Page 81 of Forged By Heart and Claws
Kaylen peeked between her fingers, unapologetic. “Well, yeah. That way, they don’t see it coming. It's like a mercy kill.”
This woman was a worse person than I’d imagined. “Enough.” I raised a hand, letting command bleed into my voice. “Kaylen, you’re alive because Briar spared you. You’re going to repay that by telling us everything you know.Now.”
Briar sat beside me, silent and steady. However, although she was close, her soul felt distant, the bond between us strained and threadbare. I resisted the urge to reach for it and to ask her what she needed. That could wait for later, when we were alone-ish.
Taking a deep breath, Kaylen set her shoulders. “Calla Lily came to me with a member of the Aureline Council, Bram. The one with light blue eyes, freckles, and red hair. They told me I’d won. That the Council had chosen me. They said I had to beready to make my claim and that they’d support me. But it was a lie.”
Her voice cracked, and she looked away, shame flickering across her face.
I watched her, completely unmoved by the tears trailing down her cheeks. No one else rushed to comfort her either. Even Myantha, the kindest among us, lowered her gaze and shifted further into Thalen’s side as if to separate herself from the weight of Kaylen’s words.
“The guards dragged me off.” The skin around Kaylen’s eyes tightened. “They locked me in a cell for what felt like forever. Then they brought me to the royal quarters. I thought maybe the Council had changed its mind, but…that’s when I met Colm.”
She looked up, and her expression twisted with a bitterness that almost masked the tremor in her voice. “He said I’d been useful. That I’d served my purpose. But I wasn’t going to be queen of anything.”
Briar pursed her lips. “You’d never seen Colm before that moment?”
“No.” Kaylen’s upper lip curled. “I’d remember someone that ugly. I had seen Bram, though. From the beginning. He helped me a few times. Said I was… beautiful enough that Fate would obviously choose me.” Her lower lip wobbled, but she breathed the weakness away with a sharp inhale. “I know it was foolish. But I wanted to believe it. So I did.”
She squared her shoulders. “He brought me stronger healing salves than the others. Told me which trial was coming next so I could practice. He even made sure my gowns were lighter, my weights adjusted.”
Expression tightening, Rhielle crossed her arms. Veralt stood behind her, protective, his hand resting on her hip, acting as her silent anchor.
“But I didn’t cut Rhielle's throat,” Kaylen said quickly, her voice rising. “That was Calla Lily. She bragged about it. Said she could do the same to me. Told me I’d never be queen. So… I punched her and set her on fire. All right?”
“You didn’t stab her in the back?” Rhielle snorted. “That’s more your style.”
Kaylen huffed and flicked her hair over her shoulder. “If she'd turned her back, I would've. I'd have come up with a better plan too. But I got mad. It was a spur-of-the-moment decision.”
“She’s Ignis Fae.” Quen scowled. “You know we’re fire resistant. What exactly was your plan?”
“I never said it was a good plan, Quen!” Kaylen snapped. “She said that, and I lost it!”
“So critical thinking is your strong suit.” Thalen tapped a finger to his chin. “Got it. A good attribute for becoming a queen.”
Silus chuckled quietly.
Kaylen clenched her hands. Her cheeks reddened.
Briar’s gaze didn’t waver. “Why didn’t they kill you on the spot?”
Hanging her head, Kaylen winced. “Because they’re dramatic as feck, all right? Calla Lily said I didn’t deserve a quick death. She wanted to watch me suffer. She said they’d execute me by axe, make it slow. Draw and quarter me with multiple blows. That they’d been doing that all day to traitors, and I’d be the finale.” She swallowed hard. “Afterward, they planned to put my head on display in the Ceremonial Hall.”
I shifted my weight. “I didn’t smell blood in the dungeons. I assume they weren’t killing anyone there?”
Kaylen shook her head. “No. They blocked off the Ceremonial Hall and some area beyond it. That’s where the executions have been happening.”
A brief silence followed her words, broken only by the soft scratch of Vyraetos’s mortar and pestle.
“But I’ll testify,” she added quickly. “I’ll tell everyone what they did. I’ll say anything you want. It’s just uh…”
“What?” Briar asked, her voice sharp.
Kaylen didn’t answer.
Siray stepped in before she could. “Kaylen’s not a great witness. No one likes her. She doesn’t come from any noble lineage. She has no political weight or influential allies. And she’s burned bridges in every court she’s set foot in.”
Kaylen scowled but didn’t argue.
