Chapter 5

Pick a Number

I can't hold back the flinch at the King's words.

The Wolf and the Dove?

I give it a moment of thought and suppose that it makes sense. Grey can turn into a dove. The pewter pendant is in the shape of a wolf's head.

But still, a part of it just sounds crazy. Crazy enough to end up at the foot of the Amethyst Throne, though? I suppose so.

"The Wolf and the Dove," the Judge echoes, tilting its head to the side. Light from the Amethyst Throne casts sharp shadows across its face, giving it an angular look.

"Yes, they're the Wolf and the Dove." The King shifts and rests his chin on a fist.

"Are you sure?" the Judge asks.

A small flicker of hope flutters in my chest at the cautious tone of the Judge.

"I am."

The Justice's green eyes flicker back and forth between the Judge and the King.

"Well, then," the Judge replies. It stands up, tail swishing across the ground, and flares its grey-webbed wings as it raises its head up high. "I have my verdict. They are both guilty."

Grey hangs his head and sighs. I start to tremble.

How the hell did we end up here? Yesterday we were working our jobs.

"Now that the verdict has been reached," the Judge murmurs, then turns its attention to the Justice, "what will the punishment be to ensure Justice is upheld?"

That's the verdict? Is that how every trial goes? There was no deliberation, there was no case. Grey and I did nothing.

I choke on a breath and dig my nails into my palms, shifting in the bindings at my wrists that feel way too tight. Scorn squeezes my shoulder in warning, and I want to scream.

The Justice pauses, thinking for several moments before replying. Its green eyes glitter as it speaks.

"For true Justice to be upheld, the punishment must be severe. Nothing short of death will do."

I glance over at Grey, and my brother closes his eyes. He tightens his hands into fists. Above him, Screech and Snappy smile but keep their gazes on the marble floor, averted from the King.

The King hums, and I look up at him. "Death it is, but who first?" he asks no one.

Silence hangs in the air, tense and buzzing. A slow minute ticks by, then another.

"Pick a number between one and ten," the King drawls. "You, Soldier, pick."

He points at Scorn.

Scorn flinches above me, and hesitates for only a moment before replying.

"Three," he spits out.

A smile oozes across the King's face. "The Dove it is, then. Shoot Grey."

"No!" I shout as molten terror shoots through my veins.

"Someone silence her, or I'll do it myself," the King says to everyone and no one in particular. "I hope I don't have to do it myself."

"It's best to stay quiet," Scorn repeats from above me.

A fire erupts in my gut, churning and blazing, flames burning my insides. The pewter pendant is a brand on my chest. I lunge upward, but Scorn's hands on my shoulders forces me back to the ground.

Screech chuckles. He bows deeply to the King before readying his bow and drawing an arrow from the quiver on his back. He takes his time nocking the arrow, running his fingers along it as he watches Grey.

My brother shakes on his knees, skin pale and sweaty. Snappy keeps him pinned on his knees, despite his squirming attempts to break free. Panic blooms in his expression, as does fear.

Screech strolls away from my brother until he's a few paces away, then turns around. He smiles, but there's nothing friendly in it.

He slowly lifts his bow up and pulls back on the drawstring until his fingertips brush his cheek. He makes a show of aiming the arrow, pointing it directly at Grey.

"Stop it," I choke out, then repeat it louder: "Stop it!"

"That's rude, little Wolf," the King says, holding up a hand for Screech to pause, an order that the Guard obeys, but he doesn't lower his bow. "You are disrespecting my orders, Alex. I'm your King. I thought I told you to stay quiet."

Scorn's grip on my shoulders is iron tight, but I still struggle against him.

"You're going to kill my brother," I find myself saying.

"And still you speak," the King muses.

He stands up on the Amethyst Throne, but when his fingers leave the purple surface, the King's face contorts in pain and he quickly sits back down.

"Yes, I am going to kill your brother," he continues, shaking his head and squeezing his hand on the armrest of the Throne. It turns a lighter shade of purple around him, but remains dark and stormy on the rest. "I'm going to kill him, and then you. I cannot have the Wolf and the Dove living on my island."

I can only stare at him, heart pounding in my chest. Heat rises within me.

