“I shall start at the beginning, My Lord.” Mikhal nodded his approval but said nothing. “The Mistress stayed much the way you left her during your absence. She was listless, hardly eating, doing nothing for pleasure, only showing a bit of temper around the old witch, but other than that, simply lying in her bed, awaiting death.
“I watched her day in and day out and to be honest, My Lord, we didn’t see eye to eye. I suppose that is the other time she would show just a hint of fire, when she was telling me how much she disliked me.”
At this statement Mikhal gave a little smile. Yes, he could hear Alliana berating Lucian. Her tongue could be sharp as a dagger when she wished.
“On the evening of the attack, all was quiet in the castle, as it had been for weeks. The midwife drugged Marishka night and day, and I hadn’t seen or heard from her in ages. The Mistress was feeling put off by my presence and nauseated by her supper, though she had managed to eat her bread and broth, and she was very clear about her displeasure.
“I persuaded her to eat, trying to get her to follow your orders, but she truly did look as though the food was making her feel ill, so I allowed her to go without finishing her meal. She had eaten a bit so the babe would have sustenance, and she assured me that she simply needed to rest and be away from the odor of the meat.”
“You did not see fit to summon Enid when my wife was feeling ill?”
“It was suggested, Sire, but she pleaded with me, saying the presence of the old witch would make her more nauseous. I knew how they hated each other and felt the tension wouldn’t be good for your wife. I realize it wasn’t my place to make that decision, but the Mistress can be very persuasive when she wishes.”
“I didn’t leave you in charge to be so easily beguiled by my wife, Lucian.”
“Yes, My Lord. Tis another of my crimes; I have no excuse. Her appeal was so genuine and heartfelt.”
Mikhal ignored his comment, not wanting to focus on the fact that Alliana had managed to charm Lucian, be it with intent or not. The vampire was normally stoic and immune to the charms of the ladies, and the fact that his wife, who was so very cold to Mikhal himself, should be gracious to another of his kind, was a very bitter pill to swallow.
“Go on.”
“After some convincing, I gave in and sent her maid away with the tray. She was told to return at once, and the two were going to do their sewing or whatever it is women do. It was clear that my presence was causing her tension as well, and seeing as how I had some business to attend to, I told her I would leave her for the evening so she would be able to have some privacy.
“The look of relief in her eyes when I told her that, well Sire, I apologize, but it was what the Mistress truly wanted and things were so very quiet at the castle. I took my leave telling her to send a servant if she needed anything.”
“And you posted no guard at the door?” There was a snarl to Mikhal’s tone as he asked the question and Lucian shook his head, and then lowered it in defeat.
“No, Master, I did not.”
Mikhal threw his goblet of scotch across the room, where it clanged upon the floor, then was on his feet in a flash, dragging Lucian from his chair. “And why pray tell did you leave her vulnerable?”
“My reasons are not good enough, My Lord. I was stupid and blind, and take full responsibility.”
Mikhal shook him, then slapped him forward and backhanded, then shoved him back into his chair.
“What else? Tell me of Marishka and Enid.”
“Marishka apparently slipped away from Enid that night. She found her just as Marishka was questioning the kitchen staff as to why the Mistress’s tray had been returned. The two of them went to Lady Arcos’s chambers with the tray and Marishka decided the Mistress should be punished for not following your orders to eat. She accused the Mistress of trying to starve your son and proclaimed that as your sister, she should do as you would and beat her for her transgressions.
“I was not in the chamber but this is what Enid told me later when I questioned her. For some reason I can’t fathom, Enid sided with Marishka and allowed her to begin to whip the Mistress. Perhaps it ‘twas because Lady Arcos and Enid had words on many occasions prior to that night; whatever the reason, the midwife did allow it, and Marishka went after the Mistress with a vengeance.
