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After the queen summoned him, King Bastion paced in front of her private study. He detested being kept waiting but he didn't dare utter so much as a sigh of frustration. Queen Anasia did things in her own time. He adored his queen and respected her power, but did not dare end up on the wrong side of her temper.
After some time, the queen finally opened the door. "Come in, my love. I believe you will be pleased with what I have discovered."
King Bastion walked into the room and saw a heavily pregnant Muri assisting the queen; laying out an intricate tapestry on a table.
"Kasira here has been invaluable in my efforts, haven't you, my dear?"
Kasira kept her eyes firmly on the stone floor. "It is my pleasure to be of service to you, my queen." She whimpered, smoothing the tapestry and making sure it was centered before stepping back and waiting for further instructions.
"She has been a model of efficiency." The queen cooed, stroking Kasira's hair, her smile widening when the Muri shivered in fear. "You must be exhausted. I regret making someone in such a condition dash around on their feet all day. Please sit and rest yourself for a bit?" Anasia gestured to the table, ignoring Kasira's initial hesitation.
When she did as she was told, Kasira sat as still as stone. The queen touched her shoulder and she shrank away but relented into being pushed down to lay on her back.
"Relax, my dear." Queen Anasia rolled up Kasria's shirt to expose the brand. "This will only take a moment."
The king stepped forward to look closer at what Anasia was doing; watching her trace the edge of the brand with her long fingernails.
"Please," Kasira whimpered. "Don't hurt my baby."
"Gods, no!" The queen exclaimed, patting the slave on the hand. "I swear, no harm will come to your child."
When Kasira relaxed, Queen Anasia pressed her palm flat on the brand and closed her eyes. Words fell from her lips in a low hiss, tumbling too close to one another for the king to understand. The brand glowed for a moment then turned from blue to black, tendrils spreading out over Kasira's skin.
"What are you-" Kasira's words were cut short by a spine-tingling scream. The king winced but Anasia continued to chant. The Muri's back arched, blunt nails digging into the tapestry underneath her so hard, they separated from her fingers. The blackness spread over her skin, her horrid screams only ending when the shadow reached her throat. When her entire body was consumed, her body flaked into a pile of ash. The only thing left behind was her clothes and a screaming newborn smeared with grey streaks.
"Remarkable." King Bastion gasped, pinching some of the ashes and rubbing them between his gloved fingers. "This completely dissolved her!"
"Yes," Anasia picked up the baby and wiped his face clean with her handkerchief. "And you can see how precise this spell is. This little one is completely unharmed."
"You continue to amaze me, my sweet." He watched her clean the baby with as much care as their own children until he calmed and hiccuped, falling asleep.
"There is still the problem of needing to touch the intended target."
"I am confident you will find a way."
Smiling, Queen Anasia handed the tiny Muri to her husband. "Take this little one to be branded and leave him with the kitchen staff. I'm sure they will have whatever is necessary to care for him."
"Another excellent idea." The king inclined his head and took the clear dismissal; leaving the queen to her work.
-
PASHA PUT AWAY THE last of the dishes for the night while Ragio checked a third time to make sure the stove and oven were completely cold. Mica sat at their little table, waiting for them so they could all have their dinner now that the castle kitchens were closed for the night. Even the other slaves had their meals before the three of them could settle down.
"Gods, the fire is out. Come sit." Pasha said after the fifth time Ragio bent to make sure and set out clean bowls and spoons for all of them. "It's been a long day."
"Sorry," Ragio sighed and took the heavy pot from the stove. "I keep wondering if the lost one found his home."
Pasha nodded, understanding the code. It had been weeks since they sent their message to Grey City and he was beginning to think it had been intercepted. 'Or perhaps no answer is the answer.'
Ragio served them some soup that was the thinnest part of the broth left over after everyone else in the castle had eaten. Luckily, Pasha always saved some of his freshly baked bread to fill their bellies.
They ate in relative silence until they were interrupted by the king's personal servant slinking into the kitchens with a baby in his arms. "The king has sent you this." He said, offering the whimpering bundle to whoever would take it. "For you take care of."
Pasha stood and claimed him, the telltale scent of burnt flesh clinging to the wrappings. "What happened to the mother?"
Eyes darting back and forth, the human servant leaned close to Pasha's ear. "She was called to assist the queen with her work. I heard her screaming. She has not been seen since." He ran from the room before anyone could ask any questions.
"Do we have anything for a child this young?" Pasha came back to the table.
"I'm sure there's some milk left we can spare." Ragio went to get the pitcher and offered to take the child, gently using her finger to let the baby suck drops gently from her skin.
"Should we tell someone?" Mica was not the best at subterfuge but he did the best he could.
"What would we tell them?" Ragio looked down at the hungry baby making annoyed noises that her finger was not as efficient as his mother's breast would have been. "We will have to find out his mother's name."
"It was Kasira." Mica said around a mouthful of bread. "I heard her talking to the palace healers that she was ready to pop any day now."
"Then we'll call him Kasir." Dipping her finger in the cool milk, Ragio kissed the boy on the forehead. "So your mother will be remembered."
The rest of the meal was somber with nothing but the sounds of them eating and the baby's gentle coos. Even when the last dishes were done and they trudged exhausted to their room and took turns bathing before bed.
Mica was out the moment his head hit the mat but Pasha and Ragio found an old basket and enough blankets to keep the infant warm in the chilly bedroom.
"Do we dare try to send another message?" Pasha whispered to Ragio as they held each other tightly in the near dark, only the dim light from a brazier in the far corner allowing them to see the general outline of the few possessions they were allowed. Their cot was narrow but Ragio’s slim frame easily fit beside Pasha when he pulled her close to his larger body.
"Only if we have more information." Ragio hugged him tighter the squeezed her eyes shut. "For now, we should just sleep."
-
WHEN THE DAWN BROKE, Pasha was already up, hoping to let Ragio and Mica sneak a precious few more minutes before beginning their long day but Kasir had other ideas, crying to be fed. Mica was quick on his feet so he went to the head servants to collect the meal orders for the day; reaching the king, his children in the nursery, the guard barracks, housekeeping (who would know of any guests), then the slave quarters for a head count for their meals all in under an hour. The king had a large castle but kept the staff minimal to keep them busy and lower the risk of assassins.
Once Mica returned with the orders, Ragio and himself would get started preparing all the ingredients for the day; spending hours on their feet in the hot kitchen. If they could sneak in a few more minutes of sleep now, it would help get them through all that work but that wouldn’t happen today.
Right when he dried his face, Pasha heard a tapping at the window. He turned to see the hawk in the empty stone frame with a small message tied to its leg.
Pasha looked around, even though he knew nobody would bother coming into a slave's quarters it didn't hurt to be sure. He removed the message and gave the bird a scratch on the head before it flew away.
"The message finally came?" Ragio yawned and patted the baby cuddled to her chest. "What does it say?"
"It looks like they're working on some magic books they found in Grey City." Pasha reread the note, his ears flicking in confusion. "What magic could be in an abandoned city?"
"There must be something," Ragio gave a big stretch and went to wash her face and rinse out her mouth. "No one would dare risk sending nonsense."
"Very true." Pasha tore up the note into the smallest bits he could and tossed them into the brazier to burn. The smoldering coals devoured the paper before he could turn his back. "We will have to have hope and keep our ears open for anything else we can tell them."