***
“Good morning,” Azimeth said when Kyrin stepped out into the antechamber. Azimeth stood up from the blue couch and bowed slightly. “Are you ready for breakfast?”
“Yes, but I want to eat alone.”
Azimeth’s smile faltered and then she nodded. “Very well.”
Kyrin went down and sat at the long table by herself. The chef brought in more food than usual and Kyrin dug in, no longer caring who thought she was overeating. When she was done, she slipped out the side door and started toward Valhara. It was only a few minutes into the walk when Azimeth caught up.
“If I didn’t know any better, I would think you tried to skip out on me,” Azimeth said from behind her.
Kyrin didn’t answer. She couldn’t stand to look at the elf, knowing what she’d done with Alric the night before. Even the thought of them together made her sick.
“Good morning,” Saith said when they walked up to the temple. He was smiling broadly, and Kyrin had the sudden urge to cast on him. She didn’t even care what she cast, just as long as it hurt.
“Good morning,” Azimeth said, smiling. “We have come as instructed.”
“King Alric thinks this might go smoother with just the Lady and me,” Saith said to her. “I’m sure you know what I’m going to tell her already.”
“Very well,” Azimeth said, stepping back. “May I go to the orphanage?”
“I don’t really care,” Kyrin said, and started up the stairs. She just wanted to get this over with.
She admitted to herself that, as far as pregnancy was concerned, she knew nothing but what Creteloc had told her and that meeting with a priest was probably a good idea. She hadn’t forgotten that Alric’s mom died in childbirth, and she didn’t want to follow in her footsteps.
Saith showed her into a back room and then pointed to a table. “First, let me see how things are going. Lie down please.”
She shivered when she thought of Saith touching her but did as she was told. Kyrin cringed at how much the baby stuck out when she laid down flat, one of the reasons why she’d started sleeping on her side.
Saith lifted her tunic, and she turned her head to the side to avoid seeing herself. He gently poked around her belly and then smiled and put her shirt down. “Very well. How are you feeling?”
“Fine”
“No pain?”
“No”
Saith had to hide a grin. He knew this meeting would be tense, and he fully planned on dealing with a lot of one-word answers. “Sit up then and let’s talk.”
Kyrin sat up on the table and watched as Saith brought a chair over and sat in front of her.
“How far along are you?” Saith asked as he grabbed some parchment to write on.
“I’m not sure.”
Saith picked his words carefully and explained to her how to tell. Once she understood, she thought for a moment and counted on her fingers.
“So, four months,” she said finally.
He smiled. “Good, good. Then you are the perfect size for two.”
“How do you know there are two?”
“I can feel two heads.”
“Could just be a two headed demon.”
He laughed. “I guess it could be. Let’s assume for now that it’s twins. The king wanted me to go over some things you can do to help the pregnancy.”
“Like what?” she asked skeptically.
“They’re easy. I assure you. First and foremost is to eat when you’re hungry. He said you aren’t eating much.”
She cringed, knowing that she was sneaking a lot of food when no one was looking. “There’s only one small problem with that.”
“What might that be?”
“I’m always hungry… not like just at meals… always,” she stressed.
Saith smiled. “Then keep eating. You have to keep up with the twins, and it’s not going to be easy.”
For some reason, Kyrin began to relax around the High Priest. “I honestly can’t eat constantly.”
“I’ll speak to the chef. If we change the types of food you eat, it may help with that. Now, let’s talk about fighting.”
“Fighting?”
“Yes, two things. I spoke to Sithias about this conversation, and he wanted me to bring up that you may not be able to use magic to protect yourself while you’re pregnant.”
She frowned. “How am I supposed to defend myself?”
“It’s not that we aren’t allowing it. It’s that you may not be able to do it. Pregnancy drains your energy, energy that you need to cast.”
“Perfect”
“So melee fighting will be your only choice, but it’s frowned upon.”
“Of course it is.”
Saith smiled. “You’re going to be tired most of the time, and I doubt you’d be up to par with your weapon.”
“So what am I supposed to do?” Kyrin asked him.
“We’ll have to give you knights who will go everywhere with you.”
“They usually do anyway.”
“Well before, they went if they had the opportunity, now it’s imperative.”
She sighed. “They hate me.”
“I don’t think they hate you.”
“They do! I hear them. I don’t want them following me around with scowls.”
“I’ll talk to Captain Finn about that then. I bet we can find a few that don’t hate you, and maybe we can use them.”
“I doubt you can find them.”
“We’ll try. Then horseback riding is a concern.”
“That too?”
“Honestly, you may not feel like riding at all.”
“You make it sound like I’m about to turn into a lump,” Kyrin said, frowning.
“Not a lump, but you have to be aware that you’ll be slowing down. You have a small frame, and twins are going to take a toll on you.”
“What other pleasant things do I get to endure?”
“Those you’ll learn in time. Everyone’s different. I want to see you every week though, to check on your progress. Eat when you’re hungry and refrain from fighting, that will help.”
“Can I ask you a question?” Kyrin asked.
“Sure”
“How did Alric’s mom die?”
