It was as if the ground had been pulled from me, the air stolen from my lungs.
I looked at Julian beside me. He didn't move. He didn't look away from their hanging lifeless bodies.
I took his hand and I felt complete and utter sorrow overtake me.
His sorrow.
And guilt, so much guilt.
I could feel my heart breaking for him and there was nothing, absolutely nothing I could say to ease his pain.
I said the only thing I could. "Julian, I'm so so-"
I didn't even finish before he moved, taking his hand back so swiftly that he might as well had slapped me for what it did to me.
He moved out of view and Vy jumped into action. When I turned, they were both taking them down from the shackles that held their ankles. Julian moved gently with the woman while Vy, with equal gentleness, moved the man with her magic. They crouched low as they set them down on the rocky ground. Vy moved a hand over each of their eyes and shut them. Julian only stared at them, visibly shaken.
Vy placed her hands over them and with little effort, the bodies were instantly wrapped in black blankets held together by ropes along the length of them.
Vy placed a gentle hand on Julian's shoulder. "We will have revenge, Julian, on whoever did this." She nodded towards something blue and metal on the ground. "Whatever Ice bastard did this, we will get him."
Julian shook his head. "This wasn't done by the Winter Queendom," his voice was hoarse. "This was Robyn."
My heart stopped.
Vy shook her head. "How could you possibly know that?"
He nodded at the small knife close by. "I took that knife from Lord Baerod's cold, dead hands and gave it to King Warren as proof that his enemy was dead. It's been in royal possession ever since. That bastard Robyn is so sloppy. He wouldn't have known."
I felt my throat constrict at his words. "Robyn d-did this?"
His eyes held no warmth as he looked at me. "He sent me, he wanted me to find them."
I shook my head, unbelieving. "H-He sent you because the hounds attacked Skryen."
Vy sighed. "He placed them there."
I couldn't move.
"I checked the gates the morning of Saddaim the hounds were still here - none of this had happened. The hounds can't specter and it would take them a full day to get to Skryen not hours and not unnoticed."
Julian continued. "It would take someone of immense power to specter them from Tartus to Skryen- you saw what they almost did to Vy and she's the Keeper. Do you know anyone with that kind of power?" He shook his head. "He did this, he spectered them there - he made sure I would be the one to find the Hounds, stop them - to come here to find - this." He stumbled at the words.
Vy's tone was harsh. "He didn't need this much blood. He didn't need both of them drained to release them."
I reached for my throat. It was getting harder to breathe.
