“It’s no matter, he wouldn’t be able to change what is happening,” she replied, tearing up. “Poor Magretha! Where is Jerris? He needs to be with her.”
Keiran looked to the side. “He’s probably out in the guard shack. I’ll go bring him, you go back to Magretha. Is she in their room?”
“Aye.”
He didn’t hesitate further before turning around and running down the hallway toward the doors to the courtyard. Once out, he sprinted to the guard shack, his long strides getting him there in seconds.
Keiran shoved open the door harder than needed, sending it crashing against the interior wall.
Jerris startled, dropping the payroll coins he’d been counting out into stacks from his hand. Several rolled onto the floor, and he huffed, scowling at the vampire.
“What are you doing?” he asked, already standing up from his seat.
Keiran stepped within, shaking his head. “Jerris, Magretha isn’t well. Come on!”
The remaining coins in Jerris’ grip were dropped to the table to join the others. Without giving it anymore thought, he nodded and followed Keiran as he turned to head back across the courtyard.
“What’s wrong with her?” he asked, getting to Keiran’s side as he continued jogging.
“Corina will fill you in,” Keiran replied, reaching out and tugging open the castle’s heavy wooden door once they got up the stairs.
By the time they reached the doorway to the room, Jerris’ complexion had blanched out. Worry had his hands shaking and seeing his wife curled up on the bed and in obvious pain only made it worse. He went and knelt at the side of the bed, taking hold of one of Magretha’s hands.
Jerris looked back over his shoulder at Corina, his eyes wide in fear. “What’s going on? What’s wrong with her?”
The old woman hung her head. She’d not disclosed anything to Magretha yet, wanting Jerris to be there for her. She went closer to the bed Magretha lay upon and sat on the edge of it. “Mag, I hate to be the one to say this, but I believe you’ve lost the child.”
Magretha turned her face toward the pillow and let out a quiet sob. She’d felt something wrong throughout the day, and it had been her greatest fear.
Jerris’ eyes went wide, and he tightened his hold on Magretha’s hand. “Corina, please tell me she will be all right!”
“Most likely, aye.” Corina stood up and went to stand beside Keiran, giving the couple their space. “She won’t feel well for several days until everything has passed, but she should recover.”
Magretha lifted her head, her teary eyes fixing on the old woman. “Why is this happening? What’s wrong with me?”
“Nothing is wrong with you, Magretha,” Corina replied, shaking her head. “This isn’t terribly uncommon. You will heal, and most likely you will conceive again successfully. I’m going to step out for a moment to get you something to help you relax and cope with the pain.”
“Of all the times for our medic to go on a mission!” Jerris groaned, standing up to look at Corina.
She furrowed her brow and met his gaze. “Jerris, there is nothing he nor anyone else can do about this. It is merely nature and beyond our control.”
The redhead frowned and sat down on the bed next to Magretha, placing his hand on her hip. Standing, even briefly, had made his head swim and passing out wasn’t the best option under the circumstances. “Go on, then. Get her whatever you can to make her comfortable. She’s in agony!”
Corina nodded and grabbed Keiran by the arm. “Come with me to help.”
While Keiran hated to leave Jerris in such a situation, it was more about Magretha and Jerris than anything else. He moved out of the room and toward Corina’s quarters with her.
“Do you truly think she will recover? It will destroy Jerris if she were to die,” he said.
She drew a long breath and carried forward with purpose. “Aye, she’ll recover. What’s within her should pass quite soon, and once that does, she will feel better. If she were further along and going through this, I’d be much more worried. This early on, however, the woman generally survives.”
“I hope to God so.” Keiran glanced back over his shoulder toward the room they retreated from. “I never thought I would see Jerris be that attached to someone, but he is. I think we’ve all come to love Magretha as part of this family.”
“I know, and I intend to see her through this. Magretha is otherwise a robust woman in good health.” Corina tightened her hold on Keiran’s arm. “She will be fine and so will Jerris. I promise. The emotional pain of losing a child, even this early, will be the hardest thing for her to overcome.”
