Her face twisted, her body bending inward through another contraction. "No! No more stalling!" The words were nearly silent as she struggled for breath. A quick, hard motion of her arm and the spear launched. I gasped, lights flashing before my eyes as the sharpened spear punched through my abdomen. She had been correct. I wasn't able to move quicker than she could throw. In near mimicry of each other, we sunk to the floor, grasping our stomachs. Leaned back against the wall, her head thrown back and sweat slicking her face, she cried out.
Breathing through the pain, I analyzed the wound. I was bleeding sluggishly around the spear in my side. Her distraction due to her own pain had been my saving grace, however. It appeared that she had missed her mark. The spear was punched clear through the muscle in my side rather than hitting my wings or a vital organ. I swallowed back nausea from the pain and from the sight of the bloodied spear appearing over my hip bone. I knew from prior experience that I shouldn't remove it without a healer. The pain was excruciating, but the spear would keep me from bleeding to death. Lady Dierdre's scream ripped through the air, her head thrown back as she panted hard, blood and fluid forming a pool underneath her on the floor of the dimly lit room.
I braced my forearm on the ground in front of as I struggled to my knees. Lady Dierdre would be too weak now to use any more weapons against me or to fight me off herself. She was bearing my nephew. I couldn't let him - or her - die due to her lack of sanity. I slid on my knees across the room, stomach churning as each shift of my body pulled at my side.
"Don't touch me." Lady Dierdre moaned, the puddle around her now large, her skirt soaked in blood and fluid. "You have to die. You're going to kill her." Her voice was weak. She had to have been in pain for hours if her labor was this far along.
"I'm going to check the baby. I'm sorry, my lady. You both need help, and I'm the only one here. If I leave, I may not get back in time with aid for you." My voice was nearly as tight as hers. A quick check showed me the baby was crowning. I hadn't been a part of a birth since my sisters when I was young. "Lady, you have to push. Please. I know you're tired. Push for me." Panting, Lady Dierdre tried to push my hands away uselessly. She couldn't reach and was far too weak, her body solely focused on bearing her child. Screaming, she pushed hard. "A few more pushes. He's out to his shoulders."
"It's a girl. A queen. She'll be Queen Hope. The hope of our people." Her words were slurred, her head lazing to the side as she panted for breath.
"A few more pushes, my lady. A few more pushes and you can hold your baby." I could feel the skin knitting tightly around the spear still embedded in my side, and I gritted my teeth. I would have to reopen the wound later to remove it. At least I knew I wouldn't bleed to death in the meantime despite my pain. Once the baby was born, I could go for help. She had said we were in the abandoned dorms, help wouldn't be that far away, even in Scottsdale. I tried to encourage her to push again, to finish the birth. She seemed unable to hear me, murmuring quietly to herself amongst moans of pain and the increasing spill of blood. "Please, my lady. You have to push. You need a Healer, quickly." Her eyes were glazed as they met mine, her face pale and slick with sweat.
"Don't touch her." With a moan, she pushed again, and again. On a weak moan and a final push, her son fell into my hands. I cleared his mouth with my finger, and an angry cry filled the room. "My daughter. My sweet daughter." Her words were a whisper, a thin trail of blood still pooling under her legs.
"You have a son, my Lady." I lifted him into my arms, raising him to set him against her chest. I knew the birthing needed to be finished, but I was unsure if doing so would cause more blood loss and her death. I wanted a Healer here immediately, now that the baby was safely born.
"What did you do?" Eyes that had been closed were now wide and bloodshot as she stared at the baby laid out in her arms. "What did you do to my daughter?" She thrashed, trying to push the baby from her arms. Her frantic motions increased her bleeding as I tried to hold her still.
"Stop, my lady! You're going to injure yourself or your son!" I scooped the mewling infant into the crook of my arm as he started to slide from her chest, fighting against the darkness creeping into the edges of my vision at the pull of the spear.
"Give her to me! Give me my daughter!" Her head fell back against the wall, tears streaming down her cheeks, her wings going slack behind her.
"My lady, take him, please. Hold him so I can get help." I had nothing to cut the cord with, so taking the baby with me would be impossible. She simply turned her head, her body racked with sobs as she went limp.
"You killed her. I knew you would. You killed my Hope." One moment she was still refusing to look at her son, and the next she was sliding into unconsciousness. I froze, unsure of my next move. We all needed aid, and we needed it quickly. If I left the baby on her lap would she shove him off? Or roll onto him? If I didn't get help, I had no doubt she would die. I tore a strip from my tunic, tying the cord tightly.
"Hold on, little Prince. Your brothers will want to meet you." A quick glance showed a small stool nearby. Stretching my arms and ignoring the increased flow of blood trickling down my side, I pulled it over to us, placing it over the little boy at her side to prevent her from falling on him.
