If Natalya had only known that the cage she had seen was the castle where Alliana had been taken to spend the rest of her life, the cross a sign of her impending kidnapping from the very clan she wished to protect, and the hawk, the enemy known as Mikhal the Merciless himself, Natalya would not have been so quick to give up her fight and accept her husband’s wishes. No indeed, she would have run from wagon to wagon, rousing everyone so they could flee from the devil himself.
Chapter Twenty-six
During the month since her husband had left the castle, Alliana’s health had made minimal improvement. It wasn’t that she was deathly ill or even in danger of losing the baby, and her hands and feet had healed just fine, it was that the fire inside of her had been extinguished and her will to survive was gone.
She picked at her meals, eating only when Lucian was there at her bedside to ensure she ate well, and lay in bed day and night, too listless to rise and go to her tower room for a peek of the sun, or even to sit by the hearth and read. It was all too much of an effort. Why bother when she didn’t care? Her life was over. She would be trapped inside these castle walls for the rest of her days. What difference did it make if she stayed in bed or sat gazing out a window at the world she could never be part of?
Thalia tried to engage her Mistress in conversation to no avail. She encouraged Alliana to do her needlework, and even read to her, picking among the words she recognized from the texts on the shelves, but Alliana remain mute through it all, not ignoring her maid or being rude or cruel, just remaining indifferent. She spoke to Thalia when necessary, thanked her when appropriate, and on a rare occasion offered up a wan smile, but mostly, she simply lay in bed, staring at the canopy above her, asking that the drapes be pulled around her bed, and blocking everything out of her mind.
Even the constant infuriating sight of her husband’s first in command failed to give a true spark to her listless eyes. True they flared in irritation when he took up residence in the chair across the room and simply stared at her with those dark brooding eyes, but for the most part, Alliana hadn’t the energy to rebuke him or engage him in a battle of wits. Let him think her a mindless weakling. In the past the idea would have been unthinkable, but now she didn’t have the heart to care. Her soul was shattered, her heart lay in chains, her body was trapped inside the walls of a cold, evil castle that she was forced to call home.
On top of it all, her body had begun to change due to her pregnancy while Mikhal was gone, even though she was only two months along. There was a distinct swell to her belly, and she could feel the flutter of kicking feet and waving fists within her womb. This both mystified and alarmed her, but Enid didn’t seem bothered by the rapid growth of the baby, so Alliana tried her best to block her fears from her mind as well.
The midwife told her that Mikhal’s child was special, that the babe was a product of magick, and that they should expect things to come along at a different rate. When she had become pregnant, Alliana had assumed she would deliver the child several months after her fabled eighteenth birthday in the normal time line of things, but now she wasn’t so sure. She had truly hoped that she would already be in possession of her powers, whatever they might be, when her child came along, and be better able to cope with the birth, but now, she doubted that would be the case. Her belly was already swollen after such a short time, and if she were to carry her son to full term, she thought she might burst. It was this, in truth that frightened her the most.
What if he grew too large for her human body? What if she died giving birth as he forced his way out? Yes she hated her life, but that didn’t mean she wanted it to end, and the size of her rapidly increasing stomach made her fear the process and pain of childbirth even more. The thought of what the babe would be like also dwelled deep in the recesses of her mind. Would he have fangs like his evil monster of a father and demand to suckle blood along with her milk or would he be a sweet-faced cherub who nursed contentedly at her breast?
All of this had been racing through her mind day after day while Mikhal was gone, and so she lay there, frightened, alone, lost, and miserable, unable or unwilling to share her mounting fears with those around her.
In truth, who was there to confide in? Lucian was a constant irritant to her, one she could barely tolerate, Enid was a spiteful hag who hated her and the feeling was mutual, and Thalia’s support was well meant, but basically useless when it came to solving any of her dilemmas. At least Marishka had been removed from her life and was no longer a threat. That was the one high point she could put her finger on if she’d been forced to name something that wasn’t miserable about her entire existence.
