The Wicked House of Caroline

Snowflake? What was holding her up in the pool of water was Snowflake? Her Snowflake? She could only scream with excitement in her head. Her body was still heavy and she found it difficult to make any sort of movement, but Beks could feel the tears in her eyes as relief and joy filled her.

If it was her Snowflake, then this was somewhere in her time.

“Snowflake says his tail is more comfortable than the stone.” That was Wrath. Wrath was there, too! Beks wanted to call out to them and tell them that she was back, but her mouth wouldn’t move. Her words seemed trapped in her chest. “Snowflake is softer, so let Sister sit. Snowflake doesn’t mind.”

“I suppose that’s true....” Lucian said.

“Is it all right for Snowflake to keep his tail in the water for so long?”

“Snowflake says it doesn’t matter.”

Laz let out a low breath. “He hasn’t eaten for a few days. I’ll ask someone to bring up some deer for him.”

Beks felt sour. They were nearby, but not beside her. Beks couldn’t open her eyes to take a look, but she couldn’t contain her joy that she was back.

And Snowflake, her baby, likely hadn’t left her side, which was why they had to bring him food.

She tensed for a moment. Baby? Didn’t Xeria say I was going into a pregnant woman in a coma? Her heart began to pound. Am I pregnant?

It wasn’t impossible, but they were under so much stress and almost fighting for their lives the last few months; how could her body be stable enough to get pregnant? She hadn’t noticed at all. She wanted to move and reach down to touch her stomach for confirmation.

How far along was she? When did they find out? She wanted to know and willed herself to move.

“Snowflake? What’s wrong?” Lucian’s voice continued to sound concerned, and beneath her, Beks felt a slight movement.

“He looks agitated.” Laz was also there. “Snowflake, calm down-”

“He says she moved!” Wrath cried out. “Sister! Sister!” The patter of little feet on the ground approached. “Sister, are you awake? It’s me!”

Beks couldn’t open her eyes, but she managed to turn her head towards her sister’s voice. Beneath her, Snowflake began to move, lifting her out of the water and into an more upright position.

“Snowflake-”

“Sunny, get Mommy! Quickly!”

“Wrath, are you sure you saw her-”

“Her eyes are moving! Lucian, look!” Panic filled the air before she heard a splash and the water lap around her body before an arm went around her shoulders to support her. “Beks? Beks?”

“Snowflake, careful! Bring her up!” Lucian shouted. The humid air touched her water-cooled skin. It seemed she was naked, as she couldn’t feel the confining weight of cloth against her.

“Get a towel!”

“Let me remove the water first.”

Mommy! Beks turned towards her mother’s voice. She felt the cold wetness that was lingering on her skin slide off.

“Darling, not fair,” Laz’s pained voice said from against her head. “You don’t turn to me or Lucian?”

Beks managed to get her lips to part, but only one, silent hot breath escaped. She grew frustrated not being able to say his name.

“Wrap the sheet around her and bring her to the bed,” her mother’s firm voice ordered. “Wrath, get the healers, then call Daddy and tell him your sister is responding.”

“Okay!” Wrath rushed off, yelling for the healers to come.

“Snowflake, careful...move slowly.” Lucian was adjusting a cool, thin sheet over her body as Laz supported her back, but she was still seated on Snowflake’s tail. She had the feeling she was being moved, but Snowflake’s movements were smooth and not rushed to ensure her safety.

One of her husbands picked her up and moved her onto a bed.

“Beks...Beks, can you hear me?” A large hand stroked her hair back. She felt calloused fingertips caressing the side of her face.

“Please respond if you can hear us,” Lucian whispered in an almost pleading voice as a hand grasped hers. The most she could do was twitch her fingers. Lucian felt it at once as his hand tightened around hers. He lifted her feeble hand and pressed his lips against her knuckles. “Okay...okay, good, good....” Relief was in his voice as he held her.

“Beks, the healers are coming,” Laz told her. He took her other hand and gently moved it over her stomach. “Did you know? You’re pregnant.” He let out a small, heartbroken laugh. “We didn’t know...if we did, we wouldn’t have let you go.”

“We’re going to have a baby, Beks,” Lucian said, moving her other hand over her stomach. She couldn’t feel much of a swell. “It’s been four months, according to the doctor.”

“All right, don’t overwhelm her,” her mother told them. “The healers are coming.”

Four months. Several voices appeared, greeting the princes and the duchess. Though she couldn’t see them, Beks knew her husbands were reluctant to release her. She felt biha moving through her body as someone spoke in Sagittater. They were healers from her family’s duchy, and it seemed that when her mother came, she brought several with her.

“Her Highness is responding to verbal cues, but she has been in a coma for several months. Allow her time to regain control of her body,” one of the healers said. “We will continue to provide biha, as eating may be a challenge for a while longer.”

“Understood. Thank you, doctor,” the Duchess replied. “You two, continue to massage her to prevent muscle atrophy.”

“Of course, Mother-in-law.” Lucian seemed to swear.

“Should we increase her range of movement?” Laz asked the healer.

“Just a bit to keep her flexible, as she has been laying or sitting since the incident. For now, continue speaking to her. Give her a reason to open her eyes.”

Beks wanted to shout that she already had a reason, and it wasn’t for her lack of trying. It’s just that her body wasn’t responding well. She tried to open her eyes and move her fingers; anything to show that she was responsive.

Beside her, several voices seemed to argue on who would speak first, until finally being silenced by her mother.

“I will cede to you once and allow you two to remain with my daughter for one hour,” the Duchess said in a firm voice.

“Mommy, no! I want to stay with Sister!”

“You can wait one hour, Starfish,” the Duchess said, her voice softening. “Even if your sister cannot move much, she is responding. This means she can hear us. I am sure your brothers-in-law have much to tell her.”

“I have much to tell her, too....” Wrath’s disappointed voice faded as the sound of steps became further.

