LOCKED IN THE PALACE

Elaris’s POV

The heavy doors of oak closed behind me with a slam.

Metallic click.

The lock.

Standing still in the middle of the room, I stared at the doors as if I could break the lock with sheer willpower. It echoed all over the chamber, making me feel as if the verdict was already given.

I had been locked up.

I had not been protected.

I had not been sheltered.

I had been locked up.

Only several hours ago, I had been the caretaker of Maevra.

Now, I was made to suffer like the woman who had tried to kill her.

I went to the doors and put my palm against the wood.

There was nothing to be felt.

I could hear the slight shuffling of armor.

Two warriors.

One on guard next to the entrance.

Another one behind the balcony doors.

They were ordered to ensure that I would not be able to go anywhere.

I approached the balcony and parted the curtains.

There was the warrior under the stone arch, holding his hand near the sword.

We stared each other in the eye for a brief moment.

He turned away.

The message was clear.

No escape.

No visits.

No freedom.

I turned from the balcony and placed both hands over my belly.

I was breathing irregularly now.

The child growing within me was still unknown to all people.

Even to Averic.

Most of all to Averic.

I lowered myself on the edge of the bed.

"Please," I murmured, shielding my belly. "Stay safe."

The prospect of losing another child scared me much more than the guards outside ever could.

I had given up one child to save the life of a man, who after that called me a murderer.

I would not let anything happen to my child because of Virelle's lies.

The unborn baby was the only thing I could protect.

The hours passed slowly.

The daylight slowly disappeared out of the windows, painting the walls crimson.

I could neither eat nor sleep.

Every noise outside the room made me wonder if Maevra had gotten worse.

But then I remembered Averic's expression when he demanded my imprisonment.

There was pain in his eyes.

But there was also disbelief.

Disbelief scared me.

Because Virelle did not need Averic's hatred towards me.

All she needed was that he stopped believing in me.

A soft scratching noise emanated from under the servant window.

I froze.

I heard it again.

Scratch.

Scratch.

I crept over to the floorboard.

It was a small wooden hole, just enough for a servant to slide notes through.

I knelt down next to it.

“Hello?”

Silence.

I then heard a voice I recognized.

“Elaris?”

I felt like relief made my knees buckle.

“Neryss?”

Her face appeared momentarily through the gap between the two boards.

“Aren’t you hurt?”

“No.”

I looked at the door.

“But you’re being watched?”

“Yes.”

She lowered her voice.

“I had to wait till the guards were switched up.”

I listened.

“What happened to Maevra?”

Her expression immediately changed.

And I knew that it was not going to be good news.

“I am okay,” I whispered, but even that sounded hollow. “How is Luna Maevra?”

She took in a deep breath.

“Doctor Harwin stabilized her.”

Relaxation took hold of me momentarily.

“But temporarily,” she added.

The relief vanished.

“What does it mean?”

“She hasn’t awoken yet.”

I closed my eyes.

“Is she breathing?”

“Yes.”

“Then she is still fighting.”

Neryss nodded.

"So are you."

She turned around briefly before speaking again.

"Harwin hasn’t left her side. He is watching every dose."

"Good."

I paused.

"Did he say what caused the poison?"

"No."

Her voice softened.

"But he thinks that the medicine had been contaminated before reaching Maevra."

I could feel my heart speeding up.

"Did he say anything to Averic?"

"He tried."

"And?"

Neryss shook her head.

"Virelle was there already."

My stomach knotted itself.

"For how long?"

"Almost the whole afternoon."

Neryss frowned angrily.

"She sat beside Averic while he was sitting outside his mother’s chambers. She cried with him. Said she knew how it feels to lose a member of your family."

I looked down.

Of course she did.

It wasn’t only because Virelle wanted to see me dead.

She wanted to replace my place in Averic’s pity.

"What did she say about me?"

Neryss paused.

"That I was bitter."

My chest clenched.

"She said that you thought Maevra made a choice to keep you in the residence."

I looked at her.

"That does not make any sense."

"I know."

Neryss’s eyes turned hard.

"She said that you have become obsessed with Averic and scared of being dismissed from here."

I shook.

Virelle was constructing her tale.

Every falsehood meant to blind from the truth.

I sat on the ground beside the window.

"She wants to blame me before anyone investigates."

Neryss nodded.

"And you’re imprisoned in a way you can’t protect yourself."

A sharp laugh left me.

"Exactly."

Neither of us spoke for a while.

An idea occurred to me then.

"The medicine."

Neryss raised an eyebrow.

"What about it?"

"You said Harwin is monitoring all doses."

"Yes."

"Then watch whoever makes it."

Neryss became thoughtful.

"You think that she’ll try once again?"

"I believe Virelle understands that Maevra surviving would ruin everything she’s created."

Neryss paled.

"What do you want me to do?"

"Don’t challenge her."

I grasped Neryss’s hand through the small aperture.

"Observe. Remember all bottles, all measurements, all people involved in preparing it."

Neryss nodded.

"And what if there will be some change?"

"Preserve the proof."

"I will."

Neryss started to withdraw.

But suddenly she paused.

"There is one more thing."

"What?"

"She has been asking about your room."

My blood ran cold.

"Why?"

"I don't know."

Neryss spoke in a lower tone of voice.

"But one of the servants said that Virelle asked whether you kept any personal letters or medical records here."

I surveyed my room.

My possessions.

My clothing.

The notes of my healer.

The secret of the pregnancy.

The burnt letter was not there, but perhaps Virelle didn't know that.

Perhaps she did.

A frightening thought dawned on me.

"She isn't only trying to make Averic believe that I am guilty," I whispered.

Neryss furrowed her brow.

"What do you mean?"

"She is probably trying to find something that she could put there."

Neryss looked concerned.

"I will keep an eye out."

"Take care of yourself."

Neryss departed quickly before anyone of the guards noticed me.

I stayed by the small window, listening to her footsteps fade away.

When night was deep, I returned to the bed.

I had just lain down, when the sound of turning the lock filled my ears.

Click.

All of my body tensed up.

The guards outside remained silent.

The lock turned once more.

The door creaked open.

Averic was standing in the doorway.

He was no longer the man with warm eyes and a worried voice who had come into my room several days ago.

His face was white.

His clothes were crumpled because of fatigue.

Grief weighed down his features.

But his silence scared me more than anything.

He shut the door behind him.

And locked it.

Not just from the outside, but from the inside.

My heart beat faster.

“Avric…”

He didn’t reply.

He looked at me and then fixed his eyes on my stomach for a fraction of a second.

I instinctively put my hand there.

His eyes narrowed.

“What are you hiding from me?”

It was like ice went through my veins.

Before I could say anything, he took out of his coat something that was wrapped in a black cloth.

He put it on the table.

I watched him carefully.

“What is that?”

Averic slowly untangled the cloth.

And there was a small medical vial inside it.

I almost couldn’t breathe.

“I found that under your bed.”

The room spun around me.

“No. I didn’t put that there.”

“Yes, I know.”

I was shocked with what he told me.

Finally that night, there was a softening of his eyes.

And then he continued softly,

“Someone needs me to believe that you did.”

There was movement under the door.

Neither of us saw it.

Outside, someone was watching.