“We are gathered here today to solidify our vows to the Looking Glass chapter,” Kenneth says, his voice is booming through the nave of the cathedral. “As you all know, our secrecy has been put at risk and my own position as your ruler has been jeopardized because of this. It is with great sadness that I must have our very own enforcer stand before us today to prove his loyalty.”
The robed member tugs the bag off Talon’s head. I gasp at the sight of his black eye and split lip, clearly showing he has been beaten before he was bound and imprisoned. He underestimated everyone and the rules and order he swore his life to. Or maybe he was blinded by his feelings for me. He only cared about my safety and didn’t think about himself.
He shifts on his feet and stares at the crowd, his eyes locking onto mine. “I’m sorry, wild child,” he mouths, thinning his lips.
A part of me doesn’t believe he was taken down so easily, but the proof stands before me.
Christos growls as His Majesty rips the bag off Christos’s head, purposely rough. He punches him in the stomach, sending him to his knees.
“And bring the witness.” Kenneth points toward another confessional, and a second guy opens the accordion door and grabs Leandro.
Fuck me. He wasn’t supposed to be here. He had stayed to take care of my mom’s body. He wasn’t going to be spotted. He was supposed to stay out of the way until everything was done, and now he’s here, being called a witness. And there’s only one outcome for such a title.
He’s about to die.
“Executioner, it’s time to live up to your name and secure the secret of the Looking Glass. If you shall fail, you will face the same fate. It is your task to clean up this mess. First, the witness, and then the traitor. He did not accept his challenge to plead for mercy.” Kenneth stands behind Leandro, grabbing his hair and tipping his head back, just to spit in his face. “Off with his head.”
The last time I heard him say those words, I witnessed a man die before me. He wasn’t decapitated, but Kenneth found it funny, considering the history of our founding chapter.
They wouldn’t dare give Talon a weapon. They’re too chickenshit.
They’re going to make him kill Leandro with his bare hands.
I need to give them a minute to think. I need to buy some time. I will not just stand idly by and wait my turn. That is not what I was raised to do. I’m not a docile Princess. I’m a goddamn warrior, and I’m ready to fight to be Queen.
All I have to do is figure out how to intervene without ending up with a knife in my back. I touch my pocket through my robe, feeling the keys. And then I touch the money clip again, remembering that it’s not just cash. Esteban’s been carrying the drugs he confiscated like a trinket or a prize like a serial killer takes from a victim.
Now I know what I need to do.
“Stop!” I scream, shoving past one of the King’s Court members. I fall to my knees before Kenneth, letting my fear and anger burst from me in a wail of a sob. “Please! Stop! You don’t have to do this. I’m begging you, don’t make him do this.”
Kenneth surprises me by grabbing my hair and yanking me up. “You’re going to have to do more than that, Princess. You’re a whore, so fucking act like one. Show us what you’re willing to do, and I’ll consider sparing one of them. But there are no guarantees.”
My stomach twists at his suggestion. How fucking disgusting. He’s not insinuating that I do something to him, is he?
“You will have to prove worthy to the entire King’s Court any way we want.” Kenneth yanks me higher off the ground, leering at me, his eyes lined with hatred.
“Get your fucking hands off her!” Esteban yells, rushing toward us. A man charges him, knocking him off his feet.
He pulls out a blade and aims it at his throat.
My ears ring, and I struggle to breathe. If I give in, it’ll just prolong my agony. They want to humiliate me before they take everything away. They will not show me mercy. Kenneth isn’t capable of it.
But he doesn’t know that I’m not the daughter he raised. I’m the woman forged from the aftermath of his wrongdoings. I’m as sharp and deadly as the blade he uses to cut people down. But I won’t crumble. I won’t give in.
I’d rather die trying than let him ever think that he is above me.
I thrash, screaming, doing my best to keep his attention away from the fact that I pull the keys from my pocket. I jab my hand forward and managed to sink the car key through his eye, making him recoil and trip over the altar of candles. The room erupts in chaos as Talon and Christos take advantage of the situation, freeing Leandro from the binds.
Smoke billows from some of the knocked-over candles, catching fire to the altar cloth. I press my weight on Kenneth, but I’m not heavy enough to pin him down. He locks his fingers around my wrists and yanks, pulling the keys from his eye hard enough to send them flying. With his other hand, he grabs me by the throat and squeezes, his mask now askew, his vision blocked but his mouth showing.
So I make my move, taking the opportunity I need. I pull the drugs from the baggie and jam the stack of red squares into his mouth, using my fingers to shove them down his throat, covering his mouth with my hand until they dissolve and he has to swallow.
He continues to squeeze, managing to grab me with both hands, and I open and close my mouth, trying to scream for help. People fight around me, and smoke clouds the room. This is it. I wasn’t quick enough. Maybe the drugs won’t work.
I close my eyes and prepare to die.
Water splashes across me, shocking my body, and I open my eyes and gasp for breath, Kenneth now beneath me with his eyes rolling and his body convulsing. I don’t know how long I blacked out for, maybe seconds. Possibly a minute.