Map of Ember and Moonlight

Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Lyv was staring at the trail of blood on the floor from where they dragged Balian's body away. She sat in the same spot she had been when he passed, her hand crusted with dried blood.

The guardsmen came back an hour later for them.

Gideon and her father were shackled before they even open their cells. They still didn't realize Gideon was Fae, or that the iron had such an effect on him. He was willing, even though they made him twinge in pain.

Amory was a different story, though. One of the guardsmen had a metal syringe and jammed it into Amory's thigh without any warning. It did its job, though, as Amory immediately gasped, shooting up to his feet and swinging at them. The shackles he now wore were on tight, the iron cuff still in place as well, and all they had to do to have him bent over in pain was punch anywhere they could. It almost always landed on a bruise or cut along his body.

They didn't shackle Lyv, though, which she found strange. But then she realized something...they did have her shackled by keeping those she loved in chains.

Her father, Gideon, and Amory were escorted out of the dungeon first, followed by Lyv. She had two guardsmen on either side and one behind, an easy combination she could have easily taken on even without her magic. She couldn't, though, not when they had those she loved. Head held high, she continued on.

As they reached the ground floor of the palace and passed by an open window, she couldn't help but pause and look out. Even though she couldn't see into the streets of the city past the palace walls, she didn't need to. The silence was answer enough to her mental question. Fires burned in different areas. It wasn't just a blacksmith shop, though, but rather the burning of bodies. They weren't even going to give those who had friends and family killed the right to give them a proper funeral.

It wasn't just the streets. There were the scars of slaughter inside the palace as well. And even more so when they passed by a group of staff being herded in the same direction they were. All eyes went to the king, who led their processional line. They glanced by Gideon and Amory...and landed on Lyv.

Lyv's heart sunk when she saw that Evelien was one of them, her blue dress splattered with blood, and instantly knew by the look on her face that she had seen what happened to Balian. When her eyes met Lyv's, she knew what she had to do.

It was no trouble breaking through the guardsmen that surrounded her. She rushed over to Evelien, wrapping her in a hug and kissed her cheek, and quickly whispered everything to her – about the money Balian said was hers, that she needed to get out of the city as quickly as she could, find her family, and book passage on a ship bound for a land that wasn't Escarral.

At first, Evelien was stunned at the princess's actions. But with one word of how much Balian loved her and longed for a life for the two of them, she wrapped her in a hug equally as fierce before Lyv was pulled away.

She knew the way to the throne room, knew it was the place they were going to then. She always hated it, too – a huge room with arched ceilings, stain glass windows, the Escarrali banner flags hanging on the walls, and the ornately carved gold and wooden throne that sat up on the dais. Before, there had been two smaller thrones for her mother and Lyv herself. Those were gone now.

When Lyv, Amory, Gideon, and her father entered, all eyes went to them. There were many who cried out at the sight of their king and princess. Shock covered most of their faces. And helplessness. They were being held back by guardsmen, spears crossed in front of them as a barrier.