Beks felt someone bury their head beside hers. An arm went over her stomach and a body sank on the cushions next to her.

“Just give us a moment, Beks,” Lucian said from her right. “I want to hold you.”

On her left, she felt some dampness against her bare neck along with Laz’s hot breath against her skin. “We thought you’d left us.”

A moment later, dry lips kissed the corners of her eyes. “Don’t cry...don’t cry. You’ll be all right. Your body is healthy. No wounds: we made sure that cut on your arm has healed well. You can’t even see a scar. Every day, Laz and I would rub your arms and legs, turn you over. We kept you in the biha pool during the day.”

“Nothing is wrong with your body, Beks. The baby is fine, too,” Laz told her earnestly. “The medic in Gatlin’s battalion found out when they reached us.”

“Since you couldn’t eat, we brought you back to the island to recuperate with the biha pools and informed your family at once,” Lucian continued. “Mother-in-law came immediately with healers and Wrath.”

“Regardless, the longer you don't respond....” Laz’s voice trembled. “When didn’t know what we’d do if you still weren’t awake when the baby came to term.”

“We’re lucky,” Lucian said. “You’re conscious. I know you are. Just rest some more.”

Beks mulled over the timeline in her mind. If they were able to meet with the battalion and then bring her to the island, did that mean there was no or minimal problems in Strahnroc? What happened after she was taken into the goddess’ eye?

She managed to open her mouth and let out a low wheeze, but to her frustration, it wasn’t a word, let alone a coherent sound. She inwardly scowled to herself.

“Lucian, where is the biha water Father-in-Law sent?” The bed bounced as Lucian seemed to rush out. “Beks, can you drink? Even a little? Father-in-law prepared medicinal water, but you were unable to drink.”

Beks opened her mouth to try to answer and confirm that she was able, but her limited movement only screamed that perhaps she was not. Regardless, once Lucian returned, Laz told him to give him the medicine.

Beks’ head was tilted up and gentle fingers moved her chin down. Familiar lips pressed against hers and cool water rushed into her mouth.

Her eyes briefly opened just a bit, enough to let in some light, but not make out any shapes. She heard Lucian urging her to swallow and gently stroked her back. She managed, but some water still trickled out the corners of her mouth.

The medicated water had no distinct flavor. Perhaps a bit more minerals were detected, but there didn’t seem to be any actual medicine in it.

She took a deep breath and felt her airways open wide. A cool, tingling feeling coursed through her body coming from her throat and down her stomach. There was no medicine, but it was as if bihar was condensed in the water. She took another deep breath and felt her chest rise heavily.

Despite the relaxing effect of the water, her body felt heavy with sleep once more.

“Father-in-law said that it will make you sleepy, so sleep,” she heard Lucian urge her. “The bihar water will continue to help you heal.”

She didn’t hear the last part. For a moment, she only wondered why she was so sleepy. Her head swayed just a bit before she closed her eyes.

When she woke up next, she felt far more refreshed.

Her body felt lighter and there was no nausea despite still having an urge to continue sleeping. Whatever was in that bihar water was useful.

She tried to move her limbs and found that, though somewhat heavy, she could move them. She wiggled her fingers and then shifted her arms.

The bed moved beside her and she felt a small hand touch her forehead. Beks managed to open an eye, but everything was blurred. Still, she could recognize the blob that was her sister.

Wrath gasped and leaned forward. Her eyes were large as she whispered, as if afraid that making more noise than usual would send Beks back into a coma. “Sister, are you awake?”

The corners of Beks’ lips curled up slightly as her eyes crinkled up. “Yes....” Her voice was a bit raspy, but at least she could make sounds.

Wrath’s lower lip trembled and she raised her hands to wipe her eyes. She sniffled, trying to appear composed. “I was scared.”

“Sorry...didn’t expect it to happen,” Beks said. She moved her hand across the bed, towards her sister. Wrath caught the movement and immediately clamped both her little hands-on Beks’.

“I forgive you, don’t let it happen again,” Wrath replied with a pout.

“I will try,” Beks told her with some amusement. “Did you eat already?”

Wrath nodded. “Don’t worry, I ate before I came to take care of you.” Beks’ heart ached. How good was her little sister?

“You came to take care of me? Thank you. You’re very responsible.”

Wrath puffed her chest out a bit. “I am. Brother-in-laws need to work, so I said I would take care of you. Sunny and Snowflake are here, too. In case of emergency.”

Beks wanted to laugh, but held it in. “Where are they? I can’t see much...everything is still blurry.”

Wrath made a surprised sound. “Sunny! Come here! Let Sister touch you. You’ve grown so big; she won’t recognize you!”

Beks heard heavy footsteps and then part of the bed depressed. Wrath took her hand and placed it on top of a hot, scaly head. Carefully, Beks moved her hand over the lumps and ridges, ignoring the tongue that gave her a lick in greeting.

“Sunny, what have we been feeding you? You will be as big as Snowflake soon.”

Suddenly, Sunny was pushed to the side and Wrath cried out. “Snowflake! Your head’s too big!” She complained as smooth, cool scales replaced the fire drake’s.

Beks smiled. “My baby...,” she said. “I’m so glad you’re all right....”

“Snowflake is more than all right! He beat all the paladins!” Wrath reported.

Beks furrowed her brows. Her head was still turned towards Snowflake, able to make the blurry white mass and blurry red eyes. “He did? All of them?”

“Oh, yes. Snowflake is very strong. Gerard said he opened his mouth and used light beam!” Wrath said, her voice growing more excited by the moment. “It was super effective!”

“Wrath, what are you yelling about? I can hear you all the way-Beks!” Lucian seemed to drop whatever he was doing and ran towards her. Beks saw his hazy figure reach her side and raised her other hand towards him. “You’re awake!”

“Get me water. Throat....”

