She shifted only her eyes Nils and Anneka’s way. “Punished seems a tame word in this instance.”
“They’re going to be inhabiting a cell for the rest of their days,” Frey shared. “Does that suffice?”
“You can’t be serious.” Anneka’s words sounded forced out.
Frey looked to his aunt. “I can’t?”
She took in his face and shrunk away.
“I suppose that’ll do,” Valentine murmured.
Having turned fully to them, she was eyeing them like she would eye a pesky rodent she intended to trap by breaking its back and then dispose of.
“I’m done here,” Frey stated and looked to Ruben. “Keep an eye on them until Lund gets back with the constable.”
“Right, Frey,” Ruben answered.
He turned to Valentine. “Give him back his tongue.”
She gave him a small smile. “Can’t I keep it?”
“Give it back, Valentine.”
“Just for a little while,” she coaxed.
“Valentine, there’s Franka to see to,” Frey reminded her.
That took the witch’s attention. She lifted her hand, snapped, and Nils instantly whispered a relieved yet horrified, “By the gods.”
Frey wasted no time sweeping an arm out for Valentine to precede him, something she did. He glanced at Noc. Noc lifted his chin. Frey moved and Noc followed him.
They were through the kitchens and heading to the main stairs when Frey spoke.
“I’ve known her since she was a little girl. But you were right.”
Noc stopped. Valentine stopped. And they both found that Frey had stopped.
His attention was to Noc.
“There’s great substance to anyone who would endure what she did, doing it for decades to protect her brother,” Frey continued.
Noc said nothing.
Valentine also remained silent.
“Kristian is not as Nils described him,” Frey went on. “But his wit is not as sharp as his sister’s. And his will definitely not as strong. I cannot imagine how he would cope even with the threat of the lash, much less feeling the bite of it. But Franka, what I saw, I don’t even know how she remained standing.”
“She remained standing so her brother would not fall,” Noc pointed out.
Frey shook his head. “I would never think she had this in her.”
“The two people who, from birth, were meant to love her, look after her, protect her, but for Franka they were those two fuckwads,” Noc jerked his head in the direction they came, “it’s no surprise she did everything she could to make certain no one got close. This guy, the one who died, had to be something to tear off the mask she’d been wearing for so long it’s a wonder it didn’t fuse with her skin.”
“I see this now,” Frey said softly, and it didn’t take a cop who could read people to read he was kicking his own ass for not seeing any of this earlier.
“Man, she was a master,” Noc told him something he knew. “Twice, I’ve been around her, and she’s always trying that shit with me even though she knows I see right through it. Don’t beat yourself up. You were feeling for her exactly what she wanted you to feel.”
Frey continued to look into Noc’s eyes as he nodded.
“You two should feel free to stand here in the hallway of a palace in the middle of the night and dissect how Franka Drakkar’s childhood traumas have affected the woman she’s become,” Valentine drawled. “I, however, am going to go see to the woman herself.”
With that, no other way to put it, she flounced away, but elegantly, as Noc was noticing was the only way that woman did anything.
Noc and Frey started moving after her a whole lot slower. Noc wanted to go a fuckuva lot faster but he felt Frey’s mood, so he kept his strides in line with the other man’s.
“Looking back,” Frey started reflectively as they began to walk up the stairs, “outside, of course, what she did for her lover, and that’s explainable considering he’s the only person she’s allowed to see behind her mask, she never did aught truly amiss, except be catty and forcefully unlikeable. She even came forward with helpful information when Finnie and I were having our troubles when my wee one came to me.”
“Frey, brother, you can knock yourself out trying to find the signs you missed that’d lead you to her true character,” Noc replied. “But that secret was a secret well kept. You didn’t know what was happening to her so you couldn’t do a damned thing about it. Just count yourself lucky you know now.”
“Yes,” Frey muttered. “Difficult to do. But wise.”
When they made the top of the stairs, Noc started to move faster and thankfully Frey came out of his thoughts and moved with him.
They’d barely cleared the door before Finnie was at her husband.
“Frey—” she began.
“Not now, my wee wife,” Frey said gently, his arm going around her waist but his eyes went to Franka. “I’ll explain all later.”
Noc just went to Franka.
She was out. Her eyes closed. Her breaths even. Her beautiful face peaceful. And he saw strips of gauze with some kind of milky gunk laid across her back.
He lifted his gaze to a man who was bending over a leather case sitting on one of the chairs by the fire.
“How is she?” he asked.
The man raised his head and caught Noc’s gaze.
“Mutilated,” he bit out and turned his attention to Frey. “I hope, sir, that whoever perpetrated this outrage has been detained.”