“Thalia tried to intervene so Enid slapped her and began to drag her away for a punishment of her own but the servant fought back. Thalia escaped the old hag and ran to me for help. By the time I returned to Lady Arcos’s chambers, she was lying on the ground unconscious, and Marishka was still going at her with a strap. It was a horrible thing my Lord. I stopped her as soon as I could, and sent her away with Enid.”
At this bit of news, Mikhal’s demon once more came forth. His face shifted and the handsome man with the blue eyes disappeared as the beast in him cried out for his mate. To have anyone, especially his sister, go against their laws and do harm to their Master’s mate was unthinkable, and the thought of the pain Alliana had experienced because of his very own kin made him insane with rage.
He rose up and stormed around the room, tearing things from the walls and sending anything upon the table flying to the ground. His rage was barely containable as his demon roared and screamed. He turned to the bed and shredded the drapes that enclosed it with his razor sharp claws, and then sent the oil lamps crashing to the floor as well, all in an effort to spare the life of Lucian.
The minion before him would be punished, oh yes, but he had no intention of killing him in a fit of rage. In the past he would have simply sent for a few victims from the kitchen to tear to shreds or gone on a terror rampage in the village to appease his beast, but things had changed, and Alliana might hear of his terrible deeds, so he fought back his demon and struggled for control even as every ounce of him rebelled and cried out for revenge.
Screaming, he raised his arms over his head and threw back his head, eyes tightly shut, crying out all his agony over what had transpired and the pain of the battle going on inside him, and then finally, he brought some semblance of control to his warring emotions. He turned back to Lucian, who had stood stoically while his Master ranted and raged, and looked the minion in the eyes, hissing just one command.
“Bring me my sister and the witch hag. Bring them to me now!”
“My Lord, I shall deliver Enid at once, but there is something I have yet to tell you concerning Marishka.”
“If you are going to tell me you killed her in your rage, have no fear of the consequences. Her actions deserved death and you were left in charge of all who reside here, Marishka included.”
“No, My Lord. I now wish I had been able to deal with her as such, but I was not. While Enid and I were tending the Mistress, Marishka managed to escape the castle. She resisted Enid’s potion and slipped away, taking Andor with her.”
Mikhal stood, fury eating his very core, fighting to maintain the control he had so recently been able to achieve. Lucian had been tending to his injured wife when Marishka slipped away. This part of that fateful night was not his fault; Enid on the other hand would be questioned severely as to the amount of potion she had administered.
His nostrils flared out with unneeded breaths as he struggled for composure, searching his mind for his next cause of action. Things had to be done right, Enid must be punished, and Lucian as well, but if he didn’t want to lose favor with Alliana, he knew he must allow Lucian to live. Part of him saw the wisdom in that as well. The man had been doing as Alliana asked, his only real crime had been not stationing a guard outside Alliana’s chambers, and Mikhal knew very well how offensive that was to her so... perhaps he should grant Lucian his life. Still, there must be pain.
“You are to bring me the midwife at once, then send a servant to the village to rouse the priest. The servant is to fill several skins with holy water and return here at once. When he does, you are to secure the holy water and make your way to the dungeon to wait for me. After I have dealt with Enid, I shall pay y
ou a visit to met out your punishment.”
“Yes, My Lord. I shall do as you command at once.”
“You are not curious as to your fate?”
“That is in your hands, Sire, it is not for me to question.”
“How very right you are Lucian, but I will tell you anyway. I plan on allowing you to live Lucian, but you shall be tortured and receive as much pain as my mate did because of your carelessness. I will soak the leather strands of the flogger in the holy water and whip you repeatedly, dipping it again and again so the tails not only cut your skin, but burn you deeply as well. If you lose consciousness, the holy water will be dripped upon you slowly, to revive you so we may resume your punishment until my rage is spent. Perhaps the burn of the water and the cutting of the straps will make you ponder over your transgressions and help you atone for your failure.”
“Yes, my Lord. As you wish. I again apologize for failing you, Master.”
“You do know that if my wife had died, your life would be useless?”
