Chapter 68 #3
“Are you the reason she’s gone?” Aedlin asked.
He said nothing, no hint of emotion on his face while he continued to stare down at her, his ring scraping against the flask’s golden filigree.
Sweat pooled in Aedlin’s palms, her heart pounding so hard the thrum vibrated in her veins.
“I swear to the Gods, if you hurt her...”
That earned a dark chuckle, Dother’s lips twisting into an amused sneer. “Your confidence is misguided, Aedlin.” He crouched so they were at eye level. “You have no more sway with the Gods than you do with the guards.”
“What did you do to my daughter?”
If she thought his eyes were cold before, Aedlin was mistaken. They darkened, his expression shifting into something monstrous. His mask dissolving to reveal his true self. “What did you intend to do to my son?”
Her heart seized, fingers digging into the carpet while she held her tremors at bay. “I have no idea what you mean.”
“Oh?” Dother pulled a small paper bag free from his pocket and tossed it at her, a scattering of herbs dusting the floor. “The tea Rosemary fetched for you was harmless then?”
Aedlin kept her mouth shut.
“Nothing to say, wife?” He stood, brushing away flecks of dried herbs from his trousers.
“I must admit, I’m impressed. I was beginning to think the only way to still your tongue was to cut it from your mouth.
” When she still said nothing, Dother tsked.
“If you’re so intent on staying silent, why don’t we ask Rosemary? ”
The bedroom door squeaked open and a fair guard Aedlin recognized from Dother’s chosen led Rosemary to the sitting room. “I’m sorry,” she rasped, her lower lip trembling.
Aedlin’s blood chilled.
Rosemary’s throat was an angry crimson, a bruise in the shape of a hand encircling her neck.
“What have you done?” Aedlin hissed at Dother, fisting the paper bag. There was nothing left inside, and so little littering the carpet.
Dother chuckled darkly. “Don’t worry, Rosemary’s efforts didn’t go to waste.”
The eye in his ring flitted in its casing, its endless black stare bouncing between the king and the fallen queen, as if it saw them.
As if it understood.
Aedlin’s stomach sank. “All that blood...” she whispered.
Dother straightened his dinner jacket, but Aedlin didn’t miss the way he grinned. “Lady Austeria enjoyed her tea.”
Rosemary inhaled sharply, swaying a step when the guard released her and moved to the king’s side.
Dother had caused Lady Austeria to miscarry so late in her pregnancy, ending her child’s life and possibly her own, and for what? To prove to Aedlin he was one step ahead? That she was powerless and he’d won?
Aedlin stood before she could think better of it, driven by an endless wrath pulsing beneath her skin. “How dare you!”
Dother broke the distance between them and fisted her dress. “I am your king, Aedlin. I do what I wish. What is best for my people.”
“Our people. I am their queen.”
“You and your kin have done nothing for my kind; you are no queen to my own.” He yanked her closer until her toes barely touched the ground, his teeth bared in a snarl. “You’re lucky you carry my son in your belly, because otherwise you’d be of no use to me.”
Aedlin snarled back. “Without me, you have no crown.”
“For now.” He let go, unconcerned when she landed hard on her rear. “The loss of your husband and daughter have claimed your mind, and the distress is too much for our growing babe. I believe some time in your rooms will be best for his health... and yours.”
“You can’t mean that!” Aedlin shouted, pushing herself up.
“I’ll leave you with one of my guards, and Rosemary will take care of you, of course.” He looked at the lady-in-waiting, his smile anything but kind. “Won’t you, Rosemary?”
She nodded, a tear gleaming on her cheek, before she sank into Aedlin’s chaise, burying her face in her hands. Her quiet sobs rattling in the queen’s ears.
“Dother, you can’t do this,” Aedlin said firmly, balling her fists. Knowing there was little she could do to escape with the guards and the king there to corral her. The blond guard stepped past her without so much as a glance, slipping from the room to wait outside with his counterpart.
“I can do anything I wish,” Dother said, his attention drifting toward her stomach. Lips curling into a sneer. “You will remain here, under constant guard, until you’ve given me my heir. We’ll see if I have any use for you after that.”
He didn’t wait for Aedlin’s reply, turning toward the exit, Aedlin stalking after him. “This will not stand!” she shouted. “Guards! Guards, your queen needs you.”
Aedlin prayed someone loyal was near, that they heard their queen and made their way to her rooms. But, as Dother promised, the Gods held no interest in her prayers.
No one came to her aid. When she looked past Dother and into the hall, all she found were two more of his men, their arms crossed, watching her with tired apathy. Unwilling to move unless their king commanded it.
Dother offered her one final, haunting look. “Remember this moment next time you consider betraying me.”
The door slammed shut, a key scraping in the new lock, sealing the room and Aedlin’s fate with a single click.