by Dee Benson
The Firemaster shook his head. "No baby with royal blood flowing through his veins can be aborted. You will have the baby."
Katie's heart plummeted, but she didn't dare show her disappointment. "In that case, I will need to see a nurse for regular check-ups."
He nodded slowly. "I will speak to the keeper of the women to arrange it."
The keeper of the women was largely idle these days, since there was only one woman to 'keep'.
"I will also need to be allowed outside of the concubine's building for regular walks, in order to boost my general health and fitness."
The Firemaster considered it for a moment. Then he nodded. "You may be allowed out between the hours of nine and five, but only with a chaperone. Did a chaperone accompany you now?"
"No. But I told the keeper of the women that I was coming to see you."
The Firemaster looked displeased by the fact that the keeper of the women had trusted her to go out alone. "Serloyd, accompany her back to the concubine quarters."
MICHAEL DIDN'T KNOW HOW he'd coped over the past nine months. He'd taken each day as it came. Eventually, the days had piled into weeks, then into months. Soon, it would be a year since he'd last seen Katie.
He'd kept himself busy with travelling all over the nation, searching for The Firemaster's brother. Although, he'd searched half-heartedly. They'd also been travelling to Netherium via portal, searching for The Firemaster's brother. He was nowhere to be found.
The work kept him busy. But it didn't keep his mind from going to Katie constantly.
"You know you can see her if you want to," Brett told him as they searched for a secluded street in London, England in which to request the opening of a portal so that they could return to the Land of the Supers.
Indeed he could. The location of the concubine's quarters was no secret. But it was too risky. If he was caught, he and Katie would be killed on the spot. No questions asked. Michael sighed. "If I do it once, there'll be nothing to stop me from doing it again. Then it'll become a regular thing, and we'll be caught."
"Then run away."
Michael looked at him. He made that sound so simple.
"You're looking at me like running away is some novel idea. It's nothing new. People run away all the time. Look at our king. He's dropped off the face of the earth. You and Katie can do that too."
The idea was compelling, but was it realistic?
A Netherling girl walked past, and Brett whistled at her. The girl shot him a frown. Brett whistled again.
Michael had noticed that Brett quite liked Netherling girls. In fact, there was one, Vivian, who lived in New York, USA, that Brett always made a point of meeting up with anytime they were in Netherium.
"Oh, look," Brett said suddenly. "A fish and chip shop."
Brett was partial to British fish and chips and always ate his fill whenever they came on these trips.
Michael clapped him on the shoulder. "Go on. We have a few minutes to spare."
Brett sauntered off in the direction of the shop. He seemed to like all things Netherium. Michael had hired him once they'd graduated from college in the summer. Brett was now his personal assistant. He'd kept him going over the past nine months.
Michael had envisioned things being awkward between them ever since their conversation about Katie, but Brett seemed extremely interested in Vivian, while Michael still couldn't get his mind off Katie. In fact, Michael figured Brett's suggestion to run away was because he was thinking of running away himself, to Netherium.
Michael liked Netherium, too. He'd been born in Netherium, in London, and had lived there until his early teens. Nevertheless, he'd enjoyed his new life in the Land of the Supers until all the madness when the late king chose Prince Darius as his successor. These days, he was beginning to miss Netherium more and more.
Brett emerged from the fish and chip shop a few minutes later, tearing open the fish and chip box. He began to tuck in hungrily. "Have you bought The Firemaster a birthday present yet?"
Michael shook his head. He'd forgotten. "I'll get something when we get back to the Land of the Supers."
They found a deserted alleyway, and then called Serloyd, who would arrange for a portal to be created for them. Only a select few people knew how to create portals. The government didn't want Supers just going back and forth between Netherium and the Land of the Supers. Nobody was allowed to leave the Land of the Supers. Portal creation powers were heavily regulated.
The air before them began to shimmer, and Michael knew the portal had been created. It was time to go home, time to attend The Firemaster's birthday ball and pretend to be happy.
He wondered if Katie would be there.
Chapter 18
SHE WAS.
MICHAEL'S HEART stopped beating as their gazes connected across the ballroom.
She looked…beautiful. Her sparkly dress left her shoulders bare. Her long, blond hair was twisted into a knot of curls atop her head.
She was a sight for sore eyes.
Michael tore his gaze away before anybody noticed that he was staring at one of The Firemaster's concubines.
How could The Firemaster keep her as a mere concubine? He already had more concubines apart from Katie. They were sitting at the table too. Michael just hoped he was treating Katie well. He was sitting beside her rather than any of the other concubines, so maybe he did afford her some special dignity.
Michael glanced at Katie again. She looked beautiful, but she didn't look happy. Her smile looked strained.
Michael quickly looked away. Pain filled his chest. He'd thought time would erase his love. He'd been a fool. He would never stop feeling this way about her. Never.
What was he going to do?
There was nothing he could do. He had to just stay away from her. Find somebody else. Someone else might distract him from thoughts about her.
The Firemaster flung a careless arm around the back of Katie's seat. She flinched, smiling stiffly.
