Chapter 33

SABINA

The crowd was angry, their shouts echoing off the castle walls. They held their torches high, the flames licking the night sky. Some were so close to the castle that I feared they might set the grand structure ablaze. The only thing keeping them at bay was the line of guards, their armor glinting in the torchlight.

“Aboloft, I warned you this would happen,” I said, my voice barely audible over the roar of the crowd.

“Don’t worry, Bina. They won’t hurt you. Wilsden needs to accept their future queen. I won’t stand for this hostility towards you,” Aboloft replied, his voice steady.

He turned to face the crowd. “Why are you here at this hour?” His voice cut through the noise like a knife.

The crowd responded with a roar, waving their torches and pitchforks. Then, they fell silent, allowing one man to speak.

I looked out over the sea of faces. Everyone was there, except for the children and the elderly. I recognized many of them, faces that haunted my nightmares.

“We won’t accept the new queen!” a man shouted. I couldn’t make out his face in the flickering torchlight.

“That’s not your decision to make. I’ve chosen my queen, and my decision is final!” Aboloft’s voice was firm, leaving no room for argument.

“We respect you, King Aboloft. We’re loyal to you. But we must warn you. This woman”—he pointed at me—“is not who she seems. She’s a witch! We won’t let you give the throne to a witch. She’ll destroy us!”

The accusation stung, even though I’d heard it before. I knew what they thought of me, but it still felt like a punch to the gut.

“Enough! I won’t let you accuse my bride of being a witch. Sabina is pure of heart and soul. She’s not a witch. You’re all wrong! And I won’t let you disrespect her.

“Anyone who disrespects my queen, disrespects me. Anyone who attacks my queen, attacks me. Anyone who is disloyal to my queen, is disloyal to me!” Aboloft’s voice echoed off the castle walls.

“Aboloft, you’re just making them angrier. Change your decision. Choose someone else as your queen. They’ll be happy then,” I pleaded.

“You’re going to be my queen, Bina. No one can change that. Go back to bed. You don’t need to be here,” Aboloft replied.

“If you won’t choose another queen, we won’t let a witch take the throne! We’ll leave Quopia!” a different man threatened.

“If you want to leave, then leave. But Sabina will be the Queen of Quopia in a few months. If you can’t accept that, you’re free to leave. But I won’t change my decision. Sabina will be the Queen of Quopia!” Aboloft’s voice was unwavering as he took my hand.

“You’d make us leave our home for a witch?! How could you, King Aboloft?! Wilsden is our home. We won’t leave. Quopia will be in danger if you choose ~her~ as your queen!” a woman shouted.

“You can either accept Sabina as your queen or leave. The choice is yours. If you choose to leave, you have seven days to pack up and go. If you stay, you accept your new queen,” Aboloft told the crowd.

“And what if we don’t accept any of this? What if we don’t leave and don’t accept the new queen?” a man asked.

“Then you’ll be forced to leave Quopia. Anyone who doesn’t accept my queen has no place in my kingdom. Now, go home. My bride needs to rest,” Aboloft said, turning to leave. But a voice stopped us.

“We won’t accept a witch as our queen. We’ll rebel. We’ll fight you!” a man shouted.

“Fine. If you want a fight, you’ll get a fight. But for now, go home. Guards! Make sure they all leave. Anyone who stays must be killed immediately. No exceptions!” Aboloft ordered, then led me away.

“Aboloft, what have you done? You’re inviting them to fight you? Don’t you see how dangerous this is?” I asked as we walked back to his bedchamber.

“Don’t worry, Bluebell. I’ll destroy anyone who tries to hurt you. If they want to rebel, I’ll give them a reason to fear. You have nothing to worry about,” Aboloft said as we entered his room.

“Aboloft, don’t. They’re innocent. You’re a good man. Don’t kill them,” I begged.

