Cursed By The Gods Book 1 and 2

Chapter 46

From her place on the floor with her knees hugged to her chest Emilia wished she could find some sleep but sleep eluded her throughout the previous day, throughout the night. The child’s shrill cry had kept her awake but she barely heard the cries when she was so lost in her thoughts. There was no reason why she would be cursed with such a child when she never did anything wrong, she offered her sacrifices and respected the traditions of both Intavia and Camelorn. There was no reason she should birth a curse.

More than once Ilena had come to her door to knock and she refused to answer. She refused to see anyone, talk to anyone or even accept food from the maids Ilena sent to her. She simply cried her eyes out and stared into space at regular intervals. Disappointment rested heavy in her chest when not even Octavius would come to see her, it was quite understandable that he would want to stay away from her in shock but he professed his love for her and if he meant it now was a time to prove it, to stand by her even though she failed him. If the people decide that she was to be punished how was she to know he would stand by her side and defend her no matter what?

As she rocked back and forth on her heels with her fur blanket covering her from shoulders to toes she wished she could go out and find out the reaction of the people to the incidence of yesterday. From her point on the floor in her chambers the palace was quiet, it was as if everyone moved with caution to avoid one another, to avoid speaking of the strange event and to somehow pretend it never happened.

Once again Ilena came to her door to knock. She even murmured encouraging words to Emilia to try to get her to open it but Emilia refused to. She didn’t want to see the look of pity in the old maid’s eyes, neither did she want the kind words the woman was sure to offer. She wished Ilena had not told her she was pregnant in the first place, wished she had been careless during her pregnant and had a miscarriage, she wish for a lot of things that were too late to wish for.

“My lady, you need to open the door. I am worried for you.”

She ignored the plea and continued to rock on her heels. Her belly hurt, her thighs and the place between her legs hurt. She would not let the midwife’s assistants treat her properly yesterday, as soon as they cleaned her up she wrapped her clothes around her body and found her way to her room. She didn’t care whether or not she got an infection from her negligence, maybe it would be better if she did, then her carelessly would kill her before the people did.

“Emilia.” There were few times when Ilena called her by name and many of those times were when old woman disapproved of her behavior or decisions. She couldn’t blame the poor woman for disapproving of her now since Ilena had been up all night trying to get her to open the door and have something to eat.

Suddenly there was another voice at the door, this one was deeper and faint, almost whispering. Her heart pounding, Emilia’s head came up. It could be Octavius.

She heard the sound of the latch outside a sure sign that someone was trying to get the door to open. With a sigh of frustration and defeat she got up and mad her way to the door. The movement stopped.

“Emilia?”

“I will open the door now, Ilena.” She unhooked the latch and pulled the door open. There stood Ilena in the same clothes she wore yesterday, her hair was wild and unbound and she had circles under her eyes. The man next to her was definitely not Octavius. He was slightly shorter and of a slimmer build, his cloak covered his face so she could identify him. “Who is this, Ilena?”

“My lady you look terrible,” Ilena cried. She entered the room and touched Emilia’s face in a way only a mother would, worry etched her face.

“Who is the man?”

Ilena looked from her to the man who patiently outside with a tenseness in his stance. She couldn’t see his face but she could tell his eyes were darting around as if trying not to get caught. Emilia looked from the man to Ilena who nodded as if saying it was fine. She ushered the man in.

The moment she closed the door the cowl fell from his head. She gasped.

“Festus!” she turned an accusing look at Ilena.

“You should hear what he has to say, my lady.”

“I will not!” she turned to Festus who stood unperturbed by her unwelcome. “My husband clearly stated that you should never again set feet in his palace? You have been stripped off your title. You have no right to be here!”

“You should listen to what I have to say.”

“I will not! You will do well to get out of here before I call the guards to throw you out!” She pointed to her door. “Get out …”

“My lady, you should listen to him,” Ilena said firmly.

“I heard of the birth of your child – or what you think is your child. My lady, do you really hold yourself responsible for what has happened? You should blame your so-called husband!”

Emilia frowned. “What do you mean?” Her body went still at his declaration. She shouldn’t trust Festus, he had after all accused Octavius of having a hand in his father’s death just so he could have a throne that would have been his anyway. It made no sense, Festus never made any sense except in the battle field.

