his way to the stage.
Sam lowered to one knee and bowed his head. It was agreed that Sam’s acknowledgement would symbolize the respect of the audience who could not kneel at their seats. Sam kissed the king’s hand before he was signaled to rise, whereupon Aaron embraced his advisor as he whispered in Sam’s ear, “I find much strength in you, Sam. Thank you.”
The advisor was touched by the king’s sentiment. Sam nodded and then returned to his seat.
Aaron turned to face the audience and began his address.
Shalee listened from her seat, still bothered by Mosley’s words. They had left her with a heightened sense of awareness. She scanned the theatre, looking for something out of the ordinary, but she could not find anything. The sorceress gripped Precious with white knuckles as she directed her attention toward Aaron as he finished his address.
“...You’ll always be remembered, My Great King.” These were the last words Aaron spoke as he turned to say goodbye to his father.
Double D looked across Keldwin’s body as Aaron approached the casket. The same knife he used to kill the barbarian in Gessler was in his hand, and he had laced the blade with poison to ensure the job was completed if he made an imperfect thrust. He moved his arm into position, and made sure his mask was secure. He did not want his actions to cause it to shift and ruin his escape.
As Aaron stood above his father, tears fell from his cheeks and landed on Keldwin’s cold hands, but the assassin felt no compassion. On the contrary, the pain filling the king’s eyes excited Dawson Drake. Double D licked his lips as the grieving monarch leaned over to kiss his father on the forehead.
As the young king straightened up, the assassin plunged his knife under Aaron’s chin, thrusting so hard that the tip of the blade pierced the top of Aaron’s head. Double D savored the penetration.
Shalee watched as the king moved across the stage toward the coffin. Her gut was telling her something was not right. As the sorceress watched the king bend over to kiss his father, she exhaled with relief, but then the hole in the king’s head opened and blood spurted everywhere.
Double D decided to leave the barbarian’s knife buried in the king’s skull to punctuate his statement of artistry. Let’s go get my money, he thought as he let go of the knife and turned to run.
Seeing the blade appear in Aaron’s head, Shalee immediately slammed Precious against the floor of the stage and screamed, “Precious, illuvu sol!” Everyone and everything within the theatre stopped moving, both seen and unseen.
The sorceress stood from her chair and rushed across the stage. Blood was everywhere, and the drops that were falling from the knife were suspended in air. Shalee gathered her emotions and took a closer look. How could a knife just appear like this? she thought.
Shalee went to Sam and released him from her magic. She placed a finger over his mouth and explained the situation.
With Shalee in tow, Sam studied the scene. He moved around the guards to the backside of the coffin. As he did, he tripped over the extended foot of the assassin. “Something’s here!” he exclaimed as he picked himself up off the floor.
Shalee reached out to feel around. Her hand touched Double D’s stomach. As she moved it beyond his chest, her fingers touched the scruff on the bottom of the assassin’s chin. “Oh, my gosh, it’s a man!”
Sam responded. “Step aside.”
She did as Sam instructed. A moment later, Sam’s hand bumped the mask. The mask shifted upward, and Double D appeared. “Holy,” Sam said as he pulled his hand away.
Gravity grabbed the weight of the mask and forced it back into position over Double D’s eyes. The assassin vanished.
“Oh, my gosh, Sam, that’s it. Take it off.”
Sam reached out, felt around and then yanked the mask off Double D’s head. The assassin was in stride, and his intended path was for the curtains behind the coffin.
Sam handed the magical item to Shalee. “I think this is in your arena. Put it on.”
Shalee’s brow furrowed as she studied the skull. “No!” she rebutted. “Look at it. It’s creepy.”
“Just put it on and see what happens.”
The sorceress examined the mask. After a fair series of moments, she shrugged and then placed it against her face. Just like Double D, she vanished. “Can you see me?”
Sam shook his head. For the moment, he forgot about the prince’s