Bliss smiled. “I am sure he will reach us before we make it to the keep.”
Annis nodded again as she ran out the door.
Elysia stood as a pain struck and she gripped Bliss’s hand.
“The pains are not far apart. You may have a quick delivery,” Bliss said.
“I would very much like that,” Elysia said, leaning on Bliss as they walked to the door.
They stepped outside and Bliss was surprised to see Lady Faline coming toward them and the two guards gone.
“I saw Annis running and the guards as well. Is everything all right?” she asked. “Can I help in any way?”
“Time has come for the bairn,” Bliss said, an unease creeping over her and wished this one time the guards had remained at their post, but Annis must have demanded they help find Odran.
“Good. I have been waiting for this,” Lady Faline said with a smile, and her hand slipped out from the folds of her garment, a dagger firm in her grip. “You both will come with me, and I promise you that if you struggle one of you will suffer for it. Now move.”
Bliss had no time to be shocked by the woman’s actions. She gave a quick glance around to see if there was anyone she might be able to alert to their plight, but no one was nearby.
“Do not be foolish, Bliss,” Lady Faline warned. “A quick stab to your sister’s stomach and she and the bairn dies. Now start walking.”
Bliss took as much of her sister’s weight as she could, another pain hitting her as they entered the woods.
A few more steps had Elysia gasping. “My water has released.”
Bliss’s fear grew, but she did what she could to reassure her sister. “Do not worry. All will be well.”
Lady Faline prodded with words. “Hurry, keep moving,”
“It was you behind it all, wasn’t it?” Bliss said, wanting to keep her busy talking so she would not suspect her inquisitive glance to see what might be useful to help them escape.
Lady Faline laughed. “No one suspected a woman. Of course, I used the fanatical group that wanted the cursed lords dead to my advantage, making sure the wagging tongues spread the message far and wide. It was easy to hide my scheme among their pitiful one, convincing them a messiah would come and free them of their suffering. All was going well until you both came along and wed Odran and Rannick and ruined everything.”
“How could you want your own son dead?” Bliss asked, shocked that a mother could even conceive of such a heinous thing.
Lady Faline’s face twisted in disgust. “How dare you even think that. I do not want Brogan dead. I do this for him, for our clan. Brogan is the chosen one. He cannot die. I have seen him suffer wounds no one could survive, yet he did. I had no worry he would die even if wounded, though it was made clear to Jaffee that it was only Odran and Rannick plus their wives and Annis, of course, who were to die. I was very disappointed when news reached me of his death and that you and Rannick were responsible. With the group now losing momentum to see the cursed lords gone, I knew I had no choice but to see the task done myself, or all my plans would be wasted, and what better or easier way than when you and your sisters were together. When news reached our clan that not only Brogan was here but Odran and his wife as well, I knew the time had come.”
Bliss realized the woman had lost all sanity and, like Lana, made her dangerous and impossible for her to see reason.
“Brogan will live on. He will rule this land and beyond when people realize he is immortal. The curse is a gift to him, and I will not have him deprived of it. Now keep walking. There is a nice cliff a short distance from here. I will cry copious tears telling the tale of how I tried to stop a madman from taking you both and watched in horror as Bliss struggled to save Elysia and you both went over the edge, the man running off in fear. Then one day, not far off, Annis will take her own life, unable to cope with her sisters’ death. And all will be as it should. Now keep moving.”
“We are not that far from the keep yet,” Bliss whispered, pretending to hold her sister up more than needed, giving her a chance so that their whispers would not be heard. She had come to a decision after hearing how crazed Lady Faline had become. “I am going to create a diversion. You leave as soon as I do and head back to the keep. I dug my boots good into the earth as we walked. You should have no problem following the trail.”