Alliana allowed these morose thoughts to go through her head once more, and then propped herself up in bed, finally looking at her supper tray, just as Mikhal was rising in the inn, preparing to capture her friend. She was being forced to endure yet another meal in Lucian’s company, and she didn’t know if she could stand it one more second. Ignoring him hadn’t worked. In truth it never did, so perhaps it was time to confront him.
"Must you sit there with that infuriating sneer on your face, Lucian?" When the vampire refused to answer, Alliana stabbed her fork downward in a violent motion and began to do her best to eat the thick slab of red meat that had been brought for her supper.
“I asked you a question, the least you could do is answer me. I know you have the ability to speak. Tell me, do you find my presence intimidating?” She was finding Lucian’s presence exceptionally irritating and had decided to provoke him. She wasn’t sure if it was his demeanor or the fact that her stomach still revolted violently every time meat was placed in front of her that had her on edge, but she intended to take her ire out on the sole other occupant of the room.
Still the vampire refuses to be baited by her cutting tongue, simply staring at her with a smirk that said he knew full well what she was trying to do and it didn’t bother him in the least. Women were mindless things who played games when they didn’t get their way, and the one before him was no different than the rest.
Alliana narrowed her eyes, and looked from Lucian back to her revolting dinner, and then back to the vampire in dismay. The combination of the two was enough to drive her insane. She wanted to rise up and slap that smirk from his face but she didn’t quite dare. Instead, her fingers curled around her goblet of wine reflexively, as her temper mounted, and before she was even aware of it herself, Alliana hurled the pewter vessel, contents and all across the room directly at her keeper.
He stared at her, unmoved and a bit amused by her little temper tantrum, having seen much worse from Marishka, and simply brushed the crimson droplets from his velvet frock coat, grinning at her sardonically.
“If you are quite through Mistress, I would like you to finish your meal. I shall ring for a kitchen maid to fetch you more wine.”
“I certainly am not quite through. I wish for you to leave and take this vile meat with you. And stop sneering!” Enid made sure that she had the disgusting stuff fed to her at least every other day despite her protests that it made her ill, and Alliana was determined that today was one of the days she simply would not allow one single revolting bite to pass her lips.
She had begged the old hag to allow her to eat fowl instead, but the heartless midwife insisted on the nauseating venison or beef. She said the blood was good for the child. It would help to make him strong inside her weak body, but the sight of the bloody juice and the smell of the burnt fat were simply too much, and if that weren’t bad enough, Lucian sat silently by her side night and day watching as nausea gripped her, making her gag and choke as she ate.
"Forgive me Mistress; I do not intend to sneer at you. I am simply watching you and doing as my Master bid me. He said to make sure you eat your meals."
"Your presence makes that difficult!" Alliana knew she was being terribly rude and acting as spoilt as Marishka, but at this point she was beyond caring. At least some of her old fire seemed to come alive when she had to deal with the infuria
ting vampire.
"Forgive me, Mistress, I do not mean to distress you.”
Alliana threw up her hands and turned from him in disgust. The damn minion claimed he didn’t mean to sneer at her, didn’t mean to upset her. Of course he did. He sat there in his chair staring at her with those damned hooded eyes and that little curl in the corner of his lips, never uttering a word unless spoken to, just sitting, watching, until she was ready to tear her hair out. He did everything else that was required of him with equal silence, the expression on his face always letting her know that he felt the tasks were demeaning and beneath him.
"Stop asking me for forgiveness. I don’t want you here and you don’t want to be here. We both know that. Would you please just call for Thalia. I cannot eat this revolting slop tonight. I simply cannot. I’m feeling very ill."
"Perhaps I should summon Enid if you are ill my lady."
"Enid would make me feel worse than I already do! I know what the problem is. Tis this food she insists upon. Lucian would you please simply call for Thalia. I swear I will eat every morsel of my breakfast but I simply cannot put one more bite of this vile dinner in my mouth. I will retch. Enid doesn’t have to know. Please Lucian." Alliana hated to be reduced to begging, but she was at the end of her rope and the last thing she wanted was for Lucian to witness her vomiting or worse yet, call for Enid.
