Stars May Fall (Stars May Burn #2)

28. Venerick

VENERICK

I lifted my kryalcomy lantern within the archives searching for any cases I could link to Lord Lyrason. Annabelle had put me to shame this morning. She was a much better person than me. She had seen the injustice and the discrepancies and was doing something about it. I had seen them and merely let them dishearten me into believing there was little I could do. She was risking everything by going straight to the root cause of corruption. I had focused on the cases where I could make a difference easily and methodically. She was bringing to light what I had ignored going on right under my nose. She was innocent and brave. I was complicit. James’s comments that I had to become a realist had been slowly wearing me down, making me forget my dreams of what was worth fighting for.

I hoped Annabelle would forgive me for my failing. I was determined to correct it. The vision she had was worth fighting for. Talking to her had reminded me of who I really was.

A hand on my arm made me jump. I had been so engrossed in scanning the case reports, I hadn’t heard anyone approach.

The archive girl, Jess, was looking up at me with a worried expression. She glanced over her shoulder at the staircase that curled up from the archives to the main library. I knew Jess well; we had spent many hours over the past few years finding documents together. And it took me a moment longer to realize she wasn’t worried, she was terrified.

Her voice was thin and breathy. “Two guards are looking for you, my lord. I don’t recognize them. Turn off your lantern and hide quickly. They were asking the librarian for you, and she pointed to the archives. One had blood on his doublet.”

Her words took a moment to sink in. What was happening for guards to be after me? Did they need me to witness something? Document an arrest or the layout of a scene? But why me? Plenty of people could do that. Jess was right. Something was off.

I looked at the case reports in my hands. Surely Lord Lyrason wouldn’t be after me so quickly just because I was looking at these.

“My lord!” The girl was pleading. “I think they mean to harm you.”

I nodded, my head spinning, and turned off my lantern. I ducked under the table, not the best place to hide, but in my half-panic, my body seemed to be operating by itself.

I took a few deep breaths to calm myself and started to crawl under the long trestle table toward the back end of the room where the light was even dimmer. The stone floor was so thick with dust, I had to breathe through my nose.

Heavy boots sounded down the stairs, and I froze.

“Lord Venerick? You’re summoned to attend to the king at once.” His voice was hard and demanding. Not a request, and not the sort of voice a guard would normally use with a noble.

The king? What if the request was genuine? But the king normally sent servants, not guards. It wasn't their job. And why would one have blood on him? I remembered the fear on Annabelle’s face when she admitted how worried she was that something bad was about to happen.

Jess’s voice sounded very small. “I’m afraid he’s already left. He took some documents and left about ten minutes ago.”

The heavy footsteps got closer. Thankfully, there only seemed to be one pair. “Then why didn’t they see him go back through the library?”

Jess squeaked. “I’m not sure, sir. I wasn’t up there. All I know is he went up those stairs. Maybe they were distracted helping a visitor?”

I held my breath and gripped a table leg for support. What was I doing? Shadows sharpened on the floor as more kryalcomy lamps were turned on. I edged back ever so slowly, careful not to hit the table leg. Then I noticed the trail my body had made in the dust and my heart sank. If they saw that, it was over. It led straight to me.

Leather boots strode up beside the table before pivoting. I didn’t dare breathe. I didn’t move a muscle. Some primal part of me screamed that one wrong move would mean my death.

The edge of chainmail became visible as the guard’s knees bent. He was going to look under the table. He was going to see me. I scooted farther back on instinct and my hand hit a rat trap. It was occupied. The animal squealed and started to throw itself at the walls of the tiny cage. It was making too much noise.

I grabbed the cage and opened the door in the direction of the guard. His chest and chin were just visible when the rat ran straight for him and leapt up his front. I had never been so grateful for sheer luck.

The guard stumbled back and stood up, flailing to get the creature off him. It leapt, and I saw it scurry away to a distant corner. The man swore loudly.

“Disgusting! Isn’t it your job to clean this place?” The footsteps quickened as they returned to Jess. “Did you find that funny?”

“Of course not. I’m sorry. I’m…” Her voice cut off with a gasp. Something scraped against the floor.

Horror froze my insides. What was he doing to her? She was just a little girl. It wasn’t her fault the guard’s pride was damaged.

My safety might have been guaranteed by the distraction, but I couldn’t let her be harmed in my place. I stuck my head out from the table. The guard was enormous. He had his back to me, and he had lifted Jess up against the wall. “If my friend doesn’t find that man in the library soon, you’re dead, girl. You understand me?” He shook her so hard that her head hit the wall.

I’d seen this type hundreds of times in the courtroom or on paper. Bullies. The type who craved power over others and tried to appear strong to cover up their own inadequacies. They took that power from anyone weaker than them. I knew that they didn’t stop their bullying if they believed there would be no consequences.

No, this guard wasn’t from the king at all.

He slammed the girl back against the wall again, and a jagged sob tore from her lips.

I hated violence. I’d seen it used inappropriately too many times. I had never ever thought I would resort to it myself. But right now, I couldn’t think of any other option.

I unsheathed the dagger at my belt. All lords carried a weapon for ceremonial purposes; where many preferred a light sword, mine was much smaller and frequently left lying around so it didn’t get in the way. Today, however, it was exactly where it was supposed to be.