“Yes, of course! Wrath, get-”

“Sister asked you.” Wrath’s little hands wrapped around Beks’ hand firmly, as if staking her claim. “I am little and can’t carry a big jug.”

Lucian wavered for a bit before turning around. “Beks, wait a moment, I’ll get you some more water!”

Beks smiled a bit. “Sister,” Wrath said beside her. “I’m glad you’re awake. Everyone was scared, too. Brother-in-laws cried.”

“I also cried,” Beks replied. “I missed you all.”

“Did you go somewhere?” Wrath asked. “Snowflake said that the big eyeball took you somewhere.”

Beks closed her eyes. “I went somewhere without you and your brothers-in-law. I didn’t know anyone, and I missed you all so much. I kept working to try to distract myself.”

“Couldn’t you come back to us?” Wrath asked in a quiet, pained voice.

“I wanted to, but I couldn’t. At least, not on my own.”

“Beks!” Somehow, she knew it was Laz who had arrived. “I have some water. Take a drink. Moisten your throat!”

An arm swept up behind her and gently maneuvered her into a sitting position. A cool cup was placed against her lips and she managed to have a drink. Laz and Lucian kept urging her to drink.

“Tonight, we’ll give you more of the bihar water. It made you sleep last time,” Lucian said.

Laz seemed to nod. “Can you stomach anything? I will have them make you some broth?”

“Broth....” The last thing she ate was some pickled vegetables in the future. Her food had either been purchased as pickled or baked or roasted over a fire. There was little variation, as she lacked materials and time. “Broth is good.”

“I will tell Mommy!” Wrath slid off the bed. “Mommy makes a good broth! You wait, Sister! Sunny, let’s go! Snowflake, you stay here with Sister!”

Beks waited until her sister left and her husbands propped her up against some pillows and the headboard. She took a deep breath, her head still a bit heavy.

“Tell me what happened.”

“You collapsed,” Laz told her. “Rid Callan was almost out of biha and barely managed to create an opening for us to climb through. When we got to the other side, you turned around. You seemed fine at first, but without warning you crumbled to the ground.”

“It was as if someone had removed your bones and you just...you just collapsed,” Lucian added from her right, taking the spot where Wrath had been. “We rushed to you, but that light that was over you vanished.”

“Light?” Beks asked. Her eyes narrowed. “You didn’t see it?”

“We saw the light. It was a ball of bihar-”

“It was an eye,” Beks cut him off. “You didn’t see the giant floating eyeball?”

There was silence from both husbands before Lucian answered tentatively. “Beks, there was no eye.... There was a ball of light. It flashed when you hit the stone and was gone.”

Did no one else see it? Was it only her? “Snowflake saw it.”

“Wrath did say that Snowflake said there was an eye, but we didn’t see one.” Perhaps only a select few people could see it. Snowflake was a legendary creature. There was a chance he could see things humans couldn’t.

“Elpidah was screaming for it to come back and something about it having taken the wrong person,” Laz said. “We didn’t understand what she meant until we reached you and you were unconscious. You were breathing, but you didn’t answer when we called for you. Your pulse was slow. You didn’t react to anything.” His hold around her tightened. “We knew bihar would help, so we kept you in the spring.”

Beks crinkled her eyes. “The spring with the paladin’s dead body?”

“We removed him and the high priest,” Lucian said, lazily stroking her arm. “He was also dead.” Beks didn’t admit it was likely her who killed him.

“What about Iris Elpidah? What happened to her? Did the Temple come for her?”

Lucian seemed to take a deep, long breath. “The Temple didn’t come for her. Considering their losses because of her, she’s been abandoned. There were no demands of her release until now. When we reached the spring, she was hysterical. She kept screaming, rambling nonsense. She tried to attack you twice, so Laz dragged her out of the spring and tied her up.”

“I also gagged her. She kept screaming and cursing. She said you ruined everything and now they’re trapped there. Whatever that means. Rid Callan said he would hold Strahnroc with Gerard and Snowflake, but to take you to the nearest battalion. Thunder carried us to Gatlin’s Battalions two days march out,” Laz told her in a steady voice. “The medics looked you over and said physically, you were fine. Some bruises and a nasty cut on your arm, but nothing life threatening. Strangely, they couldn’t find anything that would have put you into a coma. No head trauma, spinal injuries....”

Beks wanted to shake her head. “It wasn’t physical. The light you saw was the embodiment of the goddess Xeria summoned. Once they are summoned, they can’t leave until the purpose of the summoning is fulfilled. There is a time limit, as well. Once dawn is over, if there is no wish to fulfill, then they and the soul of the summoner are trapped.”

“But you didn’t summon Xeria,” Lucian said, stressing his words.

“But I was on the sacrificial stone,” Beks replied. “It was either me or Iris Elpidah, and I couldn’t risk her going back and ruining everything again by manipulating events. Xeria said I could not stay in the present time, so I couldn’t return to my body.”

“Because she’s the goddess of chaos and rebirth,” Lucian said in a quiet voice. “So, she can only give you rebirth elsewhere.”

“That makes more sense than when they tried to explain it,” Beks replied, closing her eyes, and leaning back, exhausted. “She rebirthed me twice, allowing me to return to a later time in this life for the second rebirth.”

“Then, you had to go somewhere else first. Where did you go?” Laz asked. “Or rather, when?”

She swallowed hard. “The late Great Oracle’s biggest regret was that her family died when a dam that the Temple refused to maintain burst. The late Great Oracle went back and ensured that no other priestess did so to kill me in my infancy, so I went to return the favor.”

“You went to the future?” Lucian sounded intrigued. “What was it like?”

Beks let out a small snort. “I woke up in a rural village prison accused of arson. There wasn’t much I could observe before going to find the dam.”

Immediately, Laz sat up. He had been lying next to her with one arm draped across her stomach and gently stroking the side. “What do you mean you were in prison? Who dares?” He sounded ready to fight someone and Beks almost wanted to laugh.

