The Vampire King

Fifteen: Caged and Pensive

"You need to take this every day," Almira recalls the words passed from Damaris to Estera to her. "It's impertinent that you take them for seven days after unprotected sex when you're fertile to prevent impregnation. She doesn't know about what could happen if it's taken every day for a long period of time, though. I know you are working as fast as you can, but this could put your own health at risk, Almira. What would we do with a dead queen, then? What would I do without you, the only other sane one?"

With Jedrik dozing in the chair as though nothing had changed, she wonders absentmindedly if having more sex makes a difference. At least Jedrik wouldn't be opposed to the employing the other suggestion of acacia gum. If only she could sneak into the village and get that little device Damaris was talking about.

But alas. She'll have to rely on the wild carrot seed.

The door opens. Even with his fine clothing, Blair looks haggard. His face twists abruptly. He pauses. Almira sleeps soundly on the bed, but a smell, simultaneously sweet and acrid, floats through the air. The door swings back into place and clicks. Almira, washed and dressed in her silky nightgown, lies still under the heavy covers.

Feet step lightly across the carpet, audible only because it's the only sound in the room and his fatigue makes his footfalls heavier, and the bed dips slightly as he leans over it, one hand pressing down for support. He draws in a sharp breath, and the smell of sex is undeniable.

Blair moves away from the bed abruptly. He goes to the bathroom to splash cold water over his face. He stalks silently through the bedroom, the sound of his footsteps gone. After changing from a formal blouse with high shoulders to loose linen, he grips the top blanket, a fur-lined one, and yanks it from the bed.

The door slams shut, waking Jedrik and making Almira stir. Jedrik looks around, groggy and confused yet alarmed. There is no change that Jedrik can tell of in his still-new environment. With a sniffle, he settles back into a light sleep.

The moon grows dimmer, and the sky lightens, sweeping through the darkest shades of blue to medium blues. When the golden haze returns to the horizon, Almira wakes. Still half-alseep, she holds them under the cool water for several minutes until she's shivering. She focuses on the cold morning air, the cool water. She doesn't leave the bathroom for a long time.

Not even when she hears the bedroom door open, and a familiar voice tells Jedrik to step out.

"Her Maj—"

"Leave. You are not privy to private matters."

Private matters. Almira is not sure she wants to find out, and yet, there is a sick, anxious curiousness that claws at her. Her legs shake. Fists form in the basin, exaggerated in size by the cold liquid. She presses down against the basin, trying to shift her weight.

Don't cower. He can't control you.

The bathroom door eases open. His gaze burns with acrimony. She meets his accusation with apathy. He won't hurt her. He won't. As he stands there, unmoving, she realizes another thing: he can't. He has always pushed her a little, but he never hurts her.

"His training begins today," Blair says.

Almira stares at him quizzically before it clicks that he is talking about Jedrik. She cannot help but smile. It's a mistake, though; Blair scowls and sneers.

"I suspect it will occur in the evening. We wouldn't want him running into my soldiers," he says. "As for you, you will be as busy as I am for much of the day."

She doesn't see the drawback to this, yet. Finally, it feels like progress. But she needs to know one more thing.

"What will I be busy with?" she asks.