Page 4 of Elex

“If he would have my tongue for speaking, what do you think he will do to you if you cause me to lose the child I carry in my belly?” she asked, fury in her eyes.

Suddenly it all came together. Her fatigue, her pallor, the sickness. She was with child.

The room went deadly quiet, and it was Agnes’ turn to grow pale. When a woman was with child, she was considered sacrosanct. Even if she committed murder, she couldn’t be executed until the child was born. When it was the King’s child…

Otto gestured to one of the guards who had followed him in, and they seized Agnes.

“Take her to the King,” he said.

“No!” Maalik yelled. “If she’s to be punished, then so should he!” he yelled, pointing at me. “He cut me! And I am a child of the King!”

The Overseer grabbed his chin and jerked it up to exam his neck.

“Take your bleating to the King, if you choose,” Otto said, eyes narrowing. “Though I would advise against complaining about such a scratch. You are not heir yet, boy.”

The guards marched all of us to the King’s chambers. Otto spoke with the guards as we were forced to wait in the hall. Mother’s head wound was still bleeding. While it didn’t look that deep, I knew head wounds bled a lot. She didn’t even try to stem the flow of blood, and I noticed she kept her head down as she walked, allowing the dripping blood to spread across her face and down the front of her dress. She caught me staring and I sawa slight upward curve in her mouth. What game was she playing at?

“Elex,” whispered Erix, grabbing my hand as we stood in the hall. I looked at my twin.

“What?” I asked.

“Don’t piss him off!” he hissed. “You have to keep your temper, no matter what he does.”

I pulled my hand away from my twin. I knew he was right, but I didn’t know if I could hide my anger at the King, not after all the times he had hurt Mitera.

The door opened and we were ordered into the room. The room was sumptuous - filled with a riot of colorful hangings and rugs. Courtiers lined the walls, wine glasses in hand as they tittered at the ragged group led to the foot of the wooden throne.

King Cyrius Alexus sat on the throne, a look of utter boredom on his patrician face. His wavy hair was long and black like mine but shot through with silver. His eyes were an ice blue. I hated the man, but I couldn’t help admitting he was everything I imagined when I thought of a King. Tall. Strong. Broad shoulders hugged by a velvet jacket embroidered in gold. He didn’t wear a crown, but there was no doubt who in this room was the king.

Otto stopped us at the base of the throne and bowed.

A sudden titter went through the crowd and one of the guards shoved me. I looked around and realized all the other slaves had dropped to their knees while I had been gaping like a fool. Fury and embarrassment made my face feel like fire as I awkwardly kneeled.

“Your Majesty,” Otto said.

“Overseer,” he acknowledged. “What is this?”

Otto sighed.

“A fight amongst the slaves, Your Highness,” he said.

“Don’t I pay you to handle this?” the King responded, taking a sip from his wine glass, his bored voice flat and cool.

“You do, indeed, your Grace,” Otto responded. “However, one of the slave women is with child.”

The room went quiet.

The King looked up, finally seeming interested. His eyes flitted between Agnes and Mitera. He stood and walked over to the two women. He walked past Agnes dismissively. Gossip said it had been many years since he had last summoned Agnes to his quarters, which was one of the reasons she hated Mitera.

The King approached my mother, his hand taking her chin in his hand, gently tipping her head back and forth examining the wound. I saw her sway, almost as if she were going to faint. The king took her by the arm and steadied her.

“That must have been quite a blow to have left you so bloodied. Get the woman some water, and a chair,” the King snapped. “And summon my physician.”

Two servants jumped forward, one bringing a crystal glass filled with chilled water, the other a small chair.

“Thank you, your Grace,” Mitera whispered, eyes downcast as she sank to the seat with a grateful sigh.

The King stepped back from her once she sat.