“The host was framed by a man she was supposed to marry and his lover....”

Her husbands were quiet again. “Why does this keep happening to you?” Laz finally blurted. A smack was heard when Lucian hit his brother.

“I’m sorry you ended up with such a host,” Lucian said.

Beks shook her head. “No, it was good. She was an orphan, but her mother was a biha-user from Kadmus, which had joined with Langshe as we read. The girl was a fire biha user and her control was exceptional. Her body could do what I couldn’t, and I learned so much. However, I found out that she had died when I took her body. During the arrest, someone had hit her in the back of the head....”

“Monsters.” Laz spat out with anger. Beks touched his arm.

“Whatever happens, I will make a provision for that dam to be maintained and for someone to find that girl when the time is right,” Beks said. “If the Temple can go back to change the future for what they perceive is best, then so can I.”

At this point, she didn’t care about the cause and effect. The goddess of chaos and rebirth could deal with it all as she saw fit. Besides, her intuition said it was acceptable.

“Whatever you want, Beks,” Laz told her. “For now, rest. No one is rushing for you to return to court or to any sort of governance. Brother has already approved for you to rest as long as you want.”

“I have things to do.”

“Things can wait.”

“But I can’t,” Beks replied. “Once I’m able to walk on my own, I want reports on the island.”

“Beks-”

“I won’t do anything more strenuous or leave the island until our baby is born.” She cut them off and this seemed to appease them. “Did the medics find out I was pregnant?”

“Yes,” Lucian replied. “They scolded us for letting you go off to fight, but none of us knew. Thankfully, the baby is fine.”

Laz let out a low breath. “That is more than what we can say about the fake oracle’s baby.” Beks frowned at this. “I’m afraid the child didn’t make it.”

Beks drew her head back, feeling some remorse. At the time, she was rough. She was larger and stronger than Iris Elpidah, and didn’t hesitate to manhandle the other woman to get on the sacrificial stone. At the time, Iris Elpidah’s pregnancy was the last thing on her mind.

“Even if she is our enemy, that child still would’ve been blood related to us,” Lucian said in a low voice. “The fact that Luther managed to have a child considering his prognosis-”

“The child belonged to her paladin captain.” She was sure both husbands were looking at her. “When he sacrificed himself to complete the ceremony, she pleaded for him not to die as the baby was his.”

“What?” Laz frowned. “She begged us to spare her because the child was our nephew. She pleaded with us to at least take her back to Luther.”

“Did you?” Beks asked.

She could feel the anger radiating from Laz. “Brother allowed it. She and Luther are under house arrest in a fortress prison north of Kadmium. Heavily guarded with only two servants.”

“She lost the baby before she reached the prison two months ago. Luther has been livid and blames us for not taking better care of her while she was imprisoned,” Lucian told her. “It wasn’t as if we were starving or freezing her. She seemed confident the Temple would come for her, but it didn’t. Doctors say that her body was under a lot of stress, but considering all that happened, how can she not be affected.”

“What about the fallout from the Temple?” Beks asked. They started a war and stormed a mountain in the Temple’s territory, not to mention attacking religious figures and paladins. The Temple would not stand for it.

“Geel used the fact that they sided with our uncle and aided him in taking the throne, and that they had tried to assassinate you, a Princess of Langshe, as an excuse to march into the Great Basin,” Lucian answered. “The Temple lasted a month before they conceded territory to Langshe and paid reparations to both Kadmus and Langshe for their involvement in political affairs, which they were never supposed to interfere in. Sister Eleanor took the opportunity to remove the official status of the Temple in Kadmus. Not everyone is happy with her for this, but a campaign has been making its rounds to change public opinion based on the Temple nearly toppling the kingdom. Worship is still allowed, but clergy are under close scrutiny and no longer can act as freely as before.”

“Geel had been waiting for the opportunity to strike, actually,” Laz said. “The incident at Strahnroc was the excuse he needed.”

“The other kingdoms and principalities loyal to the Temple wouldn’t have just sat back, even in the face of Langshe,” Beks told them. “There must’ve been some resistance.”

“What is resistance in the face of the Red Iron Cavalry?” Lucian sounded irritated. “They guarded the Great Basin’s southern points to prevent Paraxes and the rest of those dog countries from advancing. They tried to send their navy to Kadmus, but your mother was already here.”

Gurani Island was at a good choke point around the southern coast of Kadmus. While Kadmus’ navy was far lacking compared to Paraxes’ legendary naval force, Paraxes’ main fleet had a difficult time contending with the most powerful water biha users on that side of the continent, several sea creatures, and the near entirety of Maritime Legacy guarding the island while Beks was recuperating.

The Duchess seemed to have needed to take her anger out on something, and the Paraxes navy delivered itself to her. Paraxes’ main fleet suffered so much that contacts in Paraxes said that there were only a dozen ships that returned, all barely making it to dry dock for repairs.

The smaller fleets had been summoned back, but it seemed that the massacre had happened so quickly and sent over half the entire navy to the bottom of the ocean, that now Paraxes was hesitant to send out more ships. Their army was far less capable and could not get past the Red Iron Cavalry.

What was more, no matter how wealthy Paraxes was, it had already logged its forests for ship building materials. They could only buy wood from elsewhere. With pressure from Langshe, it was either other countries refused to sell, or the prices were exorbitant. Regardless, rebuilding a new fleet would take years.

With Paraxes, the regional power leading them, dead in the water, the smaller countries hadn’t made any further moves.

“The Temple has been left with the Great Temple Complex and the Great Basin territory has a good portion lost. The Six Shrines have been annexed to Kadmus, but no changes have been made to how it’s being run,” Lucian reported. “While most shrines are under the Temple, they’re generally run independently, so they are allowed to continue.”

Beks nodded. “That’s good. There is a shrine I want to take Wrath to there.”

