REYNA
âToday we had gathered here to witness the sentencing of the beast. A beast that had been killing our own and had invaded our queendom,â Cassandraâs voice echoed everywhere as she spoke through the microphone.
âThose monsters have murdered our families for generations. They have plagued our lives and made our existence miserable! Months ago, three of our Roses were brutally raped and killed, and just a few days ago, our guards were murdered inside our walls.
âThese monsters that took our Rosesâ and guardiansâ lives are now in our grasp, and our people deserve justice. As such, I have sentenced the last beast, as the other has already died in our dungeon. Heâs to die by beheading. Bring him forth,â Cassandra commanded.
My brows scrunched with confusion. Why did Cassandra lie and tell the Marlenians the other beast was dead?
My stomach sank as realization set in. Because to her, he was as good as deadâshe was going to kill him too.
The metallic sounds of chains distracted me from my inner musings. More than half a dozen guardians appeared, dragging a very large beast between them with chains and shackles around his hands and feet.
It was his chains that were making the metallic sounds as they dragged on the cobblestone. There was a sack over his head, and his clothes were dirty with so much dried blood that they looked almost brown.
From the way he couldnât walk properly, I knew he was very weak. Heâd been tortured for weeks, drained of his blood, and had undergone whatever the fuck experiments Dr. Elizabeth was conductingâof course he was weak.
He was dragged all the way to the platform, then forced to his knees. Cassandra walked to him and pulled the sack off his head.
I couldnât stop the shocked gasp that escaped me. Horrified at his disfigured faceâhe didnât look anything like the beast Iâd seen days agoâmy stomach churned violently, threatening to expel everything in it.
The beast wasnât fighting or trying to escape. His eyes were glowing almost gold, but it wasnât as bright as it should have been.
That was when I noticed his upper body no longer glowed. That his inner light wasâ¦gone.
My heart broke. I didnât know how, but I knew the inner glow was a vital part of him.
Casvan had called the light essence. The crowd was silent, fear and curiosity making some of them move closer to the beast, while several others took cautious steps back.
Cassandra was saying something to him. He growled loudly, his fangs flashing out, and the crowd began to scream, terrified.
Lydia was suddenly there on the platform with a wicked sword in her grip. Five of the guards climbed up the platform and forcefully placed his head down on the chopping block.
My heart was beating violently; it was all I could hear in my ears. This was so wrong.
I knew the beasts were at faultâthey invaded our castle and killed our guardians. But we were no better.
The beast only ever wanted us. Theyâd never intended to kill the guardians, thatâs what my beast had told me.
And I believed him completely. The beast also didnât make the guardians suffer when they killed them.
It was swift and painless. They didnât know what they were doing.
But my mother and the council had held them captive, tortured them, and now thisâbeheading? In broad daylight.
I knew I had to stop this. If Cas ever found out, my people might all pay severely.
Right now, I believed my mother wasnât thinking straightâshe was blinded by her hatred. I started moving, running down the stairs, hoping Iâd get there so I could stop Cassandra and Lydia before it was too late.
âWhere the hell do you think you are going?â Lisa yelled, running after me.
I ignored her and kept running down the stairs. She suddenly grabbed me, holding my hand tightly with both of her hands.
I tried to yank my hand free. âI have to stop them, Lisa. This isnât right.â
âYou would do no such nonsense. Cassandra would punish you if you tried it,â she said.
I knew Lisa was right, but something inside me was telling me to save the beast. I tugged my hands free and fisted them, getting ready to punch Lisa.
If I had to beat Lisa to go down there, then that was what I would do. âGet in my way again and it would be your head on that block, Lisa.â
Lisaâs stance was defensive. She grinned at me.
We faced each other and were about to start fighting. The glint of a sword stopped me.
âIâm sorry, Reyna, but you are already too late. Look. You wonât be able to make it in time.â
I glanced down with wide eyes, just as the sharp sword glinted in the sunlight. The beast growled loudly, and the crowds gasped as the sword came down hard and swiftly, taking off the beastâs head.
Blood and gore splattered, spurting from the severed neck and splashing on the platform and all over Lydiaâs body and clothes. The head rolled down to the ground as the crowds screamed and parted.
The children screamed and cried as they hid in their mothersâ dresses. I turned and hurled all of my breakfast when the acidic bile Iâd been forcing down crawled undeniably up my throat.
My stomach cramped, twisted, and lurched as I emptied my stomach. Lisa patted my back silently while I vomited.
After the cramps had eased, I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and stood up. I didnât know why, but I felt fear unlike any Iâd ever felt, and sadness.
There was also something that felt like foreboding.
âWe shall never bow down to the beasts, remember this day. They are also bone and flesh. They can and will be killed,â Cassandra said.
With those ominous words, Cassandra got off the platform and went back inside the castle with the council and witches behind her. The atmosphere at the Rosesâ quarters was glum that day.
When I finally left the underground, I didnât even know how I got home. I didnât even try to go and see him.
How could I look him in the eyes, chat with him, like nothing had happened when Iâd witnessed his friend, brother, or whoever he was, get killed and hadnât done anything to stop it?
That night, after I went to bed, my throat was choked with unshed tears. Tears for the poor beast who only wanted love but found hatred and was killed, and for my people who had all suffered losses and were still suffering.
And for the senseless war, when we could choose to change, compromise, and live in peace. My heart was aching, and I could sense my beastâs violent rage in my consciousness.
I was certain he knew.