Page 114 of A Crown of Lies

“Give him to me,” Michal demanded again.

The king flashed thin yellow teeth at him, gripped the wheel of his chair and spun it, forcing the chair to the open window next to him. With an inhuman growl, he thrust the bundle out the window, holding the babe from a deadly fall by only a fistful of fabric. “I would sooner kill him myself than give him to you, monster.”

The baby screamed, weak little arms shooting up out of the blanket.

Don’t!his mother hissed in his ear. Cold, dead fingers crawled up his shoulders, and he felt her shade leaning into him.Don’t let him kill the boy. The child must live to fight the storm in the east.

Michal’s eye twitched with irritation. He certainly did not need the little whelp, not as far as he was concerned, but his mother had never steered him wrong before. “Give me the prince and he will live.”

“I don’t believe you,” his father spat. “You’ve wanted nothing but my crown ever since you clawed your way out of your mother. You may have kept her beautiful face, but your greed makes you ugly, Michal.”

“Do not make me kill you to take him, father. Give me the boy and I will let you live in exile.”

“Over my dead body,” the king snarled, and released his hold on the blanket.

His mother’s shade screamed in his ear as Michal shot forward, barely managing to catch the baby by the ankle. The king threw a weak punch at Michal’s side. With a snarl, Michal rose from the window, still holding the babe upside down by the feet. He blocked a second punch and gave his father’s chair a kick. The chair slid back and crashed through another window.

The king’s eyes widened, and he gripped frantically for the lace curtains as his chair teetered on the edge.

Michal put his boot on the edge of his father’s chair.

“No, wait! Stop!” the king pleaded. “I’ll do anything! Give you anything you want!”

“I want my fucking crown!” Michal snarled, and shoved the chair with a mighty kick.

It sailed out the window and crashed to the rocks far below.

The baby was wailing, so Michal hauled him up for a look. He expected the child to be ugly and misshapen, more a creature than a child. But he was surprised to find nothing of the sort. He was red in the face from crying, but otherwise just another unremarkable little brat.

“I should kill you,” Michal said, holding the babe up. “It’d be a kindness.”

And then he felt a hand feebly gripping the bottom hem of his tunic. Michal lowered his eyes and looked at the pallid face of the dying queen, listening to her weak and raspy breaths.

“Please let him live,” she pleaded. Nothing more.

For a moment, he did not see Queen Olga before him, but his own mother as she must’ve laid dying. Even the best healers had predicted she would not survive the illness that took her, weak as he was. But she had prayed for him, begged them to save him over and over again, even if it meant her death.Please let him live.

Michal looked down at the crying baby. “It’s not my fault you were born to replace me.”

Cold, dead fingers wrapped around his shoulders, his mother’s presence making itself known.It isn’t his fault either.

He clenched his jaw. “Then we will let the gods decide his fate.” Michal seized a bloody towel from the end of the bed and wrapped him in it before hurrying out of the room.

Thirty-Four

Isaac’seyessnappedopenin the unfamiliar dark room and he found Kat sitting up, one hand extended as if to call forth a spell. His eyes were unfocused, expression enraged. Miniature bolts of lightning crackled around his fingers.

“Kat!” Isaac gripped Katyr’s arm firmly and sat up.

The mage blinked rapidly, as if he were just waking up. In a way, he was. Even if his body had woken from whatever nightmare was plaguing him, his mind had not, not until Isaac touched him.

Katyr let out a gasp as if he’d been holding his breath and lowered his arm before gripping his hair and lowering his head. “I’m sorry. It was… We were back in Trinta and I was down in the dark. I couldn’t move! And I kept hearing you call for me, but I couldn’t get to you.”

“It’s all right. You’re all right. You’re safe and I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere, Kat.” Isaac rubbed Kat’s back and shoulders in small circles while Kat shuddered, fighting through a storm of emotions.

He calmed after a moment and collapsed against the pillows, more exhausted than when they’d gone to bed. Isaac pulled Kat’s head to his chest

“I just want all this to be over,” Kat whispered.

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