Chapter 94: Octavian...
Emerald stepped closer, her eyes narrowing as she took in the bloodied form chained to the ground.
His head lolled to one side, mouth twitching with mumbled pleas. One eye was completely swollen shut, and his lips were cracked and bleeding.
She knew that face. "Wait a second..." she muttered. "That’s Octavian."
Nessa gave a curt nod. "One of the lower council members. He mostly handles distribution between border sectors."
"He’s not even a high Lord," Emerald murmured. "What the hell is he doing here? What happened?"
Nessa crossed her arms tightly. "One of the medics was doing routine rounds when he heard some noise in the morgue. According to him, it sounded like metal clattering, like a tray being dropped.
"He went in to check, and that’s when he found our guy here, trying to pull Quince’s body out of storage."
"Was he armed?" Emerald asked.
"No. He just had gloves and tools with him, everything you’d expect for whatever he was trying to do. Looked like he was trying not to leave marks."
Emerald’s brow furrowed as she looked back at the trembling man on the floor. "That doesn’t make any sense. Why? What the hell could he possibly want with Quince’s corpse... especially now?"
Nessa looked just as baffled. ""We thought the same thing," she muttered. "He had no authority. No reason. Nothing to gain... except..."
They both turned to Octavian as he groaned and shifted, his manacled wrists jerking weakly against the silver chains. Blood was dripping from his nose and the corner of his mouth. His lips moved, mumbling incoherent pleas.