Chapter Fifty-Four
The Caged
The palace is silent as I creep down the halls. All of the doors are closed, only a few torches lit. I must have slept the entire day away.
I wrap my arms around myself, cursing the fact that I am wearing a short nightgown.
I descend the stairs quietly. The entry door is shut, a single guard standing in front of it.
He nods in acknowledgment and then averts his eyes.
I stroll past him down a hall I haven’t been before.
The smell of fresh bread awakens my senses as I reach an archway.
The archway opens up to a huge kitchen, steaming pots are on the wood burning stove. Loaves and loaves of crusty bread sit on a shelf. Right below it, pastries of every kind sit, dusted with chocolate or powdered sugar.
I step into the room, my feet protesting the warm wood.
I glance around but don’t see anyone. I walk in further, heading towards the bread.
I inhale deeply, the scent of sourdough enveloping my senses.
I reach for the loaf when the clearing of a throat makes me squeal.
I spin around, my hand on my chest, to see a short woman.
Wrinkles line her tan, freckled skin. She looks angry, as if she’s constantly frowning.
She reminds me of Estelle. Her gray hair is tied in a knot on her head, a bonn et secured around it the same color as her loose dress.
“I am so sorry.” I whisper, unsure of what to say.
“Why on earth are you in here wearing bed clothes, girl?” She snaps, her voice thick with an accent I can’t place.
“I was hungry, and I smelled bread.” I admit quietly.
“Which one of them boys dragged you into the palace without givin’ you a proper meal?” She rolls her eyes and I realize she thinks I’m some random girl someone brought to the palace.
“Nero.” I whisper in panic, and she shakes her head. If I said Nithe, word would get around that the king consort has a mistress.
“That boy.” She shakes her head and walks over to me, plucking a loaf of bread off the shelf. She gestures for a barstool, and I sit. “Jam and butter?” She asks.
“Yes, please.” I respond softly, tracking her every movement.
She pulls on a rope connected to the wall before she cuts the bread.
She sets a plate in front of me with butter and various jams and then another plate with steaming slices of bread.
I look up at her and smile. The wrinkles set in her face remind me so much of what a grandmother would look like.
Maybe it is what my grandmother looks like.
“Eat.” She orders and I dig in, dipping the bread in a pinkish jam.
Strawberries and something floral hits my tongue and I groan.
I can’t remember my last meal. She glances at my arm, at the slight shimmer of a tattoo in the torch light and lifts an eyebrow.
“Kids these days.” I smile at her, and she returns it, showing a mouth full of yellowing teeth. “Where did he find you?”
“Noterra.”
“Gods, what a beautiful country. Shame it’s run by the devil.” She snorts and I don’t attempt to hide the smile this time.
“I can’t imagine a worse king than Tobias.” I say as I take another bite.
“Ain’t that the truth.” Nero’s voice startles me as I look behind the woman. “You rang, Mama Collette?” He says as he walks over and kisses the top of her head. She shoos him off, but I don’t miss the blush crossing her cheeks.
“Rang?” I ask and she points at a wall of bells with numbers.
“Each one connects to a room.” I nod, my eyes widening. I wonder if they have that in Noterra? “Your missy here is starving. You could have at least fed her.” She hits him with a towel and goes about mixing something on the stove.
“My missy?” He cocks a brow and looks at me. His eyes widen as he takes in what I’m wearing, before they darken. “Oh, right.” He holds out his hand. “Come on then.” I hesitantly take it.
“Thank you, Miss Collette.” I whisper and dip my chin as a sign of respect.
“You can call me Mama.” She says back with a smile as she clears my plate. I thank her again and let Nero pull me out of the room.
“Please tell me why the queen is in the kitchen in the middle of the night practically naked?” He says sternly, his hand still gripping mine. I pull my fingers out of his grasp and wrap my arms around my stomach.
“I couldn’t sleep, and I was hungry.” I say quietly.
“You have servants.”
“I am more than capable of getting myself food.” He leads me back up the stairs, his tunic wrinkled. “Were you asleep?”
“What else would I be doing at two in the morning?” He asks with a snort.
“Sorry.” I mutter. I stop in front of the library and step in.
“What are you doing?”
“I want to stay in here.” I say softly.
“Well you can’t stay by yourself.”
“Why?”
“Safety.”