“As it should be, My Lord.”
“Go. I shall contemplate whether you are fit to resume your duties after your punishment and my questioning of Enid. So help me Lucian, if I find you have not spoken the truth in this matter, you shall be dust before sun up.”
“In that, My Lord, I have nothing to fear. I shall do as you ask. The midwife will be here shortly.”
Mikhal simply nodded, he was already thinking ahead to how he was going to punish Enid for her betrayal. She had actually allowed Marishka to raise a hand to Alliana, and to beat her severely at that. What had she been thinking? Could he still trust her? This Natalya was capable of being a midwife or so she claimed, but Mikhal didn’t have the confidence in her like he did in Enid. His son was conceived from magick, and from the looks of Alliana’s belly, the pregnancy was progressing much too quickly. This was no normal child, and would be no normal birth. There were things to consider, complications to worry about. If Enid were put to death her expertise would die with her. And what of Marishka and Andor? Where were they, and what were they plotting? If the fairies were dancing and singing in Marishka’s head anything was possible.
With a heavy sigh Mikhal ran his hand back through his hair, shaking the leather tie from the long locks, then began to pace around the ruined room. So many decisions, so many questions, and it all came down to keeping Alliana and their son safe.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mikhal sat in one of the chair in front of the cold hearth, heedless of the mess surrounding him. Everything in him was focused on one thing. He was listening for the sound that would signal the approach of Enid. Enid his trusted friend, Enid his companion, Enid the woman whom he had taken into his fold because she was so like them, Enid who had betrayed him. What had made her do such a thing? He had trusted her with both his sister and his mate, and she had let him down horribly on both accounts.
If Enid had been doing the job she was told to do, Marishka would have been sleeping in her dreamland, not abusing Alliana, and the fact that she had actually left Marishka alone with Alliana, had in fact encouraged Marishka to even enter Alliana’s chamber in the first place, completely mystified him. When had their friendship gone so astray?
Had it been back when the empathy spell had been worked on him? She had seemed supportive then, or was it when he hadn’t allowed her to harm Alliana, to discipline her as Enid had seen fit? Whatever her reasoning, and he surely intended to get some sort of explanation that satisfied him out of her, he was going to be hard pressed not to kill her.
And so he sat, still as stone, and listened for the shuffling footsteps that would announce her arrival, and took deep, unneeded breaths in an effort to calm the beast who was simmering just below the surface. His beast wanted to tear her limb from limb. It wanted to beat her senseless as his mate had been beaten, it wanted to slap her over and over until she fell at his feet begging for her life, but all of that had to wait. He had heard Lucian out, and so he must in all fairness hear Enid. He had faith in Lucian, was certain that he was telling the truth in this matter, but a part of him, the part who had befriended Enid so long ago and was so accustomed to having her guidance in troubling times, wanted to hear the old hag attempt to defend herself. It would appease the man’s maddening newly found conscience to hear and feel her lies before he unleashed the wrath of his demon to pay her for her deceit.
At last his keen hearing picked up the sound of her slow footsteps and the tap of her cane on the hard stone floor in the corridor. He sat, unmoving; he would allow her to come to him. There would be no welcome, no sign of his knowledge of her sins, no hint of the rage that boiled just beneath his semblance of calm. Let her think her old friend had come home and was unaware of her deceit. Let her babble on about Lucian and damn herself in the process by spewing lies. In the end she would know his fury, and she would be lucky to survive, and probably wish she hadn’t. While it was true that he needed her, that Alliana needed her, Enid could be locked in a cage and fed bread and water for the duration of his mate’s pregnancy, taken out only to see to Alliana and to be given the daily pain that was her due.
At first he had worried about whether hurting Enid would in turn harm Alliana, but then he remembered his empathic abilities, and realized that if he stayed by his wife’s side during each examination, he would be able to read the midwife and know of any ill intentions she had towards Alliana. No, he would let her babble her excuses, tell him how poorly Lucian had acted, then let the ax fall and pronounce her sentence. After giving his beast its pound of flesh, he would then toss her deep in the bowels of the earth with the rats while reminding her that the only time she would see the light of day was when she was tending his wife with such delicate care as to prove that she should be allowed to live.
