58 | ACT III, SCENE VI

P R E V I O U S L Y

I also noticed the pool of fluid around Irina's feet.

The baby was coming.

HEXHAM PALACE, SKELDERGATE, ALLINGTON.

EDWINA

"I'M SORRY, I'M SORRY, I know-" Irina said, her face flushed, trying to get up as I crossly sat her down. "Baby is... coming," she gasped, and I saw the red blood stain bloom on the grey of her gown, as alarmed, I glanced around the room. "I can't - can't move -"

"Wait," I said briskly.

"Can't wait... need to push-"

"Irina. Hold it. One minute," I said firmly, draping pillows all over Sarette's eyes and pulling the curtains off the rods. I made a thick fold out of the heavy silk curtains, gently moving Irina onto it so that no bloodstains would be left on the floor to alert the Rotavelles who had been here.

"All right. Deep breaths now," I said, drawing up her gown.

"Gods. Another contraction," she said though her teeth, biting her lips to stop herself from screaming. "I can't believe I'm delivering my first child in this wicked place!"

"I know, I know, just relax," I said, trying to make her more comfortable and holding her hand as another contraction passed.

Truth be told, I had never delivered a child before. I knew the way it worked. But I was even more scared than Irina right now. She grunted in pain, and I shifted her back as she sucked in huge breaths. I pushed her gown up to the waist, pushing her thighs apart and cutting off her smallclothes.

"Aidon... Aidon was supposed to be... ugh, I can't even move my-" Irina panted, unable to finish her sentence. Another burst of warm liquid erupted from between her legs as I gently held her down.

"Shh. It's alright. You can do this. You can do this, alright? Take deep breaths. Now, on the count of three, I'm going to need you to push as hard as you can, alright?"

"Ye - yes..."

"Okay. One, two, and... three." Irina heaved in pain, her fingers clenching and clutching the curtains as her back arched off.

"I - can't..."

"Yes, you can. You're going to do this. Come on, Irina," I said encouragingly, and she pushed again.

"Aargh!"

"Yes, come on," I urged, as the head appeared. It was so matted with blood that I could not see the color of the hair.

"Aaah. Please!" she shouted, as I encouraged her further, holding her hand as she gripped mine tightly, face contorted in pain.

"Again. Come on. You're nearly there. I can see the head," I said. "Very good. You're so strong. You can do this," I praised.

"Aaaah!" she groaned, eyes opening and closing as her nails left marks on my arm.

"Very good, Irina. Come on. One last push," I whispered, and she heaved and groaned and pushed one last time as the child slid into my arms. It was a small thing, squally and covered in blood and so small, so precious.

"It's a boy!" I said joyfully, beaming and smiling at the newborn and wiping the blood off with my cloak. It had a tuft of red hair, little curls matted with blood, and I saw that they were auburn. I cried out in happiness.

Then I pressed my lips to the newborn's, sucking the fluid out of its mouth, and it uttered a loud wail, drawing in its first breath of life.

"Oh, my boy. My child," Irina gasped, as I gently held her thighs apart and pushed her down. I drew out the knife tied to my ankle, cutting the umbilical cord. I quickly delivered the placenta, as Irina sat up, sweating, and I quickly tore off the lower half of my gown and swaddled the infant in it as she gasped and crooned in surprise.

"My god. My god. He's perfect. He's so pink," she cooed, her face breaking into a happy smile as my eyes fell in alarm to the hourglass. It was almost up. The hour.

Sarette began to stir.

"Oh god, no," I groaned, and Irina turned her head quickly to see the time, a string of curses leaving her mouth.

"I - Edwina -"

"I can lift yo-" I asked.

"I can walk. I've put you in enough trouble as it is-" she said bravely, hoisting herself up and hauling the infant into her arms. The child had begun to cough and whimper and mewl for milk as I looked at the stirring Sarette, horrified.

"Quickly, come on!" I said, bundling the curtains and stuffing them in a corner as Sarette opened her poisonous green eyes, hazily looking around. I quickly cupped her mouth open and tipped a few more drops of Avlebore in, before she got up and started asking questions. "I'm sorry," I whispered, as Irina chuckled and the lady fell back to sleep.

"Quick thinking," she mouthed, as I covered Sarette with more blankets. She wouldn't get up for some more time with the opium in her arteries.

"Come on," I said, pushing the door open as we crept out. The newborn opened its eyes suddenly, the perfect shade as Irina's, maybe a tint or two darker, but such beautiful, beautiful deep pools of emerald.

"My boy," Irina cried, tears crept down her cheeks as she kissed the little bundle on the forehead, and it looked at her with wonder, trying to figure out who she was.