Saith suddenly grew solemn. “That was a very traumatic birth. From what I heard, she ultimately died of blood loss.”
“You weren’t there?”
“No, I was too young and still in training.”
“Does that happen a lot?”
“No, it doesn’t,” Saith said, smiling. “Don’t let Lady Poshima’s death bother you. It’s important that you keep stress to a minimum.”
“Got it, eat, sleep, no stress, and no fighting.”
“Pretty much.”
“Do you realize how hard that sounds?”
“You’ll be okay,” Saith said, and helped her off of the table. “Please, keep me informed of what’s going on. I’ll come up to the castle in a week to check on you.”
She nodded and left the temple, meeting up with Azimeth out in the street. She still couldn’t even look at Azimeth, and they walked to the castle in silence.
Trox met them at the front doors. “Ah, good. You’re back. Lord Qualsax has sent representatives to meet with the king, and as he’s not here, it falls to you.”
“No,” Kyrin said, frowning.
He smiled. “Yes. I’ll be there. You just sit on your throne and listen to whatever pathetic complaint they have.”
“Saith said no stress. I think that counts.”
Trox took her arm. “Stop stalling, and let’s go.”
Kyrin followed him and sat down on her throne, even though she refused to call it that. She still felt like a fake and that at any minute they were going to kick her out of the dimension. She adjusted her tunic to cover her belly and then nodded for Trox to let them in.
Four Qualsax came in, followed by four of Alric’s top knights. The Qualsa
x looked angry and stormed up to the thrones. Kyrin instinctively reached for her flail, but she didn’t have it. She felt Trox touch her shoulder lightly.
“Where is Alric? I don’t want to talk to his wife,” the Qualsax snapped.
Kyrin glared at him. “He’s gone, so you can either slink back to Qualsax or speak to me.”
“Slink?” he asked angrily.
She smiled. “Yes, isn’t that Qualsax’s preferred method of transportation?”
“I won’t stand here and be insulted by a useless woman!”
“I can have a chair brought in.”
He growled. “You’re lucky I won’t hit a woman.”
With that, the knights moved closer to the lead Qualsax. “Tell the Lady what you want and then get out.”
“Fine! We came to demand that you be turned over to us.”
Kyrin laughed. “I’m going to have to say no.”
“You cannot deny that! Four of our prison guards saw you disappear behind a cave wall in our dungeons. We suspect you’re a magic user and will be killed in accordance with an agreement between Sithias and our most holy Erianah under the terms to get rid of all evils.”
“If I could use magic, you’d be a toad right now,” Kyrin told him.
“How else can you explain what those prison guards saw?!”
“They’re delusional.”
“You also helped two of our prisoners to escape. That wasn’t our imagination! The only way to explain any of that is magic.”
“Again, if I could use magic you wouldn’t be here. As Alric is gone and some insane law puts me in charge, I’m going to deny your request,” Kyrin said, and sat back.
His eyes narrowed. “Are you with child?”
“No,” she said, and quickly sat up. She didn’t realize sitting back exposed the bump.
“If you are, that changes things.”
“Well, I’m not.”
“How does it change things?” Trox interrupted.
The Qualsax grinned. “If she’s with child, then we demand the infant be turned over to us to be raised as a Qualsax in return for those prisoners she took.”
Trox glared. “We’re not going to turn a noble over to you.”
“She owes us!”
“She owes you nothing.”
The Qualsax pointed at Kyrin. “You are mine.”
She stood up and started down for him, but Trox stopped her as she screamed. “Come and get me if you think you’re man enough!”
Knights restrained the Qualsax when he dove at Kyrin.
“Put them in jail for now,” Trox said, pulling Kyrin back away from the Qualsax. The knights roughly hauled the Qualsax from the room, and Trox turned to Kyrin, noticing her eyes were pitch black.
“Calm,” he said softly.
“How dare they?!”
“Calm down.”
“He can’t just threaten me!” she screamed, and started for the door.
Trox ran to her and took her arm. “Why don’t you just stay away from them? Let the king deal with them when he returns.”
“No! I’m not going to let them think for one second that they can push me around.”
“Kyrin,” Trox said softly. “Let Alric handle it. He was born to handle this kind of thing, and he’s good at it. If you go in there, you’re going to get violent, and you may lose your temper and prove to them that you’re a magic user. Is that what you want?”
She finally started to calm down. “No.”
“Then let the king take care of it, okay?”
“I’m not used to turning my problems over to someone else.”
“It’s one of the benefits of being married.”
Kyrin turned to Trox. “What if he doesn’t fix it? What if he hands me over?”
“You know him better than that, Kyrin. Alric isn’t going to let the Qualsax near you. I swear.”
She couldn’t tell him her fears that now that she was pregnant and Azimeth had replaced her in Alric’s bed, he wouldn’t care about her as much when he got back. Even though part of her knew he wouldn’t do that, another part didn’t want to risk it.
“Lady Kyrin?” Azimeth called from the hallway.
Trox and Kyrin walked out to see what the elf wanted, and she looked upset.
“What’s wrong?” Trox asked when Kyrin didn’t.
