The Demon Queen (Otherworld Series #5)

Chapter 24- The Unborn's Favour

"He was here one moment and the next he was gone. His pet owl, Shireen was the only living thing left behind in the room."

Renaz acted like she was inspecting the room but she looked over the features of her brother's children.

They had grown up so well. Alexei now a young male had been a little boy excited to see the world and study it. Dimitri, a troubled male had always been a troubled little boy, too worried about the people around him.

The last time she had seen Alexei, it was through her crystal ball, it had been his wedding day, she had read his emotions, he had been angry at his parents for dooming him to a woman he didn't want. She had wished him well in his future.

And Dima, poor little Dima. She was in the castle at the time the Vampires had invaded. She protected the twin Oracles while the Vampires killed their mother and had tended to Dimitri's burns from when he had been thrown into the fires.

Renaz exited the room. The men followed her. The two guards waiting outside saluted them as they passed by.

"My boys, let us go to a place where we can think quietly."

She led them down the hallway. Alexei and Dimitri shared an uneasy glance. There was no other room on Nikolai's floor of the castle, still Renaz led them towards the dead end and stopped.

She turned to look at their confused faces and smiled. Then pressed her hand on a brick on the wall.

The wall shifted and parted. The guards shouted from where they stood but Dimitri signalled them to stay back.

A room was revealed. Dust, along with the fragrance of flowers drifted out. Renaz entered the room gracefully.

Alexei went in after her, Dimitri followed, cautiously. In all the years he had lived in the castle, he had never heard or seen this room.

It had old white peeling wallpaper, little orange lamps circled the walls. The room had no windows. And strangely, it had been decorated with while flowers, and in the center of the room, a lilac cradle lay, collecting dust.

"What is this place?" Dimitri asked.

"This...used to be Nikolai's room when he was a new born." Renaz said, halting.

Alexei went one astonished look to Dimitri before stepping closer to the cradle. It was empty, a black glove and a pendant being the only things in it.

Alexei touched the pendant. His mother had once told him of her wedding gift from her own mother, it had been a pendant just like this.

"Don't take it. It will anger the gods."

They looked at Renaz. "What happened here? Our childhood rooms are kept open for us to go visit. Why was this place hidden? Does Nikolai know of it?"

Renaz shook her head. Nikolai had been so small, he would never remember it. Only his parents, Renaz and some of the older servants would know of it.

"Nikolai had been born before his time. The ritual of Wahu-Karuoh had been conducted here."

Alexei gasped, lowly. "You mean....The ritual for the newborns in danger of death?"

"Nobody told us Nikolai had been a premature baby."

Renaz nodded, thinking about the day she had gotten the news. "Afonos and Feofin had been eagerly awaiting the birth of their first child, it is said that if a succubus or an incubus have their first child, their cravings lessened and they only sought out the other parent. Feofin had been in her seventh month....there was an assassination attempt on her life, some Falcon Bloodrunner or someone, I never pay attention to politics.