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I AM NOT A BRAVE GIRL, I don’t mind saying so, never had a need to be really. If there’s trouble in the castle, it’s nothing to do with me. Right now, my bowels have turned to jelly. I cannot believe my eyes. It is like a play but worse, with blood and gore. How I wasn’t sick when I saw Millard kill Macsen I don’t know. Sliced his head clean off he did. Rolled into the crowd it did. He didn’t even flinch as he did it.
Just swoosh and his brother’s dead. Minutes before he’d been patting him on the back, wishing him luck.
And poor little Addyson. If I was brave, I would have kicked that Wolf in the head. He has always been Macsen’s man, so that shows you what he’s all about. What a pig. Holding on to a little girl like that, scaring the living daylights out of her. What a bloody awful day.
I have looked for Archer; he was at the back of the crowd, but he is gone. I need to tell Everleigh what’s just happened. I need to get her here quickly, even if I can’t find Archer. Millard cannot be made King, but I am too scared to move. I don’t want him looking at me.
He’s far too handy with that sword.
Halfreda has shuffled over to him now and I reckon she’s going to have to carry on with the ceremony. No doubt he’ll slice her old head right off otherwise. What a to-do. And to think I fancied myself marrying this one. He’s a mad man. I can see it now. We all can. Oh, he tried to say he was only defending himself. Killing his brother before his brother killed him, letting him do his dirty work with the King and Everleigh, but that’s just excuses. He’s a maniac.
He is watching Halfreda and I reckon I can slip away. I need to fetch Everleigh.
I hammer on Halfreda’s door, probably scaring Everleigh half to death but I am panicked now. Millard cannot be King; he will kill us all.
“Everleigh!” I am screaming now. No one else will hear me. Everyone who matters is watching the mad man become King. She opens the door a tiny bit and I shove my way past her. Finally, away from the killer, I burst out crying.
Will is with her and they both look horrified, and they have not even heard my tale yet. There is no sign of Archer with them.
Everleigh tries to comfort me but I know she’s confused as to why I’ve broken from the plan. She hugs me tight then steps back, passing me a handkerchief from Halfreda’s table. I blow my nose.
“You need to come now,” I say. “Don’t argue. You need to come.”
“What’s happened?” I can see she’s panicking but I’ve got hold of her arm. I can tell her on the way.
She stops me. “Lanorie. Tell us. What’s wrong. Am I too late? Is Macsen King?”
“Worse than that.” And I am crying again. In between crying, blowing my nose and feeling sick at remembering it, I tell her.
“Millard has killed Macsen.”
“What?” Everleigh drops to a chair, hand over her mouth, eyes wide. “What?” Will holds on to her other hand.
“Macsen came on to the stage. All dressed up. Looked lovely. Addy was watching. And Millard. Millard got up and hugged him. The crowd is huge. All clapping and cheering. I stood at the back. Because I knew about you. You coming. Halfreda told us all that we were there to watch him be King and Millard said something like, no we’re not or wrong or think again. I don’t know. Then he jumped up, grabbed Macsen around the head and poked his sword against his neck. Then he said, or did he say, I don’t know but then he cut his head off and it rolled on the floor.”
Everleigh sobs at that, hand moving to her heart.
“Then Wolf grabbed Addy.”
“Addy?”
“She’s fine. She’s not hurt, Wolf just grabbed her.”
“Wolf? He’s Macsen’s friend, Macsen’s guard.”
“No, he grabbed Addy and she was screaming and crying. Worried she was next. Then Halfreda asked Millard what he was doing. He said he wanted to kill everyone but Macsen beat him to it. He said he wanted to be King and he needed everyone out of the way. And his sword was just dripping with blood. He said Macsen would have killed him, so he killed him first. He said to Wolf to keep hold of Addy so she could watch him be made King. He said she was safe, but she was miserable. He said he knew that Macsen got the death thingy off Ginata. He knew everything. Except about you. He didn’t know that. He doesn’t know you’re alive. That’s why we must go. We must stop him. Halfreda’s got to make him King or he’ll kill her too. Come on.”
“Where’s Archer-”
“I don’t know and it’s too late to worry. We have to go.”
Everleigh nods. Stands up, she’s right pale but moving. Will holds her hand and the three of us leave the safety of Halfreda’s room. They are coming with me. She’s all the hope we have now.