Read Online The Royal Wizard by Alianne Donnelly - Free Book Online
Authors: Alianne Donnelly
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fought over it viciously, tearing into each other as much as the meat, and the huntsmen laughed, entertained by this. “Enough,” Saeran ground out, unable to watch anymore. “I’ve seen enough.”
The images faded back into mist and then disappeared. As they did, the carcasses all around him burst into flames. The smoke they emitted reeked of pain and death as the poison burned off. That was Nia’s doing. She was a distance off, staring into the dark forest, her back to him. The lights were gone, her magic darkened once again.
“They will pay for this,” he said, joining her on the other side of the pyre. She wouldn’t face him.
“There are still others out there,” she said weakly. “Many more, and all suffering the same.” Her hands were clenched at her sides and somehow he knew she’d felt the wolf’s pain. Just as she felt the pain of the others now.
“Can you help them?”
Nia shook her head and he could see it break her heart to say the words. “Not from this far away. They are too weak to come to me and it would take too long to find them.” She swayed on her feet and Saeran caught her, sitting down in the snow with her. “Nico would have known what to do,” she sobbed.
Saeran pulled her closer, but though she allowed the touch, she didn’t lean on him. “I swear to you I will see them hanged.”
When the fires died down, Nia stood, wiping her sleeve across her wet face. “We have to go back,” She said, pushing to her feet. “We’ll freeze out here.” She waited for him to stand and then turned in the direction they had to walk in.
“Wait,” Saeran said. He went to a raspberry bush and ducked under it, pulling out a large piece of wood. “I saw this earlier,” he told her, handing it to her. It was curiously even from one end to a large, twisted knot at the other. “You’ll need it. Even Nico had one.”
Nia curled her fingers around the wood and tested its balance. It fit into her hand. Saeran couldn’t see any obvious weaknesses; it would be sturdy enough to lean her weight on and with some work, a fine staff, indeed. “Thank you, Highness,” she said, managing a small smile.
They returned to the castle in silence, and said not a word to anyone about what they had seen, but Saeran knew something needed to be done. And when he met her gaze in front of the great hall, a moment before going his own way and leaving her to hers, seeing the pain still there, he knew he would be the one to do it.
CHAPTER 6
Nia would not leave her chambers again until the day of the coronation. It was not by choice. The spell she’d worked that night drained her so completely that when she returned to the castle, the staff proved to be invaluable. It would take some time for her to recover both physically and magically.
What happened outside her study doors, however, did not escape her. Nia could feel the walls shiver with whispers. Rumors of things she would not have believed—had she not expected them.
The walls gossiped to her of the prince. How he’d marched through the castle courtyard, bearing a heavy beast in his arms, a small group of guards following close behind. How he’d kicked down the door on the huntsmen’s cottage, tossed the furry heap at their feet and demanded, “Is this your work?”
How the huntsmen had stared in fright at the prince’s countenance, unsure of which answer would bring his wrath down upon their heads. Ah, but the prince needed no answer, for he knew it already.
The walls described how he made the four men tie each other’s hands and lead each other outside the castle. And then it was the earth itself who whispered to her of Saeran’s angry words. “Were I to be fair, I would give you that selfsame poison to drink and watch you writhe in pain. And you would drink it again, for each animal that died from it, shaking in agony.”
The huntsmen, the earth told her, shuddered and fell to their knees begging for mercy, but the prince had none
The images faded back into mist and then disappeared. As they did, the carcasses all around him burst into flames. The smoke they emitted reeked of pain and death as the poison burned off. That was Nia’s doing. She was a distance off, staring into the dark forest, her back to him. The lights were gone, her magic darkened once again.
“They will pay for this,” he said, joining her on the other side of the pyre. She wouldn’t face him.
“There are still others out there,” she said weakly. “Many more, and all suffering the same.” Her hands were clenched at her sides and somehow he knew she’d felt the wolf’s pain. Just as she felt the pain of the others now.
“Can you help them?”
Nia shook her head and he could see it break her heart to say the words. “Not from this far away. They are too weak to come to me and it would take too long to find them.” She swayed on her feet and Saeran caught her, sitting down in the snow with her. “Nico would have known what to do,” she sobbed.
Saeran pulled her closer, but though she allowed the touch, she didn’t lean on him. “I swear to you I will see them hanged.”
When the fires died down, Nia stood, wiping her sleeve across her wet face. “We have to go back,” She said, pushing to her feet. “We’ll freeze out here.” She waited for him to stand and then turned in the direction they had to walk in.
“Wait,” Saeran said. He went to a raspberry bush and ducked under it, pulling out a large piece of wood. “I saw this earlier,” he told her, handing it to her. It was curiously even from one end to a large, twisted knot at the other. “You’ll need it. Even Nico had one.”
Nia curled her fingers around the wood and tested its balance. It fit into her hand. Saeran couldn’t see any obvious weaknesses; it would be sturdy enough to lean her weight on and with some work, a fine staff, indeed. “Thank you, Highness,” she said, managing a small smile.
They returned to the castle in silence, and said not a word to anyone about what they had seen, but Saeran knew something needed to be done. And when he met her gaze in front of the great hall, a moment before going his own way and leaving her to hers, seeing the pain still there, he knew he would be the one to do it.
CHAPTER 6
Nia would not leave her chambers again until the day of the coronation. It was not by choice. The spell she’d worked that night drained her so completely that when she returned to the castle, the staff proved to be invaluable. It would take some time for her to recover both physically and magically.
What happened outside her study doors, however, did not escape her. Nia could feel the walls shiver with whispers. Rumors of things she would not have believed—had she not expected them.
The walls gossiped to her of the prince. How he’d marched through the castle courtyard, bearing a heavy beast in his arms, a small group of guards following close behind. How he’d kicked down the door on the huntsmen’s cottage, tossed the furry heap at their feet and demanded, “Is this your work?”
How the huntsmen had stared in fright at the prince’s countenance, unsure of which answer would bring his wrath down upon their heads. Ah, but the prince needed no answer, for he knew it already.
The walls described how he made the four men tie each other’s hands and lead each other outside the castle. And then it was the earth itself who whispered to her of Saeran’s angry words. “Were I to be fair, I would give you that selfsame poison to drink and watch you writhe in pain. And you would drink it again, for each animal that died from it, shaking in agony.”
The huntsmen, the earth told her, shuddered and fell to their knees begging for mercy, but the prince had none
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