“As in, a disease from another dimension?” Landry asked.
Lynn nodded. “The Magister Prime believed that drinking it would bestow a person with powerful magic. He wanted to make more of it but needed ways to culture it. Although, most of the test subjects who were given Blight did not take to it very well.”
“And what happened to those test subjects?” Landry said.
Lynn paused, raising an eyebrow. “You found them already, in the basement.”
The dead children. They were the Imperium’s test subjects. Their twisted, melted faces flashed into Tomas’s mind like a show of lightning. The stench of their corpses, their blackened skin, and their mangled, inhumane features.
The very definition of unnatural.
Gharland peered back at some of the dismembered corpses of the Magisters they had found. “Good riddance, then,” he said with a snarl.
Lynn was growing more distressed. She was beginning to sweat. “My master, Magister Aymeir, thought he could stop what was happening here. He… he…”
“He allowed children to be murdered,” Tomas interjected, glaring at the girl. “Just as you did.”
“No, it wasn’t like that,” Lynn pleaded. “We were trying to help stop this.”
“And the things that attacked us?” Gharland yelled. “Were they made by your Magisters, too, then?”
“No! I don’t know where they came from.”
“Captain Gharland, we should chain her up. We cannot trust anything she says,” Landry said.
“Magister Aymeir was concerned about the Magister Prime and his experiments, captain,” Lynn continued. “That was why he sent word to your king; you have to believe me. He was becoming obsessed with the tome, with Kyzon’s Light and Blight. Aymeir and I feared what Impatus was doing was going to trigger something bad to happen.”
No one was listening to any more of what Lynn had to say. Gharland nodded to his men, who gathered some wrist shackles and chained her up as she struggled to get free of them.
No one listened but Tomas. He took in every desperate word that left her lips, somehow caught up with her ramblings.
“Please, you don’t understand! We did not cause this- we were trying to prevent it! It is only going to get worse as the Light gets closer! The natural order of things is shifting!”
“Find me a set of keys for the dungeon. Lock her away,” Gharland ordered.
Landry kicked the back of Lynn’s legs to get her walking.
“And you,” Gharland said, pointing to one of the soldiers. “Chain the boy up and put him down there with her for the time-being until we figure out this mess.”
Tomas then realised he was not yet in the clear, as Gharland was referring to him.
In an instant, his wrists were shackled back up, and he was being led down into the dark, cold underbelly of the Grand Repository to meet who knew what sort of fate.
Chapter 31 - Upon the Throne
Katryna Bower seemed to hover as she moved through the throne room of Castle Bower, down the long, red-and-white rug that stretched to the base of the dais on which the throne intimidating throne sat.
All eyes were on her. Hundreds of them. A room full of people yet as silent as a crypt.
Enormous pairs of decorated columns lined the centre runway. Hundreds of noble men and ladies, knights, barons, and baronesses crowded the wings of the hall in the guest areas, nervously awaiting news.
The court had been called.
Katryna’s shoes echoed around the grand hall. Some three storeys above her head hung circular, candlelit chandeliers with silver chains hanging between the canopies of the ceiling and the arms of the chandeliers.
Katryna had spent all morning with Trish in silence as the handmaiden applied makeup to hide her teary, swollen eyes and make sense of her dishevelled hair.
Trish had been awfully quiet, as had Katryna. Neither could read what the other was thinking, like they normally could.
The previous night’s events had planted an enormous wedge between Katryna and her ability to process the world around her.
She had put on whatever dress Trish had chosen for her. She could not remember which one. It did not matter. Her hair was pulled tightly in two coiled braids to the side of her head.
Now, she was ready to speak to the highborns of Camridia, called to Castle Bower for the urgent address. Well, as ready as she could possibly be.
By her side walked her brother, Prince Finnigan, adorning a bright red vest with a white, long-sleeved undershirt with ruffled wrists. His curls had been brushed and he looked as handsome as ever, despite tired, teary eyes.
