The Devastation: Unexpected Circumstances Book 7 by Shay Savage Read Free Book Online Page B

were kept.  Would they dare hold a royal prisoner in a dungeon?  A more likely place would be a tower or an isolated wing of the castle.  We headed through the towers and upper rooms, killing everyone who crossed us, and found nothing.
    There was no sign of Alexandra to be found, not even a shred of clothing.  We also found no sign of the king or queen of Hadebrand, and I started to wonder if they had escaped during the battle.  I sent two of the farmers-turned-soldiers to race back outside to the cavalry to have them search for any evidence of flight.
    In one of the upper rooms, we found Hedda, Whitney’s young sister, and Hedda’s twin brother, Jared.  The soldiers took them to the throne room of the castle where they could be used against the rest of the family.  I tore through the remainder of the royal chamber but found nothing.  I raced to the other wing of the castle, the lower levels, the dungeon, and kitchens, dropping guards and servants alike, but found no sign of my wife.
    She was not here.
    As I made my way once more through the upper level, slight movement from the far end of the corridor caught my eye.  I waved the other guards back down the long staircase while I went to see what was there, telling myself I had only imagined it.  We had cleared out this area already, and I did not think anyone else could be up here.
    I turned at the end of the hallway and entered the royal bedchamber just in time to see a flash of black cloth as it disappeared behind a large, ornate wood carving, which hung on the far wall. I raced over to it and yanked it from the wall.  Behind was a small alcove, and King Edgar stared back at me with wide, surprised eyes.
    For a moment, I felt as if I were in a dream.  Here he was, right in front of me, and I wasn’t sure what I should do.  This was something I had desired for so long—to have this man in front of me without guards and with just cause to take his life—and I did not know how to respond.  It was my moment of hesitation that allowed him to slip past me and try to run from the room.  Even in my momentary stupor, he was not fast enough, and I caught up with him before he could reach the door.  Edgar quickly jumped back and raised his hands in a gesture of surrender.
    “King Branford, what are you doing?”
    “I’m here to destroy you and your family for what you have done,” I replied softly.  “Is that not obvious?”
    “It was your own cousins who devised that plan!” he said.  “I knew nothing of the handmaid or the tea!”
    His gaze shifted quickly to the door and then back to me again.  I knew he was lying, and I told him so as my sword hovered between us.
    “You have already made those responsible pay for that,” he said. “There is no more need for bloodshed!”
    “No need?” I snorted.  “You seize my wife and have the audacity to look shocked when I break down your door?”
    “Seize your…seize your wife…?”
    “Do not play innocent with me!” I bellowed as I swung my sword in an arc near his head.  “I will not stand for it any longer!”
    “King Branford, I have no knowledge of Alexandra’s kidnapping.  I swear—”
    “ Where is my wife ?” I screamed.  I had tried to keep my voice calm and low before, but it was no longer working.  I was quickly losing whatever dignity I might have left.  The muscles in my arms were sore from battle but still cried out for more bloodshed.
    “King Branford, you must believe me!  I have no idea where your queen may be.”
    I slowly raised my sword and held it in both of my hands as I pointed it to him.
    “I will not listen to your lies,” I said quietly.  “You will die for everything you have done to me and to my family.
    “Branford…listen to me—”
    I laughed and I stalked toward him.  I felt as if I were in a trance as everything he had caused slowly traversed through my memories—my parents’ death, the misplaced faith of the mentors I had trusted with my life,