The Cracked Slipper

by Stephanie Alexander

  “I couldn’t! I couldn’t go now even if I wanted to. How would it look?”

  “As though you have a conscience.”

  “Wrong. Three hundred years ago Caleb Desmarais cut through an army of Svelyans that outnumbered his forces fourfold with no mercy. My grandfather put to death two of his own brothers for threatening his crown. My own father has never suffered one word of threat to his rule without banishing or beheading the offending party. And you expect me, the future king, to go to the comfort of someone accused of endangering the prosperity of not only my family, but the entire kingdom?”

  “She’s been accused on flimsy evidence and circumstance!” said Dorian. “You’ve chosen to believe Oliver without even hearing her story!”

  “I just told you. My father puts his trust in few men, yet Oliver has served him through his entire reign without a black mark to his name. He served my grandfather. He was an apprentice under my great-grandfather. Oliver may be a blowhard, but he has never given us one reason to doubt his loyalty in nearly one hundred years!”

  Gregory threw his glass into the fireplace. The bottle of wine went the same way, and the fire hissed when it shattered. He started to take up the candelabra but Dorian stopped him.

  “If you can’t go let me. I’ll take Mercy Leigh to her.” Dorian planned to go whether Gregory approved it or not, but the passage would be faster if he had the prince’s support.

  “I know you, Gregory. I know what you’ve been getting up to all this time. Your efforts at discretion were weak at best. Even if Eleanor is guilty she is not alone in her failings. Nor should the child suffer for the sins of either parent.”

  Gregory slid his hand to his forehead. “Go,” he said. “Take the witch. Go now, before I change my mind.”

  Dorian ran back to his room. He grabbed a leather saddlebag and his dagger, his long bow and his quiver. He buckled his dress sword around his waist. He stopped in the kitchens and stuffed the bag with dried beef and several water flasks. He took a mount from a groom and galloped down the Paladine Road to find Senné, who had been sent to the great barns to visit the unicorn’s blacksmith. As he checked the black stallion’s new shoes he heard a soft rustle behind him.

  “I will come with you,” Teardrop said.

  “No,” said Dorian. “I need only one. Mercy Leigh will ride behind me.”

  “I will come anyway. Eleanor needs us both.”

  “Let her come,” said Senné. “If Teardrop feels she is needed she is probably right. You’ll have to keep up. I won’t slow my pace.”

  She tossed her fine head. “Nor will I.”

  Dorian mounted and they cantered toward the OutCountry Road. He showed the papers Gregory had given him to the guard, who waved them through the Paladine gates.

  The number of soldiers stationed around the entrance to Afar Creek Abbey surprised Dorian. He handed his orders to the lieutenant in charge. “We are to escort the witch called Mercy Leigh to Rabbit’s Rest Lodge to attend the princess until the time of her trial.”

  The lieutenant nodded. “Everything appears to be in order.”

  Finally, after what seemed like an hour, a witch emerged from the dark entrance to the main building. Dorian recognized the red-haired young woman. He’d seen Mercy Leigh coming and going from Eleanor’s chambers over the last few months.

  “You’ll ride with me.” He had already warned Senné, who had grudgingly agreed.

  Dorian mounted and hauled Mercy Leigh up behind him. She gripped his waist. Her bag of tools and medicines hung from her shoulders. Senné swung back a few steps as he adjusted to the increased weight, and Mercy Leigh squeezed harder. Dorian heard her soft prayers.

  Dorian nudged Senné and they made their way through the gate as if there were no hurry. Dorian waved to the lieutenant, turned the corner and was about to spur Senné on when a hooded figure stepped from behind a fountain into their path.

  A voice came from under the hood. “If Mercy Leigh rides with you then I will ride alone.”

  He caught a glimpse of dark eyes and straight white hair. “Rosemary? How did you escape?”

  “They would do better to place a magician at the door when they want to contain a witch,” she said with a wink. “I left Eleanor alone once, a long time ago. I won’t do it again.”

  She stepped up to Teardrop. The mare snorted and stepped sideways. She had never carried any rider but Eleanor.

