Page 58 of Dead Crown
The woman squinted at him. “King Tivar had him in here? I clean upstairs, and I heard of no such thing.”
“Tivar felt sorry for him and had him brought in to recover. A physician’s been coming for him, and I’m a friend of Tivar, so I helped a bit. We didn't want servants around in case he woke up and was distraught. Too many people could be a bit much. Now, Jacqueline?”
“Um, she’s sleeping next to my girl, Sab.”
As soon as Lydia moved aside, Lumi finally entered. Two little baskets sat on the floor by the bed. One baby had orange skin like her Mother, and the other was Jacqueline.
Lumi burst into tears as he practically fell to his knees by the baskets. She was all right. He gathered her in his arms as he tried to stop crying.
“Jacqueline…I got you.”
Jaki was saying something to Lydia, but he didn’t hear it. Jacqueline shifted a bit in her swaddling and yawned with her little rosebud mouth. Apparently, none of the noise bothered her.
“She cried a lot and must have missed her Father,” Lydia was saying. “It took a while to get her to sleep. I’d freak out too if Iwoke up and my daughter wasn’t nearby. Some of these beggars are getting terrible if they’ll attack a man with a baby.”
Lumi managed to stand with his baby, and Jaki led him into the hall. “Thank you for watching her. Sorry to bother you.”
Lumi stared down at her. What was he supposed to do when Tivar came back? Or was he dead?
“Is Tivar dead?” he whispered in a low voice once the door shut.
Jaki’s face tightened. “I wish. Come on. You got her?” He scooped up Lumi. “I’ll spare you the stairs. This is your first baby, right?”
“Yeah.”
“I figured.”
“He didn't want a girl, and he was angry I didn’t give him a son.”
“I’m guessing he planned to coronate a boy in secret so he can rule and unite Iceland?”
“Yes.”
It was better if Jaki thought it was Tivar’s and not his since brothers shouldn’t have kids together. They also shouldn’t lust after each other or fuck, but they hadn’t seemed to be able to help that. Lumi didn’t feel any lust now. All he wanted to do was hold his daughter and sleep. Everything hurt so bad, and he could still feel something on his face like dried blood.
It was almost unreal when Jaki set him on the couch in the sitting room. “Look at my finger and follow it. I’m not sure if this works properly or not…” Lumi followed his finger as it moved. “Do you feel like you’ll throw up?”
“No…”
“I guess you're damn lucky. Your pupils are the same size too.”
Lumi had read somewhere that humans were more susceptible to head injuries or even death after a knock to theskull unlike fairies, although he didn’t know why. He couldn’t say he feltwell, that was for sure.
“He’s gone to the whorehouse,” Jaki continued. “Do you know if he’ll stay late?”
On the nights Lumi assumed he had gone there, he never returned until quite late. “Yeah, probably closer to three or four. Maybe even five. He’ll be smashed on drink.”
“We’ll be gone by then.”
Lumi hunched over his child. “I can’t. I have to stay.”
“No-”
“He said if I didn't come back when I went to the Ice Court, he’d find me, and he’d punish me. I’m not allowed to leave.” The punishment would be far worse than anything he’d ever felt. Tivar had promised it. Even remembering the words brought a slight panicky feeling to his chest.
“If you stay, you can’t keep your daughter,” Jaki said slowly. “It’s not safe here for either of you. I can keep you safe at the Ice Court.”
Or was it just temporary safety? Tivar had said he’d rip the realm apart, and Lumi would wish he’d never been born once he was caught. All of his previous survival methods had been to obey for the most part, do as he was told, and be eager for the sex.