“They hurt you, Bluebell. I won’t forgive them for that. They all deserve to die. And they will. I won’t stop until they’re all six feet under,” Aboloft said, his voice cold.

Fear gripped my heart. Aboloft was a good man. He couldn’t be a killer. He was supposed to be kind. But here he was, inviting war. This was why I left him all those years ago. I didn’t want him to do anything terrible because of me. And now, he was doing just that.

“Aboloft, reconsider. Think about the lives that’ll be lost if you let Wilsden go to war with you. Trust me, it’s more than you can handle.

“You’re a good man, Aboloft. Violence isn’t the answer, and you know it. Please, don’t do this,” I pleaded.

Aboloft drew me into his arms, pressing a kiss to my forehead. “You shouldn’t worry about those monsters. They deserve nothing less than a brutal end.

“Let go of your worries, my sweet. Get some sleep. Let me take care of you. They’ve caused you enough pain, it’s time they paid for it.”

“But what if they accuse me of witchcraft again?” I couldn’t shake the feeling that happiness wasn’t in my cards.

Something always seemed to come along and snatch away my joy. I couldn’t help but wonder what I’d done to deserve such a fate. Why did they hate me so much?

A sharp knock echoed through the room, bouncing off the walls of the bedchamber. What did the guards want now? Aboloft had already addressed the people of Wilsden. Could it be that they were already rebelling?

“Speak!” Aboloft ordered, his grip on me tightening.

“Aboloft, it’s Bancroft, Eldon, and Mavon,” King Bancroft announced.

“Come in,” Aboloft replied, releasing me from his hold.

My heart leapt into my throat as the three kings entered Aboloft’s bedchamber.

I’d expected them to be in their nightclothes, but they were dressed formally, as if ready to start a new day. None of them looked like they’d been dragged from their beds.

“Who are those people outside? And why are they carrying torches and pitchforks? What’s happening, Aboloft?” King Mavon asked, offering me a gentle smile.

The smile was meant to reassure me, but I knew better. King Mavon was just as powerful and dangerous as the other three kings. I couldn’t trust his kindness.

“The people of Wilsden. They refuse to accept Bina as their queen. They want war, Mavon, and I’ll give them exactly that. They’ll die, every last one of them.

“I won’t rest until they’re all reduced to ashes. I gave them a week to leave Quopia. If they don’t, they’ll die,” Aboloft declared.

His words made it clear that nothing I said or did would change his mind. Aboloft was stubborn, even on a good day. There was no changing his mind now.

“Kill them all now. They deserve nothing less. Order your guards to burn the town. After all, they did the same to Bina.” King Eldon’s voice was cold.

“No!” I couldn’t help but speak out, earning a glare from King Eldon. “Don’t kill them. Punish them, yes, but don’t kill them, Aboloft.”

“And why not?” King Bancroft challenged, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Because they’re innocent. They shouldn’t be punished for past mistakes,” I argued.

“They’re still punishing you, and you didn’t do anything,” King Mavon pointed out.

“All you did was be my friend, and they punished you for that. They have to pay, Bina. Why can’t you see that?” Aboloft asked.

“That was in the past, Aboloft. Let it go. Ignore them. Move on with your life. You have a kingdom to run. Don’t waste your time on revenge. You’re better than this,” I urged him.

“Don’t listen to her, Aboloft. She still thinks she’s powerless. Just tell us when to attack Wilsden, and we’ll burn them all.

“They should know what it feels like to be set on fire and be helpless to stop it,” King Eldon added.

I couldn’t help but glare at the heartless king. He clearly had no compassion, and he was trying to harden Aboloft’s heart as well.

“No, Aboloft, please, don’t do this. Don’t punish them for the past. It’s over,” I begged.

“Sabina, it’s best if you go to sleep and let us handle this. We’ve made our decision. We’re going to get revenge on Wilsden, and there’s nothing you can do to stop it.

“Aboloft needs your support. He needs to know you’ll stand by him no matter what,” King Mavon told me.

