Clara and Ezra

by Lindsey Richardson

  “Hmm… Threatened his life? No, that’s not how I remember it. If I had wanted him dead, believe me, he’d be dead,” she replied with a snicker.

  “Did Stefan bribe you to commit these crimes?”

  “I didn’t need money from Stefan to remain loyal to him. If someone needed money he loaned it, but we led our own lives, outside of the work we did for him. You’ve been unsuccessful in your search because he made damn sure he covered his tracks. The manor your friends found was only one location. There are others. As long as your family lives there will always be others,” she said.

  “I am marrying Declan. A new generation will begin with our children. When Lukas has a child of his own that child will be engaged to mine. If you simply wait you will have what you want,” Claire explained.

  Aralyn snorted.

  “You and I both know that is a long wait. The islands won’t survive waiting for a marriage like that. Your father lost control during his reign, and you have been none the wiser. It’s time for a different family to lead. And with Stefan’s help, Lukas is the right man for the job.”

  “These may be some of your last words, and you wish to waste them with threats?” Claire asked.

  Aralyn chuckled, finally accepting the Watcher’s grip on her without struggle.

  “My death will only bring more bloodshed. Stefan will avenge me,” Aralyn said, looking to Declan and then glancing back at me.

  At Claire’s silence, she added, “These are not threats, Claire Kanelos. These are the facts, whether you wish to face them or not.”

  Claire turned her back to Aralyn and crossed her arms. Her face was unreadable, but Aralyn had been harsher with her than Nina.

  We had talked in such great length about Stefan, yet no one knew what this man looked like. Lukas was the only one who had encountered him, and even he had been left with little to lead with. Stefan was as invisible as the wind itself. Aralyn must have been in contact with him prior to Lukas’s capture. She, if anyone, was the person who had seen hi most recently.

  “Why did you kidnap Lukas?” Claire asked without glancing back.

  “He’s our last connection to Elias. Had Elias been in Jhase’s position, Lukas would have been the next in line for secession. We wanted to give him a chance to stop the murders and finish what his father started.”

  Claire turned around.

  “Your death penalty will be by that of a white rose. It will be a public event so your ‘friends’ can see what awaits them. I hope they make a different choice than you,” Claire said sternly.

  She motioned for the Watcher to take Aralyn away. This time Aralyn did not protect, though she did glance back several times.

  I waited, expecting her to scream something as she left, but she remained silent. I held my breath until she was out of the room and the silence returned again.

  Claire clapped her hands together.

  “Let us see if either of them can confirm Stefan’s whereabouts, and—”

  The door opened, and Everly stepped inside. She did not have a prisoner with her, but she panted as though she had rushed to get here.

  “Everly, what is the meaning of this?” Claire asked.

  “Some… Someone found Stefan. He’s… He’s dead…” she wheezed.

  The others at the table stood up, but Claire motioned for everyone to stay still.

  “Dead? Where’s the body? Take us to him,” she said.

  Everly nodded anxiously and led the way. Claire rushed after her, and the others, without awaiting permission, followed.

  I stood, waiting for a gap in the group so I could squeeze out of the room.

  Ezra stopped, allowing me to walk in front of him, and I quickly joined the group.

  Murmurs filled the hallway, but I could not believe the news. It seemed too good to be true. How had Stefan died? Had a Watcher killed him? Did he finally challenge someone more prepared than his previous victims?

  Ezra had told me Stefan would eventually make a mistake, but I had not expected it to be this soon. For the first time I wanted to see a dead body. I wanted it to be Stefan.

  46

  The Resistance

  Bones and flesh. No matter what Stefan did, in the end he would be like the rest of us, made out of flesh and bones. The thought of finally seeing him —assuming the dead body was indeed his—still left me uneasy. He was different than Nina and Aralyn. He was even a different kind of monster than Elias. He had taken Elias’s initiative to a different level entirely. He had killed for what he wanted. Nothing and no one had stopped him.

  Until today.

  Everly led us to a lamp post. We circled around the lamp post, waiting for her to say our destination. Wherever we were going was far from the palace.

  “They found him in Shadowland,” Everly explained, looking to Claire for guidance.

  She nodded, and Everly pulled out her key necklace.

  Shadowland

  We arrived in Shadowland, and I immediately noticed the sudden darkness. There were trees everywhere, offering more coverage from any possible remainder of daylight. Birds flew above us, flying from tree to tree. The street was lit along the side with forces, and the locals passed us without concern or interest.

  My previous trip to Shadowland had been brief. I remembered my first moments here with Claire. It had been our first meeting as siblings. But Shadowland was still an uneasy place to be. It was the island with our most well-known prison. The prisoner holding people like Vanessa and Isaak. If Ninomay had its secrets, Shadowland was certainly no exception.

  I took comfort in the fact that we had Declan with us. He, perhaps better than anyone, knew this island. I trusted he would know if something was wrong, and he gave no indications we were being misled.

  It was no so much that I did not trust Everly, but more so that I did not trust her information. No one knew what Stefan looked like. How had anyone been able to identify him?

