Chapter 259: I tried to warn them!

Chapter 259: Chapter 259: I tried to warn them!

Raku stepped forward.

"They’re here."

He moved aside.

Swanly looked.

And stopped.

Brea was kneeling inside the Blood Boundary.

Heavy bone-and-metal restraints secured her wrists behind her back. Chains ran from her ankles to a stone post.

She looked terrible.

The torn skin on her scalp had been cleaned and bandaged, but blood had soaked through part of the cloth. One leg was swollen, her ribs tightly wrapped, and her spotted hyena ears hung low.

Every breath seemed painful.

Across the glowing territorial line stood Veyra.

Outside.

Exactly where she belonged.

Her six wings were folded tightly behind her, several translucent edges damaged from being thrown back by the boundary.

Tharek stood beside her, one large hand resting near the chain binding her wrists.

Korran and Lyssara were farther behind.

Azren sat on a low stone near the Veskari guards.

For once, he wasn’t eating.

When Swanly arrived, his pale-violet eyes moved immediately toward her.

He stood.

"Little fox."

She ignored him.

Her eyes were fixed on Brea.

Brea looked up.

The moment she saw Swanly’s expression, her face changed.

"Lady Swanly..."

Swanly walked forward.

Raku started to move.

Soren raised one hand.

Raku stopped.

Brea swallowed.

"I..."

Swanly stood directly in front of her.

For several seconds, neither spoke.

Then Brea began shaking.

"Please. I didn’t know she was going to..."

SLAP!

The sound cracked across the gathering.

Brea’s head snapped sideways.

Her injured body couldn’t hold itself upright.

She fell onto one shoulder.

The chains rattled.

For a moment, nobody moved.

Swanly stood over her, breathing hard.

Her white fox ears were flat.

Her tail had gone completely still.

"You should have died with Selka."

Brea froze.

Then slowly looked up.

Her eyes widened.

Anger flashed across her face.

Real anger.

Not just fear.

"Don’t..."

Her voice shook.

"Don’t say her name like that."

Swanly’s eyes narrowed.

"Why?"

Brea’s jaw tightened.

"Selka is dead."

"I know."

"She died!"

"I KNOW!"

Swanly’s voice exploded.

Several people flinched.

She pointed toward the ruined settlement.

"AND NOW SO ARE OTHER PEOPLE!"

Brea’s mouth closed.

Swanly took one step closer.

"You knew Veyra was asking questions about our boundary."

Brea looked away.

"You knew she was investigating something she had no right to touch."

"I didn’t know..."

"You saw what she was doing!"

Brea’s breathing became ragged.

"I tried to warn them!"

Swanly laughed once.

Without humor.

"When?"

Brea said nothing.

"When the stones were already moving?"

Her chin trembled.

"When those things were already crawling out of the ground?"

Brea’s eyes filled.

Swanly crouched in front of her.

"Do you know how many children screamed for their parents tonight?"

Brea stared.

"Do you?"

"I..."

"My sons almost died."

Brea’s face changed.

"My daughters almost fell into those creatures’ mouths."

Swanly’s voice dropped.

"And I nearly died trying to keep them alive."

Brea looked down.

Swanly caught her chin.

Not gently.

"Look at me."

Brea’s eyes rose.

"You hated me. Fine."

Her voice trembled with fury.

"You hated Selka dying. Fine."

She released Brea.

"But you let that hatred become more important than the lives of everyone here."

Brea’s expression twisted.

"I didn’t think..."

"Exactly."

Swanly stood.

"You didn’t think."

Behind her, a male shouted:

"My brother is dead because of her!"

Heads turned.

A second voice answered:

"My mate too!"

A female pushed through the gathering.

Her eyes were swollen from crying.

She pointed at Brea.

"You knew?!"

Brea lowered her head.

The female screamed.

"YOU KNEW AND SAID NOTHING?!"

Two guards caught her before she could reach the prisoner.

She fought them.

"LET ME GO!"

Another male shouted:

"WHY IS SHE STILL ALIVE?"

The crowd began moving.

Raku stepped forward.

His thick tail struck the ground.

THUD!

"BACK."

Nobody listened.

Mora came beside him.

Her bear claws flexed.

"He said back."

That made several people reconsider.

But the shouting only grew louder.

Swanly turned toward Veyra.

The Veskari attendant stood rigidly outside the boundary.

Her face had gone pale.

Swanly looked at her wings.

Her fine clothing.

The highborn markings along her shoulders.

Then at the ruined settlement behind her.

"You."

Veyra’s eyes narrowed.

Swanly walked toward the boundary.

"You wanted to get inside Ironwood so badly?"

Veyra lifted her chin.

"I never intended..."

"Look at it."

Veyra stopped.

Swanly pointed toward the broken shelters.

"LOOK."

Veyra’s eyes flicked toward the settlement.

Swanly’s voice rose.

"People died!"

"I did not order those creatures to..."

"You disturbed something you didn’t understand!"

Veyra’s wings pulled tighter.

"I was investigating the territorial mechanism."

Swanly stared at her.

Then laughed in disbelief.

"Investigating?"

Veyra swallowed.

"You have no idea what lies beneath this territory."

Swanly’s expression changed.

For one second, she remembered the underground chambers.

The sleeping creatures.

The ancient defense network.

Then her anger returned.

"And neither did you!"

Veyra flinched.

"You could have destroyed all of Ironwood!"

A man behind Swanly shouted:

"She tried to let them in!"

Another answered:

"They want the Heart!"

A third voice rose.

"What if they did this on purpose?"

Silence spread briefly.

Then someone said:

"What?"

The male stepped forward.

His clothes were covered in ash.

He had a bandage wrapped around his forehead.

"They kept demanding we open the boundary."

He pointed toward Lyssara.

"They kept telling us we would need their help!"

Lyssara’s wings shifted.

"Be careful what you accuse us of."

The male laughed bitterly.

"Now our homes are destroyed, people are dead, and suddenly we’re supposed to trust you?"

A female shouted:

"Maybe they wanted to frighten us!"

Another voice:

"Maybe they wanted us desperate enough to surrender!"

"We don’t know that," someone protested.

"THEN WHY WAS SHE TRYING TO GET INSIDE?!"

The crowd erupted.

"THEY WANTED THE HEART!"

"THEY DON’T CARE ABOUT US!"

"THEY CAUSED THIS!"

Korran stepped forward.

His massive wings spread.

"Control your people."

Raku’s head turned slowly.

His reptilian eyes narrowed.

"Careful."

Korran looked down at him.

Raku’s lips parted, exposing sharp crocodilian teeth.

"You are outside our boundary."

Mora stepped beside him.

"And after tonight, you should be grateful for that."