by T.M. Nielsen
***
“King, you need to sleep,” Trox said, watching Alric by the bathtub. He had dark circles under his eyes, and he was drawn and worried.
“I can’t leave her.”
“You haven’t slept in four days. Finn and I can watch her, and Saith will be back in an hour.”
Alric sat back and watched Kyrin. He kept waiting for her to wake up, but in the four days since the fever started, she hadn’t moved. His arm was pruned from holding her in the water, but when they tried to put her to bed, her fever had shot back up dangerously high.
“Please, Alric,” Finn said. “Just lay down for a few hours at least, and I’ll hold her up.”
“I thought she’d be awake by now.”
“Saith still thinks she’ll wake up if we can keep the fever down.”
“He also thinks we need to dry her off for a while, even if her fever comes back,” Trox said. “I guess it’s not healthy to be in water for this long.”
“Let’s move her to the bed for a few hours, and I’ll nap with her,” Alric said. He stood up and went to pick her up, but Finn stopped him.
“Let me get her. You’re exhausted.”
Alric finally nodded and watched Finn pick her up. He gently laid her down on the floor and then stepped out while Trox and Alric got her out of the wet nightgown and into dry clothing.
When Kyrin was laid down in bed and covered with a light blanket, Alric laid beside her and Trox shut the curtains before leaving with Finn.
With the room darkened and not sleeping for so long, Alric soon fell asleep. He woke up a few hours later when Kyrin pulled out of his grasp and sat up.
“Kyrin?” he asked, taking her arm.
Without a word, she stood up and began to walk toward the door slowly. She swayed slightly and looked like she might fall over. Alric moved to her quickly and picked her up, sighing when he realized how high her fever was again.
“Saith?” Alric called out, and went back into the wash room.
Saith, Trox, and Finn all walked in.
Saith immediately began looking her over. “I was really hoping the fever would stay down.”
“She was wandering off again too,” Alric said. “However, she didn’t look very strong.”
“I would imagine not.”
Alric bit lightly at his knuckle as he watched Saith.
“Did you sleep?” Finn asked him.
“Some”
“I asked the chef to bring up some food.”
“Have we seen Creteloc?”
“Nope”
“That’s because you’re blind,” Creteloc said from behind them. “The bungling king sleeps like the dead.”
“That’s it!” Finn yelled, and drew his sword.
“It’s not worth it,” Alric said, watching as Creteloc crouched slightly.
“You cannot talk about the king like that around me.”
“I do what I want.”
Trox stood between Finn and Creteloc, and faced her. “You were here to watch over Kyrin, who you have already marked for death. Doesn’t that negate your need to be present?”
She stood up and turned her red eyes to him. “No, it doesn’t. I’m not here to watch over Kyrin, specifically. I’m here to ensure those babies are safe.”
“You honestly don’t care if Kyrin dies?” Alric asked her.
“No, I don’t.”
“She considers you a friend.”
“Which is why she will never progress past follower and be honored as a priestess of Daemionis. She has such weaknesses.”
“Having a friend isn’t a weakness.”
“How would you know?” Creteloc asked, taking a step closer. “You’re one of the weakest men I know. You’re taking care of a woman you disgraced with pregnancy, when it gives you the perfect opportunity to wash your hands of her.”
“Just get out.”
“No”
“We can watch over her without you! I wouldn’t put it past you to kill her off yourself.”
“I would if it weren’t for the babies,” Creteloc said casually.
“Why does she deserve death?” Trox asked her.
“For being careless enough to allow Alric to have his way with her.”
“Alric?” The soft voice sounded from behind them.
Alric turned and looked down at Kyrin, but she hadn’t moved. He knelt down. “Kyrin? Can you hear me?”
“Where am I?” she asked in a whisper, but her eyes remained shut.
“You’re in the castle. You have a fever, so we have you in cold water.”
Alric looked toward the window when the battle horn rang from the mountain. Finn and Trox both ran off, and Alric noticed that Creteloc was missing.
He turned back to Kyrin. “Do you need anything?”
She shook her head slightly and then relaxed into sleep.
A war council convened in the bedroom, so Alric could keep watch over Kyrin. Qualsax had staged a large-scale attack to capture Kyrin, but the elves had arrived, and they were holding the warriors off.
Four hours later, Finn rushed in. “Sir, I think we need to evacuate you and the Lady to the summer house.”
“What’s happening?”
“We’re holding them off, but you two will be safer out of here for now.”
Alric nodded and picked Kyrin up out of the water. “Prepare.”
“We already have. The transport is ready to go, and the elves are asking for permission to send their king also.”
Alric frowned. “Auldian wants to come to the summer house?”
“Apparently so.”
“Fine. What are the Qualsax’s demands?” Alric decided to get Kyrin dried off in the carriage. It was important to get the future nobles of Valhara out of danger.
“They want Kyrin still,” Finn said, climbing into the carriage with them, followed by Azimeth. Once settled, he turned to the knights surrounding them and the caravan began to move away from the city.
Finn looked away while Azimeth and Alric got Kyrin settled on the bed in dry clothes. Once changed, he sighed. “I don’t like running while my city is at war.”
“It’s important that you preserve the bloodline. Kyrin isn’t going to do as well if you aren’t around her,” Finn told him. “There’s a trusted captain leading the troops, and it’s going well.”
“I was planning on moving her to the summer house when she felt better anyway. I just hope the travel doesn’t set her back.”
“How long was she awake?”
“Not long at all.”
“I wonder if we left the assassin behind.”
“We can only hope.”
Azimeth checked Kyrin’s temperature and then sat back. “Her fever’s down some but still high.”
“What are your thoughts on Creteloc?” Finn asked her.
“Well, she obviously doesn’t like me. Every time I walk by her, she hisses at me in native elvish.”
“She hisses at you?”
“Yes, Captain. Odd, isn’t it?”
“What does she say?”
“She calls me names mostly. She has a grudge against elves, from what I can tell.”
“I wish Daemionis would take her back and let us watch over Kyrin.”
“I don’t see that happening,” Alric said. “I just wish we could figure out the deity thing without such a fight.”
Azimeth debated telling the king her thoughts, and then nodded. “In my opinion, if it was up to Lady Kyrin, she would give the children over to Sithias.”
“You really think so?”
“I know so, sir. She still despises children, and I would imagine as a hands-off mother, she’s not going to want them following her demon.”
“I hadn’t thought of it that way.”
Finn looked over when Kyrin sighed. “I don’t think she’ll be a hands-off mother. I think she’s going to fall in love with these babies the second she sees them.”
“I wish I thou
ght that,” Alric said. “I agree with Azimeth. I think her disgust of children runs too deeply.”
Azimeth lowered her voice. “Sir, I think we’re disturbing her.”
Alric looked over just as Kyrin’s hand twitched slightly. He nodded, and the carriage fell silent.