  “Peace, lady.” Rosemary reached out her hand. “For the love we both bear your mistress, I ask you to take me to her. I beg you to tread lightly, for I am not as strong as she.”

  Teardrop blew out several hard blasts of air. She lowered her head, and Rosemary stroked her nose. “Thank you,” Rosemary said.

  Dorian dismounted and gave Rosemary a leg up, and she gripped Teardrop’s mane.

  “Hold tight,” Dorian said. He remounted and Mercy Leigh clutched at him again. “Teardrop, follow!”

  If the anyone noticed the extra rider, he would have to catch them to discuss it.

  CHAPTER 27

  Rabbit’s Rest

  They made surprisingly good time. Dorian had prepared for delays if either Rosemary or Mercy Leigh took a tumble, but both women hung on in silent determination. Dorian knew the way to Rabbit’s Rest by heart. They were nearly there when Rosemary shouted through Teardrop’s mane. “Look!”

  Chou Chou flew over a low hill. Dorian’s heart sank.

  Chou landed on Senné’s horn, his black tongue hanging out. “I came to find you. We must hurry. It’s not going well.”

  He crawled into Dorian’s hood and they set off. Both unicorns understood the urgency, and Dorian didn’t need to encourage Senné. The stallion pushed himself.

  Dorian leapt to the ground when they skidded to a halt in the courtyard. He reached for Mercy Leigh but she had already dismounted on the other side and was running into the lodge. The guards shouted and gathered around him. He thrust the orders bearing Gregory’s seal at the lieutenant and ran inside after the two witches.

  He heard Eleanor before he saw her. He followed the sounds of her cries to her bedroom door. The old country babycatcher stepped in front of him, blocking the doorway with her skinny arms. “Who are you?” she asked. “This is no place for a man.”

  “Stand aside. I don’t want to hurt you.”

  Rosemary called from inside the room. “Let him pass, Myrtle.”

  Myrtle stepped aside and Dorian brushed past her. Eleanor curled on her side on the bed. Blood streaked her nightdress and sweat darkened her hair. A pile of bloody sheets lay on the floor. Rosemary tried to pull another sheet over her but she kicked it off. She gripped her knees and screamed, her eyes screwed shut.

  Mercy Leigh fired questions at Myrtle as she washed her hands.

  “She’s not opening up,” said Myrtle. “The baby is stuck.”

  “I have something that will help,” said Mercy Leigh. “Candleroot oil, in the bag.”

  “I don’t know it.”

  “It’s rare. In the silver box. Hurry!”

  Mercy Leigh gently lifted Eleanor’s nightdress. She shifted her legs to apply the oil. Eleanor screamed again. Dorian crossed the room and knelt at her side.

  “Eleanor,” he said.

  She opened her eyes. For a moment she looked as if she didn’t recognize him. “Are you really here?” she asked.

  “Yes,” he said. “I’m here. I’ll be right here.” He took her hands and rubbed them between his own. Their clamminess frightened him.

  “Stay with me, Dorian,” she said.

  “I will. Always.”

  “I don’t know if I can do this.”

  “You can, and you will. You must. I need you.” He leaned in and kissed her.

  “What’s this?” exclaimed Myrtle.

  “Shhh,” said Rosemary. “Leave them be.”

  Eleanor put her hands on his face and he rested his forehead against hers. Her blue and brown eyes looked into his, and they were aware again. “I need to see you,
” she said.

  He nodded. Her brow twitched and he saw the pain coming on. She clamped down on his fingers, but she didn’t close her eyes. Her mouth twisted and she cried out. It went through him like a cold wind. He gripped her hands as more contractions came and went for the next hour.

  “It’s working!” Mercy Leigh cried at last. “It’s working, Your Highness! Push! Push now!”

  Eleanor pushed, once, twice, three times. Dorian heard yelling, and realized it was his own voice, shouting her on. Her eyes suddenly widened.

  “It’s coming! One last push!” said Mercy Leigh.

  There was a weak cry. Eleanor turned onto her back at the sound.

  “She’s here, Your Highness. Your daughter is here.”