“A child born a curse is a result of unfaithfulness involving a god. It happened once, long ago in the Camelorn history and that was between Robos and the then queen. I know you to be loyal and faithful to Octavius but do you really think he has been faithful to…”

Emilia slapped him across the face. He was older than she was but she would not listen to him tell lies about Octavius. She did not listen to the omede either so why believe Festus. She glared at Ilena.

“You let this traitor into my chambers to tell me such lies?”

Festus laughed. “Lies? Lies? Perhaps you want me to show proof of your husband’s unfaithfulness?”

“I will not let you lie to me,” Emilia said weakly. If he had proof and could really show them to her they she would have no argument to support her husband. In her heart she prayed that Festus was only bluffing but the look on his face said otherwise. He eyes were steely, cold and passionless. Cold crawled up her skin as she realized Ilena would have had to believe him to bring him to her chambers.

 “You believe him, don’t you?” she asked.

“I believe in your innocence, my queen and I know that you have done nothing wrong to have the gods punish you this way. I do have faith in my king, believe me my lady I do and I trust that he will not seek to intentionally hurt you this way but my lady, it doesn’t hurt to clear your doubt.” Her eyes darted around nervously. “I heard omede warn you about this, I didn’t believe it too but now I seek to clear my doubt for there is no smoke without a fire.”

It broke Emilia’s that she even thought about it but if she had to do it to prove Festus wrong then she would.

“Wait here,” she ordered the both of them. She made her way to her washroom and splashed cold water on her face. The coolness was a balm over her fevered skin, a result from crying too hard. She went back to her room, took her cloak from her trunk and put it around her shoulders. “This is great folly on your part, Ilena, you will be lucky if I don’t throw you in the dungeon with this snake when we get back.”

Festus led the way. They passed the servants’ passage to avoid being seen by anyway. It was near midday so the servants were about their duties affording them with enough privacy. Festus’s cowl was back over his head and he slithered through the passage like the snake he was. He stopped to listen at intervals in case someone was passing, after a few minutes they came out of the palace through the back door. The village was busy. Emilia did her best not to notice how the people whispered about the birth of the supposed heir and what great tragedy it had turned out to be.

Festus led them to a dark alley, behind an almost broken-down house with a small fence and led them in.

Inside the house was a small blind man seated in front of a fire with a cauldron hanging from a small metal pole over it. There was brew bubbling in it. Emilia’s skepticism heightened, how was a blind old wizard supposed to show her anything?

The man c****d his head to her and bowed immediately. She dutifully touched his shoulder and helped him up.

“Festus said you can prove that my husband is the cause of my present situation,” she said flatly and without ceremony.

“Only the gods can, my lady.” The man lightly touched her hand and led her to sit before the cauldron. The strange smell of the brew filled her head, she wrinkled her nose at the smell.

“You should inhale it my lady,” the man said. Festus and Ilena moved to stand outside.

Emilia did as the man ordered and inhaled. Suddenly the man laid his hands over her eyes, as she started to struggle a vision filled her eyes.

 Octavius was sitting in a plush red chair with Ashterah above him, her full hips straddling his thighs. She pulled him inside her and leaned forward to kiss him. Octavius held her head in his hands and was kissing her hard on her lips.

Ashterah smiled against his lips, raised her lower body up a bit and slid herself on him. She groaned deeply and chuckled against him. She pulled back from his lips even as she continued to bring herself on him, Octavius slid his hand to her thighs and forced her to go faster, his face was a mask of pleasure. Ashterah laughed.

“You can’t hide what you feel now, can you?” she asked.

His eyes closed in reckless pleasure he answered “No.”

“Good. It’s the best you have ever had?”

He nodded.

Emilia forced her face away from the old man’s grasp immediately, her heart pounding widely. Tears filled her eyes at the image that played before her. She knew it was true, somewhere in the strange room where they had been she had seen his cloak, it was his favorite cloak, one she had given him on his birthday when they still snuck to be with each other.

She fought hard on her tears as she realized the omede was right after all. Octavius really had been visiting the goddess and warming her bed right under her nose.