“Your sister has been adamant about staying with you during the day,” Laz said with a slight laugh. “When she arrived and saw you, she started crying and vowed revenge through her tears.”

Beks smiled. “Did the animals tell her what happened?”

“How did you know?” Lucian asked.

“Wrath is smart. She knows that adults would be hesitant to tell her all the details, but the animals...they will tell her,” Beks said.

Laz let out a sigh. “Wrath knows more about exactly what happened in the spring before we entered because Thunder had been watching.”

“Did that griffin die?” Beks asked.

“It became Thunder’s prisoner of war,” Laz replied. “It’s injured...can’t fly any more. Wrath questioned it when she arrived, threatening to have Sunny burn it to ashes if it didn’t answer her questions.”

“It spoke, apparently. It’s not the only griffin. In fact, there are many that the Temple has kept secretly hidden to use to fly high priests, priestesses, and specific paladins around. That attack on the caravan I was in that killed everyone but me had griffins as mounts to get them in and out quickly. They’re kept in a mountain cave up the river from the complex and bred,” Lucian told her. “Of course, once Wrath found out, she told everyone and now the griffins have been confiscated. They arrived here a week ago.”

“I thought your sister would go to see them, but she doesn’t want to leave you.”

“She probably wanted to tell me what she knows,” Beks said. “She told me that Snowflake used a light beam.”

“I didn’t know he could do that,” Laz replied, sounding still in awe. “But I’ve also never seen him so angry. He seemed to have gone crazy at one point. At first, he was just biting and throwing paladins off the mountain, but suddenly, he opened his mouth and released a light beam down the path.”

“Nearly all the paladins on the mountain succumbed to him, Beks,” Lucian told her, his voice serious. “They were fleeing in terror. Snowflake did not let them go and chased them down the mountain. Everyone, including pilgrims who didn’t know what was going on, were terrified and fled. He seemed to focus on any paladins and mercenaries, at least. Rid Callan and Gerard said they’d hold the mountain, but it was Snowflake who held Strahnroc until Gatlin’s battalion arrived.”

Beks nodded. “My Snowflake is very powerful.”

“Your Snowflake also demolished the sacrificial stone at the ceremonial site by himself,” Laz said. “He followed us back to Gurani and wouldn’t leave your side, either. Every day, he’d carry you on his tail to lay in the pool. Wrath says that he had to guard you and the baby.”

Beks moved her hands over her stomach. “I didn’t know I was pregnant. Forgive me....” She felt two hands cover hers in a silent gesture assuring her that there was nothing that needed to be forgiven. “I wasn’t even thinking it was likely considering what we were doing.”

“We were under a lot of strain, but we were also having it multiple times a -”

“Sister, I’m back! Mommy is going to make you broth!” Wrath announced, her voice was filled with pride. Beks snatched her hands back and gave her husbands a firm frown to silence them. Laz let out an awkward cough.

“Wrath, now that your sister is awake, why don’t you go and check on the griffins?” Laz asked. “You’re the only one who can talk sense into them.”

Wrath hesitated. “But I have a lot to tell my sister.”

“She needs to rest,” Lucian told the child. “You can come back when she’s eating broth.”

Wrath let out a small ‘hmm’, before agreeing. She told Snowflake to remain while she went with Sunny.

“Laz, Lucian,” Beks said. “I’m still tired.”

“All right,” Lucian replied as he stroked her hair back. “Go to sleep. We’ll wake you when it’s time for broth.” He kissed the top of her head.

Laz adjusted her back into a laying position. “We’ll be right here.”

Beks’ eyes were closed. She moved her hands to her sides and seemed to pat along the sheets, searching. When she found their hands she grasped them. She squeezed them hard, as if to reassure herself that they were really there. “I missed you both so much.” Her voice was tight. “Don’t let me go.”

“Never,” Laz said as he laid back beside her on the left, still clutching her hand.

Lucian laid on her right. “As long as you want us, we will be here.”

╔═════════════════ ∘◦ Bek’s Epilogue ◦∘ ═════════════════╗

It took her another month for Beks to feel as if she were back to her normal self, outside of being pregnant. The bump was more visible and while she didn’t have any nausea or sensitivities to scents, she did find herself more tired than usual. She wasn’t sure if it was pregnancy or lingering side effects of her coma.

Because of this, she was hesitant to practice biha control as intensely as she wanted.

Either way, she was relieved to have her mother there, as well as the small army of healers and doctors. A trio of imperial chefs sent by the Emperor of Langshe to ensure that Beks had nutritious food to help with her pregnancy was also there to support her.

She carried the blood of the imperial family, after all.

Despite being able to do normal, day-to-day things for herself, such as stand, eat, and wash, her work hours were limited, and if she wanted to leave the top of the mountain, she would need to ride Snowflake so as not to tire herself. She was not allowed to walk on her own for what she considered short distances.

At first, she thought her family was needlessly worrying, but when she found that walking to see the rokhs, who were nested in the dilapidated watchtower not far from where she lived, was making her tired, she relented.

Along with Snowflake, Wrath and Sunny joined her, as well as a small army of guards. If one of the twins couldn’t come, then the Duchess was at her side. It was a bit smothering, but not without reason.

Most days, Beks read reports on the island’s reclamation, construction, and general governance before checking on the settlements.

The ruins where she’d spent her first night on the island was now a bustling town and most of the buildings had been restored. There was a small market in the mornings and a larger, day-long market where farmers and hunters living outside the town came in to sell and trade twice a week.

The fog defense barrier that surrounded the island could be removed after the stele that controlled it was found and translated; however, for safety reasons, it had not been lifted. Guide ships were used to escort vessels to the island, and the fog remained as a defense considering the recent conflicts.

However, there was a steady line of supply and merchant ships from Kadmus, Langshe, and Aceria, which was protected by a portion of the Red Iron Cavalry and Maritime Legacy.

