Chapter 79 Desperate to do Anything to get out of here.
Amarien's POV
Jana hung on to me. "Relax, Amarien. It will only attack if it feels attacked." Jana placed the sheets back on it. "That will keep him calm," she said casually.
"Him?! What about me? And my bed?!"
Jana smiled. "You can share my bed for the night. I can't take him out till it's dawn; he is bound to crawl up on someone else."
I cringed as I saw the creature wobbling its way through my sheets.
"One of the women found it this morning during the chore hours," Jana said, settling into her bed, "They all thought it would be amusing to use it to taunt you."
"I could have died!" I said, still apprehensive.
Jana shrugged. "We all will, someday."
"Not by these veil creatures from the depths of hell."
Jana chuckled. "He is just a scorpion. Leave him be, Amarien." She made space for me so I could join her on her bed. I crawled in carefully, looking around gingerly, in case there were any more of these creatures loitering around.
As I did, I felt something slow and wet on my leg. It was a sensation I ignored at first, until it slowly crawled up my leg.
I jumped out of bed, almost screaming for my life when I saw Jana laughing her guts out, when she stopped to catch her breath and scurried her fingers on the sheets. "It's just my fingers, Amarien." She said and burst out laughing.
I didn't find it amusing.
"Perhaps this will train your reflex in case Nun Argo's punishment for you involves spiders," she chuckled.
I rolled my eyes and smiled. "She will be signing me up for instant death if she does that. I don't think she'd be pleased to see me die soon; she enjoys my suffering." I said and settled on the bed.
"The other concubines think her punishments are too tame for you. They want something quick and brutal. Someone says Catherine will promise them freedom if they hurt you really badly."
I didn't answer that. The thought of it brought me so much pain. I really like Jana; she seemed like a girl with lots of questions in her eyes. And the only reason she hasn't asked them all is for courtesy's sake.
"I think they are all stupid, chasing vain glory. They will never be reinstated into their former positions, even if they get out of here. Their misery will continue." Jana concluded.
Suddenly, she winced, and then her stomach gave an alarmingly loud growl.
"Sorry…" she laughed nervously, "I barely ate that cow dung dinner given to us. The nuns hate us so much, their hatred seeps into the food they cook."
I chuckled.
"Perhaps this will help," I presented Jana with half-loaves of bread, a roasted chicken breast, and some milk.
Jana's eyes widened in shock at the delightful meal in front of her. "Where did you get this?!" She almost screamed, and I had to cover her mouth so she didn't draw unwanted attention to us.
I had kept this on reserve just in case Orgah wasn't around, or I missed her call. But Jana is too hungry for me to ignore.
"The gods seem to be merciful to me these days," I said.
Jana's brow furrows. "Is the food from Orgah?"
Shaken by her perceptiveness, I nodded yes. "But you must tell no one."
Jana's eyes savoured the food. "How did she manage to sneak in this much food into this hellhole? How did she hand it to you without a contraband search, taking it from her?"
It was true that milk, chicken, and wheat bread of this quality were banned for the Nunnery, which made Jana's question make sense to me. How did Orgah manage to get these through the guards?
Before I could answer, Jana had started eating, filling her mouth delightfully.
"I hope the gods favour me as much as they do you, Amarien," she said as she tore through the chicken flesh. "I haven't had this in months." She said, tears filling her eyes.
It broke my heart seeing her eat so hungrily and desperately, like the food would disappear and would be no more.
What have I done?
Why have I brought such a fate to such a sweet soul? If only I had listened to Corvin and Zephyr. I would have been queen by now. I would have ordered all concubines released from this evil cell. I would have ended the Nunnery's right to own old concubines and curb their excess.
These women are out of control.
The thought of Gina bleeding to death with open wounds and thrown clothes flashes in my mind.
Fear gnawed at my skin. It's only a matter of time before they know I'm pregnant. I have to tell someone. Someone I can trust.
At this point, I'm desperate to do anything to get out of here.