Around the base of the dais were half a dozen Infinity Guardsmen, with Ser Arthus Medonia standing on the flank of the throne itself. The guards were in their classic silver and gold plate armour, except today they also wore long black mantles in mourning for the king.
Katryna had just come from a meeting with the High Sword, where he had given her and Finn an update on the search for Prince Rowan. She was so full of anger that it had been difficult to keep herself from boiling over each time something was said that frustrated her.
At the front of the throne hall, Katryna caught a glimpse of familiar faces. Jerrem Denar, struggling to hold his body weight up with a wooden cane. Hectar and Ellene Maarsden, her uncle and aunt, dour faced as always. The masked diplomats from Ember. Baron Maxim Seros, the father of Rowan’s wife, and Baroness Erin Thatch of Asterin, as well as many other notable people.
Normally, Katryna would feel a lump of anxiety welling in her throat, like choking on a piece of food, at the thought of speaking before all these people.
Yet somehow, from grief, anger, or numbness, Katryna did not give a second thought as she climbed the steps up to the throne and sat down.
The marble throne of Ravenrock had been designed to match the Bower sigil- a semicircle, raised at the centre, with projections of stone simmering out to resemble the top of a blooming flower.
Katryna could not get comfortable upon it. Everybody stared at her with astonishment to see a woman sitting atop the throne.
The seat was cold and hard. A memory flashed in her mind of her childhood. Her twin brother Willem, sitting in her father’s lap, asking why they made the throne so horrible to sit upon.
“Isn’t a king supposed to be comfy, father?” Willem had asked.
Giliam had chuckled before responding, in his grand yet soothing voice. “When addressing his people or presiding over the court, a king must never become complacent.”
“But we have so many other comfortable things! Why not the throne, too?”
“The throne was made from marble to remind a king of the plight of others. A ruler who gets comfortable upon their throne may forget the discomforts of others, and in doing so may be unfit to serve his people.”
All the while, Katryna had stood at the base of the dais. She knew better than to even consider asking to sit on it or on her father’s lap. It had not been a place for a woman.
But that had changed.
Katryna rubbed the ends of the armrests with the palms of her sweaty hands, realising how she must have looked to everyone else in the hall.
A woman, sitting upon the throne of Ravenrock. Such a irreverent thing had never happened.
Katryna had no intention of making herself queen, but she needed to take control of the situation her family and the kingdom were facing.
Finn had made it clear to her after finding their father and aunt murdered that he did not feel equipped enough to handle such an undertaking.
Now was Katryna’s time to act, to show everyone who had doubted her for her entire life that she was capable, that she was worth something.
With Finn standing stern by her side, Katryna straightened her back and looked out at the anxious crowd. She inhaled sharply, attempting to quell the rage simmering within since the night before.
“My lords and ladies, I am Princess Katryna Bower, firstborn daughter of King Giliam Bower,” she said
with a booming, stern voice to the court.
Some members in the crowd muttered to themselves. Others appeared gobsmacked. Many had forgotten that the king even had a daughter until very recent.
Katryna shut her eyes firmly. “I am heartbroken to have to inform you… but last night, the king and his sister were assassinated in the king’s bedchamber.”
The throne hall erupted with gasps, screams, and shouts. Not a single person could contain their shock at the horrific news.
Hectar and Ellene Maarsden raised their hands to their heads in horror. Ellene began to bawl at the realisation she had first lost her sister, Queen Mira, and now her brother-by-law as well.
Many shouted at Katryna and Finn with raised fists, demanding answers, and justice.
“Where is Prince Rowan!?”
“Who could have done this?”
“Traitors!”
The noise grew. The screams echoed through the throne hall, only amplifying their sounds. Katryna attempted to speak but was cut off by more shouts and cries.
The news was appalling. The king and queen, both dead. The recent arrival of the princess back in Ravenrock, who was now sitting on the throne of all things, appeared almost traitorous.
