Chapter 8 #3
Anya drew a bath and set out clothes for Cora and me on the plush bed.
She stood in the sitting area with her hands folded in front of her as I unbuttoned my blouse to undress for the bath, and Cora shoveled fruit into her mouth like she had never seen food before.
“Thank you, Anya, and please thank Her Majesty for being so accommodating. I think we should be fine to bathe and dress on our own if you have other responsibilities to attend to.”
“I will leave you for the evening, then. Should you need anything, you can let one of the guards patrolling the hallways know, and they will fetch one of the servants. Otherwise, I will see you in the morning with a few clothing items for you both.” She set a small smile and turned to leave.
“Guards?” I asked.
Pausing with her hand on the golden doorknob, she turned back to me with a forced smile on her face. “We always have guards moving about the castle. Nothing to worry about.”
She quickly and silently swept out the door just as she came, leaving no time for me to question her further.
Cora and I took turns eating and bathing, changing into fine dressing gowns, before climbing under the covers of the giant four-post bed.
The mattress was soft, and the silk sheets glided over my now clean legs.
I extinguished the lamps but left one candle burning on a table nearby so we could faintly see the room.
Cora smelled of jasmine from the soap of the bath, and she snuggled up to me with heavy eyelids.
“Mom?” Her voice was dreamy and quiet.
“Yes, sweetheart.”
“I love you. Please don’t leave me.”
I caressed her face and gently brushed fallen, damp curls from her brow. “I love you, too, my sweet girl. I promise to never leave. Why would you think I would?”
“You tried to have Alec take me without you and then said the dryad man could take you, leaving me by myself in the woods.” Her voice was so small.
“I was trying to protect you,” I said gently. “Save you. Only the gods could take me from you. Never willingly. I won’t leave.”
“Daddy did,” she said.
The weight of her words cracked my heart.
Her fear of abandonment seeped in during times of uncertainty.
Occasionally, Cora would talk about Micah and wonder why he had left us.
I always answered her questions honestly, but I hated that I could never give her the reason he left or where he went. An answer I wished I had for myself.
Before I could respond, her breaths grew slow and shallow, and her eyes closed. Her little arm wrapped around my waist, like she was ensuring I couldn’t slip away in our sleep.
Exhaustion couldn’t keep my anxiety from leaving me wide awake. I stared at the ceiling, questioning over and over how everything got so messed up. Greta must have been told by now what happened and was likely beyond worried…or bereaved.
Upon hitting the two-hour mark of not being able to sleep, I gently slid out of bed.
Cora was curled up in a ball, snuggled under the thick down comforter.
I put on one of the robes that hung in the bathroom and crept out of our rooms. The hallway was vacant and still, save for the light footsteps of my bare feet on the cold marble floor.
I had hoped to find someone to ask for chamomile tea, but at this hour, the castle staff was likely limited.
I turned to pivot and head back to the rooms, but voices from the first floor caught my attention. I slowly edged to the top of the staircase and looked down to the main floor. Guards rushed through the halls and into the glittering foyer.
Three men, bloodied and bound in silver shackles, were surrounded by palace guards.
I took a soft step forward to take in more of the room just as a large seraph, dressed in black, strode into the fray of the group.
He took slow and purposeful steps around the shackled men, looking them up and down.
I wasn’t under the weight of his scrutiny, and yet the hair on my arms stood on end.
He was formidable in size and build, but the dim light and distance from him didn’t afford me the ability to make out any of his features.
Whoever he was, I wanted to stay clear of him at all costs.
A guard stepped out of their circular formation. “Captain Reynault. The militia members we found in the city.”
“Where?” The captain's deep voice growled out.
“Near the armory, sir.”
The captain nodded. “Take them to the dungeon. We will question them at first light. Dismissed.”
The guards dispersed, and the prisoners were led through the stained-glass hallway I saw when we first arrived.
The formidable seraph stood stiff as bodies moved around him.
I realized that I had moved out of the shadows in my interest to eavesdrop.
I shuffled backwards, and before I could turn and move back down the hallway, Captain Reynault lifted his head, tracking up to the east wing of the third floor.
I hoped the shadows covered me enough, but he seemed to stare right at me before he turned and stalked out of sight.
I hadn’t realized I was holding my breath until that moment, and I moved as fast as I could back down the hallway and into the room with Cora still fast asleep.
If I had struggled to sleep before, it was nothing compared to how wide awake I was now.