Forest Kingdom Trilogy 2 - Blood and Honor

The
    emotion came and went in a moment, but Jordan made a firm decision never to turn his back on DeGrange. Gawaine stepped forward to face Prince Viktor.
    'You had them hanged, Viktor? All of them?'
    'They supplied the food,' said Viktor. 'It was their responsibility to see it was fit to eat.'
    'There were twenty-five kitchen staff,' said Gawaine tightly. 'Ten were women, and seven were child apprentices in training. And you had them all hanged.'
    'Yes!' said Viktor. 'It was my right! Now I don't want to talk about it any more! Is that clear?'
    'Yes, Sire,' said Sir Gawaine. 'Very clear.'
    Viktor settled grumpily back into his chair, and looked hard at Jordan. 'For the time being you look more like me than I do, so you'd better go on pretending to be me until I've got my strength back. Now then, we haven't got long before you have to attend the Testing, so we'd better get on with this blood'
    letting nonsense. And be careful with the knife, actor. You leave a scar, and I'll have you flogged.'
    Jordan produced a slim glass vial from one of his hidden pockets. He usually used it as part of his Invisible Wine illusion, but it would serve here. Heather watched with interest.
    'Just how much have you got hidden up those sleeves of yours, actor?'
    'You'd be surprised,' said Jordan.
    He drew the knife from his boot and started towards Prince Viktor. And then Brion DeGrange stepped forward to block his way.
    'You don't need to bother with that, actor.'
    His voice was flat, almost emotionless, but his smile and eyes were openly mocking. Everyone stared at him. The air felt suddenly charged, as though something important had happened without them noticing.
    DeGrange had changed subtly. There was a calm, dangerous look to his face and stance. Jordan
    clutched his knife tightly, and checked how far he was from the main door.
    'I didn't give you permission to speak, DeGrange,' said Viktor.
    'I don't need your permission,' said DeGrange. 'I don't take orders from anyone, any more. Those days are over.'
    'Be silent, Brion!' said Roderik quickly. 'The geas binds you to my will, and I order you to be silent!'
    DeGrange stepped forward and slapped Roderik contemptuously across the face. The harsh sound was loud. Roderik stepped back a pace, a thin trickle of blood seeping from his nose. DeGrange smiled at him.
    'Shut up, Roderik.'
    He sauntered over to the main door and pulled it open. Ten men in assorted guards' livery spilled into the room, swords in hand. There was blood on their swords, and no sign of Roderik's personal guards.
    'You should be proud of your guards, Roderik,' said DeGrange easily. 'They put up quite a good fight, while they lasted. But now there's no one left to stand between me and you. No one at all.'
    'You can't harm me,' said Roderik. 'The geas won't permit it.'
    'The geas no longer exists,' said DeGrange. 'Over the past few days, the Unreal has been growing steadily stronger throughout the Castle. You people only ever notice the major outbreaks, but there's a continuing run of smaller changes going on in the background all the time. Things like milk going sour, calves born with two heads, illusions failing - and the occasional breaking of magical agreements and bindings. My geas disappeared seven hours ago. I've been very busy since then. I spent a lot of time in your service planning what I would do to you, Roderik, if I ever got the chance. You're going to pay for what you did to me, you and everyone else in this stinking Castle. I've got my own army again, people like me who were held under a geas, or just servants with grudges. You'd be surprised how easy it was to build my army, Prince Viktor. You'd be surprised how many people hate your guts, you and all your damned family.'
    'I hear a lot about an army,' said Viktor. 'But all I see are ten men.
    'There are others,' said DeGrange. 'And we're going to tear your Castle apart, stone by stone.'
    'If you damage the Castle, the Unreal will break free, without restraints,' said Sir Gawaine. 'Redhart would be devastated. There's no telling how many people would die.'
    DeGrange shrugged. 'What did they ever do for me? Where were they when your King's magic turned me into something between a slave and a pet?' He turned to his men. 'Kill them all.'
    The renegade guards moved forward, and for a moment the conspirators did nothing, still shaken by the sudden turn of events. And then Sir Gawaine drew his axe and swung it in a blindingly swift arc at the nearest