  We continued walking down the street and then turned down a thin path, leading into the woods. Everly stopped in front of a cabin where other Watchers guarded the area. I assumed this was the pace where they had found the body.

  Claire continued ahead without waiting for Everly to lead us any further. I stayed close to Ezra, not so sure anymore if I was ready for what I was about to see.

  We entered the cabin, and it appeared to be only occupied by watchers. One stopped mid-search and pointed us in the right direction. It was impossible to miss.

  In the middle of the room was a man’s body. Claire approached it without hesitation, but I remained at a distance with Ezra and several others. Gemma and Lukas also stepped forward with ease.

  Ezra’s hand brushed against mine, and I finally convinced myself to look more closely. This was my job now. I needed to show Claire and the others that I was capable of my position. I would need the rest of the Watchers to respect me as well. They continued to search for more clues, but now and again their glances wandered toward us.

  I walked closer to the body and examined it. There was a note attached to the man’s tunic written in cursive.

  Stefan is dead. The resistance is dead.

  I stared more closely at the body. Someone had stabbed the man in the chest like Stefan’s mages had done to countless others. The blood stained the wooden floor, but this was not the only blood present. Splotches of blood appeared in several different areas of the room. This time there had been struggle, unlike Stefan’s victims who had always been defenseless when they were attacked.

  A large vase in the room had been broken, and glass shards covered the floor near the body. The water and the flowers had mixed with the puddle of blood. It reminded me of a previous crime scene we had investigated. Perhaps the killer had seen Stefan’s work, and this was their way of sending a clear message.

  There were also markings on the floor, though not from magic. It seemed someone had cut the wooden floor with a dagger or sword.

  Whatever transpired here was something none of us had seen b
efore. it seemed someone had bested Stefan, but I feared who that person might be. And if this was Stefan and he was indeed dead, then who remained alive and smart enough to outwit a trained assassin? That person I feared more than Stefan.

  “Do we have any leads?” I asked as I gazed around the room for any more clues.

  It was difficult to determine who had lived here. Plates were shattered on the floor, chairs had been misplaced, and the dinner table had been knocked over. It was a mess, and in the middle of it was Stefan. An explanation for any of this escaped me.

  Everly stepped forward.

  “A woman in town heard a scream and reported it. We came here and found the body. Whoever was here before us is long gone. No one saw the stranger or Stefan enter or leave this house.”

  Lukas rubbed his chin.

  “Whoever did this must have been close to Stefan. Close enough to know what he had been doing. It could have been someone like Ahna —someone related to one of his assassins. He trusted them enough to let them inside, but they came here seeking revenge,” he said.

  “We don’t know anyone who wanted revenge on Stefan,” I responded.

  “Daphne?” he suggested.

  I pulled at my bottom lip and thought. Daphne had escaped from Ninomay, and she had been furious about her past. If she had not been abel to make amends with Nina, might she have sough tout her vengeance on Stefan? If this was true it did not make sense for Daphne to hide. She had killed a murderer, but in doing so what did she leave behind?

  The note bothered me. I thought about Nina and Aralyn. They both swore that with or without Stefan the resistance would survive. Had they been boasting?

  Ezra stepped forward, standing to the side of me.

  “We could show the body to Nina and Aralyn? Look for their reactions before we tell them. They would know what Stefan looks like,” Ezra said.

  I looked to Lukas.

  “Does he look familiar? Does he look anything like what you remember?” I asked.

  Lukas studied the body. The hands had tattoos and rings like he had mentioned.

  “It could be… But I was mostly in the dark when Stefan spoke to me. I can’t say with any certainty this is him,” Lukas replied.

  It seemed like Ezra’s suggestion was the best we had. Even if Stefan’s allies did not come forward it might at least slow whatever remained of his “resistance.” He had led them, kept them organized, fueled their hatred for Claire and I. They might get slopped without him. It was only a matter of time before we caught the others.

  Or perhaps if we found Daphne she could help us.

  “Keep this private. No one knows about this until we confirm it’s him,” I said, looking at the Watchers in the background.

  The issue was we would need to transport the body without anyone discovering who it was. Another murder would send the locals into a frenzy. We would need a secure passage to ensure no one saw us as we made our way back to the palace.

  “How will we take him with us?” I asked.

  “Cover the body. I”ll have my men sweep the area and keep our path clear until we are back at the palace. We’ll need to be patient,” Lukas explained.

  I nodded, and he turned around and explained his directions to the Watchers. Keanu joined him while I remained with the others, unsure of where Claire wanted me. We could not have too many people dedicated to clearing the path to the palace or it might look suspicious. I trusted Lukas and Keanu were more than enough help in handling the situation.

  “Someone take the note. We don’t want to give away even a hint of who this is to Nina or Aralyn,” Claire said.

  Dorian bent down and took the note off the body, tucking it safely in his pants’ pocket.

  Now we waited.

  Ninomay

  We retuned home. The men carried the wrapped up body while the women stayed grouped together, walking alongside the other Watchers. We had taken Watchers with us from Shadowland as we had not the manpower beforehand.

