Page 193 of North Queen
“But it makes no sense,” her maid continued. “Bremhad doesn’t even come into the castle, except to tend to the greens on your balcony when you’re out. He wouldn’t have been on the stairs last night.”
Vitalia led the way to the public mortium, a large stone building where Bremhad’s body had been taken. Norah followed her inside. The halls were poorly lit, and the smell of death hung heavy in the air. Vitalia led her down a long hall, past a series of open chambers. Pale bodies lay atop wooden tables. Norah pulled her cloak tighter. They reached a chamber at the end of the hall. Inside, a woman was weeping. Norah entered to see Kiran and an older woman, presumably his mother. They were cleaning the body of his father, who lay on a table in the center of the room.
Bremhad.
And it hit her.
This was her fault. Her eyes stung. It was another message from the lord commander. He was punishing her by hurting those around her, those she cared about.
The older woman wept as she worked, sponging Bremhad’s head and gently smoothing his silver hair. Kiran looked up when he heard them enter, and his tear-stricken eyes widened in surprise. “Salara,” he said as he stepped toward her. “You didn’t have to come here, to this place.”
“Of course, I did! Kiran, I’m so sorry,” she cried, tears streaming down her own cheeks.
Suddenly, Kiran’s eyes moved over her shoulder to someone behind her, and she turned to see Captain Artem.
Kiran bared his teeth with a ragged breath of wrath. “You did this!”
He rushed the captain but was caught by two of her Crest guards.
“You did this!” he thundered at Artem. “I know you did this!”
“Kiran!” Norah cried as her guardsmen dragged him from the room and down the hall. What was happening? She could only stand in horror as Kiran’s bellows echoed through the mortium. She gaped back at Artem. “Did you really do this?”
“The prefect has ruled it an accident,” he answered calmly.
That didn’t answer her question, and horror struck her. Kiran’s roars still echoed from the hall. “Where are they taking him?” she demanded.
The captain looked at her with gloating eyes. He didn’t answer. Then he turned and left the chamber.
Norah stumbled backward in disbelief but caught herself against the wall. Vitalia stepped forward and clasped her arm. “Are you all right, Salara?”
She’d forgotten her maid was even there. She looked back at Kiran’s mother, who stood frozen, still grieving her husband and frightened for her son.
The woman swallowed back her emotion to give a small nod of her head, and whispered, “Salara.”
Norah’s heart burst into pieces. Everything inside her hurt. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered. She looked at her maid. “Vitalia, please, stay here. Help her.”
“Of course.”
“Anything she needs—help preparing the body, money. Anything.”
Vitalia nodded. “Yes, Salara.”
“I have to make sure Kiran’s all right.” She cast one last apologetic look at the woman. “I’m so sorry,” she breathed again, then she turned and left the chamber.
It was everything she could do to not fall apart as she stepped out of the mortium. Bremhad’s death was no accident. She wanted to blame the commander—it seemed fitting. But the commander was with Mikael. That didn’t necessarily absolve him. He could have ordered it.
Kiran had accused Artem. Maybe it was only his grief lashing out. Or perhaps he was right. Maybe Artem was punishing her. Did he know Bremhad was Kiran’s father? Perhaps Artem was punishing Kiran for his defiance in her sanctuary.
She scanned the grounds for the captain, but he was nowhere to be seen.
“Where is Artem?” she snapped back at the Crest following behind her.
“He may be in the forces office,” her guardsman Sonal told her.
“Take me there. Now.”
She followed him to a building beside the soldiers’ barracks. Inside, Artem stood with another soldier. The soldier bowed and left as she entered.
