Dean leans closer. "I see the princess is rubbing off on you, dear brother. Hope she doesn’t make you too soft."
I grunt, then dismount and lead my horse forward. The guard in red stops us as well.
"What business you have here?" he asks.
"Returning home," I say, showing my fangs as I speak.
The man seems skeptical, chewing his lip, and then Dean chimes in. "Bearing goods from Prince Levi’s realm." He points at the supply packs on our horses. "For the event."
The man seems satisfied, and with a nod, he lets us threw.
"What event?" I whisper.
"Something Levi is planning for today," says Dean softly. "He would not tell me the details."
There does indeed appear to be something happening. The streets are packed with people young and old. Most are vampire. The few Fae I see tend to their masters, carrying around supplies or food. I do not see the Shade until we reach the center square.
There, a dozen men and women hang on wooden pillars, their arms and legs nailed to the wood. Their hair color ranges from blue to red to green like the Fae, but their teeth are that of vampires, their blood that of both.
"That monster," I hiss, trying to imagine what kind of madness compels Levi to act as he does.
One of the woman groans, and I realize she yet lives. She was hung here to bleed to death!
I rush forward, drawing my dagger.
Dean yells after me. "What are you doing?"
This time, I do not heed his warning. This time, I cannot. I jump into the air, grabbing onto the wooden pillar, and cut through the ropes holding the woman. I pull the nails from her limbs. She doesn’t even scream, so weak is she. She falls into my arms. "Thank you," she whispers, her mouth stained with blood. I lay her down on the stone ground, and motion to Dean.
"Water."
He tosses me a jug, and I pour the liquid down the woman’s throat. Then I wet a part of my cloak and gently wash away the crimson stains over her face and arms. Around me, the city turns quiet. As if all life has stopped in respect for this one tender moment. Many have gathered to watch in silence. I suspect it is because of what I have done in freeing her. I am wrong.
"Who dares disobey my will?"
I know the voice in an instant. Levi.
I stand, leaving the woman sitting against stone steps, and face my treacherous brother. He stands, draped in a cloak of red and gold, amongst a company of a dozen men. His armor glistens in the sun, and the ruby in the pommel of his sword speaks of newfound wealth. His long white hair billows in the wind. His face twists in anger.
I step forward, until we are but a few feet away. "The woman is a Shade. It did not seem fit to treat her as Fae."
Levi studies me, no doubt seeing if he recognizes me. But the illusion holds, and he seems frustrated. "Perhaps you do not know whom you address," he says, his voice full of fake pleasantry. "I am new to these lands after all."
I say nothing. I do nothing. He will get no satisfaction from me.
Levi sighs, disappointed I haven’t yet figured out his importance. "You address Prince Levi, Lord of Stonehill and Crimson Castle." I know he expects me to be shocked. To drop down to my knees and beg for forgiveness.
I shrug. "Heard Fenris Vane is Lord of Stonehill."
Levi’s eyes nearly pop out. "You fool. You—"
"Please, your grace," says Dean, stepping in front me. "My brother and I have recently arrived from far away. The lands of our Prince Zeb. We have traveled for days, and so recent news has not yet reached our ears."
Levi nods, as if this explains my behavior. "Then you best know," he says, addressing not just me, but the crowd of hundreds. "I am now ruler of these lands. All Shade within the city have been deemed traitors, complicit in the attacks on Stonehill. They are to be punished as if Fae and nothing more. All slaves must maintain the new curfew, and if caught without a written seal from their master, will be whipped."
He meets my eyes once again. "I will forgive you this once. But not again, understood?"
I cannot say the words, so I nod instead.
It seems enough for Levi, because he addresses the crowd once again. This time, his voice is unnaturally loud, amplified by magic. "People of Stonehill, we have all gathered here today for one purpose. To witness the punishment of those who have wronged us, betrayed us, fooled us." He points to the castle, and the giant stone gates grind open. A company of guards lead two prisoners outside. At the front is a woman. Her hair black and blue. Her eyes green. Her ears long.
It can’t be…
I rush forward, but Dean grabs my arm. He whispers in my ear. "It’s not her, brother. It’s not Arianna."