wagged his tail and snuffled against her.
He coughed once, and his tail stopped wagging.
“Come on, Custie.”
The puppy lay unmoving.
She hugged Custard tightly, praying for a heartbeat or a breath. “Come on, Custie.”
But there was nothing.
Duke Solar touched the puppy’s mouth. He rubbed the emerald froth between his fingers and sniffed. Then he scowled and wiped his hand clean. “It’s poison.”
“L ife-bane,” said Duke Solar. “A rare poison. Expensive, and very effective. That mongrel saved your life, Lady Shadow.”
“He was not a mongrel,” said Lily, her voice as empty as the Great Hall was now.
Custard is dead.
Lily sat, hands on her lap, feeling like a part of her was missing. If she tried really hard, she could still hear his yapping. When she closed her eyes, she could see him prancing on her bed, slobbering over her sheets and wagging his tail. He would never do that again, and that was what she found hardest. That things could change so suddenly and so completely. Again.
He was mine, and someone took him from me.
The feast had ended in an uproar, everyone frightened that their food might be poisoned. The Solar entourage had practically run out of the Hall, the paladins glaring all around them, hands ready on their sword hilts. Lily’s own soldiers had been equally ready for some Solar plot. It was a miracle that no one had been killed.
The lights had been put out across the Great Hall, leaving only the few lit candelabras along the high table. The shadows now owned the vast, empty space. Lily stared into the candlelight, lost.
“An assassin,” said Tyburn, “here in Castle Gloom.”
Tyburn. As usual, he had shown up when things were at their worst. His boots had left muddy prints across the floor, and he stank of his weeks on the road.
“There weren’t any assassins here before the Solars arrived,” said Lily, staring at the duke with all the hatred she’d hidden until now. “You want Gehenna and will get it any way you can. Well, you can’t. It’s my home, and you’ll never, ever have any of it. Not a brick, not a blade of grass.”
Pan stepped between them. “Lily, dear, you’re upset. You should leave this to the grown-ups.”
But she wasn’t finished. Not by a long shot. Someone at the high table had been sly and cruel enough, vindictive enough, to poison her drink. “What about Gabriel?”
“What did you say?” said Duke Solar, his voice dangerously quiet.
Pan butted in. “What Lady Shadow means is, she hopes the young lord is unharmed. He did faint, did he not?”
Right after Duke Solar had declared the cup poisoned, Gabriel had screamed and collapsed into the arms of one of the maids. His squires had ended up carrying him out.
Not really the action of an assassin, was it? Fainting at the mere mention of poison. Or was it all just a clever disguise? Perhaps Gabriel
wasn’t
that puny, arrogant, and cowardly.
“Hmmm.” Duke Solar poured out a glass of wine. He stared at the drink but left it untouched. “I promise you, it was none of my people.” He turned to Lily. “You are wrong, Lady Shadow. I don’t want Gehenna.
I already have it
. I had it the moment you agreed to marry my son.”
“No,” Lily replied, barely able to believe what she was hearing. “It’s my home, not yours.”
“I need you alive,” continued the duke. “If you die, there will be no wedding. Your family line will end, and the citizens of Gehenna will go to war with Lumina again. Why would I want that? For that reason, I think it best we move you to somewhere safer than Castle Gloom.”
“And where would that be, m’lord?” asked Tyburn.
“The Prism Palace,” said the duke. “We’ll leave tomorrow morning.”
“I will not leave my home,” Lily insisted. He might as well cut out her heart.
Duke Solar met her gaze, and Lily saw her frightened expression reflected in his mirror eyes. “There is an assassin here in Castle Gloom, m’lady. He tried to kill
He coughed once, and his tail stopped wagging.
“Come on, Custie.”
The puppy lay unmoving.
She hugged Custard tightly, praying for a heartbeat or a breath. “Come on, Custie.”
But there was nothing.
Duke Solar touched the puppy’s mouth. He rubbed the emerald froth between his fingers and sniffed. Then he scowled and wiped his hand clean. “It’s poison.”
“L ife-bane,” said Duke Solar. “A rare poison. Expensive, and very effective. That mongrel saved your life, Lady Shadow.”
“He was not a mongrel,” said Lily, her voice as empty as the Great Hall was now.
Custard is dead.
Lily sat, hands on her lap, feeling like a part of her was missing. If she tried really hard, she could still hear his yapping. When she closed her eyes, she could see him prancing on her bed, slobbering over her sheets and wagging his tail. He would never do that again, and that was what she found hardest. That things could change so suddenly and so completely. Again.
He was mine, and someone took him from me.
The feast had ended in an uproar, everyone frightened that their food might be poisoned. The Solar entourage had practically run out of the Hall, the paladins glaring all around them, hands ready on their sword hilts. Lily’s own soldiers had been equally ready for some Solar plot. It was a miracle that no one had been killed.
The lights had been put out across the Great Hall, leaving only the few lit candelabras along the high table. The shadows now owned the vast, empty space. Lily stared into the candlelight, lost.
“An assassin,” said Tyburn, “here in Castle Gloom.”
Tyburn. As usual, he had shown up when things were at their worst. His boots had left muddy prints across the floor, and he stank of his weeks on the road.
“There weren’t any assassins here before the Solars arrived,” said Lily, staring at the duke with all the hatred she’d hidden until now. “You want Gehenna and will get it any way you can. Well, you can’t. It’s my home, and you’ll never, ever have any of it. Not a brick, not a blade of grass.”
Pan stepped between them. “Lily, dear, you’re upset. You should leave this to the grown-ups.”
But she wasn’t finished. Not by a long shot. Someone at the high table had been sly and cruel enough, vindictive enough, to poison her drink. “What about Gabriel?”
“What did you say?” said Duke Solar, his voice dangerously quiet.
Pan butted in. “What Lady Shadow means is, she hopes the young lord is unharmed. He did faint, did he not?”
Right after Duke Solar had declared the cup poisoned, Gabriel had screamed and collapsed into the arms of one of the maids. His squires had ended up carrying him out.
Not really the action of an assassin, was it? Fainting at the mere mention of poison. Or was it all just a clever disguise? Perhaps Gabriel
wasn’t
that puny, arrogant, and cowardly.
“Hmmm.” Duke Solar poured out a glass of wine. He stared at the drink but left it untouched. “I promise you, it was none of my people.” He turned to Lily. “You are wrong, Lady Shadow. I don’t want Gehenna.
I already have it
. I had it the moment you agreed to marry my son.”
“No,” Lily replied, barely able to believe what she was hearing. “It’s my home, not yours.”
“I need you alive,” continued the duke. “If you die, there will be no wedding. Your family line will end, and the citizens of Gehenna will go to war with Lumina again. Why would I want that? For that reason, I think it best we move you to somewhere safer than Castle Gloom.”
“And where would that be, m’lord?” asked Tyburn.
“The Prism Palace,” said the duke. “We’ll leave tomorrow morning.”
“I will not leave my home,” Lily insisted. He might as well cut out her heart.
Duke Solar met her gaze, and Lily saw her frightened expression reflected in his mirror eyes. “There is an assassin here in Castle Gloom, m’lady. He tried to kill
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