Darkness carved in bone

Chapter 46

Helen

The queen took one step forward, closer to Helen and gave her a slick smile. She looked between her and Ten and her smile became vile as she took in Helen's sorrow.

"Are you surprised that my son chose me over you? A light whore?" The queen spat. Her voice was low enough that no one else than the soldiers enclosing the circle heard her. "He begged me to take him in. Begged me to forgive every mistake he had done with you."

The queen looked at Ten, her eyes softening, but Helen saw the hate and coldness that lay close underneath that softness. "And because I am a caring and loving mother, I forgave him."

Helen tired not to believe what she heard. He could not have begged. He couldn't have. But he was here, his mother's heir. Her words had to be true. Her heart broke then as her eyes went to him one last time. His face was still that mask of emotionlessness. There was nothing there.

For the shortest moment his eyes flickered as he looked at her. It had almost been invisible, but her body had reacted, her heart stopping in that moment in response to that flicker. It had been enough, enough that a small ray of hope sparked inside her. Maybe the love he had had for her was still inside him, somewhere.

She fought back tears as Mørk appeared besides Ten.

Her entire body convulsed in a mixture of terror, anger and vengefulness at the sight of Mørk. The terror and fear made her want to run away from him, but the anger blooming inside her steadied her to the ground. She gritted her teeth and nearly hissed at him. Her eyes went to his dagger again, where his hand lay reassuringly on it. She didn't know how she was going to do it, but she would kill him with that dagger. He would die tonight. Her blood burned with a raging fire as she spat at him.

Mørk just gave her a stare that suggested that he felt the same about her.

Both Ten and Mørk was standing outside the circle, but then the queen stretched her hand out, beckoning Ten to join them. His eyes fell to the ground, as if he were ashamed as he walked into the circle to stand beside his mother.

"But when trust has been broken, one most earn that trust back," the queen said. "And my son has accepted my terms. My terms regarding gaining my trust again." The queen looked at the altar behind her at something Helen couldn't see. "He will be the one to end your life tonight Sòlung."

Every hair on her body stood at the queen's words. Ten had agreed to kill her, to earn his mother's trust. No this was exactly what he had told her that he would not let ever happen. This was exactly what he had sworn he would protect her against, but now it was going to be his hands that would kill her. Shock and disbelief ran through her. The words felt so foreign and untrue to her, so unlike everything she had learned of Ten's character, that she could not believe them. Could not become sad or feel betrayed, because it couldn't be true. No, she knew Ten, didn't she? He would never do this.

Perhaps it was shock, but a burst of laughter slipped from her mouth. The absurdity of the situation became tragically humorous to her. Ten would not kill her, yet he stood beside his mother as a prince of the dark territories.

The queen shot her an icy glare as if she wanted to stop her from laughing, as if the fact that she could not control her annoyed her beyond reason. Ten's eyes were still cast at the ground, not looking at either of the women in the circle.

"You might laugh now girl, but there shall never be another dawn. Darkness will be the only thing our people will ever know. Your people will perish and wither away as the sun will never rise in the sky again," the queen said in a clear voice that reached across the courtyard.