Mortal (Book 3)

Epilogue

Erdi was horrified at what she saw.

A guard with blood on his axe rushed into the girls' room and told her to lock themselves in and not to come out until someone came for them, then ran off. Erdi did as she was told and tried to distract the terrified girls with lullabies in an attempt to cover up the screams from outside, but she knew they could still hear them. Hours later, Carth knocked on the door and asked her to come outside. She put the girls in their bed and stepped outside; Carth's clothes and boots were spattered with blood. That was why she hadn't wanted the girls to see her.
"There's no time to explain right now. Follow me." She asked, breathing heavily. Carth caught up to a young man carrying an unconscious woman in tattered clothes, covered in blood from head to toe. He carried the woman into the Queen's bedroom and laid her in the bathtub, and it was only then that Erdi realized it was the Queen herself.
"We'll get the healers as soon as we can, just... Do your best.. Please..." Carth begged her before tiredly stumbling out of the room, the young man slowly following before slumping on the floor in the hallway. As she fetched the water, she noticed several guards running in and out, tracking the floor with blood. She tried to ignore it, but felt tears welling in her eyes as she walked back to the Queen's room and poured the water in the tub. She wasn't sure how to remove the mangled dress, so she retrieved some scissors and cut it off. At first as she scrubbed the dried blood off of her skin it seemed like she was unharmed, save for a few cuts and scratches, but she began to realize that one side of her body, starting with her hand, was covered in pink markings, as if the blood had dyed her skin.
As she rinsed her hair out for the fifth time, she realized she had no way of moving the Queen out of the tub and into her bed. She carefully dressed her in a thin night dress, then shyly asked the man in the hallway to help her. He stood up slowly, exhausted from whatever horrible thing had occurred at the tournament. Once the Queen was tucked into bed, he sat back down on the floor near her bed, and simply stared at her. He didn't seem like one for talking at the moment, so Erdi pulled up a chair and waited next to the Queen's bed.
Finally, Priest Rorlund arrived, looking exhausted himself.
"Was she struck too?" He asked as he examined the markings on her arm, starting to swell.
"I didn't think so, but..." Carth trailed off.
"The burns, here, on her arm... Wait, is she pregnant?" He asked, urgency in his eyes. Carth nodded, and he pulled back the blanket and pressed a hand to her stomach. His eyebrows knitted together as he seemed to search for something, then sighed heavily.
"It's barely alive. I don't think it'll make it through the night." He said grimly.
"What about her?" The man sitting in the floor asked.
"Honestly? She'll be alright for now, but if she miscarries it might be too much for her." The priest explained. Everyone in the room stared at the Queen, their faces flat and grim. The priest sighed loudly. "Let her sleep for now. If she wakes up, keep her in bed no matter what. I'll have some potions for her later." He explained before quickly exiting the room, leaving those inside to decide what to do.