Chapter 166
I sat beside my son's makeshift incubator, the flickering candlelight casting long shadows on the stone walls. My back ached, and the dull, burning pain from my stitches pulsed with every breath. But I couldn't close my eyes. Not when I knew Lucian was still out there... plotting. Watching.
The door creaked open and Miriam slipped inside, her face tight with unease. She held out a folded a tiny piece of parchment.
"Your Majesty," she whispered, glancing behind her, "a maid slipped me this. She said it was urgent."
I took it from her with trembling fingers and unfolded it, my heart pounding against my ribs. The message was hastily scrawled in shaky handwriting:
"The Prince plans to seize the child tonight. I fear the Queen may no longer be safe in the royal physician's chambers."
My breath caught. For a moment, everything inside me went still. Then, rage and fear exploded through me like a wildfire.
"We have to move him," I said hoarsely, my voice edged with steel. "Now."
Miriam's eyes widened. "You can barely stand, my queen. Please, let's think this through,"
"I am thinking," I snapped. "He's coming for my son. The longer I stay here the more dangerous it is."
She hesitated. I stepped forward, the sharp sting of pain making me stumble, but I caught myself. "We move him," I said again, "or we wait for Lucian to pry him from my dead arms."
That shut her up.
She nodded briskly and turned to gather blankets and wrappings. I forced myself upright, every inch of my body screaming in protest. Fire tore through my abdomen. I saw stars. But I would not stop.
My son stirred softly as I lifted him into my arms, wrapped him tightly in the warmest layers we had. His tiny breath tickled my neck.
"You're safe with me," I whispered. "No one will touch you. Not while I breathe."
Miriam led the way, her footsteps quick and light. I followed, each step a small war. We moved through the halls like ghosts, avoiding torch-lit corridors. My body screamed for rest. I pushed through it.
"This way," Miriam whispered urgently. "Behind the old tapestry, it leads to the east wing. The Alpha King's old chambers, when he was a cripple... he had it sealed off, but there is a secret entrance to it."
Of course. Rowan.
We slipped behind the heavy fabric and into a narrow passage filled with dust and cobwebs and memories. I didn't care. It was fitting that I was in the room. It was the room where I had first met Rowan, broken, crippled and forgotten. All alone in the giant bed with dirt and grime all over it.
The corridor opened into the dusty room. Miriam quickly opened a window and created a makeshift crib with several pillows and blankets. I laid my son gently inside, covering him with one of the thick heavier blanket.
"He'll be safe here," I murmured, brushing a kiss to his cheek. "Just for now."
Suddenly, footsteps. Loud. Close.
Miriam darted to the door and peeked through the keyhole. Her voice came out in a harsh whisper. "Guards. They're checking every chamber. I don't think they'll check this one."
I grabbed the nearest object, a letter opener, just to be safe and held it in a trembling grip. The cold metal pressed into my palm.
"If they find us..." I started.
"They won't," Miriam said, eyes flashing. "Unless they know the secret entrance. I had managed to come across it by pure chance. On that day when the Braam soldiers invaded the castle."
The footsteps drew nearer. Voices echoed. Then... they moved on. I exhaled, shoulders sagging. My body felt like it would collapse.
I slumped into the nearest chair, my arms cradling my middle. I could feel the blood again, leaking through the bindings. But I couldn't stop.
"We need to warn Aldric," I murmured, gasping. "He has to know Lucian is moving against us."
"I'll go," Miriam offered quickly. "You stay here. Stay with the prince. I'll come back later to bring food and news. Get some rest."
I nodded. She vanished into the shadows again.
Now, it was just me and my son.
His breathing was soft, rhythmic. Peaceful. I leaned over the cradle and brushed my fingers over his cheek.
"I won't let him take you," I whispered. "You're my heart, little one. And I'll burn down every last stone of this castle before I let him harm you."
Dawn was still hours away, but the first icy threads of light had begun creeping in through the high windows. I sat vigil beside the cradle, jaw clenched, every nerve on fire.
...........
Miriam returned just as the morning sun filtered pale and uncertain through the cracked glass above us. Her face was drawn, her eyes heavy, and in her arms she carried a wrapped blanket. She opened the blanket and I saw that she had packed me some food.
I was still sitting beside the bed, cradling my son in one arm, watching the rise and fall of his tiny chest. His breath was steadier now, but every sound outside the hidden room still made my spine go stiff with fear.
"You're back," I said quietly, my voice hoarse. "What’s going on out there?"
Miriam didn't answer right away. She placed the food on the bedside table and knelt beside me. "Your Majesty, I have bad news."
My heart clenched. "What?"
"It's the royal physician. He's been arrested."
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