King Eldon scoffed, stoking my anger. “As if Aboloft would let her go anywhere.”

“You’re right, Eldon. She’s a prisoner of Aboloft’s love, just like Lorelle is a prisoner of your love,” King Bancroft retorted.

“Love? If love means constant tears, then yes, Lorelle is a prisoner of Eldon’s love,” King Mavon chimed in.

King Eldon shot them both a withering glare.

“She’ll soon realize there’s no escaping me. And you’re talking about Lorelle, what about Fleta, or Hildred? Bancroft, I could hear Hildred’s screams all the way to my bedchamber. What were you doing to her?”

“Nothing she didn’t deserve,” King Bancroft replied.

These kings were monsters, not men. Who treated women as cruelly as they did? And they were corrupting Aboloft.

When Aboloft and I were friends, he was always kind and never hurt me, but now he felt no remorse for causing me pain. It wasn’t Aboloft’s fault. It was the influence of his friends.

“Focus!” Aboloft commanded, instantly capturing their attention. “We need to plan the perfect strategy to destroy Wilsden.”

“Aboloft—”

He silenced me with a finger to my lips. “Not another word, Bina. I’m going to destroy Wilsden and there’s nothing you can do to stop it.

“So, stop trying to change my mind, because it’s not going to happen,” Aboloft declared.

I stopped talking, unsure of what else to say. The kings had made their decision, and there was no changing their minds.

I didn’t want Aboloft to be a murderer, but it seemed like he was ready to kill. He was hungry for their blood.

“Have those people left?” King Bancroft asked.

“Seems like it. I can’t hear them anymore,” King Mavon replied, glancing at the window and the shut door.

King Eldon walked over to the window. “Yeah, they’re gone. Everyone left.”

“I think we should strike in forty-eight hours,” Aboloft suggested, shooting me a quick look before turning back to his friends. “Why don’t you sit down, Bina? You look beat.”

Too drained to argue, I sank down onto the bed. But I couldn’t just give up. I had to stop Aboloft.

The guilt of killing so many innocent people would eat at him. It had to. And I’d be damned if I let him live with that kind of regret. Aboloft deserved a life of happiness and peace, and killing innocents would shatter that.

“That’s too soon,” King Eldon countered.

“Why? My soldiers are ready. They’re just waiting for my order. We’re all set,” Aboloft shot back.

“Striking this soon might catch the people of Wilsden off guard. You gave them a week to evacuate. We’ll strike after seven days. That gives them time to get ready.

“If we strike now, we might kill people who were planning to leave. So, I think it’s best if we strike after seven days,” King Mavon reasoned.

“Fine. But what am I supposed to do for seven days?” Aboloft asked.

“Have your staff get ready for the coronation. We can do it after the war,” King Bancroft suggested.

“And if the people of Wilsden strike us before seven days, then your soldiers are ready for battle. We can easily beat them,” King Eldon added.

“We can talk about the rest in the morning. Right now, I need some sleep.” King Mavon turned to leave.

“I agree. Good night,” King Eldon said, following King Mavon out of the room.

“Sweet dreams, Sabina. Aboloft, I’ll see you in the morning.” With a smile, King Bancroft left Aboloft’s room.

“Aboloft, why can’t you just let go of this need for revenge?” I asked him as he climbed into bed next to me.

“They hurt you. They made you leave me. I can’t let that go. Please understand, Bluebell. I need you with me on this,” Aboloft replied.

“You have me, Aboloft. You have me and my support. Believe me, you don’t have to do this,” I pleaded.

“I do. I have eight years of pain and suffering to make them pay for.” He was quiet for a moment. “Now get some sleep, we’ll talk more in the morning.”

What was there to talk about? Aboloft had made up his mind, and all I could do was watch him kill people. He was set on revenge, and he wouldn’t stop until he got it.

~Aboloft, please don’t do this.~