Bruises.
A woman with hair of oria and eyes of night sky.
On the neck of a man.
Mrs. Goldski.
Like ink slipped across pale skin.
Lifeless, even.
A summer field.
Mr. Goldski brushing oria hair.
Mr. Goldski arguing. With the duke.
A Tieran woman. With eyes of night sky.
The duke. On the ground.
With bruises.
On his neck.
The woman stumbled back from the child. Eyes wide. The child wondered what was wrong. She had only seen images of hallways and makeup. What had the woman seen? The child missed her qarant, but they would play again sometime.
"Your father killed a man."
"What?"
"Your father broke his vow to this nation and killed the duke. For a Tieran woman? Everyone needs to know. I - I need to tell everyone." The woman stood up, so tall over the child, and vanished through the bushes. Back to the party, to the lights.
The child sat there, unaware of the ruin soon to come.
YOU ARE READING
Behind the Lace and the Lies
Fantasy|Fantasy short story collection| Broken Vows - A pacifist by nature, Karianne must decide how far she is willing to go to seek vengeance. Horses of the Wind - A fairytale in which a woman dreams of the wind. Thinly Veiled Lies - Alyssa is desperate...