After the meal, people got up to dance. The Firemaster rose and offered Katie his hand. She took his hand. Michael's heart stopped when she stood and he saw the huge bump.
She's pregnant!
What do you expect? he berated himself, trying to clamp down on the stinging jealousy that filled him. The Firemaster didn't take her just to talk to her.
Still, Michael was devastated.
Then another thought struck him. The baby could be mine.
He'd replayed that night in the forest in his mind over and over again during the last nine months. The night they'd made love. That had been just a few days before she became The Firemaster's concubine.
Brett nudged him. "She's pregnant."
Michael could always count on Brett to point out the obvious. "Yes. I can see that."
"Are you going to talk to her?"
Michael didn't dare.
"You're really in love with her," Brett said under his breath.
Again, he was merely pointing out the obvious.
"This is why I was happy for you to be with her instead of me. For me, it was just a crush. For you, it's a more. You're crazy about her."
Michael felt tears burn in his eyes. He was mortified. He grabbed his glass of wine and took a large gulp.
Brett was watching him.
Michael set the glass down. "You talk to her. Ask her how she's being treated, and whether she's happy. Find out when she's due."
The bump was huge. She had to be in her final trimester.
"Okay." Brett sauntered off. He grabbed a woman from the bar, and dragged her over to the dance floor.
Michael should find someone to dance with too, but he hadn't the will. His heart was palpitating in his chest, like it was about to give up. Just because he'd seen Katie.
The Firemaster danced three dances with Katie, and then snapped up another dance partner. A redhead who looked like she wouldn't mind being made another of his concubines. Katie looked like she was heading back to her table. Brett appeared beside her. F
or the first time that night, her smile looked genuine.
Brett placed a hand at the small of her back as they walked back to Katie's seat. Michael wished he could go over and join the conversation, but he made himself stay put.
Thirty minutes later, The Firemaster returned to the table for a drink, and Brett left Katie.
"What did she say?" Michael demanded, when Brett dropped into the seat beside him.
"She says she's happy, but I know she isn't." Brett looked worried. "I think depression has set in. She still hasn't forgiven herself for the mistake she made. She was surprised that I'd worked it out…" Brett glanced around to make sure nobody was listening. Then he lowered his voice. "…the identity of Black Thunder."
Michael sighed. It would be hard for her to forgive herself if she was unable to talk about it with somebody else. She had nobody to talk to. He longed to go to her, ached to hold her in his arms and protect her, help her work through her depression. "Did you ask when she's due?"
"Yup. She's overdue. Should have had the baby two days ago."
That meant there was every possibility that he was the father of her baby. If she were only six months along, or something like that, he would know it was The Firemaster's baby.
The door to the ballroom banged open just then, but with the loud music nobody noticed. Michael only noticed because he and Brett were sitting near the door.
A soldier rushed in, panic on his face.
Michael jumped to his feet and intercepted the young man. "Is everything okay?" he asked.
The soldier saluted him. "No, general. Three of the army barracks have just been bombed. We believe we are under attack!"
Chapter 19
KATIE INSISTED ON HER daily walk the next day, despite the keeper of the women trying to persuade her otherwise. Quite frankly, she didn't care about last night's bombings, didn't care if she was bombed while she walked around. She was getting sick of her purposeless, listless life. Death just might be sweet relief.
Whenever she closed her eyes, she still saw all the bodies lying around her. People she'd killed by her carelessness; her inability to control her power.
Sometimes, she wondered why Aeric had given her so much power. Was that much power really necessary?
She paused to see whether Aeric would speak, like he sometimes did.
Nothing.
He was speaking to her less and less these days. A part of her felt bad about that. She'd disappointed him. But another part of her was relieved. She couldn't handle the power and the pressure.
"Ready to go back?" her chaperone, a white-haired lady in her late fifties, asked.
"Yes." She was getting out of breath. She couldn't walk for long these days without getting out of breath. But she made herself walk. Apparently, walking helped to induce labor. She needed this baby out. She needed her body back to herself.
But the arrival of the baby could mean trouble. Depending on what the baby looked like. She and The Firemaster were both blond, so the baby had better be blond. If the baby came out with dark hair, The Firemaster would know something was wrong.
Michael had dark hair.
Michael.
Seeing him again yesterday had been complete and utter torture.
Katie refused to allow her mind to go down that road.
Please let the baby be fair like The Firemaster.
She headed back to the concubine's quarters. Her chaperone watched her enter the building and then returned to the palace. Katie made her way to her suite. It consisted of a bedroom, kitchen, and living room. It was tiny.
She switched on the TV in the living room, hoping for news about the bombings. There was none. The Firemaster must have forbidden the news stations to report on them. He controlled what the media reported very carefully. She wondered why he was keeping the bombings a secret.
She went to the bedroom and almost jumped out of her skin at the sight of the man sitting on her bed.
"Michael!"
He rose to his feet. "I told myself I was going to stay away, but…I can't."
Katie stared at him, drinking in the sight of him. His dark eyes, chiseled features, wide shoulders.
