Knowing that Irene was staring at what was left of the Duke, Sir Gunnar pulled the apprentice to the side with a hand on her shoulder.
"We ought to let the mages do what they need to," he muttered. "If anything can be done, they can do it."
The mages surrounded the bed and obscured their view. Irene wasn't sure she wanted to see any more than that anyway. The sight of the Duke was still ingrained in her mind. She thought she might see it for a long time.
There was such a difference between seeing the unknown victim of a monster rather than seeing the dead body of someone you were well-acquainted with.
It was also hard to accept how she didn't know how he died but something didn't seem right. The way the Duchess behaved was wrong. How the mages sensed something about coming into the room also didn't allow Irene's thoughts to settle.
