Spider's Game ((Book One) #Wattys2016 Winner!)

Chapter 13- Love

The sun shone over the Cortanis estate, dispelling all traces of shadows. Berrick approached this vision slowly, afraid his presence would cause the peace to crumble. He wanted to believe in the tranquil picture before his eyes, but he could still feel the spiders' touch on him. Even though they were gone, he feared the webs they left behind.

For this reason, he approached the house of his old friend with both trepidation and joy. Marim, his precious child, was safe inside the mansion. That alone was worth the sharp ache in his leg and the knowledge that somewhere out there, he had unleashed horror on someone else.

I protected my family. Let others worry about their family, I'm done with that life. Never got me anywhere.

Encased in this world of sunshine where no shadow lurked, she was safe from monsters. He wouldn't watch her lowered into worm ridden soil. She was all that mattered now, not law, not tradition... nothing.

Across the grass, Marim dashed. As if to drive even the murky doubts, Berrick tried to hold at bay her smile blazed. Even from a great distance, she was marked by her hair which caught the sunshine and cradled the glow close. She ran with the freedom and carelessness of childhood but a new grace flowed in her movements.

The vision of her in the sunlight, so like and so unalike, her mother stopped Berrick entirely. He simply watched her move. He could almost see Polly and Petyr carved in the beams encasing her.

His joy was short-lived. As soon as Marim stopped in front of him, her face glowing and coated in sunshine, he realized. Perhaps, it was something to do with the flickering shadows that played over her, but on nothing else. Or her hand which hovered unconsciously where it never had before.

Berrick knew without a doubt and with no proof that Marim was with child.

"Hello, Father," Marim said. Her voice was liquid sunshine, and it rolled off of him.

Questions formed on his lips, alongside accusations of hate for the cursed spiders. It took all his strength not to ask her. Not to demand if the suspected pregnancy was, in fact, true. Not to ask if the father was the spider. She didn't know. Could not have been so happy if she had known. She would be ashamed as any girl of good family would be found in her condition out of wedlock. She would doubt her reception even with him. He did not want to shatter what little peace she had left. For there could be no hurried marriage, no covering this up.

The father had left the world already, and even had he been present and willingly asked for her, Berrick would not have let Marim wed Halis.

I could take care of it. The herbs aren't hard to come by. Marim never even has to know. The weight of infanticide was one she wouldn't have to bear, he would carry it for her. This he was certain was an act Polly would never forgive him for, the killing of an infant. He would take her blame. She'd made her choices in spite of him.

"Father?" Marim cocked her head. "Are you all right?"

"Yes." He reached out and caressed her cheek.

"You were gone so long."

"It's over now."

"They're free then," Marim said. "Come inside."

Berrick followed her with leaden footsteps. How much did she remember of that night?

"Please, speak to the count. Darith," she looked back over her shoulder at the word. Her face suffused with love, "should see you as well. He'll want to know how your travels went."

"Will he know already?"

"As I do? Bits and pieces only." She turned and brushed her lips over his cheek. "It is alright, Father. Memories fade and grow soft with time. Soon they'll be far away, and we can all forget them."