Enzo body, is as limp as a discarded rag doll, drifted against the bank.
The sight of his pale face and open eyes clouded with death made her step back, her pulse thrumming so hard it echoed in her ears.
"Elara" she called for her lady-in-waiting, her voice sharp enough to pierce the fog.
But the one who came running was not Elara...
It was Captain Rathos, her father's personal guard, his steel-plated boots thudding against the stone path.
"Your Highness?" Rathos froze when his gaze followed hers.
In a single motion, he removed his cloak, wading into the shallow stream.
He lifted Enzo with the care one might give a wounded soldier, though there was no life left to preserve.
"Take him to the east infirmary.... Now." Her tone was steady, but her fingers trembled as they clenched the folds of her gown.
*****
The infirmary's nurse, an older woman with a face lined like weathered parchment, examined the body.
