Akaza looked from the broken sword to Simon.
Virella's lips parted slightly. Beside her, Ammor stood motionless, staring at the boy who had stopped breathing.
Sonya inclined her head toward the body.
None of them had expected this.
The boy was powerless. His strange calmness had been worth noticing, but nothing else about him suggested danger. He had not threatened them or released any killing intent.
They had thought Simon would lose interest and let him go.
Instead, the child lay dead at their feet.
"Why kill him?" Sonya asked.
Simon lowered his hand.
"Pulling out a weed by its roots."
Akaza's brows drew together.
"You thought he could become a threat?"
"Yes."
Simon glanced at the sword hilt still trapped in the boy's fingers.
"He hated us. Me most of all. He was simply very good at hiding it."
Virella looked more closely at the still face.
"But he wasn't..."
"Showing it?" Simon finished. "That doesn't mean it wasn't there."
They remembered his last moments.
