The guard he was addressing smiled.

He was either loyal to True, loyal to Mercy, or what being one or the other actually meant.

Loyal to Wodell.

“You cannot do this!” Carrington called agitatedly as True began to leave the room.

He turned back. “This was your mistake, Carrington. For you put me right where I am. And I can.”

With that, True moved out of the room, his group coming with him as Carrington shouted, “I will have a tribunal! You cannot prove a thing! I demand to speak to the king! You cannot prove—”

He was silenced abruptly. Clearly, True’s final order had been carried out with due haste.

There was silence until they reached the ground floor.

As they made their way down the long hall to the opposite tower, Mars fell in step beside him.

“Farah,” was all he said.

True felt his mouth tighten before he forced it to relax in order to reply, “You saw yourself it was a flesh wound. The arrow went through, easily broken at the head, the shaft removed without further damage. When I left, it had been cleansed, stitched, and her arm has been put in a sling. She was given a sleeping draught. The women are with her.”

Cassius fell in step on his other side.

“Sir Alfie.”

At that, pain raging along his spine, through his gut, in his heart, so intense in all places, it drove up his throat, True stopped dead and looked into Cassius’s eyes.

Cassius read what he saw in True’s and whispered, “Fuck, True.”

“He will never walk again. I suppose, as the arrow struck the spine low, and he still has use of his arms, he has some hope of some semblance of a life, perhaps siring a child, getting himself around. But he’s in agony. And when his pain fades, I am in no doubt he will ask for the Soldier’s Poison. And I must make the decision if I’ll grant it to him.”

All the men got close.

But Cassius repeated, “Fuck, True.”

True looked to Mars. “I was told my father dove under the pew.”

“Do not think of these things in the now, my brother,” Mars said quietly.

“Mars, did…my father…dive under…the gods-damned pew?” True gritted.

“Yes,” Mars answered.

“He did this while Alfie rushed to protect her and any life he would accept was taken from him, but not in that moment. He does not die knowing he served his realm. He makes the decision to die, thinking he failed his queen.”

“Do not think of these things in the now, my brother,” Mars bit. “You will have vengeance. Your man will have vengeance. You will see to it. And if you don’t, I will.”

“As will I,” Cassius said.

“As will I,” Aramus added.

“You’ll have my dragons,” Frey declared.

“And you’ll have my wolves,” Apollo finished.

He looked amongst them.

Then he looked to Wallace and Luther.

Wallace looked grave.

Luther looked murderous.

True again turned and moved to the door that would lead them down.