Chapter 19

CHAPTER 19

S he managed, thankfully, to make it back to her bedchamber without encountering anyone along the way. No guards or servants who might have questioned her distraught appearance.

It didn't take her long to gather the things she needed. The candles, tinder box, and grimoire were already in the satchel, and the satchel was stowed beneath her bed, where she could easily retrieve it for her frequent midnight visits to the clearing and the darkstone ring.

Out of habit, she started to head for the wardrobe where her black gown was stored, but she stopped when she realized she wouldn't need it. It was daylight. The black dress would do nothing to conceal her. If anything, it would only serve to make her more conspicuous.

Her next stop was the stable.

She was pleased to find it mostly empty. A lone stableboy was on duty, and he prepared her horse while she waited. She wanted to scream at him to move faster, but she restrained herself. Any sense of urgency on her part would only arouse interest, and interest would lead to suspicion. The boy might say something to the stablemaster, who in turn might mention it to the guards. Eventually word would get back to Dr. Jaeger, who had made her promise to give up riding for the duration of her pregnancy. Better to avoid all of that if possible.

The pain inside her belly had receded enough for Malissa to hide her agony, but it had not disappeared completely. She could still feel the baby moving inside her, could still sense his distress. In a way, she was glad for that, as it meant her child was still alive.

She had not realized until now exactly how much the baby meant to her.

Only once she was on horseback, away from the castle and riding through the trees, did she finally allow herself to weep, partly from the pain, more so from fear that she might be losing the child.

It was not a selfish fear.

She didn't care about what might happen to her if she proved unable to give Wulfgang the heir he so desperately wanted. She only cared about her baby now. That was the only thing that mattered.

But was she doing the right thing?

The deeper Malissa rode into the forest, the more her mind became clouded with doubt. What if she was making a mistake? Perhaps it would have been better to go directly to Dr. Jaeger, as much as she disliked the man.

The pain struck again, and she clung to the pommel until it passed. It was a good thing she was riding and not walking. She would never have made it to the darkstone ring on foot.

But did she really want to go there?

What if Beliath was the cause of this pain? Had he tricked her? Had placed a curse on the baby to make it die inside her as some kind of cruel joke?

Holy Creator, how could she have been so foolish as to trust a demon? She thought of all the times she had lain with him, surrounded by his powerful arms, blanketed by his wings. He had made her feel so safe and protected, but all the while he had been plotting against her planning this cruel, cruel joke.

She had to confront him.

She had to make him lift the curse.

She would do anything he asked of her. Anything.

At the edge of the clearing, Malissa dismounted and tied the reins to a tree to keep her horse from wandering off. The animal was restless. The darkstone ring was making it nervous, and for good reason.

The horse knows this is a bad place , she thought. If I had as much sense as a horse, I wouldn't be in this mess .

The pain stabbed at her again, doubling her over.

It was too late to turn back now. She was here. She had to confront the demon. He was the one who had done this, and he was the only one who could stop it.

She had to make him save her baby.

That was probably exactly what he wanted—to make her become even more deeply indebted to him. Making her owe him her life was not enough. Now she would owe him the life of her baby as well.

But there was no other way.

Malissa took her satchel and headed for the center of the clearing and the darkstone ring. It was strange, seeing it in broad daylight. The last time she'd seen it like this had been on the day she had first discovered it. All of her subsequent visits had been made under the cover of darkness.

It suddenly occurred to Malissa that she didn't even know if the conjuration would work during the daytime.

She was about to find out.