Lucian continued to look at Alliana with those incredibly infuriating eyes. They were so very dark and smoldering and completely unreadable. What was he thinking? Was he storing this incident away in his memory to report it to Mikhal? She never had any idea what was going through his head, except of course for the obvious dislike he felt towards her. It was so hard to judge his thoughts. On one hand she had to admit that he had always been civil enough this past month, but she had never been able to really get a read on him, and that made her both exasperated and uneasy. Part of her couldn’t help but wonder what he would tell Mikhal about her behavior when her husband returned. Mikhal had sworn things were going to be different for her here, better, but still, if Lucian told him she had been rude and refusing to eat, she knew Mikhal could very well fly into a rage.
Lucian certainly didn’t seem as cruel as Mikhal. He had never once made a move to strike her in spite of the fact that she had been ill mannered and unpleasant to him throughout their time together. Even when she had snapped at him and ordered him about he had maintained his aloof demeanor. He was equally pleasant to Thalia who was but a lowly slave; though it was clear he despised them both.
No, Lucian had been nothing but outwardly respectful the entire time she had been under his care, and it was for this reason that Alliana wondered why he upset her so. Could it be that he was simply too mystifying? Vampires were supposed to be crude, evil, and heartless, and this one simply did not seem to fit the mold, so again she made her request hoping against hope that he did indeed have a kind bone in his body.
“Please Lucian. I truly will eat every bite of my breakfast. I am nauseated and weary and wish to be alone except for my servant. The peace and quiet will do me good.”
As if reading her thoughts of the moment before, his voice was soft and lacked the normal cynicism when he spoke again, surprising Alliana. "Very well, Mistress. I imagine that one missed supper will not hurt My Lord’s heir. You did manage to eat a few bites of meat and a bit of your bread.” A small grin appeared on his face, letting her know he wished to add something about her doing this while taking the time to hurl her wine at him, and Alliana couldn’t help but flush crimson at the memory of her tantrum. Lucian, thankfully, let her embarrassment go unmentioned. “I shall call for Thalia, and Enid does not need to be summoned. Her presence is enough to turn anyone's stomach."
“Indeed it is.” Alliana hissed the words in agreement; just the thought of the witch hag was making her already queasy stomach even more unsettled. She then cast her eyes upon Lucian and gave him a grateful look for his understanding. While it was true Alliana didn’t know the reason for the vampire’s kindness that night, she certainly wasn’t going to act the bitch when he was being agreeable.
Lucian gave her another little smile. He agreed whole-heartedly with his Master’s wife in this matter and certainly couldn’t fault the girl for voicing her opinion. He hated the midwife as well, thought she was a traitor to her own kind and therefore bound to betray his Master as well someday. “You may feel free to relax now, Mistress. I promise you won’t be bothered. That hag shall not come knocking upon your door. I bid you good rest.”
He knew his words and his action absolutely stunned Alliana and wasn’t sure why he wanted to be kind and make her feel secure, but did none-the-less. As for Alliana, the man had actually shown a bit of personality, and whatever the reason for the change, she was thankful that he had agreed to her request and had recognized her need to be alone. It really had been a foolish for her to even ask him. Lucian could have easily called for the old hag to come and force feed her like she had threatened to do on many occasions.
"Thank you, Lucian. I... thank you."
"You are welcome, Mistress. I shall send Thalia up to keep you company. I think that perhaps I must tend to some pressing matters this evening instead of sitting at your bedside. This business will keep me away until the morning. I trust you will do what is best for your health and that of your child in my absence."
Alliana couldn’t believe it. He was going to give her an evening alone. She could be at peace without his suffocating presence. Why was he doing this? Was it a trick? Was he testing her to see if she would jump at the chance to do something wrong? If Mikhal were told he would be terribly displeased. They would both suffer her husband’s wrath, yet here he was, offering her up the chance for a bit of peace. Perhaps Lucian simply needed a break from her company as much as she needed a reprieve from his incessant hovering. Whatever the reason, Alliana couldn’t pass up his offer. She had no idea when she would be able to have freedom such as this again.