Beks reviewed the statuses of those close to her to make sure they were safe, as she owed a great deal to them. All were greatly rewarded or had moved to the island. Gerard and Sandra had an official residence on the island. Efren was studying in Kadmium and had yet to return. Jonas and Sister Levina were also settled, but lived in the village as Sister Levina instructed children at the school.

Jonas was forced to commute if Laz wanted him to work, which was often and involved a lot of paperwork that neither Laz nor Gerard wanted to deal with.

Rid Callan retained his rank, but was assigned to training emergency response and island guards. This allowed him to be home when his children were home from school and nursery. Beks was relieved to know that aside from some bruises and cuts, he had no major injuries from Strahnroc.

However, his semi-retirement to the island spread while she was in a coma. Deo told Beks through an urapearl call that many Thirnir had heard about Rid Callan’s semi-retirement and inquiries were going around if she needed additional Thirnir there.

She did not, but offered to take transfers who could train her people, including biha instructors.

Overall, everything had gone according to the plans she had set before going to Strahnroc. Next on her agenda was claiming the Forbidden Valley and then the much more ambitious project of raising the seafloor to create a land bridge.

“It’s absolutely possible,” her father’s voice from the urapearl told her with confidence. “But it will take time and many biha users.”

“I understand. That’s fine,” Beks replied. “We have time to work on it.”

“Speaking of working on it, I hate to bring this up,” Laurence said from the urapearl. “But I think we should tell Luther that the child Elpidah lost was not his.”

“Brother, even if you tell him, he won’t believe you,” Laz replied in a dull voice. That was their consensus. “He could say we’re lying in order to try to absolve ourselves of guilt or make him stop resenting us.”

“Beks, what do you think?” Laurence asked.

“I agree with Laz. I’m certain he won’t believe you. The only ones who should know are her paladin, who is dead, her, who won’t admit it, and me, because I overheard her admitting it to the paladin before he died,” Beks replied. “And Luther isn’t going to believe me. He’ll say I’m a bitter, jealous woman, and I don’t want to deal with him any longer.”

“Even if he doesn’t believe you, he should be told of the matter,” the Duchess said from across the table. “He can never accuse you of hiding it.”

“He has yet to be told of his condition that reduces his chance of having children.” Beks saw Laurence rub his chin as he frowned. “For his own sake, I am making sure doctors check on him periodically. I will let them disclose his condition with him next time.”

“Does he know I’m awake?” Beks asked.

Laurence shook his head. “No. Outside of the island, news about you has been suppressed for your safety. Those who need to know have been told you are recovering from the assassination attempt.”

The corner of Beks’ lips twitched. She’d hardly call the incident at Strahnroc an assassination attempt when she and the others had been the ones to attack.

“Luther only knows you were in a coma because of Elpidah,” Lucian told her. “When we found out you were pregnant, we issued a gag order. Outside of family and those guarding you, no one knew. We only released information to the island after you woke up.”

Beks nodded with relief. Who knows how Iris Elpidah would react if she found out.

After ending the morning call, Beks went to her office, only to receive an emergency call from Eleanor as soon as she sat down.

The twins were with her and were just as surprised.

“Sister, did we forget anything during the meeting-”

“Luther attacked Elpidah.” Eleanor looked stunned, as if the very idea was impossible.

“What?” Laz frowned.

“Did he find out the child wasn’t his?” Lucian asked.

“Even so, Luther isn’t violent. At least, he never was,” Beks said. “Even if he found out, he wouldn’t believe it, right?”

Eleanor let out a heavy breath. Behind her, they could see Laurence talking to someone with a scowl. “They are monitored at the fortress prison, but we didn’t expect them to get into such an argument. I don’t know what the argument was about, but it seems that to try and hurt him, Elpidah told Luther that the child wasn’t his and that he couldn’t have children. Luther flew into a rage, accused her of ruining his life, and threw a chair at her. Elpidah has a large wound on her head and they’ve been separated.”

Beks let out a low breath and closed her eyes. “Keep them together.”

“What?” Eleanor’s brows shot up.

“That is their punishment.” Beks opened her eyes and looked at the urapearl. “They wanted to be with each other so terribly, then let them.”

“Agreed,” Laurence said from behind Eleanor. “Let them torment each other.”

“All right, but after this, Luther will clamor to talk to Beks once he finds out she’s awake,” Eleanor told them.

“He can beg all he wants. He can’t change the past,” Beks said with a sneer. “I am no longer any of his concern.”

╔═════════════════ ∘◦ Luther’s Epilogue ◦∘ ═════════════════╗

Word reached him through the doctors that had told him he couldn’t have children just months earlier. He found himself sitting on his bed, ignoring the screaming echoing from one of the bed chambers turned into prison cells where Iris was.

From her cursing, it seems she heard, too.

He’d only recently learned that his eldest brother had given birth to a healthy son. For Laurence, Luther was sincerely happy. The kingdom had an heir, though he’d never see his nephew. Laurence had called to tell him personally and Luther had cried, congratulating Laurence while at the same time, apologizing for his foolishness.

Foolishness was an understatement. He knew full well that what he did could not be forgiven and it was already merciful for his brothers to keep him imprisoned in a fortress with servants and amenities along with the guards. He wouldn’t be tortured, chained to a wall, or starved.

He couldn’t leave for the rest of his life, but imprisonment was better than death.

Iris couldn’t leave either, and, sometimes, he thought that she was imprisoned with him to punish him. She was a constant reminder of everything he’d lost, starting with Beks.

A heavy, constricting ache tightened around his chest.

Even though he knew it was futile, Luther couldn’t help but wonder what it would have been like if he never met Iris. If he stayed with Beks and married her.

They said that he would have difficulty conceiving, but he learned Beks had healing biha. If they married, she would’ve healed him. She would’ve helped him, like she’d always done. Luther was sure of it.

