Ruins of Chaos (Legacy of the Nine Realms #3) - Amelia Hutchins Page 0,2

the poison of dark magic.

“What happened here?” I asked. Kreyton’s mouth opened and closed before his head shook from side to side, his eyes widening with horror.

“They came in and killed everyone,” Kreyton whispered. “Lord Andres removed the wards, allowing the dark witches to breach our defenses.” My blood chilled at his words. “Darkness filled his eyes as the witches tried to kill everyone while he watched, showing his true devotion to the High Queen of Witches. He betrayed us.”

“How did you survive?” I demanded, hating the uneasiness that settled into my mind. Aria was within Lord Andres’s grasp at the camp where I’d left her.

“I was in my room when they came,” Kreyton stated thickly, his teeth chattering. “I hid but couldn’t escape the mist that filled the castle. I can’t get out of the wards, and you’re the first to come that didn’t leave upon seeing the bodies.”

“The council was coming here,” I growled. “Did they arrive?”

“They came but stopped outside the keep at the sight of the dead. The King of Wolves and the Queen of Nymphs were here. They entered the edge of the woods but didn’t pass the wards to come any closer. I didn’t see any other council members, but I’ve been unwell since the mist touched me.”

“Tell me what you saw,” I said, watching haunted eyes fill with the memories.

“Lord Andres came with a handful of witches in chains. He asked one of his men to remove the wards so he could take the prisoners to the keep. We lowered the wards, and all hell broke loose. I watched it all from my bedchamber but couldn’t move to warn my parents because the mist unleashed by the witches paralyzed me. When it touched me, it froze me in sheer terror as it did to the others. They all succumbed to death or turned into something else, allowing the darkness inside them. I should have died or turned into a monster as Lord Andres had become, but I didn’t.”

I watched the black lines move up his face, lifting my gaze to Brander’s as the poison moved through Kreyton. He hadn’t survived; he just hadn’t succumbed to death yet. Something within him had prevented the poison from killing him instantly, as it had the others. It explained why there were no wounds or injuries found among the dead, other than the keep’s lord and lady.

“You did well, Kreyton,” I assured. He nodded sluggishly, eyes bloodshot and filling with black magic.

Stepping back, Brander lifted his blade as Kreyton’s face twisted with malice, the magic changing him into Ilsa’s minion. Brander swung his sword, removing the lad’s head adeptly so he wouldn’t suffer. Blood painted my face as I stared down at the headless boy. He’d had something dark within him meant to turn him into a tool, unlike the others who had succumbed to the poison.

“Lord Andres wouldn’t have done what Kreyton described,” Brander stated, and I frowned before sliding my eyes back to the carnage.

“Not unless someone poisoned him with dark magic, controlling him as they did Kreyton. Aria is within Andres’s grasp. If what the kid said is true, Andres could be there to take or murder Aria for Ilsa. She has to know that Aria is the one who set siege to the stronghold Asil held. I don’t like Aria being out of my sight. Not with the witches growing bolder and the King of Unwanted Beasts joining his forces to that evil bitch’s army.”

I glanced at the hawks, owls, and other birds of prey, watching the scavengers feasting upon the dead. My creature peered out and frowned, staring down at the barrier that prevented those wishing to do harm from entering the keep. Unlike the scavengers below, the birds sensed the poison within the dead. My eyes slid to the rodents, finding hundreds of beady eyes trained on our every move. Ilsa was using the familiars of lesser witches to watch us.

“Send for Aria. If Lord Andres is under the control of the high queen, she’s in danger. We can meet them on the passes. Have Killian leave immediately with the army to follow. Instruct him to prevent Lord Andres from joining them.”

“You’re bringing Aria to a fucking slaughter,” Brander snorted. “They’ll travel through the annexed villages to reach the passes, and Aria’s too soft to see the carnage those bastards left behind.”

“Killian would take the quickest route through King’s Crossing or King’s Road to reach us. Knowing Killian, he’ll go around