I crept up behind the guard and hesitated, trying to determine how I could disable him with my limited strength and skill without alerting the guard upstairs…or being killed within seconds by that massive sword at his waist.

I would only get one chance. Anatomical diagrams of wounds on murder victims flashed through my mind. I picked a case where the victim had been knocked out first and recalled exactly where the blow had been delivered just behind one ear.

This could go very wrong, but I had no other choice if I was going to help Jess.

Before I could overthink this further, I leapt at the man, and rammed the hilt of my dagger into his skull as hard as I could.

With a strange grunt, the man crumpled, and his limbs started to spasm. I didn’t force myself to watch. Didn’t even let myself worry that I had killed him. Instead, I pulled Jess away from his thrashing body with trembling hands and helped her to her feet. I inspected the blood in her hair. She seemed dazed.

“Thank you.” Her voice was so shaky, the words were mouthed more than spoken.

“We need to get out of here.”

Footsteps sounded on the stairs. I fought panic. I pushed Jess down and pulled us both back under the table. Not that it would be a good hiding place when the guard was unconscious mere paces away. She stifled a sob.

“Jess?” The voice was male, hushed, and anxious.

Jess slipped from my grip and ran toward the newcomer, her actions disorientated and clumsy.

I followed more cautiously, keeping an eye on the stairs for the second guard, and praying the first guard didn’t recover.

The newcomer was a servant I didn’t recognize. He wore a brown coat over his shirt and a cap on his head. He hugged Jess, but his eyes were staring at the guard who, thank the kingdoms, had finally stopped spasming. I didn’t dare look at his chest to see if he was still breathing. The servant’s gaze shot to me with wide eyes. He clung to the girl but bowed his head.

“My lord. Who…what?”

We didn’t have time for this. “He was assaulting Jess. He was after me but turned on her when he couldn’t find me.” I realized I was still clutching my knife in a death grip and that Jess’s blood was on my sleeve. I concentrated on loosening my fingers one by one and putting the knife back in its sheath.

The man nodded as if realizing something. “You’re Lord Venerick. They’re looking for you.” He looked down at Jess’s shaking body. “Thank you for helping my sister. Come with us to the kitchens. The servants are gathering in there for safety. They’re unlikely to look for you there.”

Through my nerves, my mind started piecing things together. If all the servants were hiding… “What is going on?”

He glanced back at the empty stairs and the dead guard. “It’s some sort of coup. People are running around screaming that General Kasten has murdered the king and other members of the royal family. It’s chaos. Every second, more guards seem to enter the palace.”

I grabbed his sleeve. “Whose guards? Can you tell?”

He winced slightly. “They’re not marked, but I suspect they’re Lord Lyrason’s. We need to get to safety. Now. There are other guards in the library. We can take a servant’s passage to the kitchens. Come on.”

Murdered the king and other members of the royal family…Annabelle…

Fear gripped me as the words took a few seconds to fully register, and I shook my head wildly. “I need to reach Princess Annabelle. Have you seen her or heard of her whereabouts?”

He winced. “You’ll never find her in this chaos. Come to the kitchens. Those guards are hunting for you.”

I frowned. “No, I must find her and keep her safe.”

The man sighed in impatience, his body becoming increasingly tense the longer we lingered. “Don’t tell her I told you this, but she keeps crossbows hidden in her room. I’d bet you anything she’ll go and fetch them to protect herself.”

This servant appeared to know some strange details about a very private person. “Thank you.”

He nodded. “Let’s get up the stairs before somebody realizes the guard is missing. Then you’ll have to go up three floors. The hallways are chaos. If I were you, I would go through the window and climb up the trellis.”

I didn’t let his words sink in. Refused to feel the fear of his suggestion. What needed to be done, needed to be done.

The man lifted Jess and carried her to the bottom of the stairs on quiet feet. He looked up the spiral ahead before beckoning to me. “Take off your jacket and have my hat. In just a shirt, it will be harder for people to place you. They may think you're a servant if they only catch a glimpse.”

I did as he asked, placing the man’s cap over my head so it shadowed my eyes. There was no way to cover Jess’s blood on the white silk of my shirt. “Thank you.”

“Follow me. Keep your head down.”

We climbed the staircase and paused at the top as he checked the doorway. When he beckoned, I followed and hurried straight behind one of the bookcases.

He pointed to a window and gave me a meaningful nod. Then he turned and hurried toward the door behind the librarian’s desk, Jess nestled in his arms.

I didn’t dare peer around the bookcase to locate the guards. Instead, I walked as fast and quietly as I could to the outer wall, grateful for the protection of row after row of books.

I found the latticed window and turned the latch, opening it slowly to minimize the sound of grating iron. The afternoon sun shone straight in my eyes as the breeze rustled nearby papers. I was on the ground floor, and Annabelle was likely three stories up. Three whole stories to climb. Why had I let myself become so unfit?

The trellis was covered in a bright red vine. It barely looked strong enough to hold my weight; this could mean my death.

Behind me there was a rough shout and the sound of thudding boots. I pushed my cap down further and climbed out the window, balancing on the narrow windowsill.

An unwelcome breeze tugged at my clothes and rough stone brushed my knuckles. I was only a few yards from the ground, and already, I was terrified. But Annabelle’s life was in danger. I had to help her no matter what.

Gritting my teeth, I reached for the trellis.