Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7

"I s everything alright, Your Highness?"

Malissa looked up from her untouched platter of food—a greasy leg of capon with a side of roasted carrots and mushrooms. She rarely ate mushrooms anymore, after learning what had happened to King Wulfgang's second wife. Today, however, she had not touched any of her food at all. After last night, her appetite had abandoned her.

It was midday now, and Malissa's chambers were aglow with golden sunshine pouring in through the leaded panes of the tall, pointed windows. She was not sure exactly how long she'd been sitting there staring at her food, but judging from the angle of the shadows, it had been a good half hour or more.

"Your Highness?" the voice said again.

Malissa turned her attention to the woman standing near the door of the chamber. It was Droanna, Malissa's chief maidservant. She was a few years older than Malissa, with a head full of lovely, flaxen curls and a shapely figure that turned the heads of all the men who worked in the castle. But it was the woman's soft, gentle face that Malissa liked. Of all the servants in King Wulfgang's employ, Droanna was the only one who had ever shown her any amount of warmth.

"Oh," Malissa said. "I didn't hear you come in."

"I rapped on the door, Your Highness. When you didn't reply, I feared some misfortune had befallen you."

Not an unreasonable assumption. Misfortune had a way of befalling the many wives of King Wulfgang.

"Thank you for checking," Malissa said. "I didn't sleep well, that's all."

It was a lie. The truth was, she hadn't slept a wink.

Last night, after banishing Beliath back to the void, she had stood there in the clearing for several long minutes, still as a statue, contemplating everything the demon had told her. Finally, she had dressed herself, blown out the candles, and gathered up all of her belongings.

The trek back through the forest had seemed to take an eternity. Every tiny noise, real or imagined, had nearly made her jump right out of her skin. She'd managed to sneak back into the castle without being spotted by the guards, and she'd slipped into bed a comfortable three hours before sun-up, but she had quickly given up any hope of sleeping. Every time she closed her eyes, her mind conjured a swarm of demonic faces to match the disembodied voice which had spoken to her from the center of the darkstone ring.

Droanna frowned and looked at Malissa's untouched meal.

"Is there a problem with the food, Your Highness? Would you like me to take it away and bring you something else?"

"No thank you, Droanna"

The maidservant gazed at her with a look of concern, but said nothing. Malissa knew she had given the woman plenty of reason to be worried. First, she had insisted on dressing herself this morning, not wishing to explain her toe, which was still swollen from when she had stubbed it last night, nor the scrapes on her side where she had fallen.

And now here she was, sitting with her plate untouched, so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't even heard the woman knocking at her door. If she had been in Droanna's position, she would be very worried indeed.

She forced her lips into a reassuring smile.

"Truly, Droanna, everything is fine. I just need a good long sleep this evening, and I'll be right as rain tomorrow." She glanced at the door. "Was there something you needed to speak with me about?"

The maid, looking somewhat more at ease, made a quick bow.

"Dr. Jaeger wishes to see you, Your Highness. He has received word of the king."

Malissa's heart hitched. Not word from the king. Word of him. Did that mean something had happened? Malissa tried her best not to appear hopeful. Most women would not be pleased by the prospect of their husband's death. Then again, most women were not married to a man who habitually murdered his wives.

"I see. Please show him in."

"Yes, Your Highness."

After the maid had departed, Malissa pushed herself away from her uneaten meal and rose from her chair. She crossed the spacious room to the tall, silvered looking glass on the far wall and checked her appearance. She was wearing a blue gown today, and her hair was tied in a braid down her back. The long, sleepless night had left dark rings around her eyes, but otherwise she looked alright. She went back to the center of the room and awaited Jaeger's arrival.

He entered a moment later, and greeted her with a deep bow.

"Your Highness."

Dr. Jaeger was a thin, delicate man with dark, suspicious eyes and a small, pointed beard. A man of learning, he was Wulfgang's chief alchemist, as well as one of his many advisors. When the king had departed for battle, he had left Jaeger behind to keep watch over Drachenval.

"How does Your Highness fare today?" he asked, obviously studying the dark circles around her eyes. "You're not feeling unwell, I hope."

"Just a little tired," Malissa said. "I had a restless night."

"Up late worrying about your king, no doubt."

Was there a trace of irony in the man's voice, or had Malissa only imagined that? It was always difficult to tell with Jaeger.

"Droanna said you have some news of him?"

Jaeger frowned. "I'm afraid so. He was wounded in battle."