  Mercy Leigh held up the child, then laid her on Eleanor’s chest. She examined the baby’s tiny fingers and kissed her stubby nose. “Angel,” she whispered. “Angel.”

  Mercy Leigh wrapped the baby, who was getting louder by the moment as she tested her new lungs. “I’ll just clean her up, but she looks wonderful.”

  Dorian brushed away the tears running down Eleanor’s face. “She’s beautiful,” he said. “Thank HighGod.”

  “Thank you,” said Eleanor.

  He kissed her again. Once Mercy Leigh finished with the child she gave her to Rosemary and attended to Eleanor. Dorian stayed where he was, hunched at her side.

  Dorian lifted Eleanor so Rosemary and Mercy Leigh could change the sheets. She sat on his lap in an armchair, her arms around his neck. His voice was quiet, his breath soft against her ear.

  “Do you want to sleep for a bit?”

  She nodded. She had already nursed her daughter. After she had changed her clothes Mercy Leigh helped her put the baby to her breast. Dorian asked if she wanted him to leave, and she told him emphatically no, but he turned away anyway. She had teased him.

  “You’ve already seen me at far worse today.”

  Once she was situated and covered he came to the bed. “My mother raised me properly,” he said. “I am defined by my modesty.”

  Now, as she curled in his lap, she recognized how tired she was. Every muscle was sore and she felt as if her insides might fall on the floor if she stood. “I would like to sleep.”

  “We’ll take the baby to the sitting room with us for a while,” said Rosemary.

  “Make sure you bring her to me if she cries,” said Eleanor, “even if I’m dead asleep.”

  Mercy Leigh smiled. “She’ll be sleepy for a while, Your Highness. Take advantage of it.”

  Rosemary came to Eleanor and kissed her cheek. “I am so proud of you,” she said.

  Her next move was unexpected. She ran her fingers across Dorian’s hair, then leaned down and kissed him as well, on the forehead. “And you.” She left, and shut the door behind her.

  Dorian carried Eleanor to the bed. He laid her on the far side, close to the wall, and pulled the covers over her. He yanked off his own boots and lay down beside her. She laughed when he covered the purple rabbit with a pillow.

  “He’s staring at me,” he said. “Perhaps he’s a spy.”

  Even though her body ached, it was sweet to have his arms around her. She nestled close to him, and he kissed the hollow behind her ear. “Just rest,” he said.

  She fell asleep immediately. After a few hours she woke, needing to know he was still there. It couldn’t have been comfortable for him, but he never moved.

  In the wee hours Mercy Leigh brought the baby to Eleanor to nurse. Both Eleanor and the baby were getting the idea, and she leaned into the crook of Dorian’s arm as the tiny head squirmed on her breast. She didn’t sleep when Rosemary came to take the child. She could tell by Dorian’s breathing he was awake. After an hour or so she spoke.

  “Dorian.”

  “Yes.”

  “I want to say something.”

  “We don’t have to talk about it now,” he said.

  “Yes, I want to. I want to say it now.”

  He eased her around by her shoulder. “That’s my girl. You must be feeling better.”

  She kissed him. “I wish I could joke, but I need to be serious.”

  He nodded.

  “Once this is over, and I have to believe it will end well, we will return to Eclatant. We both know there is nowhere we could hide from Gregory, not in any nation, but I have to tell you I cannot consider it, even for you. I won’t leave my children, and I won’t try to steal them from their father and hide them away somewhere. They will be kings and queens of this country. I will do everything in my power to give them their birthright, and that includes their mother’s love.”

  “I would never ask you to do so. I will love your children as my own, for you and for the love I have for the crown.”

  “Even knowing all that, I don’t want to live without you. I would be your lover, in a sense, but we cannot take it to that final place. Even if we were careful…an accident…a child…”

  “Eleanor, I understand—”

  She put a finger over his lips. “I would ask much of you, and put you in a position of great danger, and it breaks my heart. But this is all I can give, if you will take it.

  His reply was simple. “I will take whatever you have to give, and gladly. I love you, Eleanor. I always have.”

  She thought she might cry again, so she started babbling. “I’ve waited to hear you say that. I love you, Dorian. I love—”

  He covered her mouth with his.

