Cursed By The Gods Book 1 and 2

Chapter 54

It was a dark stormy day at Intavia, the streets were not as busy as people opted to stay inside their houses beside their fires with cups of milk. The rain was drizzling lightly against the roof of the barn at the other side of the village. From the house beside the barn Ira emerged with a bucket filled with water for the animal trough in the barn. She ran quickly to open the barn and stopped short when she saw Emilia there bending before one of the goats, the skirt of her apron dragged in the mud around her but she didn’t seem to care. Ira moved closer to see what she was doing.

“I didn’t know you were awake so early.”

Emilia startled, she relaxed immediately when she saw it was just Ira who was coming closer with her bucket. She shifted so Ira could squat beside her.

“I couldn’t sleep anymore so I thought I should make your work load lighter this morning.” She lifted the she-goat’s leg, it let out a fierce bleat and tried to scurry away but she held it down and gently let the leg drop. “I think it’s broken, she must have gotten into a fight again.”

“She always does,” Ira laughed. “I should sell her already, she is causing a lot of trouble for the other animals”

On one side of the large barn was a small stall where they kept the horses, the pigs had a small pen at the end of the barn filled with mud but the goats and the sheep were allowed to roam free. The goat Emilia was holding was the rascal of the herd with much injuries and half a left ear.

Ira watched as Emilia tended the poor animal who struggled against her wildly. She was so much changed from the dainty queen who came to her doorstep with tears in her eyes, eyes set in a pale face. Her skin was darker as compared to when she had shown up with smooth skin and her hair was braided down her back without pins. She still had sadness in her eyes from time to time but mostly she worked around the farm and in the barn to a point of exhaustion. She appeared to enjoy working but Ira knew better, she worked to distract herself during the day so that at night when she fell into her bed she would immediately fall asleep. Sometimes it worked but some other times she would hear her toss and turn through the thin walls, occasionally she would go for a walk outside and would come back crying softly. She missed her husband that much Ira knew was true for she watched Emilia’s eyes turn sad whenever Herman fused too much over her, but her hurt at his betrayal still burned in her chest. Ira never brought up the conversation but as she watched her work she knew she had to talk about it.

“Have you heard news from Camelorn?”

Emilia’s hands stopped moving, she went still from head to toe. For years she successful avoided conversations that had to do with Camelorn or Octavius. Ira was a smart woman, she knew woman had questions and wanted the best for her but she never said a word. It wasn’t fair to Ira and Herman since they opened their door to her and invited her to stay for as long as she wanted but she wished very much that she would not have to talk about her life at Camelorn.

“No,” she replied with false nonchalance.

Ira sighed. “Herman and I are more than happy to have you with us, Emilia. I know you don’t care much for the child but your husband? Surely you still love him, I have seen it in your eyes, you miss him deeply…”

“Ira…”

“No, Emilia, I have been silence in this for far too long. Why don’t you go back and see him for yourself, he sent men in search of you, surely when they asked about for you in our king’s palace and couldn’t find you there he must have known you were truthful about your claims.”

“But the child is there, Ira!” Her voice was raised so high the goat startled and calmed immediately. Guilt and remorse flooded Emilia at the same time. There was no reason to scare the animal or to shout at the woman who had become like a sister to her over the years. She rubbed the goat on the head and smiled sadly when it butted its head into her hand. “I am sorry,” she said to Ira. “But as long as that child is there and alive my integrity and loyalty will remain questions.”

“Then consult the gods.”

“The same gods have blamed me,” Emilia said with a humorless laugh. “I will not have this conversation again, Ira.” She assumed the authority a queen was supposed to have in her tone even though this queen was exiled. “I am happy here, if you wish for me to leave I would and I will pay back everything you and Herman have done for me in coin.”

Ira sighed again. “I do not wish for you to leave, you have become family now.”

“Good. And don’t worry about watering the animals I already did that.”

Angus pushed the door open gently. It was mid-afternoon and it was quiet in the palace, the meeting for the day was over so the servants retreated to their quarters. Camelorn was different from what it used to be, there was a gloom hanging over the people’s head, something Octavius didn’t seem too concerned about. In fact Octavius didn’t seem too concerned about much, his brother was a dead man walking.

Inside the room was bright, the window was drawn open so sunlight filled the vast space. In front of an open window was the person he was seeking. Cleopoda.

She sat on her heels dwarfed by the huge size of the window and the room in general, she was looking out of the window but there was something in her lap which she held with two hands. She hadn’t heard him come in so she remained by the window with her braided strange white tress swung around one shoulder. He closed the door.

“Cleopoda?”

Her head came up quickly and just as fast she was on her feet, the book she had been holding in her lap fell to the floor. She almost looked frightened.

“I didn’t mean to startle you, little one,” Angus laughed. She stood with her head bowed and her fingers intertwined in front of her. “I am your Uncle Angus, has your father told you about me?”

She shook her head. “But the servants spoke a lot about you- Uncle.”

Angus went further into the room sat on her bed and gathered his cloak around his body. He held his hand out for her and when she wouldn’t reach for it he dropped it in his lap. He only had stayed overnight but he knew the situation of things, Cleopoda hadn’t joined them at the table for dinner the previous night instead she had eaten with one of the servants Octavius called her governess and her son and that alone confirmed the suspicions.

“Come Cleopoda.”

She shuffled forward hesitantly until she stood a few feet away from him. He looked her over, there were no scars on her body that indicated a***e but the heavy rise and fall of her chest spoke volumes about her fears.

He reached forward and took her hand in his to pull her closer, when she came he pulled her stiff body up on his lap.

“If the servants talk so much they must have talked about my many travels.” She nodded slightly, she was so stiff in his lap it was hard to tell if she was alive if not for her heavy breathing. “I have been to so many places and seen so many people. I have seen people like you.” At this her head came up slightly and the most amazing thing happened, she relaxed slightly against him.

“You have?”

“Yes,” he answered. “But none are as pretty as my little niece.” He tickled her belly and she made a strange sound that sounded close to laughter, her body relaxed further so he tickled her again and she laughed some more until she started to gasp for breath and laughingly plead that he stopped. “So you know how to laugh?”

Her small legs kicked up in a swing but her hands remained clasped and her head bowed. “The servants call ugly and cursed.” She didn’t mention that Octavius and Garius did too but he knew.

“You’re not. You shouldn’t let them tell you otherwise, okay?” he pulled her hands apart. “What were you reading?”

“Garius forgot our session today but I took the book from the library to read so…”

“Forget Garius, he is an old man who doesn’t know fun.” When she giggled he laughed with her and continued, “Go and play with your friends if Garius asks for you I will tell him I gave you permission to skip lesson sessions today, uhn?”

She nodded.

“And you should never bow your head again, you are royalty only servants bow…” he reached for her chin to pull her head up and paused immediately when her bright eyes met his. A strong wave of desire ran through him all the way from his toes pooling together in his groin. He hastened to drop her off his lap with care, he didn’t want to frighten her but from the look in her wide eyes she must have felt what he tried to hide from her.

“What is that, Uncle Angus?” she asked innocently.

Angus squeezed his eyes shut a moment before he searched in his cloak hoping to find his dagger. Luckily, it was there so he pulled it out and showed it to her. “It was my dagger, I always carry it around.” His voice was tight as he tried to curb his desire, he looked away from her to the dagger. ‘You can have it to protect yourself with.”

She took it from him and examined it, he took the opportunity to stand up quickly so he could hide his arousal from her.

“I will see you later, little one.”

“Okay, Uncle.”

He left hurriedly.