* * *
Jerris had moved to lie down beside Magretha, facing her. Watching her suffer broke his heart, his stomach twisted with worry. He could tell she was trying to keep an outward calm for him, but the pain was evident in her eyes and sweat-soaked brow.
“I’m sorry,” Magretha whispered to him.
Jerris put his hand on her cheek and frowned. “For what? You’ve done nothing wrong.”
Magretha hadn’t conceived during her first marriage, and she feared there was something deeply wrong with her. “I never conceived with Brett. Perhaps I’m not meant to have children.”
Jerris shook his head and almost smiled. “Mag, he died only weeks after you were wed. I’d hardly consider that a failure on your part. Look, when you’re feeling up to it, we can take some time away from the castle and go back home. I’m certain Keir won’t mind.”
She gave a slight nod against his hand, closing her eyes. “I would like that very much. We’ve been cooped up here too long.”
He offered a smile and moved to kiss her cheek. “We’ll try again.”
“You were so scared when I told you though,” she said. “Is this really something you want?”
“It is. I just didn’t know it. It may have only been a few days, but seeing how excited you were changed it for me,” he admitted.
She didn’t reply, only curling up tighter and baring her teeth as another cramp ripped through her.
Jerris got up from the bed and set about trying to make her more comfortable. He removed her shoes and loosened the laces of her dress before going to retrieve one of her nightgowns.
Magretha knew she was bleeding, and she was all too aware what would happen if he saw it under the circumstances. While he offered to help her get changed, she politely refused, saying Corina could do it when she returned. The old woman would need to examine her at the time, anyway.
Keiran and Corina didn’t leave them waiting long. They returned, a cup of one of Corina’s pain remedies in hand. She went over and offered it to Magretha, the younger woman drinking the bitter tonic quickly.
Corina took the empty cup back and set it on a bedside table before turning to the two men. “I need to check her over now. May we have a little privacy?”
Though Jerris hated to leave, Keiran assured him it wouldn’t take long, and they stepped out into the hallway.
As soon as the door closed and they were alone, tears appeared in Jerris’ eyes. “I can’t believe this is happening. She was so excited...”
Keiran saw Jerris’ expression, though his friend kept his head hung, trying to hide it. While he didn’t exactly know what to say, Jerris had always been there for him during his assorted trials, and he intended to do the same. He looked up and down the hall before reaching out and pulling Jerris into a forcible embrace.
Jerris didn’t try to fight it, too preoccupied to care if anyone saw. “Magretha is always such a happy and kind woman. She doesn’t deserve this.”
“No, she doesn’t,” Keiran whispered, patting Jerris’ back. “She’ll be all right.”
The redhead slowly pulled away, looking to the side. “Now I know why you were so terrified the entire time Thana was carrying. I’m sorry I taunted you like I did.”
“We taunt each other on a constant basis, Jerris. It’s what we’ve always done.” The corner of Keiran’s mouth quirked up. �
��You can be as mean as you need to be to me until this whole thing blows over.”
Jerris sighed and met his would-be-brother’s gaze. “I can be very mean.”
Keiran patted his shoulder. “I know. It’s the least I can do.”
“Actually, there is something I’d like to ask,” Jerris said.
The vampire quirked a brow and nodded, waiting for him to continue.
“When Magretha is through this, she and I would like to be allowed a little time out of the castle. We haven’t been home in months.” The guard motioned back toward the door. “We could use a break and some time to ourselves. I’d imagine there will be much more than just the physical effects of this for her to recover from.”
“Absolutely,” Keiran replied without hesitation. “Take her home and spend as much time as needed to get her better. It is far more important than work.”
Jerris managed a faint smile. “I appreciate that, Keir.”
“Is there anything else you can think of you might need?” he asked.
The guard glanced back at the door. “Bring me something to drink tonight. Something good.”
