When they passed the curtain divider, all laughter ceased and smiles faded. Two bodies lay motionless on the makeshift operating tables. The first was a middle-aged man, his body gaunt and frail. His skin was sallow and sunken, clinging to his bones. Dark circles rimmed his dull, vacant eyes. He had the look of someone worked to death, every ounce of life force squeezed from him until his heart finally gave out. The second was a woman, her face still retaining some of its youthful fullness. Her skin had a sickly pallor with a slightly yellowish hue and her parted lips were tinged blue. At first glance, she appeared to be resting peacefully, her eyes gently closed. But the dried tears that tracked down her cheeks told another story. Next to the body sat a small glass bottle. Riona gingerly picked it up, examining its contents. She recognized the dried pennyroyal, tansy, savine, and ergotātoxic herbs used by desperate womenāand knew that the woman died slowly and painfully from the inside out.
Riona turned to face Quack, but his attention was fully on Cal. Quack had regained his composure and shed the persona of the undertaker-turned-quack. Now Sexton wore the face of an anarchist, acting as judge, jury and potential executioner. This was a tribunal. Suddenly she wished she could take another swing from Calās flask.
āAre they dead?ā He whispered the question despite already knowing the answer. He could just feel himself turning paler from the sight. He had to remind himself that it
probably wasnāt a weird thing for a doctor who was also an undertaker, or was it a former undertaker, to have bodies in a backroom.
The woman looked peacefully asleep, the way a body might at a funeral, but Callum hadnāt ever been to a funeral. Heād never seen a dead person before. He didnāt go out and watch executions like it was some big exciting spectacle, and whenever someone important enough for royalty to attend the funeral, it was never Callum they wanted representing them in public.
The manās eyes remained open, cold portals into a void. The body didnāt blink, the eyes didnāt move and still they felt like they were staring right into him. The clammy feeling returned with a vengeance. All over, just cold and sweaty.
Why was it so cold in here? And shouldnāt they be covered up, with a sheet or somethingā¦ It just felt wrong to have bodies laid out like they were on display.
He shouldnāt stare at the bodies. He tore his eyes away from the empty, glassy, vacant ones.
Itās disrespectful to gawk at the dead. Should I look at Quack? Was that too bold? Probably a bad idea. What if he took it as a challenge? An act of aggression. And why wasnāt Quack saying anything? His stomach twisted up, and the back of his throat burned with whiskey and bile.
Was Quack just going to stand there?āWhat, umm, whatās that?ā He glanced at the small bottle Riona held, searching for anything else to focus on.
Donāt look at the bodies. āI should say something, right?ā He glanced back at Quack, an unflinching statue of a man, and he knew if he waited around for Quack to talk first, or to feel like he had all his ducks in a row before speaking, heād be here all day.
āIt could be useful, right, to have an insider. Places I can be, that um, other people would seem out of place. I could be useful. And Iām not going to say anything. Not a peep. Even if you donāt want me around, because if you're going after Edin, I wish you success. Gods I hope it's painful, I want Edin to watch his whole Danrose legacy unravel, for everything he loves to be stripped from him. I donāt care who does it, as long as it happens. And I know you donāt trust me, but I havenāt spent ten years earning the right to call Riona a friend to betray her first chance I get. I can keep secrets.ā There, heād said something. It was great, just a long unburdening of everything that sat constricting around his chest. But he wasnāt quite finished.
āAnd you know what else, I think you should apologize. To Riona, because she called you friend so you should know that she doesnāt stab friends in the back either.ā Riona was almost certain that Sexton was deriving some wicked satisfaction from watching Cal squirm. In Sextonās eyes, Cal had always been nothing more than a sheltered coward, all empty talk and no action. Despite having ample opportunities, he never dared to ask the difficult questions, too scared that the harsh reality would shatter his, as Sexton put it, delicate sensibilities. The Princeās so-called āhatredā for his father was little more than a prolonged teenage rebellion that ultimately amounted to nothing. The restraint it mustāve taken for Sexton not to erupt into a diatribe about what true hatred actually was. Riona suspected he especially wanted to tell Cal what his father had done to his sister and many other women like herāwomen like the woman lying dead on the table. But the more Cal talked, the malice in Sexton slowly dampened and his demeanor softened, albeit not enough to be friendly.
