Nerida was horrified. Who was it? She would kill them!
The guards both turned to Zale in disbelief. "And you really couldn't have led with that?"
"I'm afraid it slipped my mind," he said lightly. "It was quite jarring being arrested for no reason. If you'll excuse me, I have a traitor to execute."
Zale broke free of his bonds with his bare hands as if it was nothing and Nerida felt her heart race in fear. She couldn't have come this far only to fail now! He wouldn't really kill her, would he?
No, he would. She could see it in his eyes. He had been waiting for this for a very long time. Likely since the moment he knew his mother had been framed. He had been planning this for over a century and it was finally paying off.
"Prince Zale, if you knew she was going to poison the merking, you do realize that you and your eyewitness would also have committed treason," one of the guards pointed out a bit nervously.