Malissa's heart leapt. She knew it was wrong to wish for a man's death, especially when that man was her own husband, but if Wulfgang died, it meant she could go on living.

"How badly?" she asked, hoping her voice sounded concerned, not eager.

"He will survive, Your Highness. An arrow took him in the groin, just above the edge of his greaves. It went deep, but it did not sever any major arteries, and his men were able to carry him to safety. He will need to spend at least a month in Corrinia, recovering. Once he is well enough to ride again, he will return to Drachenval to complete his convalescence. His generals will remain in the east to continue the war in his absence."

"He's returning here?" Malissa said. "I shall be glad to see him."

In reality, her heart felt as if it had just turned to stone and dropped to the pit of her stomach. Her mind raced as she tried to calculate the date of his return. A month recovering in Corrinia, then another month or two traveling. Maybe longer if the weather was bad crossing the White Mountains. But then, the message would have come via a carrier pigeon, which meant the news was already several days old at this point. Perhaps even a week.

As if reading her thoughts, Dr. Jaeger said, "He is expected to arrive in ninety days."

Ninety days. Holy Creator.

"Your Highness?" Jaeger said.

Malissa realized she was frowning. She quickly shook her head.

"I'm sorry, I just… I am shaken by the news of the king's wounding. But I am happy to hear that he will be returning home so soon."

"Of course," said Dr. Jaeger. He paused for a beat, then he added: "The king also enquired about you, Your Highness. He wished to know about your… health ."

"My health?"

Jaeger's normally pale cheeks pinked with embarrassment, and he dropped his eyes to the floor.

"Yes, Your Highness. Specifically, he wanted to know if you have… menstruated since his departure."

Malissa's heart skipped.

Before she even had a chance to consider her answer, she heard the words leaving her mouth, and they surprised her just as much as they seemed to surprise the doctor.

"I have not ," she said.

Jaeger's dark eyes flicked up to meet hers. "You're sure?"

Malissa laughed, taking advantage of the man's obvious discomfort with the topic.

"Of course I'm sure, doctor. I think I would have noticed the blood if it had come."

Jaeger's blush deepened.

"Your Highness, it has been over two months since the king departed. If you have not… not bled since then… you must be with child."

"Yes, I've suspected it for several weeks now." Malissa was amazed by the cool confidence she heard in her own voice. "I only wished to wait until some time had passed before telling anyone—just to be absolutely certain."

"I must inform the king," Jaeger said thoughtfully. "I shall pen a letter immediately, and send it out with a pigeon."

His eyes narrowed, and he regarded Malissa with what may have been suspicion.

"The king will be gladdened by this news," he said. "Perhaps it will even hasten his recovery. Who knows? With luck, he may be home sooner than ninety days."

He bowed deeply.

After he was gone, Malissa remained standing in the middle of the room, her body perfectly still, her skin cold and taut. The confidence she'd been feeling a moment before had all drained away, and now she just felt scared and alone.

She had lied.

She had lied to Dr. Jaeger about her pregnancy, and soon that lie would reach the king's ears.

The truth was, she had already bled twice since the king's departure. She'd been careful to hide the evidence of her menstruation from her handmaidens, but she would not be able to hide her flat belly from the king when he returned home in three months' time.

Perhaps even sooner than that.

Malissa considered her options. She could try to run away, but she knew it would never work. As soon as someone noticed her absence, Jaeger would send out riders to find her, and they would catch up to her in a day or two.

Besides, even if she did manage to get away, where would she go? Back to her father? No chance of that. Her father had always despised her for bringing about her mother's death. He had been more than happy to sell her off to the king, knowing full well the fate that awaited her at Drachenval.

Perhaps she could fake a miscarriage? Wulfgang might keep her alive a little while longer in the hopes of impregnating her a second time. But Malissa didn't even know where to begin with such a deception, and even if she did somehow manage to pull it off, she would only be delaying the inevitable.

At last, her mind settled on her final option. The one she'd been trying not to think about. The one that lay waiting for her within the darkstone ring.

Beliath .

Malissa remained standing in the center of the room for several more minutes. Then she went to the wardrobe by the wall and took out the satchel she had used last night. She had emptied it this morning, before the sun came up. Now she went around the room, regathering the various items she needed—the tinder box, the candles, and finally the book. Once she had everything packed away, she took the satchel over to the bed and slid it beneath the frame for safekeeping until nightfall.

Then she went back to her table and sat down once again before her plate of capon and carrots. The food had grown cold, but Malissa forced herself to eat it.

She was supposed to be pregnant after all.