Dante stood against the wall of the queen’s entertaining suite with Blukke and a few other Wassalian and Lanhami guards, watching the Orlanas and the Lanhami royals discuss what would become of Egan as they sat around the large table, the four handmaidens standing behind their respective royal. The prince was currently in the dungeons, where he’d been locked up immediately upon their return.
Queen Voliner insisted on taking him home where he would be kept confined in their castle. The King Evarist kept quiet, Dante unable to tell if he agreed that was the best course of action or not. But the Queen of Wassalia wouldn’t hear of it.
She sat straight-backed with her hands folded over the table. “Your son attempted to have the Crown Princess of Wassalia killed. He killed five of our men. He killed Prince Neros on our soil, causing discontent between our kingdoms. He is our prisoner to do with what we will.”
Queen Voliner pressed her lips together. “He is still a prince and as such should be afforded certain liberties.”
Prim leaned down to whisper in Kallia’s ear, reminding her of what she and Dante had learned from Sarasha and shared with the princess in private upon their return. Kallia cleared her throat, addressing the Lanhami queen. “Did you know he was harassing and abusing the women under your employ?”
Dante saw Torra narrow her eyes at Kallia, but she said nothing.
“Egan may have been misguided--” the red-haired queen began, but was cut off when her husband shot his hand out to grip her arm.
“Egan’s crimes are inexcusable,” he said curtly. “He is yours to punish as you see fit. We thank you for holding him accountable, and hope the friendly terms of our kingdoms will not be affected by his actions.”
Queen Voliner gaped at her husband. “Evarist…”
The foreign king stood. “Thank you for your hospitality. We will depart in two days time.”
He made to leave, his wife and daughter staring at him with their lips parted. A guard opened the door for him at his approach, but King Evarist stopped and turned around, focusing intently on Queen Mallis. “Please let us know what fate you decide for him,” he said softly, his tone only now revealing the pain agreeing with the Wassalian queen was causing him. Then he left.
Kallia’s eyes were on Torra. “Egan isn’t who you think he is. Grenise didn’t use her gift on him. She wanted nothing to do with him.”
Torra dragged her eyes to the other princess, flaring her nostrils but saying nothing. She braced her hands on the table to forcefully push herself to standing, then followed her father out. With a long look at Queen Mallis, Queen Voliner exited as well.
In the tense quiet, Achrod turned to his wife. “What are you thinking, my queen?”
She pursed her lips. “Anyone else would be put to death for those crimes. Do you think he should be afforded liberties for his station?”
The king looked past the queen, his eyes scanning Kallia. “No. I think I would prefer such a blight removed from this world.”
The queen nodded her agreement, and Dante could sense Prim’s displeasure from across the room. He waited for Kallia to object; he’d known her to be nothing but merciful.
The princess drummed her fingertips on the table. “Schedule it for tomorrow. The Lanhami should have the option of attending before they depart.” With that, she stood. Prim and Bristol followed her out. Dante, Blukke, and two other guards followed them.
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The six lower tables had been removed from the great hall, revealing an enormous, empty space. On the platform, the queen’s two handmaidens stood next to her on one side, King Achrod on the other. Bristol and Prim flanked Kallia a few steps away on the king’s other side. A line of Wassalian guards stood behind them, including Dante and Blukke.
The only other people in the room were the Lanhami royals. No nobles had been invited. No announcement had even been made. Dante assumed the monarchs had had another meeting in which they disclosed the punishment decided upon, agreeing to keep all of the specifics of the death and crimes quiet in an attempt to keep the peace between the people of their kingdoms. The Lanhami didn’t stand on the platform. They stood pressed against a wall, the queen in the center, tightly holding the king’s hand on one side and Torra’s hand on the other. They hadn’t even brought any red-uniformed guards.
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All six royals in the room wore black, though Dante wasn’t certain if it was for Neros or Egan or both.
