The Curse of Saints by Kate Dramis

Author:Kate Dramis
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sourcebooks

43

The cobblestones were caked with blood.

Aya pulled up short outside the white town house, home to Councillor Avis Lavigne and his family. The door hung off its hinges, giving an unobstructed view to the entryway, where upended chairs and shattered crystal littered the space.

It was as if Avis’s daughter had tried to fight her way out.

“Gods,” Aidon breathed as he took in the mess. His grave face said enough: they’d be lucky if Helene was alive. Members of the City Guard had cordoned off the area, but that didn’t stop anxious townspeople from craning their necks to catch a glimpse of what was going on. “This is a nightmare,” he muttered, his frown deepening as his sister pushed through the guards.

“Vi and I heard Claire Lavigne’s screams from the art studio,” Josie said when she reached them. “I’ve just got her settled in one of the healing shops down the street. She’s in shock.”

“But you didn’t hear Helene?” Aya asked. Josie shook her head, and Aya turned back to the front stoop, her eyes scanning the entryway again. Whoever broke in was strong. Not necessarily Zeluus strong but…strong enough to leave a path of destruction in their wake. And they obviously didn’t care about covering their tracks. As if they were leaving a message.

“Where’s Avis?” Aidon asked, his voice low. Josie nodded her chin to where the councillor stood, his face purple as he berated one of the City Guards.

“What can I do?” Josie asked, but Aidon was already in motion.

“Go home.” He turned to Aya, his expression hard. “Make sure she gets there safely.” Josie went to argue, but Aidon wouldn’t hear it. “I don’t know who they’re targeting. This was a bloodbath, Josie. Go home. Now.”

That voice… It wasn’t the warm baritone Aya had grown used to. It was the voice of the general.

“Come on,” Aya said, tugging lightly on Josie’s arm. “This is about to become a scene.” There were more townspeople gathering behind the Guard, and their eyes had found the prince and princess easily.

Josie silently fumed as they walked back, her lips pressed into a tight line. She remained silent until they arrived in her suite, where Josie immediately took up a steady pacing as Aya settled on the turquoise quilt of her four-poster bed.

“You’re angry,” Aya observed.

“He says he doesn’t agree with our uncle. He believes me perfectly capable to serve in the forces. And yet at the slightest hint of danger, he sends me home. And he asked you to escort me, so clearly he must think me incapable of handling myself.”

Aya didn’t want to think too much about the fact that Aidon had trusted her with his sister’s safety. She couldn’t take a moment to consider what that might mean; not now, not with Josie’s building fury.

“Have you shared this with him?”

Josie waved a hand, the gold rings on her fingers catching the bright light of the candles flickering in the chandelier. “In passing.”

“Perhaps it warrants a more serious conversation.”

The princess hummed noncommittally, her gaze troubled as she finally sank into a vibrant blue armchair across from Aya.

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