Changing Fate [Fate series] (19 page)

Briam spent the day out—presumably hunting again, and the Queen dragged herself to the morning hearings, ate dinner, although she appeared to regard her food with trepidation, and disappeared into her chapel. She emerged in time for evening prayers, but when she sat at the supper table, she was so tired she seemed ready to collapse into her plate. Akila, watching her with concern, noted that she took only two bites of her food, then simply shoved it about on her plate.

Briam appeared to be lost in his own thoughts. Akila wondered if the Queen had told him about the baby, but she wasn't close enough to touch him and use telepathy, and she didn't want to say anything out loud in front of the servants. It was the Queen's place to announce her condition or not, as she pleased, although she obviously wasn't going to be able to keep it secret for long.

The Queen called for the harper to play after supper. Briam, who had been learning from the harper to play a lap harp, picked his up and joined in. He was surprisingly good.

Every so often, Akila thought, he does something that makes me realize I've under estimated him. Of course, this alternates with incidents that indicate I've badly overestimated him.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw movement; the Queen was taking advantage of the fact that everyone was listening to the music and slipping quietly away to her room. Akila wondered if she should go after her, but decided that she probably wanted to be left alone—certainly if she wanted company she had only to ask for it. Privacy was a rare commodity in the palace anyway, and the Queen was still sharing her room with Briam. In a couple of months she'll probably be happy to be rid of him, Akila thought irreverently, if only so she can sleep undisturbed!

Briam and the harper finished the ballad they were singing and started a popular—and loud—drinking song. Akila got up and quietly went to her own room.

She found that she was still feeling uneasy about the Queen—maybe she should go check on her.

If there were anything really wrong, surely Briam would know; he
is
bound to her
, her other self pointed out.
You'd only feel what Briam did. You probably simply had too much wine at supper
.

Akila still felt restless. Making a sudden decision, she shut the wolf in his den, with a command to stay there. Then she took off all her clothes—at least they were enough simpler than Druscilla's that she could undress unaided, even if she needed a maid to lace her up when she dressed. Since no one would expect to see her dressed before morning she could now shift into any shape she pleased—but what shape should she use? She needed something fairly inconspicuous—like a mouse, perhaps, but that was too dangerous with the number of cats about. A cat? It had been over two months since she had been a wolf in heat; she should be able to become a cat without having to worry about bearing kittens.

She doused all the lights except the night candle, shifted into a smallish cat, and adjusted the color of her coat for maximum invisibility. She wished that she had the gift the Queen possessed: she could be either the focus of everyone's attention or totally unnoticed, apparently at will. But Akila would just have to depend on matching the color of the shadows and staying in them. At least she didn't have toenails to click on the floor, the way she had in wolf-shape.

She made it down the hall, past the Shield-Bearer's room, and into the Queen's room without attracting any particular attention, and found the Queen collapsed on her bed, still fully dressed, staring into space.

It was funny, Akila thought, but she seemed to be able to feel how the Queen felt; it was rather like the day Briam became Year-King, but that had felt good and this didn't. Not at all.

The Queen lay immobile, feeling nauseated, tired, and very scared. Akila couldn't hear her thoughts, the way she could Briam's, but she could feel sickness and terror.
Is she thinking that she might die with this child's birth? Or, worse, before it?

In any event, I'm not going to stand here and endure this—and I don't want her to have to either. I hate feeling people suffer
. She paced across the room and jumped up onto the bed. The Queen blinked, and turned her head slightly to look at her. Akila walked up to the Queen's hand and butted her head under it, demanding to be petted. The Queen smiled faintly and began to stroke Akila's fur. To Akila's great relief, the hopeless terror in the atmosphere dissipated. She purred happily and curled up at the Queen's side.

