“It was Maya,” Nyx supplied.
Dagger lowered his gaze again to the floor, keeping his expression still.
“You’ve left me no choice, Dagger,” Maniodes sighed. “Not only did you kill someone I did not command, you let that same girl see you previously.”
“Just leave Scythe be,” Dagger pleaded.
“She failed her test as well, actually.”
“What test?” Scythe demanded, letting the tension snap.
Maniodes’s blue eyes bored into Scythe at her question. She couldn’t maintain the eye contact, so she looked down to her hands again.
“The three names were for Dagger only, so you could practice self-restraint. I had high hopes after meeting you in the library.”
“But I offered her the knife,” Dagger protested. “If we had known—”
“The point is not to know,” Maniodes roared.
“He is right, Dagger,” Nyx said gently. “I was there for Basil, and Scythe was eager to take his life. She did pause though.”
Maniodes looked ready to deal out their sentence, but that last comment made him stop.
“She asked Dagger if you would mind,” Nyx said, clarifying for Maniodes.
“And I convinced her it was fine. The job was done, and we hadn’t been seen at the time,” Dagger said. “I didn’t think the technicality of who killed him mattered.”
“Regardless,” Maniodes said, “you both went beyond my orders again. And you, Dagger, obviously weren’t careful enough at the wedding.”
Maniodes stood from his throne and descended the dais. Nyx stayed where she was, so Maniodes had to curve around her.
“Just spare Scythe,” Dagger pleaded.
“You’re both tied to this. I am sorry to lose you two. You are my most ruthless.”
The god towered above them and raised a hand over Dagger’s head. Scythe didn’t want to watch, but she couldn’t tear her eyes away. Dagger had been following Maniodes’s hand, but now he looked to Scythe. His black eyes held a mix of sorrow and gratitude, but he smiled at her.
Scythe quickly reached over and took Dagger’s hand in both of hers. His sorrow deepened, but his smile grew.
“Wait,” Nyx commanded.
Maniodes stopped before he could draw Dagger’s consciousness from him. Scythe finally relinquished a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. Dagger blinked, dazed but still alive.
Maniodes turned back to Nyx, confused. “Why wait? This is what you wanted.”
“He’s learning,” Nyx said.
Maniodes stammered at the sudden shift. Scythe kept her eyes on Nyx, praying she had heard the goddess right.
“He learned Marella and Thomas’s names. Names of people he didn’t have to kill,” Nyx clarified.
“Where did you learn their names?” she asked him studying his reaction. “They weren’t designated victims.”
Dagger paused, seemingly surprised, then said, “I met them on the road to the city. Their horse had fallen and broken its leg. They had no means of helping it, so I had to put it down. They introduced themselves after.”
“Did you know they were related to Basil?”
“No, Your Grace.”
“So, they were just strangers on the road, and you wanted to help their horse?”
“Yes.” Dagger glanced at Scythe for a second, clearly uneasy at Nyx’s questions.
Nyx crossed her arms and said, “Well, he’s starting to respect the living. Leave them be for now, Maniodes.”
“But you wanted them disbanded before,” Maniodes argued; Scythe knew he referred to all of the Incruentus Ferrum.
“I did, but if they can learn, then they can control themselves. I hope Scythe can learn that as well, though with something more direct than an injured horse.” Nyx strode forward, forcing Maniodes to step aside. She stopped in front of Dagger. While on his knees, they were the same height. Scythe had never seen the goddess this close before. The black around her white irises was unnerving.
“You will be given one more chance, which is far more then you deserve,” Nyx said to Dagger.
“Thank you, Your Grace,” Dagger breathed.
“But you will suffer punishment for Marella’s life. Three days in the chains.”
Dagger didn’t reply; he only bowed his head in thanks.
Nyx turned to Scythe. Her white pupils shot through Scythe like ice picks.
“You do need to practice more self-restraint,” Nyx said.
“I will, Your Grace.”
