Chapter 100 - A Villain's End, A Duchess's Strength

The world held its breath after the sickening thud of metal against skull. Lord Malachi lay crumpled at my feet, blood pooling beneath his head. The candlestick I'd wielded felt impossibly heavy as it slipped from my fingers and clattered to the floor.

For a heartbeat, no one moved. Then everything happened at once.

Lord Malachi's guards snapped out of their shock, reaching for their weapons. Before they could draw, Alaric's men surged forward in a coordinated attack. The clash of steel against steel filled the chamber as Captain Orion barked orders. I stumbled backward, nearly tripping over my skirts.

"Secure Ravenscroft!" Captain Orion commanded as two of his men rushed toward the fallen figure. "And bind Lord Edmund!"

From my peripheral vision, I saw Lord Edmund struggling against his captors, his face pale with terror. "This is a mistake!" he shouted. "I was merely a guest! I knew nothing of this depravity!"

Nobody listened to his desperate lies.