I staggered to my feet, shooting a last look over my shoulder to ensure the best placement of the stool.Lady Dierdre was still unconscious and slack, pale as death, her breathing shallow in her reclined position. Each step burned and tore at my skin, the wound tearing a little at a time as I tried to find the exit. Sunlight pulled me to a window down the hall, and I fought to raise it. I couldn't see anything but the trees surrounding the farthest dorms. No wonder no one had heard her screams, we were almost a mile from the nearest dormitory. Fresh air washed over my cheeks, easing the dizziness that plagued me. I leaned out the window, gasping for breath. I wouldn't be able to make it out of the building and the mile walk or flight to find aid, not with the wound the way it was. No one had heard the screams from the back of the building, but maybe I could make enough noise now to draw attention? Tilting my head back, I let loose a mimicry of my princes’ war whistle. Over and over again I called. Again and again, there was no answer. Gasping for breath, I leaned my forehead against the sill. I had no choice.
Reaching down I braced my head against the wall and, holding my breath, I shoved hard pushing the spear from my side. The world spun, the pain making me heave and my vision grey. I pressed hard on the wound, gasping as the pressure increased the pain. My healing would kick in shortly, I knew. If I could heal just a little bit, I could fly. The wind whistled through the window, and I smiled, dizzy with pain and blood loss. I whistled to the wind in response, hoping I could remain conscious long enough for the skin to finish knitting together. Master Jaison had been right. My healing was more rapid now that I was healthier, and my body would fight to heal itself as quickly as it could.
"Emberly!" Jett's voice was a roar. I whirled back to the window, scanning the skies. Flying fast over the treetops were sunkissed wings, shining like jewels. They had found me. I knew they would. I whistled again, the blood seeping from my fingers making my brain foggy. Heads turned, eyes scanning as they searched for me.
"Up here!" My voice was choked, pain and exhaustion racking my body. I leaned against the window, waving one arm wildly and using the other to staunch the flow of blood.
"There!" Neel's voice was frantic. "The dormitories!" They veered, coming towards me fast. I felt tears tracking down my cheeks as relief sunk into me. A flash further behind them caught my attention, and I strained to make it out. Purple wings stood out in the sky. Master Jaison. Thank the Gods. My vision continued to grey as I heard wings flapping close.
"Fuck, Sunbeam! You're bleeding!" Hands grasped me and eased me towards the floor. Flynn must have been the first through the window, I thought, as everything continued to spin.
"Lady Dierdre. She's lost her mind. Thought I was evil. She's down the hall. Needs Master Jaison." My words were slurred now as
I leaned against him.
"Fuck it. We'll get to her after he heals you. We aren't going to lose you, Sweetheart." Blaine's voice was a whip over my shoulder.
"Your brother arrived. I delivered him. In with her. Not safe." The words came out on a gasp as more footsteps surrounded me.
"Out of my way." Master Jaison's voice was sharp. "Emberly. You delivered the prince?"
I nodded, trying to speak as my body shut down to focus on healing. "I'm healing. Get him. Her mind's shattered. She could hurt him. She's still bleeding. I don't know how to stop it."
"We've got you, Flower. Rest." Hunter's voice was a coo in my ear. "You did so good." I smiled, or I tried to. With their voices surrounding me, I let myself fall, knowing they would protect me.
Epilogue
Gentle hands threaded through my hair, massaging and stroking. I arched my neck, turning my hand into the seeking fingers as I tried to clear the sleep from my eyes. From the sensation of silk against my skin, I was sure I was in the palace. “We’ve got you, Sweetheart.”
I quickly assessed myself before I sat up. I had to have been asleep for awhile; my wounds appeared to be completely healed, and I wasn’t in any pain. Still being careful I flicked my wings, sitting up from where I had been lying across the soft, silken bed. I was in Blaine’s room, I realized, as a shift of my wing nearly sent a precarious tower of books crashing to the floor. “I haven’t been in here since I got my wings. We always researched in the library. How do you function in here without raining books down onto yourself all the time?” He glanced around, momentarily distracted. He looked utterly exhausted, his face nearly ashen under his golden skin.
“I’ve never really noticed. It’s habit, more than likely. I know where I put things, so I know what to avoid.” His leather voice was more crackly than normal, as if he had strained it. “I need to let the others know you’re awake. They’re with my father.”
I froze for a moment before forcing my body to relax. He was clearly on edge and didn’t need my own emotions fueling his. “Alright. I’d like to see them.” The smile he shot me was dry as he pushed up from the bed, hurrying to the door. He really did know how to weave around the shelves and towers. He didn’t brush against a single one. Blaine didn’t bother leaving the room, he simply opened the door and let out a series of whistles I hadn’t heard him make before. “I thought they were with His Majesty?” Confused I shook out my wings and straightened my clothing as I watched him. “Aren’t they going to be too far away to hear you whistle, even at the pitch you hit?” I smiled so he’d know I was teasing.