"Such a dear little thing," I whispered, my arms aching to hold it. I loved children. I wanted one of my own so badly. Then the babe began to bawl loudly, and I heard guards begin to stir around us.

"No, no, no. No, my little boy, no," Irina cooed, alarmed, as the men around us began to suspect something was wrong.

"Who goes there?"

"What is that sound?"

"There they are!" a man shouted, pointing to us, as we stood, frozen and shock still, still in our disguises.

"You're the one that came to the study, aren't you?" another asked. I gulped, nodding.

"What have you done? And whose child is this?" he questioned.

"It's mine," Irina said. "I'm sorry, I -"

"Maids are not allowed to bring their children to work, you bitch!" a guard snapped. "You're coming with me-" he took out a knife, "we are going to Lady Justaline-"

"Oh god, no," Irina whispered to me, frightened. Justaline had set her to work. If she found out, and if she saw the child, we were as good as dead.

Because it would not even take a second to figure out that this was the son of Irina Rotavelle and Aidon Tremayne.

"Come, bitch. You, wench, go back to work," the guard said, dragging the alarmed Irina after him, the crying infant in her arms. "Make him stop crying!"

She hadn't been able to feed the poor thing, for we didn't have time. How could a hungry babe stop crying?

"Give that nuisance to me. I'll dash his head on the rocks if that stops him-" the other one snapped his fingers.

"No. No one takes my son from me!" Irina cried, and she held him tightly as the man tried to drag her away from him, and then she kneed him in the crotch, missing.

Well, this was it. It would turn into a fight now.

"You bitch!" the man screeched, knocking her to the ground, I caught her before she fell, as the five men gathered around us.

"Sit here, and don't let them get him," I ordered firmly, and she protested as I gave her a stern, authoritative glare.

"But-"

"Stay here!"

I turned around to face the five men leering at me.

"Sirs," I said politely, "I would very strongly recommend that you take a step back. And you do it now."

"And what if we don't?" he asked, pulling out his knife as the other readied his shield.

"Then I should be very, very concerned about my life, if I were you."

He grunted in amusement as the others snorted and pulled out their knives.

"Bring it on then, you cheeky little wench. Let us see if you know how to use that," a man sneered, as I drew out my rapier.

Hellfyre, my sword, was too big, too noticeable, so was my halberd, or my spear, or my bow and arrow. So all I had were knives and daggers and a thin rapier against five fully armed men.

"Very well. You are a bunch of overeager, shitty bastards who have a death wish, aren't you?" I asked, as the first attacked and the fight began. I knocked him out of the way at once, using all my might and curled my hands around his neck as someone hit my head.

"Edwina!" Irina cried. Why the fuck did she use my real name, gods!

"Ooh. Like to play dress up, don't we?" another grinned, and I quickly punctured his lungs with the rapier, sliding it out and grabbing the sword. That had been all I needed. A sword.

But what about the fact that now the Rotavelles knew that Edwina Tremayne was alone, unarmed, with a defenseless woman and a newborn child?

The fight was over in a matter of minutes, and I quickly punctured the last one's neck and crushed his nose. All dead.

"Gods," Irina gasped. "How did you fight off five men?"

"Mortals are easy. It's immortals that cause all the trouble," I huffed, counting the bodies. Four. There were four.

The fifth had run and would tell someone!

"Damn it. Quickly," I muttered, dragging her as we rounded around another corridor, running as fast as our legs could carry. The child was still crying, and we would get caught.

"Here!" Irina said, as we rounded around the corner to the prisoners, and I quickly climbed the steps as Halette and Vincent sat up, wide eyed and hopeful as light flickered around me.

"Edwina!" he exclaimed, as I quickly examined the fetters, observing the locks. "You're really here."

"You're - you're really going to get us out of here?" Halette said, unbelieving.

"Yes," I muttered, drawing her ankle closer and letting my rapier slide into the lock. I could pick ordinary ones with hairpins, but Llewellyn had taught me a trick to pick them with a thin blade.

"Ah," she gasped, feeling the restraints slide off her, as Vincent's eyes widened with scholarly surprise.

"Shh," I muttered, doing the wrists next, and Halette sat still for a moment as the chains opened without the key.

"Thank you!" she beamed, putting her arms around me. She was frail and tired, and I gently dislodged her hands from around me as I worked on the other lock.

There were shouts from above, feet marching and my nephew crying at the top of his voice, and then I heard Justaline shouting.

"Where is she? Where is Edwina Tremayne? Damn it, answer me!" A yelp followed, I heard Irina gasp in pain. Alarmed, I quickened my pace, pricking Vincent by mistake, profusely apologising as he finally stood up, free.