The stone hall was silent as they waited for the prince to be brought up from the dungeons. So silent, Dante was sure he wasn’t the only one who could hear the rattling chains and sluggish footsteps that announced Egan’s arrival long before the boy-faced deviant appeared, two guards hauling him by his upper arms. Nor was Dante the only one who could hear the sobs from Queen Voliner, though he knew King Evarist and Princess Torra’s strained breaths sang in his ears alone.
When Egan was in the center of the room, one of the guards bent low to connect the chain that bound the prince’s feet and wrists to an iron eye hook in a small recession in the floor. Once the prince was secured, the guards backed away to post on either side of the entrance.
“You may say your goodbyes,” Queen Mallis said, her voice carrying across the empty hall as she looked down on the grieving family.
Queen Voliner lurched from her spot on the wall, quickly closing the distance between her and her youngest son. Evarist and Torra followed more gracefully. Dante tried not to listen to the heart-wrenching words the mother shared, instead reminding himself how close he could have been to killing Prim had he been able to accept the assassination assignment and still found her in that alley instead of Kallia. How terrified he’d been when he left Blukke to get Bristol after the shifter had been stabbed, unsure if his friend would be alive by the time he returned. How broken Prim had been upon finding Roan’s dead body.
Minutes passed, the queen’s face becoming more tear-stained as she clung to her son. Egan himself was crying, though they were silent tears. He had only blubbered that he was sorry when his mother squeezed his face between her hands upon her first embrace. Dante saw the glistening of Torra’s eyes as she stood back, next to her father, but neither shed tears. Eventually, the princess put a hand on her mother’s shoulder, and Evarist was there to help support his wife as she unwrapped her arms from the prince.
Torra took the woman’s place, but she didn’t embrace her brother. “Why did you kill Neros?” she asked so quietly Dante wondered if even Egan heard it.
That white rage crossed the young prince’s face. So he had. “He was going to ruin everything.” While Egan’s voice was quiet as it had always been, that cool disinterested tone was replaced by one edged with mania. “He was always coming between us. He was jealous of our love.”
The princess took a startled step back at the viciousness of his words. The insanity. Her lips parted as she raised her gaze to Kallia, as if only now realizing the truth of the Wassalian princess’s words yesterday. She didn’t look back at her brother nor offer any other words of farewell before taking her father’s place in supporting her mother.
The last Lanhami approached Egan. Like Torra, Evarist didn’t touch the prince. He stood before his son with his hands clasped behind his back. The two men stared at one another for a long moment before the king spoke, not bothering to keep his voice down. “You are a disgrace to this family and a disgrace to Lanham. May Neros seek his revenge in the next life.”
Queen Voliner’s sobs renewed, but when the king returned to her side and attempted to comfort her, she ripped away from his touch.
Queen Mallis took a step forward. Dante expected her to proclaim the prince’s crimes then command a guard to strike the fatal blow. She did neither.
The queen stared at the prince with her face drawn firm. Egan stared at her in turn, his eyes widening, his mouth opening and closing as his throat convulsed, but no noise emitted. No noise at all, as the queen’s wind gift removed all air from his lungs and didn’t allow it to be replenished.
Every second felt like an hour. Dante didn’t understand why she didn’t just have one of the guards lop his head off, or use a gift more efficient at killing, like his. The Lanhami queen’s wails echoed around the hall as the prince struggled. Eventually, Egan passed out, slumping to the floor, the chains rattling as they came crashing down. Still the Wassalian queen kept her focus on him. Minutes later, an eternity later, Dante heard Egan’s heart beat for the last time.
Somehow, it surprised him. A part of him was waiting for Kallia to reveal a new scheme to save the man’s life. Apparently, however, her mercy did have limits.
“You may take his body home,” Queen Mallis said. She didn’t look at the corpse as she lifted up her skirts and walked across the platform, down the stairs, across the hall, and out the doors. The other Orlanas, the handmaidens, and the Wassalian guards on the platform all followed, leaving only the grieving Lanhami and the two guards who had escorted Egan, who remained to unlock the chains and carry the body wherever they commanded.