She didn't know if she went to him or if he came to her, but a moment later, his arms were around her and his lips were moving over hers. Katie clutched his shirt, never wanting to let go. Never wanting to wake up from this perfect dream.
She didn't realize she was crying until Michael's lips moved to her cheeks, kissing her tears.
She pulled away from him. "Why are you here? You…shouldn't be here."
"I thought you would want to know that the king is back."
Katie frowned. "Which king?"
"King Darius."
"Really?" A dot connected in Katie's mind. "The bombings?"
Michael nodded.
Katie couldn't believe it. She'd wondered why army barracks alone had been bombed. King Darius was obviously trying to limit civilian casualties in his battle with his brother, The Firemaster. Ever noble King Darius.
"He's fighting and he means business," Michael said. "Somehow, he has managed to mobilize an army and train them. They overpowered us last night. The Firemaster is planning a counter-attack as we speak. There's only one problem. We don't know where he and his army are. We've been searching for him for nine months."
That sounded like an Aeric thing. Maybe Aeric was shielding their location somehow.
She was glad.
She crouched to the floor and felt under the bed. She couldn't bend properly, because her belly was in the way, but she managed to reach the Super suit. She felt around for the mask too. When she found it she pulled it out.
Michael's eyes lit up at the sight of her Black Thunder garb. "You're coming out of retirement?"
Katie looked at the Super suit and mask. She hadn't tried to access any of her Black Thunder powers since the day she let out the sonic boom and other terrors.
Lasers, she thought. White noise rushed in her ears and heat flowed through her. She still had the power. She stared at the suit. Red lasers beamed from her eyes and incinerated the suit into nothing.
Michael gasped. "What are you doing?"
She did the same to the mask.
Michael grabbed her arm, but not before the mask had disintegrated into nothing too.
"Don't touch me, Michael," Katie said, blinded by tears. "I might accidentally blast you to death. Or emit lightning that blinds you. Or cause thunder—"
"You made a mistake!"
Katie glared at him. "Are you trying to get us killed? Keep your voice down."
"Everybody makes mistakes," Michael said in a lowered voice. "Forgive yourself."
"How can I when I caused so much death and heartache?"
"You have to forgive yourself, Katie. I'm sure Aeric doesn't want you to beat yourself up for the rest of your life."
Katie was quiet. Michael was right. Aeric had forgiven her. Why couldn't she forgive herself?
"Let it go, Katie."
Katie grabbed the bed frame and hauled herself to her feet. "It doesn't matter anymore. Now that the king is back, I am no longer needed."
Michael looked at her belly.
Katie felt her cheeks begin to flame.
"The baby could be mine," he said softly.
She didn't respond. Tears rolled down her cheeks. What would she do if The Firemaster became suspicious of the child's paternity?
"Let's run away," Michael said suddenly.
"What?" Katie asked.
"Let's run away." Michael's gaze was intense as he stared at her. "Brett has been talking about running away to Netherium. You can come with us."
"The Firemaster will find us."
"Not if King Darius kills him. King Darius is well organized this time. The Firemaster is going to be defeated. Once he is, the king will line up every single person in The Firemaster's army and kill them. He will definitely kill me."
Michael didn't know just how appealing the thought of running away was to K
atie. But if they were going to run away, they had to make sure they would never be found. "How?"
"I'll work out how." Michael went down on one knee before her. "Just tell me you'll come with me."
"I'll come with you if your plan sounds fail-proof."
Michael removed a small black box from his pocket, and opened it to reveal a sparkling diamond set on white gold band. Katie's mouth dropped open.
What was he doing?
"Will you marry me, too?" he asked. "When we get to Netherium. Will you marry me, and be my wife?"
Katie couldn't speak. He was getting her hopes up way too high. What if they never managed to escape? What if they were caught?
"I love you, Katie. The past nine months have been hell without you. The thought of you with him is agony—"
"What if he's the father of my baby?" Katie touched her belly. "What if the baby isn't yours?"
"I don't care," Michael said. "All I care about is loving you, and being with you. If the baby isn't mine, I will still love her because she's yours. And I will love her so much that she'll never know I'm not her real father."
"She?" Katie asked.
"Yes. I think the baby is a girl. And she'll be beautiful and gifted like you are. We'll raise her not to be afraid like us, and to forgive herself when she makes mistakes, so that she can achieve more than we have."
Katie wiped the tears from her cheeks.
"So what do you say?" Michael asked. "Will you run away with me, and will you marry me?"
"You will need to find out how to create a portal."
"Brett has worked it out."
A sharp pain race through Katie's abdomen. She clutched her belly.
Panic filled Michael's eyes. "What's wrong?"
Before she could answer, she felt water gush from within her. Soon, the bed was soaking.
She lifted frightened eyes to Michael. "I think I'm in labor."
"I'll go and get help."
She grabbed his hand as he began to rise from his knee.
"Yes," she whispered. "I will go with you."
THE BABY HAD BLONDE-BROWN hair. And, just as Michael had predicted, she was a girl. Katie named her Alesia.