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“Atticus and Jissena Stratos!” Damien yelled as he banged his fist against their door, and I stood at the back of the group of warriors who had accompanied him, curious to see how this all developed.
Lights came on in the window upstairs, and it wasn’t long before Atticus appeared at the threshold, still in his night clothes.
“What is the meaning of this disturbance?” he shouted as he opened the door before he realized who stood before him. He stiffened at the sight of Damien and Lucia.
“Y-your Majesty,” he said, dipping his head, and Jissena appeared behind him. “Is everything all right? You gave us a fright.”
“Atticus Stratos,” Damien said, unrolling the parchment and Atticus’ brows furrowed. “You are hereby charged with use of Aethersbane, on a member of The Order, treason, tampering with evidence, obstruction of justice, conspiracy?—”
“What is this?” he demanded. “These charges are preposterous!”
I stepped forward, folding my arms over my chest, the flames writhing beneath my skin, dying to devour him. “Shut your fucking mouth and listen.”
He paled, his mouth falling open at the sight of me, and gods, if it wasn’t the most satisfying sight.
Damien continued listing off the charges while Atticus stared at me. “You-you... What are you?—”
“Jissena Stratos, you are charged with conspiracy, obstruction of justice, tampering with evidence...” Damien continued as they both stiffened, their attention turning to him as he listed the charges she faced.
Atticus stammered. “This is a lie! It’s all a lie!”
“The only lies are the words falling from your tongue,” Lucia said flatly, her face holding no kindness. “You would do well to shut your mouth and come quietly.”
“I will do no such thing. I am a Kyrios of House Stoicheion! Females do not have any business speaking on matters of?—”
Damien grabbed him by the throat and slammed him up against the wall. Atticus gasped for air, kicking as he fought to breathe. The air around us turned icy, the shadows twitching on the ground. “You would do well to remember who you speak to.”
Jissena sobbed in the doorway, and one of the warriors stepped forward to put her in shackles.
Atticus gaped as Damien’s grip tightened around his throat; the shadows around them converged until what appeared to be claws inched along the wall toward him. “That is your queen you are speaking to. You will show her the respect she deserves.”
The shadows inched closer, darkness slithering along the ground at Damien’s feet. “Or, we could forgo all this nonsense and I could feed you to the shadows now. They’re eager to taste you.”
Atticus shook his head, and I wrinkled my nose at the sour scent tainting the air. A dark stain appeared on the front of his trousers, and I huffed a laugh.
Damien released him, and he fell to the ground, coughing and sputtering.
“Put this bastard in shackles,” Damien spat, leaving him on the ground. He looked to the guard holding Jissena. “And get her out of here.”
Atticus rubbed his throat, growling before flames sparked to life. My feet moved on their own, shoving Damien out of the way as Atticus rose, fire erupting as he launched at him. My own flames rose to the surface, snaking through Atticus’ fire as it engulfed me, and I drew my dagger before tackling him to the ground.
His skin grew hotter, his face turning red.
“I’ll take you all with me!” he shouted, and my heart lurched at the molten veins crawling across his skin, his skin turning white hot. I slammed the dagger into his chest, and he stiffened, his eyes bulging, and the fire eased, his skin cooling and paling.
He choked on his blood, coughing before gritting his teeth together as he glared up at me. He clutched at the dagger, only for me to shove it deeper into his heart. “You were... a waste of good blood... It should’ve been you... that... night.”
Air escaped his lips, and his hand fell away, his eyes drifting from me.
My hands shook as I clutched the hilt.
“Barrett,” Lucia said softly, and I flinched, twisting around to look at her.
“I...” I looked over him, my heart racing. “I didn’t... He went after him, was gonna use Telos Pyrai. He?—”
She rested a hand on my shoulder, and warmth spread through my skin. “You’re all right. He was a fool to attack Damien. You simply defended him, defended the innocent lives nearby who would have been killed in his attempt to stop this.”
