Chapter 50

“Please, Isobella! You’ve got to do something, Bethel, Helga, Aurelia, Rose, Melanie, even my mother has tried to get through to her! She’s been like this for weeks now. She’s completely catatonic, the only time she moves out of bed is to feed Leo and then its just back to staring at the walls.” Achilles ran a frustrated hand through his hair as tears pooled in his eyes.

His clothes were dishevelled, he had started to grow a scraggly beard and dark circles sat under his eyes.

Isobella sighed as she extended her hand to give Achilles’ a gentle, reassuring squeeze.

“Your highness, she is grieving. She is allowed to grieve, there is no right or wrong way, she suffered the worst thing imaginable. She lost the lives she carried, the lives she loved and nurtured. She didn’t get the luxury of watching them grow, at least give her the luxury of room to grieve.”

“I lost them too!” Achilles shouted through tears. “They were my babies as well, I need to grieve but, how can I? How can I grieve when I can’t stop worrying about her or what she might do or if she’s eating or drinking or sleeping?! How Isobella? HOW?”

Isobella offered him a sad smile.

“I will try and talk to her but, there is nothing magic can do to help her. Her heart has been broken beyond measure, it will likely never heal. The most we can hope for is that she will learn to live with it.”

Achilles nodded his head, his lip still trembling. “Okay, if you can, please try and get her to discuss the burial. It has been 3 weeks now, I know you have placed a preservation spell on them but, it’s not good for either of us to keep seeing them. It’s not healthy…”

Isobella nodded before turning and leaving the garden. She walked up the stairs directly to Seraphina’s room.

“Seraphina? It’s Isobella, may I sit with you?”

Seraphina stared at the wall, a blank expression on her face.

Isobella walked towards the bed and perched next to Seraphina. The cribs had been pulled out of the nursery and were now sat by Seraphina’s bedside. Leonardo lay gurgling whilst the twins remained huddled together in their forever sleep.

“Seraphina, have you eaten today?”

No answer.

“You need to make sure you’re eating and drinking plenty if you want to continue to feed Leo, you’ve lost a lot of weight, we may have to get a wet nurse for him.”

Seraphina’s eyes flicked to Isobella then to Leonardo before settling back on the wall.

“I can feed him,” her voice was gravelly.

Isobella’s heart twisted at the sight, she had seen mothers miscarry before, she had seen mothers lose children but, she had never seen anyone in the state of despair that Seraphina was in.

“Have you thought of names for the twins yet? It would be nice to send them to heaven with a name.”

Seraphina nodded slowly. “Afriel and Charmeine,” her voice broke as tears brimmed in her red, swollen eyes.

“The angel of youth and the angel of harmony? Very fitting, beautiful names for beautiful angels.”

Seraphina nodded at Isobella again.

“Does this mean you are ready to bury them?” Isobella fidgeted her hands in her lap.

Seraphina shook her head before taking a shaky breath. “No, but I must.”

Isobella reached a hand over and placed it on Seraphina’s clasped hands, she flinched at the contact but, she didn’t withdraw. Isobella took a deep breath and began to sing a song.

“Si lacrimae poterat aedificate autem somnis scalam stantem

Et memoriae autem lane

Ego utinam sustineretis ambulate iustum autem ut coelum

Et adducere vos domum rursus”

Seraphina raised her head slowly to meet Isobella’s eyes. Tears streamed down her face in a silent sob.

“That was…b-beautiful Isobella, please will you… s-sing that at the b-babies f-funeral?” she choked as she tried to force the words out.

Isobella nodded, “Of course, it is a song our people sing to guide our beloveds to heaven, to reassure them that if we had the choice to bring them home, we would. Their spirits enter heaven basked in love and light.”

Seraphina remained in a thoughtful silence for a brief moment.

“Iso-Isobella…Why?” her voice broke as more tears pooled in her eyes. “Why me? W-why my babies? W-what did they do to deserve this?”

Isobella sighed. “Seraphina… I don’t know how to tell you this…we refrained from discussing it with you or his highness to give you chance to grieve…”

Seraphina’s eyes darkened. “What is it Isobella?”

Isobella gulped. “The twins… They didn’t pass of natural causes-“

“Why did they pass?” Seraphina growled.

Her skin started to tremble and the faint trace of silver scales started to appear on her skin.

Isobella blanched as she watched Seraphina’s dragon begin to surface, it was both mesmerising and terrifying.

“I said, why. Did. They. Pass?” She hissed through gritted teeth.

“S-sacrifice…they were sacrificed.”

Seraphina’s eyes burned with rage.

“Sacrificed by who?” Though her voice remained low, her demeaner was enough to frighten whole armies.

Isobella gulped again. “We- we don’t know yet, we are working on it, it… it was dark magic…we suspect whoever had kidnapped the Dhampir children may be involved.”

Seraphina’s grief was suddenly replaced by rage, a burning rage.

Isobella stared wide eyed as Seraphina let out a screech that was quickly engulfed by a roar as she shifted into her dragon. In a panic, Isobella grabbed the now sleeping Leonardo and ran to the opposite side of the room.

All present at the DeBeaux Angelo manor froze as her roar shook the buildings. Though all were aware of Seraphina’s dragon, none had been in its presence before.

Seraphina let out another ear piercing roar before charging at the opened patio doors and taking off to the sky.

Achilles came bursting into the room following Seraphina’s departure.

“Isobella! What happened?” he walked towards her and took the still sleeping Leonardo from her arms.

“I told her the truth.”

Achilles frowned at her, “What do you mean?”

Isobella looked down at the ground as she fidgeted her hands.

“I told her the truth about the twin’s death. I told her that they were sacrificed.”

Achilles eyes narrowed as his face contorted.

“They were what? BY WHO?!” Spit flew from his mouth.

Isobella looked up and met his burning gaze.

“Can you promise me you won’t inform Seraphina until we know for certain?”

Achilles growled at her as his eyes flashed black.

“Please your highness, I can not allow for a potentially innocent person to die.”

Achilles growled again but nodded this time, “You have my word that no harm will befall anyone until we know for certain,” he forced the words out through gritted teeth.

Isobella took a deep breath before looking him in the eyes again.

“We suspect it was Lady Briseis.”