23. Zarios

Chapter twenty-three

We prepared for the night the same way we had before. I wore my ornamental armor that dug into my sides and Sorcha changed into a bright red dress with gems down the bodice. Something about seeing her in red set me ablaze.

That was probably why I purchased that red rope sitting in the small bag, tucked into my belongings. I'd seen the fishing supply store and knew they'd carry some.

When I walked in, I pretended to peruse for other things, though the old fisherman behind the counter paid me no mind, his nose in a newspaper.

I walked to the wall, and my eyes caught the bright red rope. I ran my hand over it. It was soft, so it wouldn't chafe her delicate skin.

I took it to the counter. The man took my money without a word.

Now I could only think about tying her up with it. It seemed she would enjoy it too after what happened in the dressing room. I was serious about what I said. After talking to Naram this morning and hearing her tell me how I hurt her, I knew I'd messed up. Though I didn't know where we'd be left when this was all over, I couldn't think about that. I would focus on the now and worry about the rest later.

"Ready?" I asked, putting my arm out.

She took it with ease. Something shifted between us, and I found I didn't mind it.

Mertis had the grandest ballroom, with navy blue walls and tablecloths and gold accessories. All these events were the same. There would be dinner, drinking, dancing, but at least with Sorcha here, I had some form of entertainment.

Dinner happened without much fanfare, and so did the drinking. We had let ourselves get a bit tipsy, but I was less on edge. Though we weren't able to go through every file like we had before, my gut told me it wasn't Naram. That only left one more suspect. I had assumed it could be Prator from the beginning, but I had no proof. I still needed to go in with an objective eye, but he was looking to be our best bet.

I swept her out to the dance floor, and we moved around easily. I saw Naram around with a gray minotaur but had lost Damyr in the crowd. I had seen him near the bar, so he was probably still that way.

As we swayed to a slower song, something began to feel wrong. Looking around, nothing had changed, but the air felt tense, as if something was about to happen.

Then, I saw one man enter who I hadn't seen before. I didn't think anything of it at first, not until I noticed he was underdressed. Then came another, walking the wall, as if he wanted to avoid being seen .

I was about to tell Sorcha when I heard yelling from the doors. They soon burst open, and minotaurs with masks covering their face barged in. They weren't quite masquerade masks, but they had a similar shape, and were all black.

At first, no one noticed, but I stopped. "What?" Sorcha asked, following my gaze. "Shit," she mumbled under her breath, pulling her dagger from her waistband.

"Everyone, to the back exits," I yelled, my voice echoing over the music, which ground to a halt.

One of the men from the group cut through a guest nearest the door, and they dropped to the floor with a thud. People who saw heeded my words, rushing towards safety. Guards rushed the men, but there were many of them.

We jumped into the fray, taking them out left and right. I kept near Sorcha. Though I knew she could hold her own, I couldn't let anything happen to her. I saw Naram to the side, fighting his own group.

I had no idea how they'd gotten in or where they'd come from. As I took another one down, I ripped the cloth off his face. There was no recognition there, just another faceless drone.

We continued fighting our way through. Two of them tried to rush me at once, but I dodged one and let him run into the other, throwing them both to the ground before I took my sword to them both. When I looked back to Sorcha, she had picked up a sword, probably from one of the fallen, and was battling another. Though the sword was obviously heavier than what she was used to, she used it with two hands and easily held her own.

When I found Naram, I realized he was fighting three at once, a battle he seemed to be quickly losing.

"Watch out!" I called as a fourth one aimed for him, swinging his sword right for his head.

Naram ducked out of the way at the last minute, and I jumped into the action, slashing through the man who'd almost killed my friend with little remorse. Though I didn't enjoy killing, I did it when necessary, or when my people were threatened.

A few tried to run once they realized how outnumbered they were but were quickly taken down. The sounds of swords slashing and people yelling filled the room. Chaos was descending, and we needed to get a hold of it.

Luck was on our side. They seemed ill-prepared, and we managed to take them out rather quickly. When the carnage was over, I'd managed to keep one alive. He was slumped in the corner, knocked unconscious.