One slip, one wrong thought, one ounce of pain given to his Alliana by the old bitch, and he would have her head on a platter. Natalya had magical abilities. She seemed competent, and she truly loved Alliana, and once her skills were established, then Enid’s usefulness would be a thing of the past.
A slight smile appeared, tugging at the corners of Mikhal’s mouth when he heard Enid snap at the guard to get out of her way. She told him with no uncertainty that she didn’t need an escort into the Master’s chambers and that they wanted to be left alone. How very bold she had become in the castle, how very sure of herself. Mikhal knew that it was his fault she behaved in such a way, well his and Marishka’s, but she had truly seemed like a friend to him until all of this had happened. Now she was but a pest to crush under his heel. Nothing could save her from her own actions. No excuses, no whimpering, no begging. She had allowed Alliana to be hurt. Had allowed his mate to nearly lose their child, and for that she would face his unrestrained wrath.
The door slammed open, and a flare of irritation joined with the rage inside him. Mikhal couldn’t believe her gall. All but Marishka knocked upon his chamber door, then again, Enid had been summoned, so she knew he was expecting her. Still, her audacity knew no bounds.
“It’s about time you dragged yourself home.” She hobbled to where he sat and stood before him, looking him over; then looking around the chamber, noticing that things had been flung hither and yon. “What happened in here and what happened to you? You look like hell, my old friend.”
“I look a far side better than my wife feels you old witch. I suggest you start explaining yourself and your sheer lack of judgment.” He had thought to allow her to babble but his rage forced his hand. This must be seen through and quickly. His demon wanted pain.
“Humph. Was it the little bitch that complained to you or the useless Lucian? I imagine neither of them told you of their crimes that evening.”
“Why don’t we start with yours, Enid? What Lucian told me and how he has been dealt with are none of your concern. If I were you I would be thinking of my own skin.”
“I did nothing.”
At this Mikhal, rose. It was too much. He had planned on giving her a chance to speak, to e
xplain her unexplainable reasons for doing as she did and for allowing Marishka close enough to Alliana to beat her, but now... now his beast was foaming at the mouth to exact revenge on her flesh.
“The girl refused to follow my orders. Marishka caught her and decided to meet out a punishment. The Gypsy bitch was being devious, trying to starve your son by sending her food away when she though I wouldn’t catch her. Well we did and we knew we had to put a stop to her ways before the babe died in her womb.”
“FOOL! And you gave no thought to what would happen to that same child when Alliana was being whipped into unconsciousness? Gave no thought of what it would do to my son when she hit the floor in order to escape my mad sister? What were you thinking?”
“She had been insolent and uppity for the entire time you’d been gone, and she needed to be taught a lesson. Mate or no, she is a human.”
“You are a human, Enid, just like her, but you are now one I have come to despise. My friend would not have allowed that to happen to my wife. I trusted you to care for her, I trusted you.”
There was pain in his voice as he said the last words and the pain was the spark that lit the fuse of his fury. He lashed out at the old woman before him, his demon having no compunction about beating the old hag, and slapped her viciously over and over until she fell to her knees. He kicked the cane, which she still clutched from her hands, and it went clattering across the floor even as she fell forward, striking her head on the cold stone. Mikhal lifted her head by her scraggly hair, his eyes boring into hers, and snarled out his rage as he shook her like a rag doll, lifting her off the floor so her toes dangled and danced, seeking the stability of the ground beneath her.
One hand closed around her throat and he lowered her just enough so her toes touched the ground, but he squeezed none too gently, causing her eyes to bulge. She clawed at his hand, her lips moving, but able to only make gasping sounds.
Beneath the Shadows of Evil... Taken Page 45