"Come on!" I almost shouted, as we climbed up the stairs.

There they were.

And now.

"Run," I whispered. "Before they find us. Come on."

We ran.

Through the corridor, down the four flights of steps. Justaline's voice was joined by Sarette's, then Leander's, and finally, Emerick's as well, all booming and loud and surprised as they discovered the captives gone, the pace of the soldiers marching at our heels increased.

Vincent picked up his niece, Irina, whose lids were drooping with sleep and legs shaky from just delivering a child. Halette took the infant, cooing and singing in its ear as I cut off anyone in our way.

The sword I had managed to grab from the guards stood well. It was double edged steel, lighter than I was used to but still finely made. I cut down three more guards as we ran, leaving trails of blood all over the palace. As long as we didn't meet the immortals, we'd be fine.

"There! There they are!" Emerick shouted, and we gasped in horror as they pointed to us.

"Come on, we're nearly there!" I panted, as we skittered into the courtyard, and I could see the gates ahead of us, the guards already alerted to our presence. Well, no point hiding who I was. I threw the sword right at Emerick, and he ducked, face white with anger, as the guards ahead of us fell dead at the slash of my blades.

On and on we ran, right across the sprawling green lawns, right over the wards that guarded the magical barriers - an army of furious gods right at our back. I nearly collided with the iron wrought gates as the enemy drew nearer. Without a moment's hesitation, I climbed on top of the gate and wrenched the posts right out of the hinges, clearing a way for the others to run to freedom.

The moment we all crossed the line, I flung a fistful of my returned powerful flames at the rest, before we all turned away into the darkness.

But not before the air was rent once again with Emerick's scream of frustrated anger.

• • • • •

"Your Grace!" Ava stopped what she was doing at once to greet me, dropping to her knees and the other servants around us did so as well. "What happened to your dress? And is that - oh - is that - oh my god!" she gushed, seeing the little bundle in Irina's arms. "Please, Lady Tremayne, may I hold the infant? Please?" she asked affectionately.

"Of course," Irina smiled, handing her the child, still fluttering about anxiously as Hugo came in and joined Ava who was busy pecking its forehead. He gave it an anxious smile, eyeing the rest of us.

"Where have you been, your Grace? Your husband has been looking for you since-"

"Hugo, call my brother and father at once. Tell them that Irina has given birth and bid them sup with us. Also, summon Rosalva to check on the mother and the newborn and make sure they are comfortable here. As for Lord and Lady Rotavelle-" I motioned to Halette and Vincent, and he gave them both courteous, polite smiles, his gaze inquiring as it returned to me. "They will be staying here at Stormholt. Make sure you find them suitable chambers and attendants."

"Yes, your Grace," Hugo said warmly.

"Here, my Lady. He looks so much like his parents!" Ava said, handing the child back to Irina as it had begun to stir awake, regarding its mother with big eyes.

"Irina, you need to feed him. Also, are you injured?"

"No, Edwina, I'm sorry-"

"-afterwards," I said briskly, giving her an apologetic smile. I had work to do. "Take care, okay?" I said, hugging her. "Halette, Vincent, you should freshen up," I suggested.

"Edwina, thank you for-"

"-I'm really sorry, but I have to run-" I said apologetically again, hating myself and feeling the weight of the Felonwood in my pocket grow heavier by the second.

"Of course. You idiot. The Queen has duties," Halette smacked her husband on the head. "We'll talk later?"

"Sure. After you're well rested," I agreed. "Ava, make sure the family is informed and send out the letters. And where is the King?"

"He is in Steffith since morning, my Queen. He hasn't even come back for lunch." Tristan must be at Helios's place, with the three sleeping gods. He didn't know that Felonwood was needed, he must obviously be trying to wake them up by other... methods. I had to go there as soon as possible.

"Alright."

I made my way to my chambers, quickly had a cold shower to wipe away the grime, making a mental note to thank Llewellyn for the helpful trick.

And Tristan.

How was I going to face him?

He'd caught me kissing another man in the morning, and then I disappeared for the rest of the day. What must he have thought I was doing?

My mood immediately soured at once.

Quickly changing into a new gown, I combed out my hair. I waved away all the attendants for I didn't have time. I left my crown on the dresser, picked the bottle of Felonwood, slipping it into my pocket. Tying my daggers around my ankles and sliding my knives up my sleeves, I left, hearing the attendants making the preparations for the huge celebrations at night.

• • • • •

So... Halette and Vincent are stuck with the rest of our killer gang in Stormholt - and Edwina is going to try to wake up those three gods! What do you think will happen? And what might they say if they wake after fifty years??

Next chapter heats things up xD better be prepared.