Then, perhaps the daughter Beks had with his brothers would’ve been a daughter with him.

“A healthy baby girl, born with a full head of black hair. Blue eyes, like her fathers.” When pressed, the doctors told him.

“Good...good...she must be beautiful.” Luther didn’t realize he was crying when he said it. “Like her mother.”

While he wallowed in his regret and envy, he could hear Iris screaming about the unfairness of it all. About how she didn’t even have a child this time. Luther shook his head. He never realized how crazy she was until she started talking about time travel.

None of it made sense and it was impossible, but when Iris talked about how in her so-called previous life, he had married Beks, he couldn’t help but become angry.

That was his dream and he would not let her taint it with her insane ramblings. Did she think if he was married to Beks, he would still go to her? Iris had laughed in his face and told him while locked eyes.

“You were so desperate for an heir; you gladly wanted to marry me and leave her.”

“I wouldn’t-”

“You did in this life! What makes you think you wouldn’t do it in another?” Her words cut through him like ice and he’d thrown the nearest object at her.

She had dodged and laughed, coldly asking him if he had loved Beks so much, why did he come to her?

Regret had no answers.

“Sir Charles,” Luther said as he called out to the guard standing outside his door. The wooden door had long been replaced by one made of iron bars. “Can I request a letter to be penned?”

“Of course, Mr. Hessing.”

He couldn’t contact Beks. Even if he could, there was no way for him to. The urapearl Laurence used to communicate with him was brought in from outside the fortress. Luther didn’t know where they kept it.

He also doubted Beks would want to talk to him. He didn’t blame her.

She tried so hard for him; he saw that now. She deserved someone better, though the fact that she married his brothers still filled him with discomfort. He hated that she seemed so satisfied with the twins.

Someone set out a writing desk outside in the hall and they told him he could begin. Luther didn’t care what they thought as he dictated a letter to be sent to Beks.

In truth, he didn’t know if it would ever actually reach her. He had no doubt it would be screened first if it eventually was. Still, he congratulated her on her daughter, wished his niece well, and apologized.

Lastly, he asked if she would’ve stayed with him if Iris never appeared.

The guard writing the letter hesitated. “Sir....”

“Is it too vulgar to ask?” Luther asked. “You can write it. It may not reach her.”

The guard furrowed his brows, but wrote the last of his words. When it was sealed, Luther resigned himself to his fate, not expecting to hear a response.

Surprisingly, he received one two months later, but it wasn’t from Beks. It was from her husbands, his brothers. He laughed with bitterness as he read their short letters.

“Don’t bother her again.” Short and simple from Lucian.

“You deserve it.” Cold and direct from Laz.

Two decades engaged and Luther hadn’t defended her like this. He let out a pained laugh. “Yes...,” he said to himself, resigned as he let the letters fall from his hands. “I deserve this.”

╔═════════════════ ∘◦ The Twin’s Epilogue (+6 Years) ◦∘ ═════════════════╗

“They actually tried to break in and escape with her?” Laz raised a brow as he read over Jonas’ report. “Do they not understand that the fortress has an entire battalion surrounding it and some of the highest trained royal guards guarding those two?”

“Where did they get the mercenaries?” Lucian asked. He sat across Laz and raised a brow at Jonas. “The Temple barely has funds to keep up its holy sites and feed its people.”

Jonas remained standing with his arms behind his back while making his report. “They were not mercenaries, Your Highness. They were paladins.”

“Paladins?” Laz lifted his head, the papers still in his hands. “The paladin guard of the Temple was forcibly disbanded when Langshe laid siege to the Great Temple Complex six years ago. They were told if they tried to build a private army again, it would be taken as an act of aggression.”

“The Temple has denied that the paladins that tried to break into the fortress were theirs. They claim that those people were renegades.”

“Renegades.” Laz sneered. “What was the damage?”

“Two of the fifty managed to breach the interior of the fortress before being subdued by guards. It was Mr. Hessing who discovered them.”

“Luther?” The surprise couldn’t be hidden from their voices. Jonas nodded.

“Yes, Your Highnesses. It seems he was paying close attention to Elpidah and always suspected that someone would come for her. His vigilance has paid off.”

Lucian narrowed his eyes. “Was he hurt?”

“No, Your Highness.”

“Then, what does he want?”

“Some fruit from the island during the winter months.”

Laz squinted. “That’s a strange request.”

“He’s always been strange,” Lucian muttered. “Fine. It’s just fruit. A crate a week.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Laz stared at the last page of the dossier he’d been given. He took a deep breath and reached across the table to show his brother. “Last page.”

Lucian craned his neck and took the sheet. His eyes narrowed and he lifted his head to look at Jonas with uncertainty. “She’s dead.”

“In the middle of the escape, it seems she realized she’d be captured and tried to climb down the tower with the rope the paladins had used. She was unable to hold on properly and slipped. She landed in the courtyard and was dead by the time the guards reached her,” Jonas told them.

“Was there anything on her body? Stones? Charms? Anything of the like?” Lucian asked.

Jonas cocked his head to the side, but shook it. “She was only wearing a night dress when she escaped. Not even under clothes. No pockets.”

“Did anything...strange happen after she fell?” Laz pressed. “Wind? Increase in bihar? A large bright ball of light?”

Jonas looked even more confused, but shook his head. “No, Your Highness. Nothing strange. The guards heard the thud of her body upon impact. It seemed to drown out the cracking of her skull on the rocks. But there was nothing strange that occurred.” He paused for a moment before perking up. “And the area where she landed was a piece of worn stone paved yard. It was her arm that had landed and was broken on a nearby large rock that fenced in a flower bed.”

It seemed Jonas understood that they were concerned that Elpidah was desperate enough to try to sacrifice herself for another summoning ceremony. They still didn’t know the extent of what was needed to simply summon a god, but they didn’t want to take any chances.

