The Caged Bird

35. By Any Other Name

"Vayn is missing!"

August had called for Madame Fawst to be brought a strong drink and sent her to bed, hoping that she might be able to sleep with liquor in her stomach. She had cried as he led her gently to her room and laid her down on her bed. She had apologized profusely, not aware of the consequences of hiding Vayn's departure. He had assured her that he would find Vayn but truly he was unsure that he would ever see the woman again. There were only two explanations for her disappearance that he could believe. Either she had been kidnapped and killed by Devroe...or she had helped him escape. He returned to his chambers with his heart heavy. It was not inconceivable that he had been betrayed by Vayn. He knew she was a strong and willful woman and that she felt slighted by his treatment of her and his preference for Lark. But he was still surprised that she would go to such great lengths to get her revenge. It occurred to him that she would benefit greatly from Devroe's support if she did assist him. Despite his lack of power he was still of the nobility and had connections and wealth that might be able to keep him hidden. She would be rewarded generously for her help and Devroe was likely to keep her close in the aftermath as he recovered from his imprisonment. She would have no qualms with bringing him women to feed on and would not mourn their inevitable deaths. Devroe was still young and did not think it necessary to keep his prey alive. Or perhaps he did not have the finesse and skill necessary to restrain himself. There was a taboo surrounding the practice of killing humans to feed. It simply wasn't necessary. But Devroe would now be forced underground and out of the sphere of polite society. He would not be bound by the rules and laws of the Council if he was never captured. August gritted his teeth in frustration. Devroe would be captured. August would make sure of it.

The sun was rising in the East and forced August to withdraw to his chambers where his beloved Lark still slept peacefully. His mind reeled with the new developments taking place right under his watchful eye. One guard had been killed, his prisoner had escaped, and a woman of his harem had vanished. He realized that after the wedding the only way to protect Lark would be to take her somewhere safer. They could bring a small group of servants to one of his small estates deeper in the mountain after the wedding and hide until the danger had passed. They could disguise it as a honeymoon. People might talk but rumors could be dismissed easily. As the sun rose he slipped into a fitful sleep and soon after Lark awoke, relieved to find him still beside her. Sara came to help her dress, style her hair, and to join her for breakfast. They spoke mostly about Bernard, which seemed to be the only subject Sara could focus on nowadays. Lark played along happily. Seeing her friend so happy was a gift. Sara's parents had adjusted well to life in the castle and had been granted their own plot in the garden to grow food and flowers to sell in the market. Her mother had cultivated a beautiful cascade of jasmine on an arch built by her husband and Sara often saw them lingering among the plants laughing. They hadn't been so carefree in many years. They had even considered abandoning their plans to reclaim their farm from the son who had quickly destroyed most of the infrastructure they had laid over the past decades. August had promised that he would arrange to have it seized but that had been put on hold while the wedding was approaching. Soon they would have the choice to return. But the comfort and safety they felt within the high stone walls of the castle were hard to compete with. They had hoped to leave the farm to Sara once it was in their possession again. Sara spoke of how she dreamed of a future on the farm with Bernard, raising livestock and building him his own library in the dilapidated and misused barn. The thought of them sweeping dust and cobwebs from the crumbling structure and reviving it with loving intentions was peaceful and picturesque. Lark could imagine them dancing in between the shafts of light coming in through high barn windows surrounded by towers of leather bound books and glowing candlelight. She wished for nothing but the best for her handmaid who had become so much more. She was now her closest friend. They spent the afternoon talking, embroidering, and laughing. Close to sundown Lark finally got up the courage to tell her of her pregnancy.