Empire of Shadows

34.

"Cheer up, brother."

Aslaug's voice was like a poison.

He shut his eyes, lowering his head. His shoulders sagged, bearing a weight that he no longer wanted to cary. He was back at Boar's Keep—back where his journey had ended and a new one had begun those five years ago.

"You won't have to stay with that Rajsend filth anymore." Aslaug's voice cracked with a laugh. "A prince in the company of escorts, assassins, and prisoners. How ironic that someone with your blood would be with those lowly creatures."

Ketil's eyes snapped open, his lips curling into a snarl. His bound hands slammed against the table between them. His shoulder jarred with the movement, but he ignored the pain. "What did you do with his body?"

Aslaug didn't respond, but she looked to him with eyes that mirrored his own. "I don't think you should be concerned with how—"

"What have you done with his body?" His voice echoed in the near empty dining hall. His voice cracked, hands turning into fists. "Answer the damn question, Aslaug! What did you do to Vasco's body!"

"It seems these years of exile have finally given you some semblance of a backbone." She took a small sip from the glass at her right hand. "That filthy batræ man who killed my men? You want to know what will happen to his body?"

Ketil stared into her eyes, blinking to keep the tears from welling up in his eyes. "Just answer me."

"I guess the town will determine what happens to him." Another sip from the crystal glass, her rings clattering against the cup. "I suppose he'll be put into a mass grave as soon as the earth thaws a bit. Until then, his body will be preserved by the cold. Or the town might decide to burn it. Either way, that filthy consort is dead. There's no telling what disease he carried into Polaria or gave to you."

"His name was Nilo and he was a good man. He had a future. He had dreams!" Ketil felt the tears roll down his face, hot and fast and uncontrollable. He still saw Vasco in the middle of the street, trampled and muddied snow beneath his body turning red. And Vasco had smiled, even as the blood pooled around him and stained his clothes. He had smiled and tried to reassure the living.

He died.

He was dead.

He'd never come back.

He never got a second chance.

"You killed him. You killed him just like you killed Olve and Kaia and me. But they're not coming back. They're dead." He wiped his face with his sleeve. "Why didn't you just kill me back there?"

The corner of her thin lips curled into a smile. "That death would mean nothing. I know you want your death to mean something."

Ketil felt something break inside of him. "You don't understand anything, do you?" His voice shook. "I've been all across this place, I've seen these people and suffered their pain. You just can't see it." He laughed. "They hate you."

Aslaug's hand turned into a fist. "You're on thin ice."

"They hate you and wish you would die!" He stared at the wooden centerpiece in the middle of the table. It was a Kvättorp statue, black wings spread out and beak opened in a screech. His fingers twitched with anticipation.

Aslaug had no idea what he was capable of. Anubis had taught him how to refine his 'parlor trick' of an ability.

He remembered his vow to Kaia. He would kill Aslaug for what she did. He would kill her, even if it was suicide. Even if it meant he would never see Kaspar again.