Chapter 91: _ Raice Killed Him

I didn’t care about the cold eyes of the wardens or the whispering crowds of initiates lingering on the stone steps. I broke into a full sprint until I threw myself right into the middle of the procession.

"What is going on?!" I demanded, my lungs burning as I grabbed Bren’s sleeve. "Why are you being arrested?!"

Miriel tried to speak but all that came out was a muffled, choked sob. Tears were spilling down her red cheeks, making a complete mess of her face.

Bren kept her chin held high, though her jaw was set so tight I thought her teeth might crack. "He’s dead, Elira."

"Who? Who’s dead?"

"Tobin," Bren muttered.

"What?!" I gasped, staring between them in bewilderment. "How?! Tobin is locked in the holding cells! He’s under a twenty-four-hour guard!"

Miriel let out another hiccup. "We... we did it, Elira. We killed him! The poor boy... if... If we hadn’t accused him..."

"Hush!" Bren hissed, glaring at Miriel so hard the girl shrank into her collar. "Do not implicate us with your reckless words, Miriel! We didn’t do anything, and you shouting about murder in the middle of the courtyard isn’t helping!"

"Then why is Commander Clement sending for you?!" I asked.

"Because we’re the victims of his original attack," Bren explained, stepping forward as the lead warden gestured for us to keep moving. "We’re the primary witnesses for tomorrow’s council hearing. Or at least... we were."

I didn’t turn back toward the lectures. I fell into right beside them, ignoring the stern glance from the lead warden. If my friends were being dragged into the jaws of the Security Wing, they weren’t going alone.

The Security Wing was an absolute madhouse.

Usually, the precinct was a quiet, dreary place. Today, it reeked of panic. Wardens were sprinting back and forth between archways carrying sealed scrolls, keys, and blood-stained evidence trays. The heavy iron portcullis was drawn up, and guards lined the entry hall three deep.

We reached the main entrance just as a regal figure glided out of a side carriage.

Headmistress Maisie.

She wore long purple robes lined with white ermine fur. Every warden at the threshold instantly snapped to attention, executing identical salutes.

"Headmistress," the lead warden greeted her, bowing his head.

Headmistress Maisie stopped and her eyes swept over the two guards and then rested on the three of us. She frowned. "What is this? Why are first-year initiates being brought into the security sector during an active crisis?"

"Commander Clement summoned them, Headmistress," the warden explained deferentially. "They are the primary witnesses in the Sylven case."

"Ah. The drainage incident," Maisie murmured. She turned her body, preparing to sweep past us toward the inner offices, but paused dead in her tracks. Her gaze drifted back, stopping on my face.

She looked at my frayed Stonewick tunic, my lack of an aura, and the stubborn tilt of my chin.

"Wait. Aren’t you the markless girl? The one who publicly called out Prince Ivar at the royal ball?"

I swallowed down a spike of nervousness, squaring my shoulders. "I am, Headmistress."

The smile that slowly stretched across her painted lips confused me. "Good. She’ll do. Excellent timing. You three, come inside with me."

She didn’t wait for our response. She turned and swept through the doors. Bren, Miriel, and I exchanged uneasy glances before following her straight into the heart of the Security Wing.

Commander Clement was standing near the central map table, surrounded by three senior wardens. His hair was slightly damp, his heavy tunic strapped tight. He was barking orders about perimeter checks when he caught sight of us.

He immediately stopped, stepping forward to offer Headmistress Maisie a respectful bow. "Headmistress Maisie. I wasn’t expecting you down here so soon." He then shifted his gaze to us, offering a brief nod. "Initiates."

"Commander," I answered and let my eyes search his face for any clue.

Clement turned back to the Headmistress, gesturing toward the waiting area outside his main office. "If you will give me a moment, Headmistress, I will have my wardens seat the girls outside while we discuss the situation—"

"Nonsense," Headmistress Maisie waved a dismissive hand. "Bring them in. This entire tragic affair involves them anyway."

Clement’s jaw tightened in a barely noticeable irritation, but he bowed his head. "As you wish."

We filed into Clement’s spacious, stone-walled office.

Clement didn’t waste time. He walked over to his heavy desk, placing both calloused hands flat on the wood as he turned to face us.

"At approximately three and a half hours past the morning chime, a breach occurred in the solitary detention block. Two senior wardens guarding the threshold were found dead. Throat lacerations."

Miriel clutched my arm so hard her fingernails dug straight through my sleeve.

"Inside the solitary cell," Clement continued, "the prisoner, Tobin, was found dead. His chest was violently torn open. And standing directly outside the cell bars, covered in the blood of the guards... was Prince Raice Ignis-Dominus."

The air was instantly sucked out of the room.

My heart slammed straight into the floorboards. A deafening ringing exploded in my ears, drowning out the ambient crackle of the fireplace.

Raice?

Miriel let out a horrified gasp, clapping both hands over her mouth. "The... the Fae Prince killed him?! Prince Raice killed the prisoner?!"

"Decorum, initiate!" Clement snapped sternly, shooting Miriel a sharp glare. "You are in the presence of the Headmistress. We do not toss around wild accusations. Prince Raice adamantly denies any involvement in the murders. We are still actively investigating the scene."

My mind was spinning out of control.

Raice? Raice was a ruthless, infuriating royal pain who backed me into corners in a dark alley, kissed and touched me, and then blamed me later. He was mentally unwell. He was dangerous.

So why didn’t I believe it?

The moment Clement said Raice denied it, a certainty settled in the marrow of my bones. I believed him. I believed him so completely it scared me.

Raice was a Prince of the Fae realm; if he wanted someone dead, he would do it with cruel elegance, not by standing in a bloody cell like an idiot waiting to get caught.

Why do I care this much?! I screamed at myself internally. I should be relieved! If Raice is locked in a dungeon, he won’t have time to burn my world to ashes! He won’t have time to corner me! I should be celebrating!

Instead, a suffocating agony flared right behind my ribs. It felt like an invisible wire wrapped around my heart, pulling so tight I could barely breathe.

It was a bond. What made me desire him like a moth drawn to a flame... what was causing me so much pain right now, It had to be a bond.

Could a Dragon really be fated to one of the Fae kind? Could Raice Ignis-Dominus be my mate?