The Beast Within

A King's Game: Chapter Twelve

Dinner had long passed by the time we returned to the castle.

The rest of the court was retired to their rooms, but I did not have a mind to sleep. Instead, I went to Interra and Amatha's room and hoped they would still be awake. My visit was long overdue, and I was desperate to have a moment away from royal schemes and experiments.

To my relief, Interra answered the door when I knocked.

"Josiah, you've come back to us at last. Isn't it a little late for a visit?"

"I'm sorry, I just need...I needed..." The concern in my tone was obvious.

"Come in," Interra said before my shaking voice could finish.

Amatha was in the adjoining room, sitting atop a ladder and working at one of the large looms.

"We missed you at dinner," she greeted me when I entered.

"He's been with the king," Interra noted, though I wasn't sure how she guessed. My appearance at the hunt must have spread quickly through court gossip.

"Ah, we've missed him, too," Amatha said flatly.

"I doubt you felt too much pain over his absence," I suggested, feeling brave.

"We love our king," Amatha replied with a sly smile. "We'll love him even more once he is our husband."

"A day that will arrive sooner than expected," Interra said as she motioned to the tapestry in front of her sister. "Amatha is putting the final rows in place, and then we will join our two pieces together to finish it."

"Such a wonderful custom," Amatha said, "but it makes me long for home. Some used to believe that a wife's wedding tapestry foretold her husband's destiny."

"A silly superstition," Interra remarked.

"May I see it?" I went to move in front of the tapestry but Interra placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Not yet, little one. You will see it when the king does. No doubt he'll have it revealed in front of the entire court."

"Should be within a day or two," Amatha said before resuming her work.

"Would you like to continue your own work?" Interra asked.

"More than anything, but I don't think I'll be able to concentrate"

"You're troubled," Interra observed. "Come sit and tell us what disturbs you."

She led me to a table in the corner and offered me water to drink. The second after I drained the cup my mouth opened and words tumbled out. I told them everything about the dungeon and the hunt with the king.

I told them of his intention to have the wolf bite the prince.

Interra listened without interrupting, and every so often she nodded in agreement or gave a soft gasp in surprise.

"If you were to bite the prince and harm him, the king would surely see you punished. Maybe imprisoned or worse. If he didn't, the prince might seek revenge simply out of spite."

"But how can I refuse the command of a king?"

"I don't know. It's an unfortunate predicament you've found yourself in."

"Like being forced to marry a despicable man?"

It was a rude thing to say, but after retelling the story my blood was heated and I wanted to insult the king.

"Hush with that sort of talk," Interra snapped. "We cannot wait to stand by his side as his brides."

I blinked, confused by her response. I'd never seen one look of affection for the king from either of them, and had long envisioned their union as a duty rather than a pleasure.

Could they really love the cruel man who stole them from their home?

"We won't tell the king about your slight," Interra continued, "but you must understand, we are resigned to wed him."

"Do you love him? Really?"

"Love is something for myths, Josiah. We accept him and that is enough. Royal lines are not built on the heart but on obligation and responsibility."

"What about the queen from your dance? Didn't she love her husband?"

Interra gave me a confused look.

"She loved him very much. But they were the exception, not the rule. And they were a myth."

The words fell from my mouth before I could stop them:

"I don't want you to marry him."

Interra's green eyes grew wide, and even Amatha paused to look at me.

"I'm sorry," I stammered, "but he's cruel and you are...not. I don't want—"

"Never speak those words again," Interra hissed with unusual coldness.

Tears rose to my eyes as I realized I would have to witness another piece of beauty fall to someone brutal. I hung my head and wept, releasing the emotion that had been building over days. Sadness and anger and fear were distilled into a river that ran down my cheeks.

Soft arms wrapped around my shoulders as Interra pulled me into an embrace. She said nothing, only rocked me in a gentle rhythm. For a moment the world's problems melted away, until my sobs fell into quiet whimpering and Interra placed a kiss on my head.

"You're so brave," she whispered into my hair, "and yet so fragile. One day you'll release the burdens placed upon you."

She pulled back and pushed a lock of fallen hair from my face.

"It's finished!" Amatha exclaimed.

She climbed down the ladder and stretched her arms, then stepped away from the tapestry to view the full of it.

"Marvelous," she cooed. "It might be our finest work."

"Shall we look at it?" Interra asked me.

"I thought I wasn't allowed to view it yet."

She winked. "You're not, but we won't tell anyone."

I don't know what I expected to see. Perhaps an image of the king on a throne with his brides at his side, or a gorgeous picture of the castle standing proud against a brilliant blue sky.

"What do you think?" Amatha asked.

My hand flew to my mouth to keep the twins from seeing my horror and confusion, but could not stop the gasp that escaped my lips.

"It's so pretty he can't speak," Interra said with a laugh.

"We'll take that as our first compliment."

There wasn't going to be a wedding. The king would execute Interra and Amatha on the spot.

There was no castle or blue sky in the tapestry. It was a massacre in the dining hall. The bodies of the court were scattered in pieces. Crimson painted the walls and floor.

At the center of the carnage was the king on his throne, blood pouring from his eyes and nose and mouth.

Dead like all the rest.