  CHAPTER 28

  Always Eleanor

  The next day Eleanor asked for something to eat and Rosemary brought her some bread and apples. She sat up and shifted the baby. Now that she felt stronger she wanted news from home. There was no word from Gregory, and she had yet to send him a message about their daughter. His silence told her enough, and she didn’t want to talk about him. She asked about the hunt for Roffi.

  “The king has sent scouts throughout the country,” said Dorian. “They went by unicorn, mostly to the west.”

  “Why west?” asked Eleanor.

  “The king and Oliver determined that Roffi would most likely head west, past Harveston and into Talesse.”

  “Why?”

  “It’s the only route that makes sense. They can’t go north through the Pashing Pass even if it is the most direct route; they’d have to pass Peaksend, the legion, and the unicorns of the Mines. The eastern route through the Border Pass is far too long, and the mountains are infested with colonies of tradactas. Those birds are nasty. It’s possible to get past them, but you’re guaranteed to lose a few men. If they go west they have to go deep into Talesse, skirt the edge of the mountains and backtrack to Nestra, but it’s the only sure way of getting there.”

  Rosemary spoke up. “So they didn’t send anyone east?”

  “Someone will search the Forest of Ten-Thousand Oaks, around Harper’s Crossing, but they sent the Unicorn Guard west. Why?”

  “I should have said something.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I met with the Oracle before you came to the Abbey, Dorian. She told me she felt the Horn traveling east.”

  “East? East can only mean the Border Pass,” said Dorian. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  Rosemary threw up her hands. “I assumed scouts would be sent in all directions, and besides, there wasn’t time to discuss it until now.”

  “Dorian, calm down,” said Eleanor.

  “I’m sorry, Rosemary,” he said. “I’m just at a loss. It’s been three days. Roffi is probably long past the Crossing by now.”

  “Oliver,” said Eleanor. “He knew Roffi would head east, so he sent the Unicorn Guard west.”

  Eleanor didn’t like the look on Dorian’s his face as he sat beside her. She carefully laid the baby on the bed.

  “Not all the Unicorn Guard are in the west,” he said.

  “No.”

  “There are five guards here, and Senné and myself. I’ll take three with me, and leave the other two here with Teardrop to watc
h over you. I’ll send word to Gregory, let him know about the baby and tell him I’m making my own search in the east.”

  “No,” she said. “Leave Gregory out of this.”

  “They have to know Rosemary came here—”

  “And if they see fit they can come drag me back to Maliana,” said Rosemary.

  “We’ll wait to send word, if you insist,” said Dorian. “I’ll not argue with both of you, but I won’t have you argue with me, either.”

  “I don’t want you to go. It’s too dangerous. Roffi left with seven men, not to mention the tradactas,” Eleanor said.

  “I grew up in those woods, Eleanor, I know the way. Besides, each unicorn is worth ten men—”

  “Some of them are martial magicians!” she interjected.

  “—and they’re all on horseback.”

  She shook her head.

  “This is the only way,” he said. “I promise, if the Horn is in the east, I will find it.”

  She pulled him closer and spoke in his ear. “It seems I only just found you.”

  “I would have you vindicated and back in the palace.”

  After he kissed her goodbye Eleanor leaned against the pillows. She knew she couldn’t go with him. She could hardly stand, the blood-flow was heavy, and the baby nursed constantly. In her frustration she threw the purple rabbit across the room. She could not stand helplessness in anyone, let alone herself.

  Rosemary gave Eleanor a few minutes to compose herself after Dorian left, and then she collected the baby and handed Eleanor a tiny flask of water.

  “It’s from the Oracle,” Rosemary said. “She said you must drink it. Only you, alone. There is a message inside, one that only you can decipher.”

  Eleanor looked at the flask in her hand. “What is it?” she asked, but she got no response. Rosemary had already shut the door behind her. Eleanor uncorked the flask. She sniffed the open bottle, but the dark liquid inside had no smell. She dabbed at it and put her finger to her tongue, but it had no taste. There seemed no other means to understanding, so she tipped the flask to her lips and drained it in one short gulp.