Cowley, Meg - The Books of Caledan Trilogy by Cowley Meg

Author:Cowley, Meg [Cowley, Meg]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Jolly Creative Atelier
Published: 2018-02-14T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eighteen

Demara scooped Leika up into her arms and blew wet kisses on the girl’s belly as she attempted to wriggle free and resume her adventures. The babe was crawling, pulling herself up onto furniture and babbling away in indecipherable noises. She was growing rapidly too; even her hair was beginning to form more solid curls.

“She is the most beautiful,” said Demara proudly. She handed her to Seline.

“She will make a lovely big sister to her brother,” replied Seline with a glance at Demara’s once more growing stomach as she took hold of Leika, who stopped squirming to take the bribe of a candied apple piece to suck and chew upon with her single tooth.

They emerged from Demara’s room to begin their daily walk around the complex, soon finding themselves outside Zaki’s apartment having promised to bring Leika to see him at some point. Since his return from Ladrin a few moons ago, he had been much more tolerable.

Seline raised her hand to knock on the door, balancing Leika on her other hip, when Demara thrust out her arm to stop her.

“Listen!” she hissed. They tiptoed closer to the door and leant their ears against it.

“Get out! Be gone!” Zaki’s voice said from within.

“I will not leave until you recognise your son!” replied a woman’s voice. It was unfamiliar to Demara, but the woman was crying. “Look at him!”

“He is no son of mine,” Zaki said, his voice so cold that Demara shivered. She knew that cruel tone.

“He can be no one else’s and you know it! Every inch of him is you—pale skin, dark hair, blue eyes. Recognise him!”

“He is base-born. Mongrels are not recognised by kings. I have a wife, and she bears me a legitimate son—what do I have need of yours for?”

“I cannot go!” Her voice was plaintive as she begged him once more to recognise his son, to care and provide for him, and asked why he had neglected to visit her for so long.

“What does it matter?” was his snappy response. “You are your own mistress—you have a house, servants and luxuries beyond your wildest dreams, paid from my pocket, as I promised you. Why do you care?”

“Because it is nothing without you,” said the woman, sobbing so hard that Demara could not understand her next words. She crushed her ear closer to the door. Her breath held in suspense as Seline mirrored her, bouncing Leika on her hip to keep her quiet. The smooth wood was cool against her face, but the action did not help the conversation within come into sharper focus.

Zaki gave an indecipherable reply.

The woman burst into a long wail—of happiness or despair, Demara could not tell—but her voice was cut off by Zaki.

“Silence, woman! Would you bring the guard upon me! Leave, before you compromise my position and reputation more than you have done! No one must know about this. You are to tell no one that this boy is mine.”

Seline tapped Demara on the arm and motioned for her to move, lest they be discovered.

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