I’d bet you anything she’ll go and fetch them to protect herself.”

This servant appeared to know some strange details about a very private person. “Thank you.”

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