“I can manage that.” Keiran returned his smile. “Once Corina lets you back in, do you want me to go find Kanan and alert him?”
“Aye, that would be for the best. He’ll want to know what’s going on.” Jerris sighed. “He’ll need to know he’s going to be covering all of his old tasks himself again. He’ll be thrilled, I’m sure.”
* * *
Thana and Keiran had retired to their room for the night. Though it was Keiran’s instinct to remain near Jerris given what was happening, Thana and Corina had eventually forced him to let the other couple be.
She sat on the edge of the bed with the baby to her breast, hoping to settle the boy down for the night.
Keiran went and got down onto his hands and knees before the dresser, reaching beneath it.
Thana squinted and watched him. “What in the world are you up to?”
He pulled out something wrapped in a piece of leather. “I did actually have a surprise for you. With all that’s happened since, I almost forgot about it.”
She pulled her nightgown back into place as the baby turned away. “Did you? What is it?”
Keiran went over and offered the item to her, in turn taking Zach. “I think you might just like it. God knows you are likely one of the only ones in the country who’d want or need it.”
Intrigued, she laid the heavy item across her thighs. Keiran had tied the wrapping around it with a bit of twine, and undoing it with one hand would prove troublesome. She frowned up at him before lifting her right hand, pulling the thumb back, and exposing the blade hidden within her prosthetic. With a small flick of her wrist, she had the twine cut and she gave a smug grin, stowing the blade away again.
“You do that a little too easily already,” Keiran replied, grinning as he settled the boy onto his hip.
“It is more useful than I originally anticipated,” she replied, using her left hand to flip back the wrapping.
She cocked her head to the side as the ancient cover of the book was exposed. The leather binding was heavily tooled and of a pleasant green color. While there were several nicely bound volumes like it in the castle library, it was only the second book she’d ever personally owned.
Fascinated, she gently lifted up the cover and flipped through a few pages. Though her time in the Sador Empire had been short, she quickly recognized the Sadori writing for what it was as well as the portions written in Old Tordanian.
Her wide-eyed gaze lifted toward her husband. “Where did you find something like this?”
He sat beside her, situating Zach onto his lap. “I put out the request a long time ago. Mari encountered a church delegation coming in from the coast, and they had it for me.”
She shook her head and looked down at the book again. Thana fell silent for a few minutes, reading over some of the Old Tordanian passages. “Keir…this is to teach me Sadori!”
“Aye.”
Thana shook her head and twisted enough to put her arms around Keiran’s neck. “This is wonderful!”
He put an arm around her in return, closing his eyes briefly. “So, you like it?”
She pulled back again, lightly running her fingertips down the page. “I love it! I will learn to read and speak Sadori! Look, it even tells how to pronounce the words! Oh, if I can do this well, perhaps later I can learn other languages too!”
Keiran gave a dopey grin, deeply pleased to see her so happy with it. When she was this excited about things, she generally became very fun to be around, and the distraction would be greatly welcomed.
* * *
Keiran paced the halls of the castle in the early morning before the sun rose. Zach was in his arms, particularly fussy during most of the night. Thana needed a break from him, and Keiran was too agitated to sleep anyway.
The boy was finally dozing, and Keiran was afraid to stop moving lest he wake up again. He rounded a corner, spotting Jerris outside the door to his room.
The redhead came over and walked beside him, his eyes reflecting his own sleepless night. “Odd hour for you to be up.”
Keiran nodded, walking slowly. “The boy seems to want to keep either Thana or I up tonight, so here I am.”
“Well, he’s out now, isn’t he?” Jerris craned his neck, looking at the child briefly.
“Aye, as long as I keep going.” Keiran glanced over at him. “How’s Magretha?”
“Better. Corina came by not too long ago and…” he turned his head to the side, shuddering. “I’ll simply say the worst has finally passed. Now, she just needs to rest and recover. We’ll most likely head home in a few days. Corina said Magretha doesn’t need to be jostled around in a wagon.”
