His father caught him as he drew the dagger from its case. The king had been so enraged that his son would steal, potentially damaging his family name in the process, that he’d lashed out. Magnus’s punishment came via the blade itself. His father ripped it out of his son’s hands and slashed its sharp edge across Magnus’s face. Immediately, he’d regretted his violent turn. But instead of helping Magnus and bandaging the wound, he’d knelt down before his son and spoken in a low, dangerous tone while blood dripped from the little boy’s cheek and onto the shiny marble floor of the Auranian palace.
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