A Servant Lost (Alys Book #1)

Chapter 23

When Alys awoke in the middle of the night, the room was quiet and only a single candle was burning on a dresser.

Aldyth sat in a chair by the covered up window to Alys' left, and Dastrehan sat in a chair to her right. He was slumped over with his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands.

Too weak to speak yet, Alys reached up a hand and brushed it against the side of his arm. Dastrehan immediately straightened up and looked at her.

"Aldyth, she's awake."

He took the hand she had reached out to him in his own and squeezed it.

"You're awake."

Alys nodded slightly. Dastrehan brought her hand up to his mouth and placed a hard kiss on it.

Aldyth came over from her seat and pressed the back of her hand to Alys' head.

"She's not as warm." Aldyth commented, "How do you feel?"

Alys' eyelids felt heavy, but she managed to mumble, "tired."

Her entire body felt heavy and her throat burned.

"You've had a long night," Aldyth said softly, wiping away stray curls that were on Alys' face, "We almost lost you several times."

Alys did not remember those parts, but she did remember the vomiting, the tossing and turning, the pain.

She remembered the labour pains and suddenly she was trying to sit up.

"Where's my baby?" she asked Aldyth, who was gently pushing down on her shoulder to keep her from sitting up.

Aldyth only shushed her, so Alys looked to the king.

"Dastrehan?"

His face looked broken in so many ways, but Alys could not attach meaning to his expression. Was it concern for her that made him look that way? Was he worried that she wasn't out of the clear?

He shook his head, unable to answer her; all he could do was squeeze her hand harder.

Alys felt her body start to go cold. Why could he not speak to her? Why was Aldyth shushing her.

"Aldyth, what's going on? Where's my baby?"

Alys' voice was weak, but there was an urgency in it that demanded the healer answer her.

The older woman looked at her evenly as if she were trying to decide whether to answer Alys.

"Please." Alys whispered.

"Alys," Aldyth sighed and seemed to give in, but she still had her regular matter-of-fact tone that Alys was used to, "We barely kept you alive. I still don't know why you didn't die. But the poison made it to your baby. By the time you delivered, there was nothing we could do."

Alys stared at Aldyth, not able to comprehend what she had just heard.

Aldyth had her hands clasped and under her chin, but she kept Alys' gaze.

"My baby is sick?" Alys asked slowly, forcing the words out with energy she did not know that she had.

Aldyth shook her head, her eyes shadows of the usual strength they held.

"No, my dear. She passed."

The entire world seemed to crash down on Alys with the healer's last two words. Alys looked up at the fabrics of the bed canopy and let the temporary numbness of the shock set in.

My baby is dead.

My baby is dead?

No, that cannot be right.