“And how are you doing?” Keiran asked.
Jerris shrugged, lacing his hands behind his back. “Now that Magretha is actually sleeping and having Corina’s assurance the worst is behind us, I’m doing better. While I’m sad for what she lost, the idea I could have lost her just as easily has struck deep. If Mag had died from this, dear God, what would I do without her?”
Keiran knew letting Jerris get himself worked up wasn’t going to help. “Everything is fine. All you need to focus on is seeing Magretha the rest of the way through this. Beyond that, no one else is going anywhere, all right? We’re all safe enough.”
Jerris gave a weak laugh. “I suppose we are. I’m heading to the kitchen. I need to get something to eat before getting back. I’ll see you tomorrow or later today. I have no idea which it actually is.”
With Jerris gone, Keiran wandered into the vacant throne room. Zach seemed to be soundly out, and Keiran wondered if he could get seated for a while without waking the baby.
He stopped halfway into the room, the back of his neck prickling. Keiran took several deep breaths, trying to pick up anything that would trigger his instincts. It was faint, whatever it was, as though he’d just missed someone else. He scanned around the room, his eyes sensitive enough in the darkness to spot something small sitting on his throne.
He slowly moved forward, tightening his hold around his son. After scaling the three steps up to his throne, he stood before it and stared down. There was a folded note sitting there, and Keiran slowly reached out with his left hand to pick it up. There was something wrapped inside, and after scanning around the room again, he sat down.
Keiran rested Zach across his legs, and carefully unfolded the note, confused to see what looked like an ordinary little stone inside. With the paper unfolded, the unmistakable dusty, copper-laced scent of another vampire came from within it. Yet, he didn’t feel immediately threatened. If this was from the same person who left the hand for Thana, he was willing to keep an open mind and see what they wanted.
He set the stone on the arm of the throne before holding the note up to read it. While it was written in Tordanian, the script was hard to read. It looked like whoever had made it drew the letters instead of fluid
ly writing them. Still, he was able to read it after a few passes.
Hold the stone until you can drop it through the palm of your hand. The first step in learning transformation.
His brow furrowed, and he stared at the little rock, setting the note aside. Why would another vampire be trying to teach him to further his skills?
The scent from the note was like Baden’s. If it was Baden, he was clearly doing this without Athan’s permission. Were it something Athan wanted to teach Keiran, he undoubtedly would have shown up in person to do so. Athan’s ego never let him step aside while others claimed credit.
Keiran took up the rock and placed it in his palm and held it out before him. He tried for a while to get the rock to pass through his hand, but nothing happened, not that he’d expected it to. While he’d seen Athan and Baden both change forms, he didn’t have the faintest idea how they did so or what he was really supposed to do to get there.
With Zach finally asleep and happy, Keiran’s own exhaustion pressed in on him. Before long, he set the rock down and wriggled around to get comfortable while securely holding the baby. Within minutes, he fell asleep where he sat.
* * *
“Wake up!”
Keiran felt his legs kicked, and he opened his eyes, startled. The room was bright around him, people going about their business. Kanan stood before him, the note Keiran had found earlier hanging from one hand.
The vampire straightened up and looked around, his eyes going wide. “Where’s Zach?”
“Thana came in here and took him out of your arms hours ago,” Kanan replied, shaking his head. “Not terribly good at guarding him, are you?”
After several days of poor sleep, it had finally caught up with Keiran to the point he’d been dead to the world. He ran his hands through his hair, trying to push aside the groggy daze enshrouding him.
“Now, what is this?” Kanan asked, holding the note out before him and nearly pressing it against Keiran’s face.
Keiran snagged the note from his hand and refolded it. He looked over to see the stone the note had come with sitting beside him. “I found it here last night. It’s harmless enough. Someone is trying to help.”
The King's Knight (Royal Blood Book 5) Page 5