When Briam arrived an hour later he found the Queen sound asleep with Akila still curled up at her side. He looked at them for a moment, shrugged, and pulled the bell to summon the Queen's maid. Akila retreated to the windowsill to supervise the girl's undressing the Queen and putting her to bed, then slipped quietly back to her own room while Briam was undressing. She was well satisfied with this expedition; Briam hadn't given her a second glance, and if he didn't recognize her it was unlikely that anyone else would. So now she had a shape in which she could prowl about with impunity. And the Queen seemed willing to tolerate her company in this form—which could prove very helpful indeed.

She changed back to human form, unlocked the den and spent several minutes petting the wolf and telling him how wonderful he was not to make a fuss while she was gone, then crawled into bed. If she was going to be herself
and
a cat, she was going to need all the rest she could get.

The Queen got through prayers the next morning, but her skin had a definite grayish tinge as she tottered past the table and went straight back to her room. Akila grabbed the nearest maid and told her to take the Queen a tray, then went to take her place next to Briam. There was nothing to be gained by starting the whole palace gossiping. Briam frowned at Akila as she sat down. “What's wrong with the Queen?"

So she hasn't told him. Maybe it's not the custom—after all, if the Year-King dies on schedule, he won't be around long enough for her to start showing.
Akila reckoned up the time and was horrified to realize that the sacrifice should be taking place in about six weeks—
and the Mid-Summer Festival is in ten days! We'll never be ready on time, not with the Queen this sick!

"Akila?” Briam's voice interrupted her thoughts. “What's wrong?"

"I just realized we've only got ten days until the Mid-Summer Festival."

"No, not that,” he said impatiently. “What's wrong with the Queen."

"I don't really know,” Akila temporized.
If she doesn't want to tell him, it's not for me to do so—even if I am his sister
. “But I can tell you one thing, if she doesn't turn up for the morning hearings, I'm going to call the healers to look at her."

"Good,” Briam said, applying himself to his porridge. “I'm going out with some of the townsmen; we're setting up an archery competition to run during the festival."

"Have fun,” Akila said lightly, glad to have him out of the way. It's sad, though, she thought; I can remember a time when I would have teased to go with him and join in. How did we grow so far apart?

Briam finished his breakfast and left; Akila finished hers and supervised the clearing of the tables and the setting up of the hall for the morning hearings. When the Queen hadn't appeared a quarter-hour before they were due to start, Akila went to her room. Her breakfast tray lay untouched beside her bed, and she appeared to be asleep.

"Lady?” Akila bent over her and spoke softly. The Queen's eyes opened at once.

"Akila."

At least she recognizes me—but she doesn't look well at all.

"I think you'd better send for a healer, child,” the Queen said softly.

"Absolutely.”
Never mind discretion, there's a limit to what you can hide
. Akila went quickly into the corridor, leaned over the railing to see who was about in the atrium, and called to the nearest servant to send the healer to the Queen's room at once.

When she returned to the Queen, her eyes were closed again, but she opened them again when Akila reached her side.

"The healer's coming, Lady.” Akila reached out and patted the Queen's hand.

"Good.” The Queen gripped Akila's hand. “It's time for the morning hearings, isn't it?"

"Yes, and the Hall is set up, but it really doesn't look like you're going to make it down there."

"Not in any condition to sit in judgment,” the Queen agreed grimly. “They'll have to be postponed."

"Won't that upset people?” Akila asked.

"Not once the healer has announced my condition,” the Queen replied, smiling faintly. “I had to cancel them for a bit before Rias was born, and it's amazing how much people can settled among themselves when they know that they'll have to wait months for a judgment."

The healer arrived just as the Queen struggled to sit up. “Oh no you don't, Lady! Just lie still!"

"I'm not dying,” the Queen said calmly. “I am with child."

The healer, an elderly woman who did not seem to be at all in awe of the Queen, sniffed. “Tell me something I don't know."

The Queen managed a weak chuckle as she lay flat. “I want you to make a public announcement of my condition; I'm canceling the daily hearings until I feel better."

"I'm glad you're showing that much sense,” the healer said, already running her hands over the Queen's body. “You'd better delegate the morning and evening rituals as well."