Nyx rounded on Maniodes next. The stress was making Scythe almost giddy. She had to bite her tongue to stop from laughing at the sight of the four-foot Nyx intimidating an eight-foot god.
“And you,” she said to her son, “should make your intentions more clear. You gave no indication that Scythe couldn’t kill until now. They’re meant to cause mischief and mystery for the living, not be your playthings.”
Nyx was defending her. She was defending Scythe against her own son. Even Axe, behind the sentries, looked stunned.
Maniodes could only stammer rather than protest. Eventually, he just nodded.
Nyx disappeared then. No flash, no flourish. She was just gone.
Scythe could finally breathe properly again. Dagger was panting a bit too, but more blood stained his tunic. Where Scythe could hardly contain her joy, Dagger seemed more composed. It was understandable; he was about to be stuck in the chains for three days.
“Guards!” Maniodes barked. “Take him below.”
Two skeletons parted from the ranks and approached Dagger, bones rattling menacingly.
Scythe stood as Dagger did when Maniodes left the throne room. Pitch risked a glance back at Dagger and Scythe before hurrying after his master.
Scythe realized then that she still held Dagger’s hand. The sentries stood on either side of him but seemed to be waiting for them to say their good-byes. The walking corpses had more heart than their master.
“Go home,” Dagger said, drawing Scythe’s attention.
“No, I’ll stay until the chains are in.”
“I’d rather you not see that,” Dagger protested. “I wouldn’t mind a visit later, though.”
Scythe wrapped her arms around him again. Dagger held her against him and stroked her hair. He was actually the one comforting her while he was the one about to be impaled.
Scythe forced steel into her spine and pulled away, looking up to his eyes. They were soft and loving, but she saw the plea behind them, asking her to go.
Scythe planted one more kiss, then, staying close, she whispered, “I’ll visit you later.”
Chapter 21
Scythe strode from the dead oak tree in her own courtyard. She had stayed long enough to watch the sentries escort Dagger out of the throne room. She could do nothing for him but cast another encouraging smile. She hated doing nothing. That’s all she had done as Maniodes and Nyx dealt out her husband’s punishment. She had been too scared and stunned to protest. She had done nothing for Dagger to protect him.
Scythe detoured toward the vines along the west side of the courtyard. She extended her weapon to full length and sliced through the vines crawling up the castle. It felt good. She screamed and sliced again. Her vision turned crimson with anger and emerald with foliage. She screamed and sliced until her arms hurt and her voice cracked. Eventually, there was nothing left to cut. Scythe stalked inside, leaving the garden in shreds.
Scythe went straight for the cellar and strode up to their captured guests. She wanted to rip them apart; she wanted them to scream with her. She wanted them to feel as helpless as she had.
It was just like before with her father. She couldn’t do anything against him. She could only let him hurt her again and again. A man in power, abusing that power and hurting those below him.
Scythe wanted to tear the couple apart. Every inch of her body screamed for it, but Nyx had advised self-restraint.
Both guests were still alive, so she locked them in separate cel
ls. The man had been quiet the entire time, waiting for more torture. The woman screamed after her as Scythe locked the cell door. Scythe stood there, enjoying those screams as one would enjoy birdsong.
Before the night was out, Scythe went back to Skiachora. The first sentry she saw stood at the iron gate at the top of the floating stairs. There was no way of knowing if this was one of the two that took Dagger away; they all looked the same, but they all shared the same mind. It didn’t matter which one you gave an order to or which one carried it out. They all remembered the actions as if they had done it themselves.
Maniodes would refuse her request, so she walked right up to the sentry.
“Take me to Dagger,” she demanded.
The skull looked at her through empty sockets as if thinking, though it didn’t have any brains. If it didn’t move soon, Scythe would shatter it to pieces and find another. Eventually, it hefted its rusty spear and started walking back to the castle. Scythe followed close behind.
The sentry took her below the castle. Cracks ran through the foundation, but the castle always held strong. The sentry let her down through the cracked corridors to an open chamber that held Dagger in the center.