“The nicker has stolen the king’s Holy Knight pin again.” Azimeth seemed nervous to tell anyone this.
Kyrin smiled and started up the stairs. “He really likes that pin.”
Trox followed her. “He can’t keep touching that. It’s sacred and isn’t to be touched by anyone but a Holy Knight or Sithias.”
“I explained that to him, but it’s shiny.” Kyrin walked into her bedroom, and the nicker looked up at her from the corner where he was crouched down.
Kyrin knelt beside him and took the holy pin from him. “I told you not to touch this.”
He cowered and hid his face as his scrawny body trembled.
“Kyrin, he can’t keep this up. If a knight was to catch him stealing from the king, he would be put to death without another thought.”
Kyrin looked up at him. “He would?”
“Yes, stealing from the king is grounds for death.”
“They wouldn’t!” Kyrin said, standing up.
Azimeth lowered her voice. “Lady Kyrin, stealing from the king is probably the most serious offense. I have no doubt that his knights would instantly kill if they saw it.”
Kyrin reached down and picked up the nicker. “Then I’ll have to take him back to Terrahaut.”
“Shift out?” Trox asked, surprised.
“Yes. I can’t let those bloody knights kill him. He’s doing nothing out of character, and he’s not hurting a soul.”
“I thought Sithias blocked all portals.”
“Sithias did, but he’s done that before, and he sometimes misses some. I can shift out and be back before Alric returns.”
Trox and Azimeth watched as Kyrin slipped on her black vest and began packing.
“I thought women weren’t supposed to be seen while pregnant,” Trox said. “Won’t you be a target?”
“I can hide it.”
“Not very well. It’s too dangerous.”
“I can’t let them kill him! He’s my responsibility because I brought him here.”
“If I can assure you that he won’t die, will you stay?” Trox asked. He was getting frustrated because she was still throwing things into her enchanted backpack.
“I’m learning, and some rules you can’t override. You can ask them not to kill him, but if they see him stealing, I’m not sure you can stop them.”
“Kyrin, you can’t leave! You can’t hide the pregnancy anymore and…” Trox stopped talking when she turned around and sheathed her flail. “See, Kyrin. It’s quite obvious.”
She looked down and saw that her tummy was indeed showing. “Then I’ll just have to not be seen.”
“Lady Kyrin, please, don’t!” Azimeth gasped, following her out when she headed down the stairs.
Trox ran after her. “You can’t do this! It’s too dangerous.”
“I’ll be back before Alric even knows. I can’t let the nicker die when all he’s doing is looking,” Kyrin told them. She walked through the orchard and picked an apple to eat as she watched for a portal key.
“I can’t let you leave this dimension,” Trox said softly.
Kyrin turned to yell at him and saw that he had eight knights with him.
“If she bends to pick something up or if you see any part of her disappear, grab her,” Trox said with an apologetic smile.
“I’m not going to let you stop me,” Kyrin said, backing up.
“We have to. It’s too dangerous to risk your life for that of the nicker.”
“Ozehshiesh,” she said, and clasped her hands together.
Trox waited for his body to stop moving, but he felt no effects from her spell. “You can’t
cast anything. That makes it even more dangerous.”
Kyrin screamed and then turned and walked, still looking for a portal. She figured if she found a key and a knight grabbed her, she would just take him with. She smiled slightly at the thought of one of Alric’s knights out in the dimensions full of evil and chaos.
After an hour of wandering, the nicker got nervous in Kyrin’s arms and began to squirm. She was getting frustrated by the lack of portal keys and by being followed by Alric’s minions.
A shimmer started in front of Kyrin, and she frowned and took a step back when Sithias appeared. His eyes were understanding and kind when he looked down at her.
“I cannot allow you to leave Paragoy,” Sithias said softly. “You might as well return to the comfort of the castle.”
“I’m banking one gets by you,” she told him, and then started off to her right. One of the knights blocked her from leaving, and she turned back to the god.
“No, it won’t get by me. You’re my priority right now and leaving the dimension is hazardous. I will not let you shift.”
“They’re going to kill this nicker.”
“I will return him to Terrahaut,” Sithias said, and reached out for the nicker.
As the nicker tried to claw his way over Kyrin’s back to get away from the deity, Kyrin took a step back. “I don’t trust you to return him.”
Trox gasped, and the knights started to get angry.
“You can’t speak to him like that!” the closest knight yelled.
Sithias raised his hand to calm them. “She meant no harm. She is protective of the little creature, and it’s natural to become aggressive.”
“Stop sticking up for me,” Kyrin yelled. “Now back off and let me return him to his home.”
“Again, no. You aren’t leaving this dimension.”
“I suppose you’re going to stop me?”
“Yes, I am.”
She smiled. “Good luck with that. The knights don’t care enough to keep trying to stop me. Trox is too old, and Azimeth is helpless.”
“I’m not too old,” Trox said, laughing.
Azimeth frowned. “I would try.”
“The knights do my bidding, whether they like what I’ve asked or not,” Sithias told her with a twinkle in his eyes.
“So they say. You poof and I’ll be out of here by morning,” Kyrin said proudly.