The King watches back through glittering amethyst eyes. He waits until he finds something he must like, because then he looks away. He waves his hand at Screech.

"Continue," the King says, crossing his legs and adjusting his tie and suit jacket.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

The first arrow Screech fires hits Grey in the shoulder.

It whistles through the air and lands with an audible thunk. Grey screams, wrists straining against the bindings. He thrashes in Snappy's hold, but the Soldier holds firm. Blood seeps through his shirt, pouring from the wound.

I manage to get to my feet, and I struggle to break free from Scorn, whimpering in the back of my throat.

"Stop fighting," he says, voice almost pleading. "It won't change anything."

"Let me go," I snarl back.

Heat flares in my gut, burning through my veins. My breathing accelerates, and I bare my teeth. The pewter pendant is hot as fire against my chest.

Screech shoots another arrow, and this one sinks into Grey's stomach. My brother hunches over, choking on his breath.

This time I scream.

Scorn brackets an arm around my chest to keep me from breaking free. I struggle in his hold.

"Alex, stop it. Please." Scorn's voice is soft, and I growl, low, rumbling, animalistic.

The heat continues to build, scorching through my body.

A third arrow strikes Grey on the side of the neck, and blood streams down his throat and dribbles from his mouth. The malachite medallion shines bright beneath his shirt.

"Alex, you're burning up," Scorn breathes, confused.

The King turns his attention from eagerly watching Screech and Grey to me. His amethyst eyes flicker as he studies me.

I glower at him, another growl bubbling up from my chest. My gums ache as I writhe in Scorn's embrace and stomp on his foot in a vain attempt to break free. My heartbeat pounds, a racing horse, and heat coils in my gut, flames curling around my insides. It all reaches a breaking point, frothing over like a boiling pot.

My heart beats once, twice. The pewter pendant burns against my skin.

And then I explode.

Scorn stumbles back, then falls to the ground. He props himself up on his elbows.

"What the hell?" he says.

My canine teeth give way to sharp fangs, fur bursts through my flesh, and my bones snap as they reform to a four-legged frame with a long tail. Triangular ears unfurl from my skull, and whiskers sprout from my muzzle. Claws dig into the marble floor of the King's Throne Room, and all my attention goes to my brother, who still kneels on the ground with blood soaking through his shirt.

Silver glows from the wounds, but they don't look like they're healing as fast as they did before.

He's too injured, I realize. There's too much to heal quickly.

I snarl, and the sound rumbles deep in my chest, echoing and loud. I bare my teeth and raise my tail as my hackles rise.

The King's Dragon stirs from where it slept against the Amethyst Throne, purple eyes studying me. It flashes its fangs in return.

I ignore it and rush Screech, who's loading another arrow into his bow. My paws scrabble for traction on the marble floor.

"Stupid mutt," the King says. "Someone get it! I wanted a show, and this is not that. I wanted entertainment."

I crash into Screech, and we both go tumbling to the ground. I claw at his bow until I rip it from his grip and shove it away. I wrap my jaws around his upper arm and bite down as hard as I can. My teeth easily break through the leather armor. He screams.

"Someone get it!" the King repeats, louder. He jabs a finger my way.

I growl at him, then turn around and find Grey. He's staring at me with wide eyes and a shocked expression, but he's also hunched over, sagging in Snappy's hold with his formerly white shirt turning a deep shade of scarlet from the three arrows that still stick out of his body. The Soldier tries to pull Grey to his feet, and the choked cry my brother makes snaps me from my daze.

"You're not getting him back," Snappy spits out.

He grips Grey's hair, then yanks out each of the arrows. He lets go of my brother, who slumps to the ground as he pants for breath, before stalking toward me with his sword drawn.

I brace my legs in a wide stance when a paw slips on the marble floor. I watch my brother in horror, before Snappy's swinging sword snaps me from my trance. The steel arcs and grazes one of my ears. I sidestep another attack before rushing him and tackling the Soldier. Metal groans as I bite down on his shoulder.

When he shoves and kicks at me, I dig my claws into the closest thing I can find and tear several gashes on his cheek. Snappy cries out.

"Shoot the dumb mutt!" the King howls, slamming a fist on the Amethyst Throne.