"You know I can't,” the Queen protested. “They must be done by someone of the blood, and I'm the only one here to do them."

"What about Lady Druscilla?” the healer asked.

"She's in the country.” The Queen's tone was obviously intended to close that subject. “Akila, I don't want to keep you here all day; I'm sure you have work to do."

Akila curtsied and retreated in nervous silence. She then went straight to the Guard room and asked them to send an escort to bring Druscilla back to the city immediately. If anyone later questioned her decision, she could always claim that she had thought that was what the healer had ordered.

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One of the first household tasks Akila had to accomplish that day was to find another room for Briam. The healer ordered him moved out of the Queen's bed so that she could rest without having to worry about him. The healer also pointed out that Briam had already done quite enough for the Queen, but Akila wasn't about to tell Briam that.

There were four rooms at the back of the second floor, overlooking the garden: the large northwest corner room next to the Shield-Bearer's which was Druscilla's, two guest chambers, and another, smaller, room on the southwest corner, which the maids told Akila was Rias's when he visited. Akila had Briam's things moved to room next to Rias's. When Druscilla returned, Akila planned to move into the room between them.

The healer had also ordered the Queen to stay in bed all the time she wasn't leading rituals, and it was obvious to Akila that the rituals were taking a lot out of the Queen in her current condition.

On the fifth day when she went to give her daily report to the Queen, Akila found her drinking some sort of greenish potion while the healer stood over her, scowling.

"See if you can talk some sense into her, Lady Akila.” The healer treated her with respect, which rather surprised Akila. It was one thing to have the servants think one was wise and capable, but quite another to have people one respected respect one in turn. “She must stop pushing herself like this—assuming that she wants to have this baby!"

"And I've told you, Healer,” the Queen interrupted, “that only someone of the blood can lead the rituals."

"Is the Shield-Bearer of the blood, Lady?” Akila asked. She had wondered about this ever since she had met them; they seemed closer than most sisters.

The Queen looked startled. “No, she's not. She and I have been close friends since we were girls, but she's not kin to me."

"So the only people who could lead rituals would be you, Druscilla, and your children?"

"Our daughters,” the Queen corrected absently, “but Druscilla has none, and mine is yet unborn.” She put her hands protectively over her womb and bit her lip, obviously more worried about the child than she would admit.

"And as if the daily rituals weren't enough, she's proposing to spend an entire day on display for the Mid-Summer celebration,” the healer said in disgust. “My Queen, you'll miscarry for certain if you do that!"

"Do you expect me to cancel the celebration—after all the preparations have been made?” the Queen demanded indignantly. She turned to Akila, “Everything is ready, is it not, Akila?"

"Yes, Lady,” Akila said miserably, “but I don't see how you can do it, either."

"The Goddess will support me through it,” the Queen said grimly. “I can always do what must be done, especially when there's no one else to do it."

"But isn't that why you sent for me?” a soft voice asked from the doorway.

Three heads whipped around and three sets of eyes stared at Druscilla. The healer was the first to recover. “I am most glad to see you, Lady Druscilla. Maybe now the Queen will be able to get the rest she needs."

Druscilla turned a concerned gaze on the Queen. “I shall certainly do what I can to help—within reason—"

As long as it doesn't include sacrificing the Year-King
, Akila mentally translated.

"—but what is wrong with you, Lady?"

"Nothing is wrong with me, Druscilla,” the Queen said firmly. “I carry the heiress for the City."

Druscilla sagged back against the wall, staring in disbelief. “But you're too old!"

Akila winced. Wasn't tact considered part of a lady's training here? Then she took a good look at Druscilla, and noticed that she was covered with dust and looked ready to fall over.
The poor girl's probably so tired she doesn't know what she's saying
.

"Lady Druscilla,” she said. “Why don't you go get some sleep? You look as though you didn't stop on the road at all."

"Good idea,” the healer seconded. “Take her away, Lady Akila, and put her to bed, but be sure to get her up in time for her to lead the evening ritual."