The chamber was large enough that the walls and ceiling were cast in shadow. Chains sprouted from those shadows, all meeting in the middle and embedded in the rock at Dagger’s feet. His arms were outstretched by three chains in one arm and four in the other. He stood straight regardless of the obvious pain he was in.
To get closer to him, Scythe moved around a chain that punched through his chest and stepped over another pinning his foot.
Dagger spat blood and said, “Hello again, my lady.”
Scythe got as close as the chains would allow. “I’m sorry about this.”
“It was my own fault.” His voice was ragged.
“But I gave away your lie to that girl. I made her angry,” Scythe argued.
“Marella followed me with a knife. She already had the intention of killing me.” Dagger tried to shrug, but the rattling chains stopped him. He grunted and squeezed his eyes shut against the pain. “There was no talking her down. How are our guests?”
He kept his voice as low and casual as possible.
A sentry stood nearby and would report to Maniodes if anything odd happened. Scythe didn’t know how they reported since they didn’t have tongues. Maybe they could write.
“They’re alright,” Scythe replied. “Having the time of their lives.”
“I’m glad,” he said, gritting his teeth.
“Dagger,” Scythe reached through the web of iron and cupped his cheek. He didn’t hunch over from the pain, but he leaned into her hand. It was the only thing that didn’t hurt him.
“I’ll be alright, but you have to lay low,” he said earnestly. “Nyx may have spared us, but their ears are perked our way.”
“I’ll be careful,” she reassured him. “I’ll do some reading in the library.”
His eye glinted.
“Scythe,” he started. “I do appreciate the visit…but I’d rather there not be another until these are gone.”
He didn’t want her seeing him in this pain. He stood straight with a cringe now and then, but soon he wouldn’t be able to manage it. He was strong but several chains piercing through your body would even bring Maniodes to his knees.
Scythe nodded but didn’t remove her hand immediately. With a sigh she said, “I’ll come back when they are taken out.”
“Until then, my lady.” Dagger gave a slow nod and a smile.
Scythe let her hand drop and turned to leave. She wished she could do more for him, which surprised her a bit. She actually felt guilty for leaving him there, but he wanted her to. She remembered the mausoleum they shared, and how uneasy she had been then. She wanted to go back there with him.
She walked past the sentry, remembering the way on her own. When she reached the main floor, she made for the library. She was determined to find a way to take down Maniodes quickly. With the shield as her only lead, she might as well steal the damn thing and destroy it just to see what would happen. She wanted so badly to break something instead of read, but they had to be sure before they took action. She couldn’t afford to be reckless.
It only took her a moment this time to find the hollow library. It was warm and inviting as always. Scythe even saw Axe through the archway, head bowed in concentration over a text he was reading. As she was about to greet Axe, Scythe strode through the archway and spotted Maniodes.
He looked up at her entrance, surprised. Apparently, he’d come here to clear his head after the throne room. His shield leaned on the chair next to him beside the lit fireplace. It was a beautiful piece of work. Four feet in diameter, the rounded iron and steel depicted a dragon’s skull.
Scythe’s blood started to boil again. She imagined herself grabbing the shield and bashing the mighty god’s brains in with it. He didn’t look pleased to see her either. Before anything could happen, Scythe turned her back on him and stormed out.
Chapter 22
Scythe paced around the parlor in their own small castle, restless but unsure what to do. There were hours before the sun rose. She had hoped researching would calm her, but she wasn’t about to do it with Maniodes looming over her shoulder. So, she was stuck at home to wait out the night.
A fluttering noise caught her attention, breaking her out of her thoughts of wreaking havoc on something, anything. A bat hung onto the little bar at the window. Scythe opened the glass window and plucked the message tied to its claw. Once free of its burden, it flew away. The message was small, just a single sentence scrawled on the parchment.
“I’m at your front door—Axe.”