Ser Arthus Medonia struck his spear against the floor three times so loud that it completely silenced the room.
“We will have order in the throne hall. You will let the princess speak,” the High Sword bellowed.
Katryna bowed to Ser Arthus, grateful for his stepping in. She cleared her throat. “Prince Finnigan and I, as well as the High Sword and royal physicians, have sufficient reason to believe that Prince Rowan is the perpetrator, or at least may have a role to play, in the murders of the king, queen, and king’s sister.”
As expected, the highborns were in uproar at the revelation.
“Both the Infinity Guard and the city guard have been given orders to find and arrest my brother for regicide, murder, and treason. His wife, Lady Ofelia of House Seros, is, at this time, also suspected of playing a role in the assassinations. Both are on the run and evading capture, after fleeing the castle last night.
“Anybody who attempts to protect Prince Rowan or Lady Ofelia from the law will be arrested for treason against the crown and executed. Anybody who has information on their whereabouts is urged to step forward and let our guard know immediately.”
Still, the crowd spoke amongst themselves, with some shouting back at Katryna. It was Maxim Seros, however, the father of Lady Ofelia, who shouted the loudest.
“You cannot arrest my daughter! She is innocent of this!” Baron Maxim barked.
The ageing man had his thinning black hair combed forward slickly and wore a purple and gold sleeved tabard made from fine silks. His face grew flustered as he continued yelling over all others.
“She would never have had anything to do with this! You cannot pin these crimes on my daughter!”
“Baron Maxim,” Finn said, choosing his words carefully. “Your family has always been a close ally to our House. I can promise that no harm will come to your daughter before there is a trial.”
“Your daughter has fled the capital with an assassin, my lord. She will be held accountable for any wrongdoings she has committed,” Katryna said, cutting in with a bitter tone. “The longer she evades capture, the more suspicion she places upon herself.”
“You speak as if they have already been found guilty!” Maxim scoffed, furious.
“My lord, it’s not like that-” Finn said, trying to calm tensions before Katryna interrupted again.
“The king and queen were murdered. My Aunt Rashel was murdered. There will be no mercy for traitors to the crown.”
Maxim Seros started becoming distraught, not with anger but with fear. He fell to his knees before Katryna, pleading. “Please, do not hurt my daughter! I beg you!”
“Guards, remove Baron Maxim from the throne hall. He is clearly hysterical,” Katryna ordered coldly.
Two guards stepped forward and dragged Maxim Seros out by the arms. He resisted and continued to beg for mercy for his family to no avail.
Katryna stood up from the throne, arms behind her back and chin high so that her voice would carry. “Until we have a new king, my brother Finnigan and I will be leading this investigation. We will leave no stone unturned until this assassin is found, tried, and executed.”
Hectar Maarsden glared at Katryna before barging through the crowd with an angry finger pointed her way. “What right have you to command us? You are no family of ours! You are no princess!”
Some members of the court voiced their support for the late-queen’s brother to Katryna’s dismay.
“Rowan is to be king now, and you stand there claiming him to be a murderer! You are nothing but a usurper to his throne!” Ellene Maarsden hissed before spitting at Katryna’s feet.
A few raised their fists in protest with shouts. Finn took a step back away from the angering crowd.
Katryna was losing them fast.
“Guards!” Katryna did not even hesitate.
Within seconds, several more armed Infinity Guardsmen had taken Hectar and Ellene by the arms, dragging them away from the throne.
“Throw them in a cell,” Katryna ordered.
“Kat, wait! You can’t!” Finn protested.
“I can and I must. We need to keep order, now of all times. They have offered nothing but spite towards me ever since I stepped foot back in this castle.”
Finn went up to Katryna’s ear to talk privately. “Kat, please think this through. Imprisoning our family members is not a good look to anyone. We have no evidence of any wrongdoing by Aunt Ellene and Uncle Hectar.”