Leaning against the door jamb, he shook his head, a small smirk on his lips. His eyes were warmer now, though he still looked as if a few solid days of sleep would do him good. “There are different signals for different people. Tesha’s outside of our chambers farther down the hallway. She’ll know the signal to go get my brothers and let them know you’re awake.”
I was hesitant to ask but couldn’t resist my curiosity. “The baby?”
His smile was slight and strained. “They’re calling him Viorel. He’s doing well with the other ladies.”
I wasn’t sure if I wanted to know the answer, but I knew the open-ended question would haunt me. “Lady Dierdre?”
Blaine shook his head. “She didn’t make it. Master Jaison tried his best. She didn’t want to live, though. Kept saying you cursed her, you witched her youngling, that she was supposed to have a girl. Father got there in time to be with her at the end - and to hear everything she was saying.” His eyes were sorrowful as they met mine. “You don’t have to worry about reprisal, Sweetheart. The truth is not to be shared with the Court, however. He does not want Viorel to have any idea of what happened with his mother. The official story is that there was an accident and that you tried to save them both. You’re being hailed as a hero for saving the new prince.”
I grimaced, biting hard on my lip to stop the flow of words that wanted to spill out in rebuttal. I hated that a lie would be spread, though I recognized the political need for it. I may still be new to this world, but I wasn’t ignorant. Our people would worry that the mother’s madness had passed on to her son and it could cause dissent in the future.
“Her parents are traveling here to claim her body. They refuse to lay her to rest here in Ardenia.” Neel’s voice surprised me, and I turned. He looked just as weary as his brother, lines bracketing his eyes and an ashen cast to his skin. “They are going to take her back to Saradin. I think that they were surprised that Father only put up a token protest before agreeing to their order. I don’t know if it will make our relationship with them better or worse. Only time will tell.”
The others made their way into Blaine’s room, careful of the tower of books. All of them bore the marks of exhaustion with glazed eyes, slumped shoulders, pale skin, and lined faces. I wondered if they had slept at all since they had found me. “Thank you. All of you. I knew you would find me.”
Five pairs of eyes went from glazed to hot, aching, and mournful as they studied me. “Training you was definitely a wise decision.” Jett’s voice seemed to strive for matter of fact but fell just short. “You hung on. You not only hung on, you thrived. You saved our brother. You showed compassion where most would have run the other way, focusing only on saving themselves.”
“I just knew I had to get back to all of you.” The words were simple but said everything. My princes had shown me a world I had never expected to exist for me. Even if I had never gotten my wings, I would have wanted to remain a part of their Court. I loved all of them,and I would do my best to care for and protect them for the rest of our lives. “Whatever happens, Mates, we’ll overcome it. I’m back with you. I have friends and a family. I love you all.”
Hunter cupped my cheek, stroking a finger over my jaw. “We all love you, Emberly. You’re so beautiful, inside and out.”
“We’ll keep training you; keep preparing you for this life. You’re so strong, so smart; it is an honor to be your mate.” Jett’s eyes flared as his serious gaze met mine.
“It’s an honor to have you as our Guardian, and we will work hard to guard you too. You’re strong enough to handle things without us, you’ve proven that over and over again.” Blaine’s citrine wings flicked slightly, his concentration solely on me.
“We’ll make you laugh every day, Sunbeam. You’re the sunshine in our lives, and we’ll be yours. We can’t protect you from everything, and we know you wouldn’t want us to. We’ll ride out the storms with you and always give you a reason to smile.” Flynn flicked his braid over his shoulder, his smile warm.
“We are your mates, as you’re ours. We will protect each other, support each other, love each other. This life isn’t easy. There are politics, plots, subterfuge—there are threats that occur frequently. There will be rough patches where we will hurt your feelings, make you angry; we’ll make mistakes. Through everything, though, Mate, we will be at your side.” Neel stepped forward to wrap his arms around me, scooping me up to cradle me against his chest. “When you fell into our lives, we had no way of knowing you would complete it. We never expected to share a Valkyrie, but you have all of us wrapped around your wing tips.”
I cradled his cheek, smiling at each of my mates. “I love you all. Let’s see what the future holds. Ready to fly?” I laughed at the enthusiastic assent and let Neel carry me from the room. We’d handle the future as it happened. For now, I was just happy to have my princes by my side.
About Quinn Arthurs
Quinn lives in temperamental Ohio. She is a book devotee, a caffeine addict, an absolute klutz, and a worn out mom. She tries desperately to squeeze out the crazy stories that are always playing in her head between constant emergencies at work and home. At least her kids are always a willing audience for her insane ramblings while they're still little! Please stalk her on Facebook by clicking the icon below!
The Valkyrie's Princes Page 19
