Chapter 37
The ballroom boomed with the sound of closing doors. The doors leading out to the garden slammed shut, all at once. Guards stood in front of each, armed with their swords.
“Ladies, I suggest you exit through that door.” The king gestured to the only open door in the room. “Anyone who is left when the midnight bell tolls will be fair game.”
A collective gasp went through the room.
“Hunters, don your masks. It is, after all, a festive occasion.”
One of the doors opened, and a procession of servants carrying trays laden with golden masks of beasts and monsters began walking toward the king.
The ballroom filled with screams as everyone panicked. A mad rush to the door at the far end of the ballroom began.
Many of the men stood in confusion as the women cried and pushed their
