Kingdom's Vice Series: A Voyage of Vengeance ( #2 2015)

Chapter Eight

The beating drum awakes me from my bed and my heart leaps out of my chest as soon as I rise. Today is the day. Today they will die and I will be forced to watch them. Hanging, drowning, poisoning, death by arrow—the possibilities are endless. I hear a knock at the door and a voice booms through the wood.

"You are summoned to the King's Hall, now.' It's a guard. The voice strikes me as familiar—it's the faithless sprite who showed me up in front of the archers when the refugees arrived on the shore.

I wave my hand, "A moment,"

"The King has requested your presence this moment, Lady Skaya. Not a second to delay."

"One moment!'I yell back, "You can tell the King I will be down once I have composed myself. I am not fit to stand in the gallows to watch innocents die."

I hear his footsteps fade, tease down the hallway when he whispers, "There are no innocents."

~.~.~

I stand there in the hall, the air cold and brittle, making my bones ache. I do not see Jasmine anywhere, or her husband. Alec stands by the throne, my Uncle sits upon it with Faeore and Duhamas close by.

"Where are they?'I ask, searching the stones and the pillars for a shadow or two. "You summoned me, so where are they? You wanted to put on a show, so for all the love you bear me, go on!"

Uncle eyes turn to ice. "They are being detained in the dungeons for safekeeping, until we find some other use for them."

Something inside me sinks. "Detained? But today is their execution."

Duhamas pushes himself off of the pillar and unfolds his arms. "No,' he says, like a warning, "You just had to believe today was their execution. The less you knew about this the better. Your heart is too soft towards mortals, Skaya."

I catch Alec's eyes avoiding mine. "And you?'I demand, "You knew about this? Everything you said to me, you said it knowing that this was going on?"

"We were never going to kill them,' Uncle assures me, taking a sip from his goblet. "They came to us in desperation, for sanctuary. I shall offer it to them in return for discretion about our activities in Alleria.' He waves Faeore into view. "Faeore's visions seem to allude that their cooperation is secure. Death is no threat to them...yet."

I cannot help but smile. "Thank you, my king,"is all I can hear myself say. "I am pleased,"

He smiles back, "As I thought. You are easy to please, niece, so long as things are handled delicately. Flowers cannot grow without kindness, but that is not to say that they do not bloom without hardship. Our trials strengthen us."

I bow and turn to face the door, Alec's eyes watching me as I leave, the train of my skirt wafting behind me. The cardarh ring burns on my finger, reminding me of our bond. And he finds me soon after, but the sapphire tree.

He comes this way, child. The tree speaks softly to me.

"I know, I can feel him approaching." I reply. "And his footsteps were never light."

Your heart beats like the drum.

"I knew if I told you of our plan that you would make a scene," Alec calls out to me from behind, his breath mingling with the air. He touches my arm and, on instinct, I twitch. "Discretion was never exactly your strength."

I sigh, "No, but apparently my empathy was my weakness." I meet his eyes at last. He sighs and twists his ring around his finger. I bite my lip and he catches me.

"Don't worry,'he soothes me in his kinder, fuller voice, "I'd never take it off," he says, "never ever. I'm sorry for not telling you, for lying, for acting the way I did. That's not the kind of man I want to be, the one who schemes behind his wife's back, who aligns himself with the people she distrusted the most. I didn't want to be that figure to stand in your way of what you want."

I take his hand in mine as the sapphire glows on us, on our joined hands. "I know what I want," I whisper, pressing my forehead against his. "This ring will never leave my finger, not ever, for I love you as you love me—for everything and not for nothing."

~.~.~

Faeore sits amongst a sea of cushions, purple and sapphire blue, embellished with gemstones and crystals. She sits neatly, her legs tucked under her slim little body, her eyes peacefully closed.

"Clarity?" I ask and her eyes flick open. She pretends to seem startled. I wave her off, "Don't even pretend you didn't see it coming," I tease.

She laughs and shifts, leaving room for me amongst her cushions. "Come, sit with me. What I say to you cannot leave this room, not a word. Do I have your vow, cousin?"

"Of course."

She sighs and holds her belly, "Duhamas does not yet know."

"That you are...with child?"

She nods. "Yes, I knew long before, of course." She confesses. "I knew the second we made our vows to one another. I knew the date, the child's eyes—I saw them looking into mine. I saw its skin, the colour of cream. She's beautiful..."

"She?" I gasp. "You're going to have a daughter! That's wonderful news, Faeore."

Her smile fades and the light in her eyes dies. "It is, but...but I do not know if this is the right place to raise a child. Alleria is a paradise, yes, but it takes as well as it gives."

"But this is your home," I lean in and touch her hand, "our home. Your child belongs here as much as you do. Duhamas will know of this, he may not agree with your concerns."

She nods and her eyes dance about the room, "I feared as much. He does seem to be content living the way we do, in the shadow of my father, in the aura of royalty and power. And we both know what power does to people, even the best of them."

Just as I open my mouth to speak again, his eyes are upon us like flames.

"Two of my favourite girls," he says, slipping in between us, tossing a pillow at me with a wide grin. "Have you been chatting away her ears, dear wife?" he teases her with a kiss on the cheek.

"Any news of the prisoners?" I dare to ask, biting my lip. I lock eyes with Faeore, who is silently begging for me to keep her secret safe. I blink and she relaxes instantly.

Duhamas nods, letting his arm fall from where it was curled around Faeore's shoulder. "The woman has spoken for the first time—not much, just a few words. Not entirely flattering words, either." He notes. "On a different note, however, the midwives say that she'll be going to into labour soon—her belly has swollen to its limit."

My eyes widen and Faeore jolts a little. "Poor child," she says, her fingers curling around Duhamas's hand. "She must be strong to survive the pain."

Duhamas turns to her, "Have you had a vision?"
She shakes her head, "Nothing clear; only fragments. She must be strong, Duhamas. We must help her."

"What can we do?" I find myself asking aloud.

She looks to me, "Anything we can. If the child is to be born on Allerian soil, we must prepare for what comes after the birth."

"What could possibly happen?"

Duhamas and Faeore exchange cautious glances.

"They say there is a ship that sails the waters, seeking mortal hearts to corrupt and devour. The heart of a child holds the most innocence, and to those who sail under the Black—that is the richest of bounties."