Chapter 36 Blood Price II
I woke up in our chambers. Healers surrounding me. Kael pacing like a caged animal.
"How long?" I asked.
"Three hours. You have been unconscious three hours." He knelt beside the bed. "The baby is fine. Strong heartbeat. But you lost a lot of blood. A lot of magic. You need to rest."
"What is happening with the siege?"
"We are holding. Barely. Serina is alive but injured. The rebels pulled back to regroup." His hand found mine. "We have maybe twelve hours before they attack again."
"Then I rest for twelve hours and we fight again."
"You are not fighting again. Not like this. You almost died."
"Almost does not count."
"Sera—"
"I am not arguing about this. When they attack, I fight. That is final." I tried to sit up. Pain shot through me. "What else happened while I was out?"
His face went dark. "Rowan was injured. Badly. A cursed blade got through his guard. The healers are working on him but—"
"But what?"
"The poison is strong. Old magic. They do not know if he will make it."
No. Not Rowan. Not someone who had fought beside us from the beginning.
"I need to see him."
"You need to rest."
"Kael. Please."
He helped me up. Supported my weight as we walked to the healing wing.
Rowan lay on a bed. Pale. Sweating. Dying.
"Hey, queenie," he rasped when he saw me. "You look terrible."
"You look worse."
"Yeah. Dying will do that." He coughed. Blood on his lips. "Listen. I need to tell you something. About the Purists."
"Save your strength."
"No strength left to save." He grabbed my hand. "They have someone inside the palace. High up. Feeding them information. That is how they knew about the pregnancy. About your movements. Everything."
"Who?"
"Do not know. But they are close to you. Someone you trust." His grip tightened. "Find them. Before they kill you both."
"We will. I promise."
"Good. Now go away. I am trying to die in peace."
"You are not dying."
"Pretty sure I am. The healers' faces tell me everything." He smiled. Weak. "It was fun though. Fighting beside a queen. Changing the world. All of it."
"Rowan—"
"Go. Win this war. Make sure I did not die for nothing." His eyes closed. "Make them remember us."
Kael pulled me away. Back to our chambers.
I did not cry. Could not. Too numb. Too exhausted. Too broken.
"He is right," Kael said quietly. "Someone close to us is a traitor. Someone we trust."
"Who? Lyra? Isabeau? Darius?" I shook my head. "I cannot suspect everyone. That is madness."
"That is survival." He started pacing again. "We need to flush them out. Force them to reveal themselves."
"How?"
"By setting a trap. By giving false information and seeing who takes the bait."
A knock interrupted us. Lyra entered. "Your Majesties. We have a problem."
"When do we not?" I asked.
"King Aldric is here. With five thousand soldiers. Fresh. Rested. Ready to fight." She looked grim. "He is offering them to Serina. Reinforcing the rebels."
My blood went cold. Five thousand more soldiers. We were already outnumbered. This would break us.
"When do they arrive?" Kael asked.
"They are already here. Camped with the rebel army. Planning to attack at dawn." Lyra hesitated. "Your Majesty. We cannot win this. The numbers are impossible. Maybe we should consider—"
"No. We do not surrender. We do not run." I stood. Swayed. Caught myself. "We fight."
"With what? We lost half our forces today. The eastern kingdoms lost a quarter of theirs. We are barely holding the inner keep." Lyra's voice was gentle. "Your Majesty. Sometimes retreat is not cowardice. It is strategy."
"Where would we retreat to? They have the palace surrounded. The city surrounded. The entire kingdom turned against us." I looked at Kael. "We make our stand here. Now. And we win or we die."
"Then we die," he said. "Because those numbers are impossible."
"Not impossible. Just very difficult." I touched my stomach. Felt the child. "The baby wants to help. It told me today. It has power we have not seen yet."
"It almost killed you today."
"But it saved us. And it will do it again." I looked at Lyra. "Tell the commanders. We attack at dawn. Before Aldric's forces can integrate. Hit them while they are vulnerable."
"That is suicide."
"That is our only chance." I walked to the window. Looked at the rebel army. At the fires. At certain death waiting. "Spread the word. Anyone who wants to leave can. No punishment. No judgment. But anyone who stays fights at dawn."
Lyra bowed. Left.
Kael came up behind me. Wrapped his arms around me. "This is insane."
"I know."
"We are going to die."
"Probably."
"I love you."
"I love you too." I turned in his arms. "Thank you. For everything. For seeing me when I was invisible. For choosing me over your crown. For fighting beside me instead of above me."
"Thank you for breaking my curse. For giving me a reason to live. For carrying our impossible child." He kissed me softly. "If we die tomorrow—"
"We die together."
"Together."
We spent that night planning. Strategizing. Preparing for a battle we could not win.
The child was quiet. Resting. Gathering strength for what was coming.
I felt it in my mind. Not words this time. Just presence. Awareness. Love.
I will protect you, it promised. Both of you. No matter what.
You are too young, I sent back.
I am old enough to love. Old enough to fight. Old enough to survive. The presence grew stronger. Tomorrow they learn what I am. What we are. What happens when they threaten my family.
What are you?
Hope. Change. The future. The child's magic pulsed. And they will fear me.
Dawn came red and violent.
Both armies assembled. Ours small. Exhausted. Desperate. Theirs massive. Fresh. Confident.
Serina stood at their head. Burns covering half her face from the light I hit her with. "Today you die, Sera Blackwood. Today your child dies with you. And tomorrow we rebuild this kingdom properly."
"You talk too much," I shouted back.
"Then let us fight."
She raised her hand. The army surged forward.
We met them head-on. Outnumbered five to one. But fighting like demons.
I unleashed everything. Every scrap of power. Every drop of magic. The child fought with me. Through me. Shadows and light combined into something new.
Something terrifying.
We cut through soldiers. Dozens. Hundreds. But they kept coming.
Kael fought beside me. His sword singing. His power absolute. The curse broken. The king unleashed.
We were magnificent. We were doomed.
Then Aldric appeared. Looking fresh. Untouched. Smiling.
"Hello, Sera. Miss me?"
He attacked. Fast. Brutal. I blocked. Barely. He was too strong. Too fast. Too everything.
"You should have come with me," he said. "You should have chosen safety."
"I chose love. That is stronger than safety."
"Love gets you killed."
His blade found my side. Pierced deep. I screamed.
The child screamed with me.
And the world exploded into light.
Pure. Blinding. Absolute.
When it faded, half of both armies were on the ground. Dead. Disintegrated. Gone.
The child had unleashed everything. Every drop of power. To save me. To save us.
But the cost was devastating.
I fell. Blood everywhere. Vision fading.
Heard Kael screaming my name.
Felt the child going quiet. Too quiet.
Then nothing.
Just darkness.
And the distant sound of someone laughing.
And that was the most dangerous thing in the realm.