She raised her hands to shield herself, bracing for the bite of steel.
Sir Matthias rammed into the man, sending his sword spinning across the carpet before it reached Sapphire.
Lord Donald stared at the four dead men, his jaw agape.
The front door flung open, and Donald’s expression morphed into abject fear as Mara stepped through, her massive sword stained with fresh blood.
Taking a step back from her, Donald tried to peer around her.
“If you’re looking for the six assassins you brought with you, they aren’t coming to your aide.”
Lord Donald fell back another step. “Six?”
“You were expecting five? Last one must have been for you. No loose ends.”
Lord Donald stared at the blood-stained sword Mara wielded, then glanced over at Sir Matthias. Donald dropped his weapon. “I’ll tell you whatever you want. Just don’t kill me.”
“Henry Carsons sent you. Why?” Mara said, her sword still raised.
“He sent me to learn where Gregory Darrington hid the shard.”
“Shard?” Sapphire frowned. “What shard?”
“Don’t pretend like you don’t know! We spent a fortune on a binding ritual to learn who had stolen-” Donald’s eyes widened as fear twisted his face, and he backed up toward Mara.
Mara bounded forward as the attacker that had moved with inhuman speed dragged himself up from the floor and flew at Donald.
Donald screamed and tumbled to the ground as the dead man wrapped his hands around Donald’s throat.
Mara cleaved the attacker in half, and her massive sword flamed purple. Even as the bottom half of the man fell away, he continued to crush Donald’s throat.
“Holy fire!” Mara bellowed.
Sir Matthias grabbed the sword on the floor and white flames shot down its length. As he raised the blade, the dead man snapped Donald’s neck, then grinned as the holy flames engulfed him and turned him to ash.
Sapphire shuddered at the terrified and twisted expression on her uncle’s face. That was Rashalee’s gift.
Mara left her sword unsheathed as she nudged Donald with her foot. “Call for the Knights of Valor.”
“My grandfather sent him,” Sapphire whispered. “All of them. That means…”
“He needs to die,” Mara said. “He’s in deeper with the Unholy Triumvirate than even I suspected.”
Chapter 39
Sir Matthias took out a magic vial, cracked it, and sent a message to the Knights of Valor. He then led Sapphire away from the bodies, blood, and ash.
She let him. Her hands shook and her fingers felt like ice even in the bright sun.
“You okay?” Sir Matthias asked.
Sapphire stared off across the lush gardens, but she still saw the dead men on the great room floor and smelled blood. “Any idea what shard Lord Donald was talking about?”
Sir Matthias held her close and rubbed her upper arms. “Could be so many things, but it sounds like something magical.”
Sapphire blew out a breath. “But Papa never had anything magical. He always said magic was dangerous.”
“Interesting philosophy, one many in the Dragon Church share.”
“He saw a lot of terrible things in his youth. It’s one of the reasons he taught me to use a sword.”
“Magic is a powerful force that can be used equally for good or evil.”
Sapphire closed her eyes as she tried to steady her breathing. “I wish I’d have had more time with my father. Had asked him better questions.”
“I wish you’d have had more time with him, too, but I doubt he’d have told you about such things. He loved you and wanted to protect you.”
She withdrew the glass drop from under her bodice. The black coating was spiderwebbed with cracks. “Looks worse than ever. Must’ve damaged it when I fell.”
Whispering a prayer, Matthias drew forth a sliver of Dracor’s light and touched it to the glass. Another thin crack formed. “We need to listen to Mara and take this to Thalia’s flame. Don’t know what it is, but that pure of a light would have burned off paint.”
Sapphire stared at it a moment. “Do you think this is what my grandfather is after?”
“It’s unusual, whatever it is, and it sounds like it was important enough to your father that he always kept it with him.”
“I’m worried about what’s underneath the paint.” Sapphire tucked the glass drop back under her blouse.
“Best to find that out at the Temple of Thalia.”
Sapphire glanced back at the house and shuddered. “I can’t believe Donald is dead. Or how he died.”
“Rashalee is an unforgiving mistress. Many who follow Her forget that.”
“Perhaps my father knew who they worshipped. He wouldn’t allow any of the Carsons to step foot in his house, and any business they transacted was at a gentleman’s club.”
“Your father was a good man.”
“One of the best.”
Matthias held her close, and Sapphire drew strength from her husband, letting the warmth of him banish the darkness clinging to her thoughts. “We should talk to the Scholars of Serena. See if they can help us figure out what kind of shard Rashalee would want. It shouldn’t fall into Her hands.”
“After we show this piece of glass to the Priestesses of Thalia.”
“I hope it doesn’t turn out that my father…” Sapphire couldn’t bring herself to speak the words, didn’t want to even consider that her father could have been a Rashalee worshipper.
Matthias turned her to face him, but before he could speak, two mounted and heavily armored Knights of Valor galloped up her driveway.
Sir Matthias waved them over and explained what had happened.
Knight Locklear headed towards the house. Knight Brannon called for back-up, then followed Locklear.
Sapphire stared at the manor and shuddered. “I don’t want to go back inside. Not yet.”
“You don’t have to,” Sir Matthias said. “I usually talk to people away from where awful stuff happened. It’s easier on them.”
“Even if it happened in their home?”
“Especially then.”
“Home. If we can ever make it one after all of this.”
Matthias hugged her. “This house contains many happy memories, and it’s ready for many more.”
“Will the Knights still let me go to the country with you, Sir Marcus and Lady Brelynn?”
“Plenty of your staff saw what happened. And it happened in your house. Hard to explain why Lord Donald and ten of his armed servants were here that doesn’t involve them up to something bad.”
Sapphire considered that as she walked beside Sir Matthias in the warm sunshine.
Several more Knights of Valor arrived at the house, including High Knight Freya.
High Knight Freya jogged over to them. “Either of you two hurt?”
“Bumps and bruises,” Sapphire said.
“You try to heal any of the dead men?”
“After what happened with the one who turned to ash when Dracor’s light touched him…” Sir Matthias shook his head. “Don’t think it would’ve mattered, even if they weren’t already dead.”