Chapter 208

Though she would never admit it, Kit regretted her hasty decision to see the swamp where Gy and the others had come to rest. Almost immediately upon mounting Snowduster (whom she’d borrowed once more without expression permission) and following Galter and a number of her guards out into the night, she wished she hadn’t. It wasn’t just that she could imagine the sight she was about to lay eyes on would be ghastly to say the least, she was so exhausted, the only reason she was still awake was because sitting astride such a wide horse had put a cramp in her leg. The ache in her thigh was preventing her from falling asleep even more than the worry that this horse, along with Aeros, were still in the barn when she’d set out on her expedition.

Jate had offered to let her ride along with him, and she probably should’ve taken him up on it, but she had decided to borrow Cassius’s horse instead in an air of independence that had never served her well and proved not to be doing so this night—or was it morning?—either. In fact, she had the overwhelming feeling that what she was about to see would infuriate her beyond her ability to think clearly and rationally and may very well lead her to even harder times ahead. Nevertheless, she pressed on.

The other ladies behind her, all three of her attendants since they had caught up with Seph in the hall, were completely quiet. Not a hint of discomfort left their lips as they also rode along through chilly air on uneven ground, amongst scraggily branches and roots that would reach up and trip their steeds if they weren’t vigilant.

Jate and Danyen had come with her, while Landon, Reeve, and Drake had stayed behind to keep an eye on what was happening at the castle, not that the remainder of Kit’s guard wasn’t capable of handling that task, but the men had determined that Kit should be safe enough while she was out. It was the coming back that was troublesome. If the queen found out what Kit was aware of, she could come down hard on her daughter.

While the rest of the castle slumbered, Kit wound her way through grounds unfamiliar to her on a task she desperately did not wish to follow through with, worried about Eli and Cassius, and certain the end was upon her group of revolutionaries—one way or another.

After half an hour of steady riding, Kit spied the wall of timber mentioned earlier and followed her guard around the far side, hoping to prepare herself for the sight about to be revealed to her. She could picture Gy’s kind face in her mind. He was no pushover, that one. Strong, tall, built more like Eli than she’d noticed until this case of mistaken identity had claimed his life, Kit wondered at the strength the Queen’s Guard must’ve enlisted to overtake him. Even caught off guard in his sleep, he wouldn’t have gone down easily.

The scent of the bog hit her nostrils before she even saw it ahead of them. Death was an overwhelming presence here, unlike any other place Kit had ever witnessed. Decay soiled the stench of mud and animal waste, somehow making what would otherwise be a horrible odor into something profuse enough to cause Kit to cover her nose with a handkerchief. It was so vile, her eyes began to water.

It was just as well, because when her lead guards lowered their lanterns so that she could take in the sight, liquid of a different sort altogether brimmed over her eyes and splashed down her cheeks.

Gy’s body, still wrapped up in the sheet, though he had come free enough to be recognized, lay on the outer shore of the murky water. He was face down, but it was obvious this was the man they had been looking for. He’d been sleeping in his uniform, the gray and purple visible in the dim light of the lanterns, and a sliver of moon hung so that it could peek between the lower branches of trees like a child hoping not to be noticed off in the distance.

Beyond Gy, Kit could see other artifacts of human remains, some more obvious than others. Here and there, an arm protruded from the mire, some nearly visible to the shoulder, others just a fist. A leg, a bent knee, a shoulder. Someone’s work boot. Scraps of fabric floating amongst the bubbles escaping from beneath the sludge. The bile that had threatened to free itself from her gullet all evening climbed her throat again. Kit slid her hand over her mouth, trying not to gag and gratefully accepted the canteen Jate offered her, praying the cool water would slide down her throat and carry the revolting acid with it.

Once she had recovered enough to speak, Kit asked of Galter, “Have you any idea how many?”

“No, Princess. But we have noticed many of them are wearing gray uniforms. Since you are not missing many a guard, I imagine this is where your mother has been sending her own guardsmen, those who no longer serve her as she would like, or those who have otherwise proven themselves disloyal.”

“Or incompetent,” Danyen offered.

Kit shook her head slowly. How cannibalistic did it seem that her mother’s guard would bring their own kind out here to rot? Didn’t they imagine this could likewise be their own fate? She had seen enough.

