His voice was different in this instance, authoritarian and domineering.
Troy rose, pushing back his over-sized glasses up the bridge of his hooked nose. “It was as we suspected. This sacredcherished was found too late. She has lost the child. The soul from above has been extinguished.”
Drago’s lips flattened into a tight line as he approached the woman. “You have broken the law. Your husband did not receive the High Priestess’s blessing to marry you and while that was not your crime, you have injured a Cherished. Extinguished a soul from above. For this, you must be sent to the Isles of Sacerdos for your atonement.”
The woman’s sobs intensified. “But my husband claimed me! I didn’t do anything! I did everything right and still this happened. Please, I’m begging you.”
The woman’s blonde curls were tangled as she flipped her head forward planting her lips on the ground.
She had a miscarriage.
It was a common occurrence, more often than not a completely unavoidable, albeit heartbreaking one.
A part of life.
Here, it is a punishable offense.
I wanted to go to the woman, to hug and comfort her. But I was frozen in my seat. These countries had already feltoff,but this was solidifying it more and more.
“Your husband will be imprisoned; he had no right to marry you before you bore your first child and without the Priestess’s blessing. As he was not with you at the time of this, he will have the choice of the Redemption or life imprisonment. But he must atone for his crimes, for keeping a Cherished hidden.” Drago flicked his hand. “Take her away. My word is final. Find her husband and lock him up.”
The two men holding the woman dragged her back out the door, leaving a trail of blood as they did so. Evidence of the woman’s suffering, of the pain she must be enduring.
It was one thing to lose a child, but this went much further.
I had no doubt that going to the Isles of Sacerdos was a one-way train to hell that I had no intention of ever taking.
Troy didn’t move, his attention solely focused on me. “Shall I relay the news to the High Priestess?”
“Yes Troy, that will be all. And I need you to clear the castle. No one is to enter this level or any above it for the rest of the evening,” Drago commanded.
Troy’s lips twitched in frustration. “Respectfully, it is only a matter of time before the High Priestess comes forher. Wecannot hold asacredcherished here, we cannot support her to take two partners. It is sacrilegious, she is nothing more than a common who—”
Drago raised his hand, forming a fist. “Silence! You will not speak of your future princess in this manner. Griffin is still abiding by the law, even if you choose to interpret it differently. Please leave at once, relay to the High Priestess that a cherished will be enroute to her.”
Troy offered the slightest bow before leaving, slamming the door behind him.
Drago heaved a long and despondent sigh, his wary eyes finding mine.
My throat was suddenly too dry; I tried to swallow but choked. Coughing as my vision blurred and I reached blindly for a drink. My hand found the mug first, but I moved on to the crystal, choosing to chug the bitter water instead.
“This castle is filled with spies everywhere. And that is why you being pregnant must be the truth,” Drago explained, reaching for his tea, taking a sip and staring at me with his glazed eyes.
“I can’t be, I had—”
“Birth control? Yes, I removed it on the ship. It is illegal in our countries, you could have been taken for it.”
Nausea rolled through my stomach at the invasion. My tongue thickened in my mouth, and I attempted to swallow but my mouth was dry again.Too dry.“What does that mean?” The glass in my hand slipped through my fingers, falling to the ground, shattering into pieces.
“That means you need to be impregnated. I don’t care who the father is, it really doesn’t matter. You just need to prove your value as aSacred Cherished and then when you are pregnant you mustnotlose the child.” Drago watched me cryptically, his attention zeroing in on the shattered cup.
My eyes swayed to it, my vision painting as it went leaving a smear of vibrant hues, hypnotic colors echoing around it. “Why must you all poison me?” I whispered.
I knew I should be anxious,terrified.But I physically couldn’t be. My stomach was filled with butterflies, warm drunk slightly fluffy butterflies.
Euphoria shot out to my fingertips, and I held in the urge to moan.
“This is a favorite that Harold and Sharon used to utilize at parties back in the day. I felt similarly to how you do now when I met your dearest sister.” Drago hummed his happiness as he got up from his chair.
