Pure Desire [Pure 3] (Siren Publishing Allure)

Pure 3

CAROLINA BARBOUR

Copyright © 2010

Prologue

Planet
Oridus

The Agaci Palace

The servants huddled in the shadows of the corridor outside the empress’s quarters and prayed feverishly for the well-being of the empress and her unborn child—by hereditary right, a child that would be next in line to rule
Oridus
and dethrone his father, Emperor Theopolis Agaci, if the infant survived.

The murmurs from the servants grew to a frenzy, and men and women cried openly as Empress Agaci’s distress vibrated and filled the narrow cavity. All knew the empress suffered unnecessarily. Fear of retribution kept them from interfering as the hours of indefinite time passed. They listened intensely for some sign the agony would end soon, and with the ending, they would have a new ruler and release from their constrictions and suffering.

The empress clutched the bedsheets and arched off the bed as another gut-wrenching pain spiked and shot through her belly. The royal physician glanced nervously at the nursemaid who came to assist with the birthing. He, too, felt the empress’s distress. His empathy was great, and it was all he could do not to aid the lady, but the emperor had given him express orders that he didn’t dare disobey. Already he knew his life was in potential jeopardy by being present. He could only pray that he survived this day. The last thing he wanted to do was exacerbate the emperor’s wrath, no matter that his instructions were callous. He was the ruler of
Oridus
, and therefore, his commands were law.

Against his warning, the tall and robust nursemaid hurried to the empress’s side when she cried out in desperation. The woman dropped to her knees beside the bed, clasped the empress’s hand, and pressed it to her cheek. She wept openly and whispered, “Milady, I pray to the Immaculate Providence that your distress will end soon, that our next leader will be born with haste, and that night you will understand was worthwhile and forget everything.” She cooed and stroked the Empress’s hair soothingly. Then she rose and reached for the vial inside her skirt pocket. She ignored the physician’s protest and leaned over to help the empress into a sitting position so she could help her to drink the liquid. “It is not much, but it should ease your discomfort.”

“Are you insane?” the royal physician practically shrieked. He rushed to the bedside and stared at the nursemaid as if she were some oddity. Fear widened his eyes. He spoke low, in a hushed tone. “Do you want us both beheaded?” He snatched the vial, spilled the liquid, and then shoved the container in the folds of his long robe. His eyes shifted toward the door nervously. Heavy bootsteps echoed over the marble flooring, heading toward the chamber. “He comes,” he whispered, and then stepped back from the bed.

“She is our lady,” the nursemaid said.

“He is our lord.”

The door to the room burst open. Emperor Theopolis Agaci stood in the threshold, his wide shoulders and towering height dwarfing the small opening. His glacier eyes, transparent as ice, scanned the surroundings and settled on the empress. Then he ignored his wife, faced the royal physician, and said, “The Rule of Council awaits word about the birth.” His tone was hollow, monotone, and disinterested. “How much longer before matters end and the child is born?”

The royal physician and nursemaid dropped their heads in servitude.

“The birth is more difficult than most, Milord. If we could assist, it would speed matters along.”

The emperor’s tone was sharp, a bite. “Did you not understand my orders, royal physician?”

The royal physician shook his head. “Milord, I understood your command clearly. Forgive my insolence,” he uttered, then bowed. “We serve you as no other.”

Emperor Theopolis sniffed in disdain. “As it should be.” He turned to the nursemaid, who shrunk back and cowered. He eyed her with contempt, and then dismissed her presence. He shifted his attention to the healer again. “I will return in ten minutes. I expect to inform the Rule of Council that the child was born dead.” They were his final words before he stalked out of the room.

The nursemaid shrieked in horror, seeing the blood that spread and soaked the covers between the empress’s thighs. “We must do something!”

The royal physician tossed back the sheets. He stumbled backward and gasped. “The child is born.”

“Praise the Immaculate Providence.” The nursemaid rushed over. She reached for the child, recoiled, and then clutched the lapels over her bosom. She made the sign of the cross and whispered prayers as she stared at the physician. “The baby is—what is it?”

The royal physician shoved her aside. He worked swiftly, gathering the small frame and wrapping it in linen. “An abomination,” he said, refusing to face the nursemaid. He quickly enclosed the child in the folds of the cloth and pressed the bundle to his chest. “We must hurry.”

The muffled whine of the baby sounded in the quiet room. The royal physician huddled the boy closer to his body to keep him silent.

“What do we do?” the nursemaid asked.

“My child…is it a boy or girl?” the empress asked. Her attention shifted back and forth between the two attendants. Weakly, raising her arms, she said, “Give me my baby.”

“The child is stillborn, Milady.”

The nursemaid blanched and stared at the physician, unbelievingly.

The empress whimpered, “I heard the baby cry. She looked back and forth between the two attendants.

“The child is stillborn, Milady,” the royal physician repeated, casting his eyes downward to the floor. He shoved the squirming figure in his arms into the nursemaid’s hands. A silent message passed between them. “Take the body and prepare it for burial. At once,” he snapped, seeing the nursemaid hesitate.

The nursemaid took the child, gathering the bundle to her breast. “Yes, royal physician, as you bid.”

Empress Agaci cried out, “Is it a boy or girl?”

“A son, Milady,” the nursemaid said.

The empress moaned pitifully, sunk into the bedding, and wept for her loss.