“What do we know about the paladins that tried to help her escape?” Laz asked.

“From what we could gather, they were paladins who had grown up with Elpidah and were angry when the paladin order was disbanded. Getting her out was an attempt to regain a foothold,” Jonas replied. “As the Temple has disavowed them, which may have been done to avoid angering Kadmus and Langshe, His Majesty King Laurence had all of the fifty paladins who survived the skirmish and were captured executed.”

Laz nodded. It was an appropriate course of action, but the fact that the paladins made it so far into the interior was upsetting. “We need to increase the guard,” Lucian said, putting the sheet back on the table.

“I have a better idea. When Wrath returns from her training at the Quartz Lake Shrine, have her select some beasts to send and watch over the fortress.”

“Jonas, inform His Majesty of our plan,” Lucian turned back to his brother’s aide. “We will inform Wrath when she calls her sister.”

“Yes, Your Highnesses.” Jonas bowed and was dismissed from the office.

“Do you believe she died accidentally? And that it wasn’t an attempt to summon the goddess?” Laz asked after the door closed. He looked at his brother, who had a pensive look on his face.

“I can’t help but be suspicious, but I doubt she had the means to do that. The fortress isn’t a sacred site, there was no sacrificial stone, there is no bihar in that region, and she didn’t have any relics or anything that could stand in their place,” Lucian said. He looked at his brother. “I think she was too weak to properly hold on after being imprisoned for years.”

Laz nodded. “Should we tell Beks?”

Lucian let out a small laugh. “She probably already knows.”

The two men got up and left their office. It was late afternoon, almost early evening. Dinner would be set soon, so they walked out into the upper tier’s sprawling yard.

A little girl was floating in the air, gently being guided by her uncle who had come specifically to train her. Her black hair was in two little balls on her head and for some reason, she kept trying to flap her arms.

“Kit,” Thad said as he used wind biha to move around his niece. He gently put her arms down. “You don’t need to move your arms. You’re not flying. You’re using wind to lift you up.”

“Oh....” The little girl looked confused by this. “Then why does Cloud and the others have to flap their wings?”

“Because they are birds and not wind biha users.”

Laz and Lucian stood to the side, with warm identical smiles. They had made a bet on if their daughter would have light or shadow biha. It turned out, Kit could use wind biha, and they learned that early on when they found her giggling like mad as she spun herself in a mini tornado.

Snowflake had been the one to stop her by gently biting her chubby body in his flexible jaw and bringing her back to Beks. Kit was a year old at the time. Training had to commence immediately before she became a threat to her own safety.

“My daddys are here!” Kit caught sight of them. “Uncle, can I go?”

“Okay, do you need help-Kit, no!” Thad screamed, and Laz and Lucian ran forward as their reckless daughter stopped using her biha and immediately plummeted like a rock. A giddy squeal of joy came from her as she raised her arms.

Thad managed to catch her in some wind before she fell too far, but everyone who’d seen it was pale and terrified. Laz grabbed on to her as soon as she was within arm’s reach and held her firmly in his arms, as if worried the biha would stop abruptly once more.

Before he or Lucian could speak, an angry voice cut through the yard.

“Katherine dun Kadmus!”

Kit sucked in a sharp breath and tried to bury herself in her father’s arms. “Daddy, hide me!”

“Oh no,” Laz said as he adjusted his daughter in his arms so he faced the woman with the bulging stomach marching towards them. “You face your mother.”

“Mommy, I forgot!” Kit wailed and defended herself at once.

“Katherine, what did we discuss when I said you could learn to float and fly with your uncle?” Beks stopped in front of them and immediately began to check their daughter for any injuries.

Kit’s head slumped down. “Not to stop biha in midair.”

“And what did you do?”

The child’s voice grew quieter. “Stopped biha in midair....” She sounded guilty and Beks gave her a firm nod.

“You are still learning to control your biha. There was a chance even if you used it before you slammed into the ground that it wouldn’t be enough and you’d still fall or it would be too much and you’d launch yourself into the sky. Again.”

Kit lowered her head. “I knew Uncle Thad would catch me.”

“Thad, Kit will be prohibited from floating and flying for two months!” Beks said without looking at her brother who landed beside them.

Thad’s head bobbed up and down with obedience. “Yes, Sister!”

“Uncle, no!” Kit wiggled out of Laz’s arms, nearly tumbling as she ran to beg her uncle to reconsider. “I’ll be careful!”

Sympathetic, Thad patted her little hair buns and tried to explain. “Kit, I can’t go against your mom.”

“I will give you my dessert!”

“I can buy my own dessert.”

“Two desserts!”

“I can also buy two desserts.”

Kit looked stunned by this. Her large, blue eyes stared ahead of her. “I...I have nothing else.” She didn’t have any more pocket money, so she couldn’t buy more than two desserts to bribe her uncle. A horrible realization appeared to hit her. “Am I poor?”

Laz clamped his hand over his mouth to keep from laughing. Beks elbowed him.

“Thad, take Kit in to clean up for dinner.”

Thad nodded and took his niece’s hand, leading her back to the hilltop palace. The last they could hear; their daughter was asking her uncle if he accepted other forms of payment.

“Tell the maids and guards to keep an eye on her in case she tries to bribe my brother with her things,” Beks said in a tired voice.

Lucian smiled as he and Laz took one of her hands in each of theirs. They began to follow. “Beks, did you hear about Elpidah?”

“I did,” she said. “And I know what you’re worried about. Don’t overly concern yourselves. It is impossible for her to try to summon the goddess.”

With that, the weight in their hearts were released.

“Beks,” Lucian said as he squeezed her hand. “Are you certain?”

She brought their hands to her lips and gave each one a small kiss on the knuckles. “I’m certain,” she said with a smile. “It’s what my instinct says.”

╔═════════════════ ∘◦ The End ◦∘ ═════════════════╗