“I am capable of defending myself.” I roll my eyes and drop down on the sofa.
“At least let me get someone. Your brother or the king?”
“Do not get Nithe.” I snap as I pull my legs under me. “You can stay if you must, but I can’t go back to my room tonight.
“And why is that?” He pushes and I avert my eyes.
“He kicked me out.”
“What?” He crosses the room and kneels down in front of me. “Are you alright? Did he hurt you?” His hands grab my shoulders.
“Gods, no.” I push him away. “You are getting too comfortable, general. You need to be careful.” I warn as I lean back against the couch.
“Being comfortable is what got me promoted in the first place. If I treat you royals like equals, you tend to treat me like one too.” He admits, a half-grin on his face.
“I see us as equals.”
“But we aren’t.” I stay quiet as he rises from where he was crouched down and sits in the settee across from me. “What happened?”
“With?”
“The king.”
“We fought, as couples do.” I shrug and pull a blanket on my lap.
“About?” I lift my gaze and narrow my eyes.
“You can leave now, Nero.” I order. His eyes widen slightly before he rises again and walks to the archway.
“Have a lovely evening, my queen.” He smiles at me, and I roll my eyes at his back.
I nestle into the cushion and close my eyes.
Dirty blonde hair and blue eyes smile at me. I take his outstretched hand as he pulls me deeper into the woods.
“Mama is going to be mad.”
“No she won’t. I’ll protect you, Nora.” I follow after him, a giggle escaping my lips as we run between the trees. “We should stay out here forever.”
“But how will we get food?” I ask, looking around.
“I can hunt, and you can gather berries and herbs.”
“You can’t hunt a pastry, Theo. I can’t live without pastries.” I laugh and his hand squeezes mine.
“I can learn how to make them. Or we can run away to a village and live there.” He stops and looks at me. “We can be free.”
“Free?” I whisper and look at our adjoined hands.
“Ela! I’m going to find you!” His voice echoes around the trees and we spin around, searching for the source.
“It’s Toby!” Theo whispers and takes off into a run, leaving me standing in the woods alone.
“Nora, wake up.” His voice is calming as he pulls me out of sleep. My eyes meet his, bright and yellow. “What are you doing out here?” Kass asks as he brushes hair from my face.
“Nithe and I had a fight.” He smiles and exhales before shaking his head.
“Knowing you two it was probably worse than it should have been.”
“I think it was my fault.” I respond, keeping my voice quiet. He nods and stands, his knees cracking as he does. “Did you hear about the…”
“Pregnancy? Yes.” He sighs and sits down. “Why didn’t you tell me?” He asks, concern crossing his face.
“I was scared.”
“Enzo told me about the shadows.” I nod and bite my lip. “If that’s truly what’s happening, Nora, I worry for your safety. If that child is his, it will carry the curse. It will carry the darkness, and that is transferring to you.”
“I’ve had this magic for weeks and it’s already in jeopardy?”
“Enzo also mentioned that you spoke about siphoning.” He says softly, tilting his head.
“I feel like it’s my only option.” I admit, my hands pulling at loose threads on the blanket.
“I’m not going to tell you what to do.”
“But?” I counter.
“I think you should. I think you should end this before it gets worse. Before you get worse.” I nod and look away.
“Is it painful?”
“Yes. It is. And it doesn’t heal instantly.
You’ll be weak for a few days.” I nod again.
“Come on, you need to get to bed before the whole palace sees you out here.” I hesitantly push the blanket off my lap before rising from the couch.
He holds his arm out, gesturing towards the door, and I walk towards my room.
I turn the handle, surprised it isn’t locked and glance back down the hallway to where Kass is tilting his head, gesturing for me to go in.
The room is dark when I enter, but I can see his form on the bed. I walk quietly to the other side and step up to the windows. The moon is low, stars sprinkling about. Peaceful.
If I do this. If I let Enzo end this pregnancy, then what? What will happen to me? Will I still be shadowed, literally? Or will things go back to normal, or at least how they should be?
I turn away and climb into the bed, careful not to jostle him. He’s underneath the blankets, his face towards me.
He looks peaceful, calm. His face is relaxed, his lips parted slightly. I can hear his soft breathing as I turn to face him in the bed. I pull my knees up to my chest and close my eyes. I count each breath as they lull me to sleep.