Magda didn't know who was behind that pillar. She was suspecting Anya, because the guards said they found her wandering. She was going to bleed the truth out of her anyway.
All the servants were in the courtyard. Lined up. Forced to watch the "New Order" in action.
They threw Anya against the wooden post in the center. Her knees hit the gravel.
"Anya..." I choked out, reaching for her.
A boot slammed into my ribs. The air left me in a pathetic, wheezing sob.
Magda walked toward me, "You think you're brave because you slapped a maid, Aurielle?" She leaned in, her voice a ghost of a whisper. "Bravery is a luxury for people who have nothing to lose. You? You have a daughter upstairs with eyes like the sea. Such a shame... those eyes are so fragile."
My heart didn't just race; it stopped. The world narrowed down to the pulse jumping in Magda's neck.
