Chương 20: 020

Silas's expression darkened as two towering guards rounded the corner. Dragged between them was a woman, her green skin visible beneath leather and fur as she fought viciously against their grip. Tusks jutted from the corners of her mouth, made sharper by the snarl twisting her face. Her wild mane of onyx hair whipped around her shoulders as she thrashed. When she spotted Silas, her dark eyes ignited with molten hatred.

"You-!" Silas exhaled, already weary, and flicked a hand.

"Our resident bandit, then? Guards, escort this ruffian to the dungeon for questioning." They moved immediately. The woman bucked harder, muscles straining, then her gaze slid past Silas and locked onto me. Her eyes dropped to the ears atop my head.

"You're beastfolk," she snarled, disbelief and fury colliding, "and you're working with that monster?!" She lunged, dragging the guards a full step forward. I flinched back instinctively, giving her a wide berth.

"You'll burn for this," she spat.

"Helping the likes of him." Suspicion rose, prickly and hot.

"What did he do?" I asked. Her fury faltered, disbelief crashing through it.

"What did he–?" She shook her head sharply.

"What didn't he–." She never finished. Silas moved. It was so fast my brain struggled to catch up, one moment he stood several feet away, the next a dagger was buried in her chest. Her eyes widened for a heartbeat. Then she went slack. Ice seized my lungs as she crumpled, the guards barely catching her before she hit the floor. A sharp ringing filled my head, like a bell struck too hard, drowning out everything else.

I staggered forward on instinct, reaching for her as if I could undo it, but the guards hauled her back. Silas straightened, already sheathing the dagger with a weary sigh.

"I'm sorry you had to witness that," he said calmly.

"I'm sure it doesn't help your opinion of my kingdom." He gestured, and the guards dragged her body away. Even after they were gone, the image burned behind my eyes. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. He killed her. Just like that. And now he spoke as if he'd been inconvenienced by the necessity. He reached for me again. I tore myself away, revulsion and fury blazing through my veins.

"You murdered a woman who couldn't fight back! She was unarmed and restrained, how could that possibly be justified?!" His hand closed around my arm, firm but not rough. He shook his head, regret etched into his features.

"You must understand. That woman led a band of marauders. Hundreds dead at their hands, innocents who were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time." His grip tightened slightly.

"She was moments from breaking free. She would have killed you with her bare hands. I couldn't allow that." Pressure built behind my eyes, a vicious ache threatening to split my skull. I rubbed at it, the ringing refusing to fade as he continued.

"You are my people's only hope," Silas said quietly.

"I could not risk losing you." From where I stood, the guards had looked firmly in control. But… she had been ready to kill me. The thought made my stomach churn.

"What did she mean," I asked, forcing the words past the noise in my head, "when she said 'what didn't you do'? And why was she so furious that I, a beastfolk, was 'helping' you?" Silas sighed, gaze distant.

"Most beastfolk have turned to thievery along the main roads. They prey on travelers." His voice hardened.

"She led them. I've tried to employ as many beastfolk as I could, give them honest work, a chance to be more. But many were swayed by her promises of blood and plunder before I could reach them." Images flashed through my mind, the rabbit beastfolk and the bat-winged one, dulling the edge of my rage but not extinguishing it. Karma had warned me beastfolk were hated, but she hadn't mentioned them largely following some kind of thieving cult. My headache pulsed again, sharper this time.

I pulled free of Silas's grasp with a low grunt.

"You were going to send me to a room to think." There was no avoiding it now. Nothing was lining up and with my damn head trying to split, I couldn't put two and two together. I needed to talk to Time, and I needed to do it now. Silas nodded and snapped his fingers. A guard appeared instantly, clad head to toe in gleaming plate. The king gestured toward me.

"Escort him to the royal guest chamber. He is to be treated with the highest respect. Is that clear?" The guard nodded sharply.

"Yes, Your Majesty." He turned to me.

"If you'll follow me." I fell into step without a word, casting one last glance over my shoulder. Silas stood where I'd left him, shoulders slumped as he rubbed at his eyes. For just a moment, he looked old. Tired. Crushed beneath something far heavier than a crown. Guilt stirred in my chest.

"I'll… ask to see you once I've made my decision," I said quietly. I caught the dip of his head in response, and then I followed the guard down the hall.