“They stand there,” Katryna shouted, “calling me ‘usurper’ in front of our people. I will have no interruptions to finding this assassin. None. Anyone who wishes to stand against us will be arrested for perverting justice.”
As her uncle and aunt were dragged down the throne hall towards the exit, Hectar continued hurling insults. “She did this! She’s the one! Usurper!”
“You are no kin of ours!” Ellene shouted, kicking at the floor to try and get free of the guards.
Looks of shock and gazes of suspicion spread through the throne hall, back and forth between the distraught members of the extended royal family being arrested and the princess by the throne making the harsh decisions.
The High Sword stepped up to Katryna, blocking her view of the crowd so that no one would hear him speak or even catch his lips moving.
“My lady, I must urge caution,” Arthus said softly and calmly. “I feel you are acting brash.”
Katryna cocked her head arrogantly, brushing off Arthus’s concern. She was not thinking clearly, but that was fine to her. She had no inhibitions left. Arthus was a good man and someone whose input she valued. But in that moment, she had to decide what was best.
“Rash is what we need right now, ser. I will do what must be done to get justice for our people.”
“For our people,” Finn muttered hesitantly, “or for yourself?”
The words cut like daggers in her chest. Katryna felt her eyes quivering and hand begin to tremble from both anger and anxiety.
Finn turned away, as if disgusted by her.
Was she losing him, too?
“Ambassadors J’rillo N’va and Siah R’no of Ember, please step forward,” Katryna commanded, sitting back down upon the cold throne.
From in amongst the crowd, the two masked diplomats appeared. They were each wearing elegant robes of red, orange, yellow and white. As usual, their faces were covered by ornate yet sinister-looking masks.
“We are at your service, my lady,” the taller of the two ambassadors, J’rillo N’va said in his thick southern accent, opening his hand out in a gesture of good faith.
“I have already asked you once, and I will ask once more for confirmation before the people of the Camridian court,” Katryna said, staring them squarely in the eyeholes in their masks. “Did you have any part in the
murders of the king and queen?”
The Emberian men shook their heads. “Of course not, my lady. We are friends to Camridia, and we bore no ill will towards the king and queen.”
Katryna felt they were telling the truth. The only evidence of Ember’s role in the assassinations was the meal they had shared with her mother and father, where Mira had supposedly been poisoned.
However, that was purely circumstantial. Besides that, Ember had been planning for a diplomatic future with Camridia- why assassinate their rulers?
Katryna thought for a moment on how to approach her next words. The resilience and self-reliance she had developed over all those years of loneliness screamed out to her, telling her to defend herself and stand up for what she knew was right… despite the possible repercussions.
Trusting her gut had worked this far into her life, why stop now?
“Ambassadors, you are free to leave Ravenrock and head back to Aurora. I would also like you to send word to Queen Virala, in regard to the offer of marriage from her son.”
The Emberian men leaned forward with anticipation, clasping their hands together. Their hopeful expectations were quickly shattered.
Katryna let out the breath she had been holding. “I am sorry to say that I will be declining the betrothal from Prince Tesh that was negotiated between you, King Giliam and Prince Rowan.”
Again, as if the throne hall were alive, gasps sounded out at not only the news of possible matrimony, but on the rejection of it.
A woman rejecting a marriage offer was unheard of- it was not their place to make those decisions. The father always decided who the daughter would wed.
Finn and Ser Arthus could only watch Katryna with disbelief.
“I had no say in the matter of matrimony with your prince,” Katryna said. “It was negotiated without my knowledge or consent, and I must formally decline the offer.”
“M-m-my lady,” J’rillo N’va stuttered, “it is not as simple as that. The offer has already been agreed to by both parties. Your father, the king, assured me that-”
“The king is dead,” Katryna said in a bitter tone. “The queen is dead. My Aunt Rashel is dead. Prince Rowan is accused of regicide and is on the run. I see no merit to keeping this proposal intact. The deal is off.”
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