"Take him to the dungeon," I instructed one of the guards. He nodded, taking him away.

The ballroom was a bloody mess, red smeared against the blue stone floor. A celebration that was meant to be cheerful was turned upside down, and I would ensure whoever planned it would end up just like their men.

As everything wound down, I realized I had lost sight of her. "Sorcha!" I called, worried the worst had happened.

"I'm here," I heard. I followed the voice to the foyer, where she stood over a body. I ran to her, checking her over for wounds .

"Are you hurt?" I asked. There was blood everywhere, making it hard to tell.

"No," she said, out of breath, "but I found this." She held up a small scrap that looked to be an armband of some kind. On the edge was a symbol I didn't recall. It looked like a strange stack of triangles with horns fashioned in the middle.

"Do you know what it means?" she asked.

I shook my head. "I've never seen it before, let's hold onto it. There was one I managed to keep alive for questioning."

"Alright," she said. "Lead the way."

I grabbed her shoulder. "I would prefer it if you went to our rooms."

Her brow furrowed. "What?"

"I will conduct the questioning. You go clean up."

"No," she insisted. "I'm coming with you."

"You can't." I couldn't let her see what I was about to do. Knight or not, I didn't want her to look at me any differently. "Please, just listen."

Hurt flashed in her expression. I was about to explain, but Damyr came around the corner. "Is everyone okay?" he asked.

"Fine. Where were you?"

"As soon as the fighting started, I helped get people to safety. It seemed it was handled on the fighting front."

I nodded. "That was probably for the best. Could you take Sorcha back to our rooms then meet me downstairs?"

"Don't bother," she spit. "I can manage the walk alone." She turned on the balls of her feet and stomped off.

As we moved to the dungeon, I was glad Damyr didn't ask about Sorcha. I wished to follow her, to make sure she was okay. From what she said, this seemed to be her first time in true combat. I was worried about her, but I needed to question the prisoner as soon as possible. We needed all the information we could get from him, it could be the key to ending this. Our safety, and the safety of my kingdom had to come first.

When we got to the bottom of the stairs, Naram was there. His expression was hard, one I rarely saw. "We need to talk," he said to me.

I nodded. "Damyr, why don't you go ahead?"

"Of course. I'll try to wake him."

When Damyr left, Naram pulled me to the side. "I'm assuming what you're dealing with doesn't only have to do with common thieves."

It wasn't a question, but I nodded the same. "It's what we thought at first, but now, I'm sure it's some rebel group."

"And you thought it best not to tell any of us?"

I stayed quiet. Understanding dawned on him. "You think it's a Clarak?"

I again didn't answer. "You thought it could be me?" he sounded hurt.

"I didn't know what to think," I admitted. "I still don't. They've never attacked a location before. It has always been caravans. They're progressing, and if I don't stop them, I'll have a full rebellion on my hands. Someone attacked a shipment of magestones. It had to be someone on the inside, someone who wants me gone."

He sighed. "I understand your predicament, but no, I would never betray you."

I clapped him on the shoulder. "I know you wouldn't. And I never truly suspected, I just had to be sure."

"So what now?"

"Now, we hope this guy has information. And if not, I keep digging."

"Right. Let me know if there's anything I can do. Damyr and I are always on your side. And your intended now as well, who's surprisingly talented with a blade. I must hear her story sometime."

I smiled. "Thank you, brother."

"Uh, Zar," I heard Damyr call from the other room.

Naram and I rushed in. The captive was tied to the chair, his eyes wide and his head tipped back.

"What the fuck happened?" I asked.

I went to him. As soon as I got close enough, I smelled it. Deathwort.

"It seemed it was embedded in his cheek," Damyr said. "As soon as he woke up and realized where he was, he bit down and…" He trailed off, gesturing.

Moons, this wasn't what we needed. "Dispose of him," I said.

"Where are you going?" Naram asked.

"To apologize," I said, taking the stairs three at a time.