Confusion washed away her anger. She was on the same floor as the main entrance, but she hadn’t heard a damn thing. There was a huge iron knocker shaped like a raven’s skull on the front door. How had she not heard that?
She threw open the tall entry door, expecting it to be empty. Axe stood on the front step. The initial surprise at the door opening so suddenly faded to relief.
“I’m glad that bat found you,” he said. “I was here for fifteen minutes before running back to Skiachora for it. You’re quite lucky to have a dead tree in your yard.”
“What are you doing here?” she asked, confused, not intending to be rude.
“I heard Maniodes talking about you after they took Dagger,” he said. “May I come in?”
“Yes! Yes,” Scythe stepped aside, letting Axe through, then shut the door behind.
He took in the estate entrance. Scythe never had guests back in her cave home, but it was never a proper place to receive them anyway. Standing in the entrance felt rude and awkward, though.
“Let’s go sit,” she said hurriedly and led Axe to the parlor.
“Is that human leather?” he asked when he saw the couch.
“Yes,” she said, proudly. “I tanned it myself, and Dagger helped me stitch it together on the frame.”
Axe’s gaze drifted around the parlor, no doubt absorbing the fact that the furniture was fixed with more leather and bone. His eyes widened with awe and slight repulsion.
“We didn’t kill any unnecessary people to make these,” she said to reassure him. He probably wouldn’t think too kindly of killing people for fancy décor. “We just dug up fresh graves.”
“Ah, well, good,” he said, examining Dagger’s latest project in the corner.
It was a high-backed dining chair. The back of it was made from interlocking ribs, resembling a ribcage but on a flat surface.
“It is rather beautiful,” Axe admitted, distracted.
“Thank you.” She was eager to let Dagger know Axe liked his work. She took a seat on the couch. “So what did Maniodes say?”
Axe snapped back into reality and took a seat on the couch next to Scythe.
“After the sentries took Dagger, I went to the library,” Axe explained. “Maniodes came in an hour later, but he didn’t seem to notice me. He sat a
t the fire in his usual chair. He looked tired too. He didn’t pick a book like he usually does, but just stared into the fire. Pitch came in and handed him a goblet of something. He spoke then, more to himself than Pitch, I think. He thought you were going to do something rash, even spiteful. Pitch suggested giving you a job to keep you occupied. Maniodes agreed. I suppose the only one he really listens to is the little fellow. He said he’d pick something that ‘reminded you of your place.’ His words, not mine.”
Scythe didn’t bother hiding her frustration and rolled her eyes. Pretty soon, her place would change.
“So what happened after I popped in?” Scythe asked.
“I don’t blame you for walking away; it was the best action. He muttered something, but I didn’t catch what. Pitch looked taken aback but stayed quiet. He’s afraid for Dagger too, you know.”
“Maniodes?”
“Pitch. I’ve talked to the boy often. He idolizes Dagger and even tried asking Maniodes if he could lighten the sentence. He asked if it could last one day, but Maniodes refused. Maniodes said Nyx’s word was the final say, and that it was for Dagger’s own good.”
“How does having a dozen chains webbing through your organs help anything?!” Scythe snapped.
“His words.” Axe held his hands up in peace.
Scythe stood and started pacing, muttering. “His fucking good, my ass. We’ll see which place I belong in.”
Scythe wasn’t sure how long she had been walking, but sitting still wasn’t helping the rage. Axe waited on the couch with his hands pressed together.
“Scythe,” Axe stood and took her arm. “You have to calm down.”
Her hand inched into a fist.
Axe let go of her arm, realizing that touching her wasn’t the best approach. “I understand you’re angry, and I’m worried about Dagger in those chains too, but he’ll be fine. I’m worried about you.”
Her fist tightened.
“Nyx might not be there to defend you next time, and Maniodes won’t hesitate in forcing you to go grey. He was going to do it this time. If you step out of line, you’re both gone. I like you two. I don’t want to see either of you as walking husks.”
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