Chapter 14 · The Blood Warrant

They dragged me through the corridor by my arms. My feet scraped the marble and I didn't care. The wards were still burning on the walls, blue and white, throwing shadows that twisted like they were alive.

I could hear voices ahead. A lot of them.

The guards shoved the double doors open and pulled me inside.

The Throne Hall.

I'd only seen it once before, the day they brought me here. It was different now. Every noble in Thornveil must've been summoned. They lined the sides of the room in their silk and velvet, faces pale and sharp under the chandeliers. The air smelled like old stone and blood wine and fear.

I tried to stand straight. My wrists were burning where the guards had grabbed me. My belly felt tight and I pressed one hand over it without thinking.

That made it worse. They all looked at me like I was something rotting.

"Bring her forward."

That was the king. Dorian's father.

King Alaric sat on the throne at the far end of the hall, and he didn't look anything like his son. He was older, obviously, but it wasn't that.