Page 27 of Deadwood
I didn’t think to cover my ears, and as a result, ringing filled my head as my eyes trailed to the man now lying in a heap on the street, his blood seeping into the dirt like water breaking through an unstable dam.
“Get her out of here,” Lander instructed as the guard holding my arm yanked me closer to him. “Now!”
My body felt numb as I was rushed back to the carriage, my mind spinning with questions as the ringing subsided.
Why did they shoot him? What did he do to make himself a target?
Why did he have ink running down his arms?
Did the shapes mean anything?
In a flash, I was being shoved inside the carriage. My skirt caught under my foot as I stumbled inside, and I braced my hands on the bench to keep myself from face-planting.
Lander stepped in behind me, helping me into my seat with a steadying hand on my waist.
I plopped onto the cushioned bench, yanking my skirt away from my feet. I hated all this damn fabric.
“Are you okay?” Lander asked as he took his spot across from me at the same moment a guard slammed the door shut.
“What just happened?” I hadn’t realized how out of breath I was until I spoke.
His eyes searched my face. “They were trying to arrest a citizen.”
The carriage jerked forward as a whip sounded, but this time, I didn’t have time to catch myself. Lander set his hands on my shoulders to steady me, and I scooted back on the bench.
“Why? What did he do?”
A crease formed on Lander’s forehead. “You saw his tattoos.”
I shoved my hair away from my face, suddenly feeling hot. “Yes, and? That doesn’t tell me why they needed to shoot him.” I didn’t say what we both knew came after the shot. That he was dead.
Lander was silent a moment, studying me like he couldn’t figure out if I was being honest or just snippy. “The ink means he stole.”
“Stole what?”
“Magic.”
I shook my head, more questions arising than before. “You’re telling me someone etched black swirls into his arms and hands because he stolemagic?” It didn’t make any sense.
“Are you testing me?” he asked, his tone accusatory.
“What?” How would I be testinghim? None of this was logical.
He dropped the question, finally taking me at my word that I had no clue what the fuck was going on. “Magic stains people when they steal it with ill intent. It’s not a…pleasant process. But it’s basically just a blaring sign saying they’re criminals.”
I blinked rapidly, trying to process what he was telling me. I truly thought I knew everything there was to know about magic, given that I worked with it every day. “So because he took magic against the law, itinkedhim?”
Lander nodded, though the rocking of the carriage made it hard to notice.
“And he deserved to die for that?” I asked.
His features softened a bit before he said, “It’s your father’s law that thieves are to be killed, Lady Auria. Magic inks for its own reasons, but he uses it as a way to rid the land of criminals. Other kingdoms follow the same rules. Your father is just a bit more…strict about it.”
My mind whirled as I tried to process his words, the unstable movements of the coach churning a sea of nausea in my gut.
It all hit me—how much I truly didn’t know. Being stuck in that castle might seem like a luxury to those on the outside, but it was my own personal prison. I knew nothing of the real world, and yet, I was expected to travel throughout the entire continent in just a few days.
Maybe Lander and Katie were right—Serpentine was dangerous. Not only for me physically, but mentally as well. Once I got a taste of the world outside of my father’s walls, I feared I wouldn’t want to go back. I wouldn’t want to be locked away again, forced to do the same draining tasks every day until I died. I wanted to know these things I’d learned today. To know…more.