When Cal said all that he wanted to say, Sexton asked, āAre ya done yappinā ya maw off?ā He took the silence as a yes. āGood. My turn.ā Sexton pushed off from the wall he had been leaning on and pointed a finger. āLet me get a few thinās straight.ā He used the finger to point at Riona. āWeāre hardly muckers. We aināt even comrades. Iāve been tryinā to recruit her, but fer some damnable reason she wonāt join. Aye, she helps with the sanctuaries we run, but she aināt one of us.ā The accusation in his voice was hard to miss.
āYa right ābout one thinā, though, lad.ā Sexton turned to Riona. āYa wouldnāt do anythinā to harm the sanctuaries. Sorry fer doubtinā ya.ā Riona accepted the apology with a nod. āBut,ā the icy glare returned, causing the hair on the back of her neck to rise, āif ya get in our way, Iāll do what needs doinā. Ya know that right?ā
She nodded again, a little bit delayed this time.
āAnd if it comes to that, Iāll do what I have to do.āSextonās gaze lingered on her before giving a firm nod and turning his full attention back to Cal. He extended a second finger. āThis revolution isnāt just ābout yer dad. We aināt yer pawns to resolve yer daddy issues that ya donāt have the bawbles to handle yerself. Weāre goinā to ruin yer entire rotten familyāyer dad, mum, brothers, sister, whatever that blowen Morrigan is, and ya freaky great uncleāevery nob who supported yer family and benefited from this crooked system. That includes ya,
Prince Callum. Do ya understand? We want the lot of ya gone.ā
Callum watched the conversation between Quack and Riona, wondering about the strange threat that lingered between them. He was certainly going to have to ask Riona why sheād brought him here if she wasnāt on team Quack. Heād ask that later. He wasnāt going to ask about sanctuaries either, he would just let Quack tell him what he was allowed to know. Then Quackās attention shifted to Cal. He chewed on his tongue to keep from interjecting at the ādaddy issuesā comment.
āYou know, sir, I want me gone too. Going out doing something that matters, best option I got going for me. Caesoniaās had more than enough of kings, princes, and nobles. She deserves something better. And rotten trees need clearing out. My familyās made their choices, and I have made mine.ā He said it like a shrug, water off a duckās back; he knew where he was going to stand.
āIām not looking for pawns. Donāt need people calling me a prince or thinking Iām anything to be admired or bowed to. I am here to see if I can serve you, or,ā And he paused, possibly digging his own grave a little deeper,
āQuack me if you must, Malālard.ā He said it, in the same way, one would say mālord, and either Quack was going to kill him or he wasnāt, but Callum wasnāt going to let the threat just hang in the air.
Both Riona and Sexton stared at Cal, asking in not so many words if he really wanted duck puns to be his only legacy.
Cal, you brave idiot. She shook her head with a ghost of a smile.
āWeāll see ābout that soon enough.ā Sexton scoffed, but a smirk cracked through. He began pacing as he seemed to consider Calās offer. āThereās two thinās I want from ya if yer serious ābout joininā.ā He stood in front of Cal.
āFirst. Thereās no sense denyinā we aināt equals. Not in this bloody country. While ya can get away with murder, stealinā bread from a royal party is a capital offense fer common folk. If any of us from our group gets caught, itās the gallows fer us, our families, muckers, anyone even suspected helpinā us. To stop more rebelinā from happeninā, the crownāll tighten the noose around folkās necks. More peopleāll suffer in the name of
peace. Now if ya get caught, yaād get a good bum whackinā and a scapegoat to pin everythinā on to hide yer involvement. If yer parents prove me wrong, and actually have the guts, then theyāll execute ya and pretend ya went to live on a farm. Point is, the risk weāre shoulderinā aināt the same.ā
Suddenly, Sextonās fingers pressed into Calās neck, and he seemed to wait for the pulse to regain a steady beat, before continuing. āYa say that ya wonāt betray us, but like ya said, I donāt trust ya and neither will the othersā¦ not without insurance. And not the kind yer willinā to give.ā He mustāve been referring to whatever secret Cal was going to reveal to earn his trust. āSo.ā He leaned in closer. āWhatās the most important thinā that ya care ābout more than anythinā else in the world? And donāt think ya can name just anythinā. I wantcha to explain why it, or they, are so important to ya too.ā
Heās asking for a hostage. Riona realized. Something, anything, to bind their fates together.