  Once inside the palace everyone reconvened in the meeting room. The councilors took their seats at the table while Keanu went to find the Watchers with the prisoners. It was too dangerous to have Aralyn and Nina in the room at the same time. Instead we would have them enter one by one, as they had done before, to see if they recognized the dead body.

  Keanu returned with a Watcher and Nina. The body had remained covered, and Nina was none the wiser to what she had walked into.

  Claire stepped up to the corpse, which laid on the floor, and unveiled it. She lifted off the entire blanket so Nina was able to see the full body. Fortunately the man’s face was still intact. If she knew this man she would have no trouble recognizing him.

  “No…” she gasped, seemingly wobbling in the arms of the Watcher.

  “Do you know this man?” Claire asked.

  Nina nodded with wide, teary eyes.

  I stared at her in disbelief. If this was Stefan, how could she cry for him? She had not mourned for her former husband, the father to her children. Even she had admitted Jhase’s kindness to her. He had raised Claire on his own, and he had even welcomed me into his home. Whatever relationship she had shared with Stefan was nothing compared to what Jhase could have given her.

  “Name him,” Claire said sternly, tapping her foot.

  We were all impatient. We wanted to know. Was this him? Was he finally dead? I bit down on my lip, waiting for her answer.

  “S-Stefan…” she said, nodding again and looking away.

  I could not see her tears, but I could hear her sniffing. It was disgusting. How could she have cared for this man when he killed for power and greed? He was worse than Isaak and Elias. Nothing, no matter what he had said or done, erased the crimes he committed and the lives he ended.

  Claire motioned for them to leave, and the next pair came in several moments later. Aralyn’s reaction was less emotional, but it did not surprise me she shed no tears of ratios man. She had been a fighter ever since the first time I saw her, and if this hurt she would not reveal that to us.

  “Name this man,” Claire ordered.

  Aralyn was silent.

  Claire cleared her throat and tried again.

  “Do you know this man? Yes or no?”

  “Y-yes…” Aralyn said, almost whispering. “That’s Stefan…”

  47

  A Child’s Nightmare

  Stefan was dead, but it would not save Aralyn or Nina. Claire did not ask for the women to give us any more information. They had told us everything we needed to know. She let the facts sink in. I imagined we were all thinking the same thing. Who had done it? Who killed Stefan?

  I looked to Gemma. She had more motive than anyone. She had promised me that she would find what Nina loved and destroy it. Turned out Nina loved a man who was more monster than human.

  It couldn’t have been Gemma… I thought, realizing she had been with us the entire time. Gemma might have the motive, but she was not a cold blooded killer. She would not have stooped to Nina or Stefan’s level. And if she had killed Stefan she wouldn’t have kept it a secret.

  “Daphne is the only person we know who could have done this,” Dorian said.

  “We’ll prepare Nina and Aralyn for their sentences. After they’re dead we will announce Stefan’s passing. There will be a reward for anyone with information pertaining to his ‘resistance,’” Claire explained.

  She turned her head and looked at me.

  “Clara, you and Declan will return to Shadowland. See if you can find this Barlow family that adopted Daphne. Despite their loyalty to Stefan, we may be able to bribe them. If they resist, bring them to Ninomay by any means necessary.”

  She continued on to explain that Lukas and Keanu would help the Watchers prepare the marketplace for the public sentences. They would also retrieve the white roses and ensure no one else gained access to them during that time. Gemma would prepare Claire’s speech while Dorian and Bellona would determine what to do with Stefan’s body.

  “And
Ezra, you will be in charge of the prisoners. Ensure they remain locked up until their sentencing. No more escapes,” Claire said sternly.

  Everyone had their tasks, and Claire motioned for them to begin.

  I stood up and waited, partially for Declan but also for Claire. She showed no mercy for Nina, not that our mother deserved any given recent events. But my sister was pregnant now. She had a wedding that still needed planning, and after all this death there would be more lives lost because of Stefan. She had sentenced her own mother to death by a white rose, a type of torture she and I knew the brutality of.

  Once the others were gone and Declan was by my side I approached Claire.

  “Claire, I don’t think either of us should watch the sentencing,” I said.

  She raised a brow.

  “And why not?”

  Her question caught me off guard. There were numerous reasons why, and I did not understand how she had become so numb to all of this. I did not want Stefan’s crusade to change who she was. But maybe it was too late. Maybe we had all been changed by his plague on this island. Maybe death was becoming too familiar.

  Calmly, I replied, “Because that’s our mother. No one should have to watch that.”

  “Is it? My mother died in a fire. She’s been dead my entire life. That woman? The one who is going to die today? She helped killed our father. She is no mother of mine. I want to be there when she takes her last breath. And even that, dear sister, is a kindness she does not deserve,” Claire said.

  I bit my lips and crossed my arms.

  “I won’t be there. I hope you can understand,” I said.

  “As you wish. You can Declan can go to Shadowland while we carry out the sentences. I will send word when it’s safe to return,” she replied.

  At my silence she added, “I wish I could offer more. I wish you could get more answers from Nina. I know she was a mother to you, and for that I am truly sorry. But Alessia was given no special privileges before her death. No one who commits treason has ever been able to have a last audience with their family. I’m sorry…”