Prologue
In the stillness of the palace, a scream ripped through the air.
Footsteps clattered against stone, and the door flew open with abang.
“Emperor Aris!” the midwife shouted, summoning him to the bed with a bloody rag. The frayed ends of her gray hair clung to the nape of her neck, sweat rolling down her forehead. Her hands were steady as she knelt over the bed in the center of the room.
A half dozen healers and servants rushed past, but Branock Aris focused on his wife. His breath caught at the white sheets beneath her, soaked in red, her eyes bloodshot and her wavy blonde tresses tied back with a strap of leather. Tendrils of it were plastered to her sweat-slicked skin. And in her arms?—
“It’s a girl,” his wife told him, a smile lighting her tired eyes.
Branock dropped to his knees at the side of her bed. “Evadine,” he whispered, heart pounding in his chest. “She’s…she’s beautiful.” His voice was laced with awe as he took in the sight of his wife and daughter, whose little eyes were scrunched closed and tiny fingers were poking out from the blanket wrapped tightly around her. “Why did you not call for me?”
“There was no time, Your Majesty,” the midwife explained. “Her labor came quickly. I was barely able to get here myself before she began to push.”
He looked at Evadine. “A girl.” He repeated her words and leaned forward to kiss the baby’s forehead, then Evadine’s. “You did so beautifully, my love,” he rasped.
His wife’s eyes met his, full of joy despite the exhaustion that lined every feature. A smile formed on her lips. She opened her mouth to reply when her gaze became unfocused and her eyes rolled into her head.
Branock’s heart lurched to his throat. “Evadine?” He gripped the back of her neck, his thumb brushing over her cheek. “Evadine, open your eyes.”
When she slumped in his hold, he frantically turned to the midwife. “What’s happening? What’s wrong with her?”
A second healer swiftly took the baby girl from Evadine’s limp arms. The head midwife lifted the blanket at Evadine’s feet, her eyes widening. “I think…there is another baby, Your Majesty.”
Pulse rushing, stomach churning, he gasped, “Another?”
Ignoring him, she hastily motioned to her assistant, who moved to Evadine’s head and placed a flask of smelling salts beneath her nose. Within moments, Evadine roused, confusion lighting her face as she found Branock’s eyes.
He couldn’t believe the words about to come out of his mouth. Taking a deep breath, he said, “There’s a second baby, my love. You’re going to have to be strong one more time.”
Her lips parted. “Asecond? How?—”
Her question turned to a moan as a labor pain swept through her. She flung her head back in anguish, and a healer hurried to place a cold cloth on her forehead.
“I’m going to need you to push when I say,” the midwife directed gently to Evadine, who grasped Branock’s hand tighter. His wife clenched her teeth and slammed her eyes shut. Branock watched in horror as blood continued to soak the bed and the midwife’s hands.
Too much blood.
“It’s time—push, Your Majesty,” the midwife commanded. Another cry tore from Evadine’s throat, making Branock’s chest constrict. He kissed her whitened knuckles as the midwife instructed her each time to keep pushing. Evadine whimpered and fell against the headboard, eyes fluttering.
“Evadine—Eva, one more push and it will all be over.” He brushed a strand of hair away from her face. Meeting his eyes, she gritted her teeth, and he sensed her body clenching, another shriek clawing up her throat.
“Some—something’s wrong, Bran,” Evadine gasped, her hold on his hand tightening even further. Her face screwed in anguish as she tried to push again, more blood flooding the foot of the bed. “I can’t—I can’t—” Her words were forced and stammered, the vise-like grip on his fingers slowly loosening as her head dropped to her shoulder.
“No!” he roared, leaping to his feet and facing the midwife. “Get itout of her!”
The midwife strained to keep her voice calm. “I’m so sorry, Your Majesty, but I—I think the baby is breached. It isn’t ready.”
“Thengetit ready,” Branock snarled. “This is killing her!”
”We’re trying, sir, but—” The midwife paused, indecision warring across her features as her eyes flitted back and forth.
He didn’t have time for this. Hiswifedidn’t have time for this. “Whatever it is, tell me,” he said, suddenly weak in the knees. “Tell me how to save them.”
The midwife swallowed. “Your Majesty, I fear we are going to have to use other means to deliver this baby, and I don’t know if both of them will survive.”
The words rang through his mind, his vision graying as his heart hammered in his chest.