All at once, I hear a flurry of arrows being nocked and the clamor of Guard and Soldiers racing to comply with the order.

Shit.

I scramble over to Grey and nudge him with my muzzle.

He looks up, glazed eyes finding mine before looking past me. His gaze widens and he seems to return to the present somewhat.

I crouch down, and he clambers up onto my back.

"Have to go," Grey breathes, voice shaking with fear.

I take off out of the Throne Room as the first arrows strike down right behind us. Just as I turn the corner, an arrow clips my hip. Whimpering in the back of my throat, I try to bite down the pain and focus on finding some way out of the King's castle.

Grey's fingers lace through my fur, and we take off. I move as fast as my legs can take me. I change directions at the first sight of Guard or Soldiers, and it doesn't take long to figure out that they're herding us.

Double shit.

I pin my ears to the sides of my head and flash my teeth in frustration as I race up a flight of stairs.

I feel Grey's blood soaking into my fur, but I can also feel the warmth of the malachite medallion. I hope it's healing him fast enough, because I can't do anything, at least not right now.

I climb a few more flights of stairs, then dash down the nearest hallway. Guard and Soldiers turn the corner, and I shift my weight onto my back legs as I scrabble to stop my momentum on the slippery floor. My claws dig shallow grooves in the marble. I turn around and sprint back the other way.

An arrow whistles by us, nicking my ankle but falling to the ground without doing much damage. The cut still stings, but not as much as my muscles ache.

Unused to my wolf form and the coordination it takes to move a canine body, my muscles burn on top of the pain of exertion. But still I run. It's not really like there's an alternative.

The King won't go back on the Judge and Justice's ruling, and he seemed to be enjoying watching everything unfold.

"Keep going, Alex," Grey says into my fur. "You've got this. We're together until the end. There's gotta be a way out."

I let out a soft bark in reply, hoping he's right and that we'll be able to find a way out.

xxxx

The Guard and Soldiers corner us on one of the top levels of the King's castle. I face them down, back to the glass windows behind us. I stare at them and raise my hackles and tail, flashing my teeth with a rumbling growl.

"Surrender and we will tell the King you cooperated," a Guard says, stepping forward with an arrow nocked in his bow, although he's yet to pull back on the drawstring.

I spy Scorn in the crowd of Guard and Soldiers pinning us in, and I shoot him a dirty glare, glowering, but he just stares back with a distant expression.

"But that won't change anything, will it?" Grey replies. "That won't change what the Judge and Justice said."

"No," the Guard concedes, "but it might make it quicker."

"That's not better," Grey says.

"Well, we're at a standstill now, aren't we?"

The Guard tries to take a step forward, but I bare my teeth and he backs up. Internally, I chuckle, then internally groan as the group of Guard and Soldiers as a whole begins to draw closer.

"Alex," Grey murmurs, "we have to jump."

I flick an ear at his words. Surely I hadn't heard him right. No way Grey would suggest something as reckless as that.

My brother tugs on my fur, and he leans to the side to try to meet my eyes. I turn to him, and his expression is serious.

"We have to jump," he repeats.

Well, maybe he would.

I glance behind us. It's a ways down, and I can't see the ground. I could run through the glass. Grey could shift. If we got far enough away, we'd be free.

I take another look at the Guard and Soldiers. They're slowly closing in, and all have their weapons drawn. Sunlight glints off swords, and the arrows remind me far too clearly of Grey kneeling at the foot of the Amethyst Throne with blood streaming down his shirt.

There isn't a way out, except for down. Not when Grey can't fight and doesn't want to, not when there's so many Guard and Soldiers, not when there's the King and the Amethyst Throne sitting somewhere below us with the Judge and Justice who sentenced us to death.

I peer back at my brother, and he nods.

"I'll catch you," he whispers. The bleeding has slowed as the malachite medallion works its magic. "You just have to shift back."

I nod in reply.

I turn around, take a breath, and take off as fast as I can, claws slipping on the marble as I fight for traction. The window draws nearer and nearer, and I bound forward once, twice, a third time, and then I jump, ignoring the shouts and cries of the Guard and Soldiers behind us.

I duck my head down as Grey presses himself to my back.

The window shatters into a million pieces all around me.