“We shall need to exhume them as soon as possible, once our other tasks are complete.”

“Yes, Princess,” Galter agreed. “We shall do our best.”

She nodded and was about to turn around and head back to the castle when something tied around one of the protruding wrists caught her attention. A red ribbon—a familiar one. Kit followed the object down into the water, but the surface was anything but clear, and she couldn’t see much beyond where the elbow protruded from the bog. “Can you shine your light there?” She pointed at the spot she wanted illuminated, and one of her guards used a pole to place the light closer to the body she had gestured at.

His familiar face was already rotting away, but Kit recognized the carriage driver she’d spoken to only a few days ago. Ras. The tears that had fallen earlier had been on behalf of humanity in general, but the ones that trickled down her chin now were for the poor soul who’d only been trying to help his princess and provide for his family. Kit wondered if the bag of medicine and food she’d prepared for him had ever reached the woman who so desperately needed it, but she had the horrible feeling she already knew the answer to that question.

She gestured for the guard to remove the pole and pulled back on Snowduster’s reins, backing him up so that he could turn around as the others did the same. She couldn’t bear to think of the idea that Ras was dead because of her. He wasn’t the first, and he likely wouldn’t be the last. While those in her service would remind her time and again that they were aware of what they’d signed up for, this carriage driver had paid with his life for having done very little in the way of the revolution.

The horses wound their way back to Wrenbrook. Galter and the soldiers rode ahead while Danyen and Jate followed behind the princess and her women. Kit’s mind was no longer fixated on sleep. Instead, she considered who it was that had brought an end to Ras and imagined it was likely Vin. He had been there that day, had startled her and Cassius in the kitchen. Rosy had said Ras was back a few days later, and she’d given him the medicine. Has that been the day Vin ended him? She might never know, but thoughts of Vin murdering the dear man made her loath the scar faced monster even more, something she would’ve thought impossible previously.

“Who was it?” Isla whispered just before the horses emerged from the woods, the last bit of cover before Wrenbrook would come into view.

“The carriage driver, the one who told me what he’d witnessed on the road at night.”

“Oh, no!” Isla covered her mouth with her hand. “How pitiful.”

All Kit could do was nod her head.

The guards extinguished their lanterns. A detail they’d left behind still sat sentinel on their horses nearer the castle, and Kit assumed the fact that they were still there was a good sign that the queen’s minions had not been out and about. She could only assume they were off somewhere celebrating the death of Eliason Goedwig. It would be lovely to see their faces when they discovered they’d been foiled again.

“Why don’t you go straight to the castle? I’ll collect Snowduster and put him away,” Jate offered, riding up next to her.

“It’s all right. I can manage,” the princess replied before she gave it much consideration.

“I know that. But you see, the more quickly you are back in your chambers where you belong, the better.”

She had to agree with that assessment. She kept the white stallion in check as she approached the nearest entryway to the castle, the one they always used to access the barn, and pulled him to a stop near the stone steps. Jate was at her elbow.

Turning in his direction, she found a small smile. “Thank you.”

“You’re most welcome, Princess.” He reached up and smoothed her hair away from her cheeks, where the salty tears she’d let go for those left behind in the bog had matted her ebony waves. Jate leaned in and kissed her softly before Kit swung her leg overtop the great beast, forgetting how far it was to the ground.

The hands she felt around her waist were recognizable before she even turned her head. Where he’d materialized from, she wasn’t sure but when Cassius lowered her to the ground, part of her longed to melt into his arms, to let him hold her until the world was right again. She couldn’t do that, though. As vulnerable and melancholy as she felt, she needed to remember now, more than ever, who she was.

Jate led Snowduster back toward the barn, and Cassius kept his arms around her, lowering his head to whisper in her ear. “Someone stole my horse, again.”

She turned her head, happy to see his mischievous smile in the light of the dawning sun. “Belle could’ve never handled the muck.”

“We must get you a sturdier ride.”

Kit blushed, the picture coming to mind having nothing to do with horses. She turned around to face him. “How is he?”

Cassius nodded, understanding who she was speaking of. “He’s fine. Pissed that we made him leave, but otherwise fine.”

“That sounds about right.”

“Come on, let’s get you back to your chambers before the queen realizes you’re missing.”

Kit took his hand and followed, but deep inside, she had a feeling the queen already knew.