Page 45 of Antiletum
I clear my throat, hoping it might wash away the anxiety that rises with such thoughts. “I didn’t trust anyone else. Another round is being prepared?”
“Yes. And a discreet message sent to Xavien inVulpes.” Mallin wraps an arm around my shoulder roughly. “Look at you. Getting all sentimental. I’m guessing that my sound advice didn’t lead you astray?”
Alaric grins, knocking a whimpering man on the back of the head with the hilt of his dagger to shut him up. He crumples. “Winning your wife over yet?”
The rest of the prisoners fail to hide their fear. It stinks. A cloud of soured onions.
“We are making progress.” I glare at Mallin. “Have you informed everyone who wasn’t at the manor of mine and my wife’s… disagreements?”
Alaric laughs. “Sounds a bit deeper than a disagreement, Val. Has she figured it out yet?”
Mallin addresses Alaric, hauling the unconscious prisoner over a shoulder. “No, I’d say she hasn’t. To either—the good or the bad. Maybe when she does it’ll be enough to cancel each other out.” Mallin shoots me with a disappointed frown. “Come on. You know I wouldn’t betray you like that, Val.” He adjusts the dead weight laid across his back with a grunt. “Other than to Alaric. But he doesn’t count.”
The assassin points a finger in his direction. “I’ll remember that.” Alaric’s gloved hand grabs the scruff of another prisoner, pulling him over the edge of the cart. The convict yelps when his ribs plink over the wooden edge like a macabre xylophone.
“Ungrateful.” Alaric clicks his tongue at the whiner. “Honestly, you should count yourself lucky that you will receive a quick execution.”
“Maybe we should stick this one back for a later date,” I suggest to Alaric. “With a bare hand. Let him feel the pain of his crimes.”
“Gladly.” Alaric pulls a glove off with his teeth, the prisoner pleading desperately. Such a contrast to the shared humor between friends. We know that he’s still about to meet his end in this forest clearing. But it’s difficult to resist the urge to tease.
“Slow tumors seem like a good way for this one to go.” The prisoner cries out in terror as Alaric’s bare hand touches his skin.
Mallin snorts with mirth as the prisoner falls into hysterics, piecing together that he’s been touched by a famed, deadly assassin. Alaric’s identity has been preserved, but his reputation is well known.
Mallin, Alaric, and myself share a smile.
“Ah, fortune is on your side.” Alaric claps the back of his neck, the man wincing with each bout of contact. For good measure, Alaric plants a loud, wet kiss on his cheek. Can’t say I blame him. It’s not often my friend is able to touch another, skin-to-skin. “You should say a prayer of thanks to theNocturne,” Alaric says, dragging him by the scruff of his shirt. “There’s urgency to feed this poor, straining thing. I suppose you’ll die quickly after all.”
The three of us (plus our unruly cargo) stride to the Heartstone together. It beats faster, like an eager puppy wagging its tail, knowing it’s about to feast. I bend again to stroke the stone tenderly. “Shh. It’s coming.”
“No worries for the spread of gossip on your marital problems from me, my Lord,” Alaric promises, back to the conversation at hand before being rudely interrupted. “Be a shame for so much work to have gone into putting you in your position just for you to instantly lose the respect of the people because you can’t make your wife like you.”
“Your confidence is astounding.” I glare at him and he laughs.
“You know I have all faith in the world for you, Val.”
“Though, no one can make any promises for Delaney.” Mallin sounds mildly concerned. “At least she was willing to put on a unitedfront at the party. I wasn’t so sure, given the shit show after your wedding.” He throws his prisoner on the ground. Rousing, he makes to get up, to stupidly run away. Mallin looks down on him with boredom, opens his mouth—and closes it again immediately, gritting his teeth.
Selise is nowhere in sight for him to safely use his magic. He resorts to kicking the prisoner in the stomach.
“Fuck. I still haven’t gotten used to not being able to just use my power at will. I nearly gleeked on the fucker.” Mallin shakes his head, bringing his attention back to me. “In all seriousness, who would have foreseen Rainah speaking from the grave without being raised from the dead?”
Alaric snorts. “Rainah would have foreseen it. Honestly I’m surprised she didn’t know about that nice little interaction that made you so untrustworthy.”
“Yes,” I say absentmindedly, discomfort twisting my stomach. Such a stupid, impulsive decision. I don’t have many regrets, but putting myself on Rainah’s bad side is one of them. “Best not to speak about it.”
Whimpers of grown men replace the offensiveness of crickets, difficult to ignore. My eyes roll towards thecaelos. It always astounds me how terrified people are to die when death is the only thing guaranteed in life.
They arrange our offerings around the Heartstone; it gives a pitiful little whine. It might as well be pawing at my toes, begging with little starving eyes for a morsel of meat.
Mallin and Alaric deposit the two prisoners exactly atop where two of the three priestesses at my wedding bled to death, offering their life’s blood willingly to theNocturne.None the wiser that their sacrifice would bring the Heartstone back to life then and there.
“Best grab one more,” I say, striding back to the cart. “Just in case.”
“Good idea,” Mallin praises. “This thing looks fucked.” He toes a black stain on the Heartstone.
A creaking groan from the Ellden clock echoes against the trees, metal on metal screeching. “Yeah. The clocks are pissed,” Alaric observes the obvious. “Think we’ll have to repeat the process tonight?”