āIf I gave you a name, Iām not sure itād be much use to you. This isnāt a threat, but the few friends Iāve got, would all be just as dangerous to mess with. And giving you a name feels like the same sort of betrayal youāre worried Iād do to you. I donāt do that.ā He glanced at Quackās fingers and assumed he was trying to feel out a lie. Lying had crossed his mind, giving him the name of someone he knew wouldnāt just be a sitting duck crossed his mind too. But heād come here to ask for trust and he wasnāt going to treat this like one of his games with his brother. He shifted his gaze to look Quack in the eye before speaking again.
āWhat if what Iām willing to give, is a surefire way to send me to a pyre? I could give you enough evidence against me, that even if they did try and cover it up, it would turn a lot of folks against the crown. You know what I mean, right? What guarantees a pyre?ā Cal asked, there was only one card to play that made sense to him. Even things up, make it all just as dangerous for him as it was for Quack, or as close as he could reasonably get.
āMy whole life Iāve always been told what a useless, unwanted, failure I am. I have one thing that really makes me feel like thatās not the absolute truth. A little spark of hope; magic. A deeper well of connection than blood could ever be, something I can feel a claim to that isnāt rotten all the through. Iāve got all sorts of damning evidence tucked away too. Whole books copied in my handwriting, notes on whatās worked and whatās failed. So I can get you that, I can give the means to secure my destruction.ā A sneer twisted Sextonās face, a cynical smile coming from bitter vindication rather than disappointment. The discordant pieces had clicked into place, confirming that the world matched his lowest expectations. His eyes glazed over Cal as if he wasnāt even there, whirling on Riona instead. āThere ya have it. He aināt serious ābout helpinā us. I ask one thinā from him, prove heāll lay everythinā on the line just like the rest of us, and he balks!ā Sexton let out a harsh, derisive laugh, his malice reemerging in full force.
ā¦ and set her ablaze. His rage stoked the thing within her, his hatred emboldened it, and it, in turn, ravaged her. Riona clutched her stomach, her breath escaped slowly through gritted teeth.
āHeās willinā to sacrifice
ourlives
and endanger whatās precious to
us, but askinā His Royal Highness to do the same? Thatās a bridge too far.
Ach, Heās his dad and mumās bairn, awright.ā
He paced back and forth, getting more worked up by the minute. Sexton ranted as though he and Riona were the only ones (alive) in the room. āA āsurefire way to send me to a pyreā my shiny arse. I knew he were daft, but to be this bloody moronic. Does he seriously believe heās the only one messinā with magic in his damned family? Where does he think all that evidenceāll end up goinā? The Queen sees all the high-profile cases and Morrigan is the bloody executioner fer feckās sake!ā In a flash of rage, Sexton kicked the bucket by the table. The impact sent it clattering across the floor, the metal scraping and echoing in the room as it rolled away.
Sexton closed his eyes and tilted his head upwards, trying to restrain his irritation. āThe Prince is playinā ya fer a fool, Riona.ā
āHeās willing to sacrifice himself.āāPfft. Naaaah,ā his dragged out the denial with a sigh, āitās nothinā that selfless. He just wants to prove to himself that heās not a useless, unwanted, failure.ā Sextonās eyes snapped open, narrowing as he refocused on Riona. āLetās say what ya say is true and letās pretend his family wonāt lift a damn finger when heās tried for witchcraft. Heāll burn as a witch while weāll be executed as traitors to the crown. The difference is, his death will end with him. Ours wonāt.ā
āBut if we can expose the Danrosesā misdeedsāāSexton cut in. āWeāre doinā that with or without His Highness. What I need from him is commitment.ā He stepped closer, holding Rionaās gaze intently. āWeāre all riskinā everythinā here. I know he thinks heās offerinā a way to even thinās. But it aināt actually even ātil he risks losinā all he has too. If he joins, heāll find all our soft underbellies.ā He scoffed, āAnd he expects me to trust him when he wonāt show me his?ā Another frustrated sigh escaped him. āGets my dander up that he tried to bargain with a life he doesnāt give a toss ābout.ā The life being Callumās own.
āYouāre demanding a hostage. Thatās a lot to ask.āāIs it? Danroses are holdinā the people hostage. Why canāt I get one from him? One that he actually gives a damn ābout.ā He hissed. āIf we canāt back out when the goin' gets rough, then neither should he.ā
Rionaās gaze shifted away from Sexton and searched Calās.
āā¦How far are you willing to go now that you arenāt scared anymore?ā
āAs far as I can.āHow far was that?