"I see no problem with you tending to your other matters, Lucian. I can assure you that I will remain in bed and do nothing to harm My Lord’s son. I shall see you in the morning."
"Very good. Send Thalia if you should find yourself in need of my services. Good night, Mistress."
"Good night, Lucian."
Alliana watched the mysterious vampire as he left her bedchamber, still mystified by his actions. She knew he hated tending her, but up until now, he had seen to his duties without fail, leaving her alone only when he slept for a time during the day. Tonight he had been different, they had spoken and he had granted her request, but why? Was it because he hated her presence or did he have another motive? Perhaps it was because she had shown him just a bit of the fire she used to have inside her. Mikhal had admired her spirit; maybe Lucian saw it as admirable as well. Maybe all power responded to power if it was in the right form.
Alliana had learned long ago that she couldn’t trust anyone in the castle, and she wasn’t about to start trusting Mikhal’s first in command, still, she was pleased with the night’s outcome. The exchanged she’d had with him and her little show of temper had earned her a small taste of freedom, and it felt good. So good in fact that perhaps maybe she could chat with Thalia and do a bit of her needlework. What would it hurt to try and live life just a little bit? After all, one made one’s own fate, be it good or bad.
~~~~~~~~~~
Thalia soon arrived to remove the supper tray, promising to return momentarily to keep her company. True to her word she quickly arrived and retrieved Alliana’s embroidery basket that had lain untouched for so long, thrilled that her Mistress was showing interest in something once again. Before she was able to return to Alliana’s bedside however, the door was flung open wide as Marishka stormed in with Enid hobbling after her. A slave followed up the procession carrying the very supper tray that Thalia had removed just a moment ago. The servant hurriedly set it on a table near the door, and exited the room.
Alliana and Thalia stared at the intruders i
n shock, too stunned for words. What had happened, and why on earth was Marishka here? Had Lucian sent word of her defiance to the other Mistress of the castle? Alliana hadn’t seen even a glimpse of Mikhal’s insane sister for over a month.
Enid roughly grabbed Thalia, yanking her arm, pulling her far from Alliana, causing her to cry out in pain and drop the sewing basket. Alliana opened her mouth to protest but Marishka sprang forward and delivered a tremendous slap to her face. Alliana felt her lip split and tasted the salty tang of blood in her mouth as a ringing filed her ears and her head spun with questions. Blood trickled from her mouth and Marishka smiled in satisfaction, blood lust lighting her eyes.
"Stupid, willful bitch!"
Marishka slapped Alliana again, lighting quick, with a power that stunned her. Thalia cried out and moved to run to the door, but Enid yanked her to the ground by her hair, gnarled hands holding fast, stopping her from reaching it.
"You were told by my brother to obey his wishes. He ordered you to eat every meal Enid sent to you, but you refused. I was in the kitchen, finding a tasty servant for my own supper, when I saw your tray arrive. Now I have caught you trying to deny my nephew of food. Perhaps you are trying to starve him so he dies. Is that it?”
Alliana stared at her incredulously; she couldn’t believe Marishka was actually in her chambers. It was a nightmare comes true. The woman was obviously off balance, and the way in which she was staring at the blood that ran down Alliana’s chin chilled her to the bone.
“No, of course not. I felt ill. I wouldn’t hurt my child.”
It was as if Marishka hadn’t heard her, she continued rambling as if Alliana hadn’t spoken a word in her own defense. “I care naught what happens to your brat of course, but my Mikhal does, and even though he has abandoned me now, I know he will come back to my arms when he sees your willful, hate filled ways. Now I am wise to your plan and I will be able to tell him that I stopped you from killing his child. I shall punish you for your crime and then you shall eat every bit of your supper... cold. Your slave will be punished too, and when my Mikhal comes home he will love me and thank me and we shall be oh so happy once again.”
Beneath the Shadows of Evil... Taken Page 35