The royal physician grabbed the nursemaid’s elbow and dragged her to the door. He leaned forward, hissing into her face. “You said too much already. Now go, take the thing, and dispose of it immediately.”

“The child can be saved.”

“My orders from the emperor were precise. Now go. Leave this room at once, take to the secret passages, speak to no one about this, and do what you must. Our lives are dependent on it,” he said, trembling.

* * * *

My child is not dead
, the empress thought as she stared through the open balcony doors. Her mood melancholy, despondent, she gazed into nothingness, not seeing the landscape that surrounded the palace grounds in vibrant colors.

Everything was bleak, void of shades as she recounted the night her son was born and the horrific news delivered from the royal physician.

She heard her son. He was alive!

The thought foremost in her mind burned strong, lodged in her chest, and lay heavy like a stone. For two weeks, it was her single thought—day after day and night after night.

The sudden knock at her door startled the empress out of her reverie. She stared at the door. An unsettling feeling surfaced and made her shiver. He waited on the other side. Slowly, she rose and went to allow the monster inside. She had no choice. With leaden legs, she went to open her room to the beast everyone knew as the emperor.

Seeing the nursemaid standing there surprised the empress. Without question, she pulled the woman inside the chamber and quickly closed the door.

The nursemaid curtseyed and said, “Milady, I should not be here. I had to come.” She glanced over her shoulder. “There are things you should know.”

“My child is alive,” the empress said desperately. She searched the nursemaid’s eyes for signs of hope that her beliefs weren’t false. She almost faltered and had to clutch a chair for support. “What do you know?”

“Your son was born alive but with a deformity. My instructions were to take the child away and leave him at the steps of the orphanage,” she lied. “I could not do it, Milady. He is the monarch, the next intended. His life needed to be saved.”

The empress grabbed her arms and squeezed tight. “Tell me what happened, with haste, and do not spare me the details.”

“I ran into the forest to escape. I made it past the palace boundaries to the outer perimeter and into the woods, but the guards were on my heels. I have no idea how the emperor knew to send men after me—perhaps the royal physician. I hid in the heavily wooded area. The guards were about to pass by when the baby cried out. Then, everything happened so fast, within a matter of seconds, and someone snatched the child away from me. When the soldiers turned their backs I ran into the thicket and hid.”

“Where is my son?”

“Milady, the child is dead.”

The empress wavered and fought the wave of dizziness that surfaced. “How did this happen?” she asked quietly.

The nursemaid dabbed her eyes, sniffled, and said, “The emperor killed his son. He tossed his body into the ravine as if the life was nothing, and then he turned his back and rode away.”

The empress trembled, closed her eyes, inhaled, and then regained her composure. She looked at the nursemaid with a steely countenance. “So, it is as I believed,” she said, walking over to a desk. She moved mechanically, emotionlessly, working the latch free to the secret compartment of the drawer. She found what she sought, handing the small disk to the woman. “Take this and ensure it gets into the hands of the Rule of Council. You must promise me that you will entrust it to no one except Guardian Acabus DeFornay. Promise me.” Only after the woman nodded did the empress release the cylinder. “Now go, hurry, as your life is in jeopardy. I thank you for coming here and showing loyalty to me.”

“Milady, please come with me.”

The empress smiled soberly and shook her head. “My destiny is here.”

The nursemaid sobbed fully, shamelessly. “I understand.” She flung her arms around the empress, hugged her close, and whispered her words of mercy before she tore free and hurried from the room.

As soon as she disappeared, the doors to the chamber pushed open, and Emperor Theopolis bounded into the room. He eyed his wife with contempt, sniffed the air as if picking up a scent, and then stormed to where the empress stood.

Empress Agaci stood ramrod straight, shoulders squared, her eyes flashing in defiance. “I know what travesty you enacted, and soon all will be aware of your perfidy. You killed your own son. You monster,” she hissed.

The empress fell backward when he struck her hard across the cheek. She touched the flaming area with the back of her hand and glared at the emperor. “I do not fear you death or your wrath, and welcome that I will finally be free of your madness.” She raised her chin with haughty self-assurance. “I go to the afterlife with a pure heart and happiness to know my son is waiting on me and we shall live in glory.”

Emperor Agaci chuckled, a low and sinister sound. His eyes pierced through the empress. “Do you think you go peacefully?”

The empress eyed him bravely. “Whatever you do to me is welcomed. I face death with dignity, but you cannot say the same when the Rule of Council learns of your deceit. Our people will shout treason, and your head will be lopped from your neck. I do wish I could be there to witness your demise and cheer amongst the crowd.”

“You have always been a fool. The council will do as I say. Their tongues will not lag because they know I will remove the appendages to keep them silent. Not that it will be necessary, as the elders who reside over the council favor wealth more than anything.” He laughed and then snarled. “Your lies will die with you,” he said, and then wrapped his arms around her throat.

* * * *

The empress struggled, clawed at his hands, and fought to breathe. She gasped, taking a last breath before her eyes rolled back in her head and she slumped to the side.

Emperor Theopolis watched his wife’s lifeless body crumple to the floor. He stepped over her, walked to the door, and then paused as he passed the full-length mirror. He held and viewed his reflection as if he didn’t recognize the sight. Rarely did he see his true form. He gazed at the image a minute, examining the thin lips, protruding eyes, crude-shaped mouth, and snouted nostrils. He focused on the thing that stared back at him.