He kissed her cheek and then left and she sighed, dragging the ridiculous train along behind her. She had managed to get down the stairs to the twins rooms and smiled at the low sound of murmurs.
The door swung open and only one seemed to notice her. Versalis looked up and had gone still, the others were still talking quietly, the twins and Epharis looking angry. She was pondering how she was going to fit the bulky dress through the doorway, unsure of her ability to get it through without help.
"You really shouldn't pout so much, you'll turn grey," she said and three heads snapped up, taking her in.
They were on her in an instant, dragging her into the room with ecstatic voices.
Their hugs were tight, the jibes against her attire half hearted. There was no denying she looked magnificent in that dress, even if it was massive.
"I only have a day," she said once they had all calmed down. Her eyes had settled on Epharis, the only one who had not hugged her.
Instead she went to him, her hands gentle as she drew him down into a prolonged kiss.
His arms went around her and she sighed at the warmth of him against her.
They didn't linger very long, Versalis had stopped at the first realisation of her ears.
"Who did they force you to marry?" he demanded and Epharis let her go as though she had hit him.
She didn't respond, too busy missing Epharis's touch.
"Etani!" Kai shouted.
Jerking her eyes from Epharis, she looked around at the three vampires.
"What?" she frowned at their looks of concern.
"Your ears," Versalis pointed out and she flushed, dropping her eyes.
"The Winter Queen Tatialia in her great wisdom, has decided to join the drow to the Winter court though my and Drizdan's marriage," her voice was flat, empty and void of emotion. The silence in the room was absolute as the vampires first took in the news and then connected to her history with the drow.
No one moved, Etani's face set in an expression of blank distance.
"No…" Kai whispered, horrified.
"How can they do that!?" Jaia exploded, grabbing her arms and pulling her forward but he had nowhere to take her, no way to protect her.
"Winter is absolute," Versalis said and his were the only eyes that did not show pity, his were calculating.
"What of our marriage?" Epharis said and they all drew back from the lich's fury.
His arms licked with green fire and they all knew to get back from him while they had the chance, pulling her along behind them.
"I do not know, I would have to think on it. It's possible that Etani would be married to you here, and to him in Faerie. Or it's possible that her marriage to Drizdan is nulled because she was already married. You will need to tell me more of your laws Epharis," Versalis was calm, far too calm for her liking and she shivered.
"Why is he so obsessed?" Kai demanded, looking unreasonably angry compared to the others.
"I asked him that. He says he wants a strong queen when he wipes out his family to take the drow Throne."
For a moment there was silence and then Versalis barked out a laugh that made them jump.
"Well, if nothing else, the man has dreams."
***
After they had managed to get Epharis to calm down, his arms had found her and he held her to him like a vice, no one willing to discuss what was being done to her, or the implications on their lives.
Finally when everyone was calm enough to think, Etani had wriggled the bag out from where it had been crushed between her and Epharis, handing it over to Kai.
"I found this, easily I might add. It's my family lineage and the whole thing was just too perfect, too easy. It's convenient."
Her eyes met Jaia's and they knew it had been planted for her to find, but the question was why.
"A name, a species, a single female child."
Epharis was looking over her shoulder at the parchment and frowned.
"It was a girl?" he whispered and she immediately shut the idea down.
She didn't want to think about that, instead she watched Kai, his eyes trailing from the top to the bottom and then freezing.
"Epharis is on here," he said, frowning.
She blinked and forcing Epharis to let go of her, she circled around to see what Kai saw.
"That said Drizdan in Winter…" she breathed, looking up at Epharis and then down at her left hand. The dark band had returned.
"Who are Kailee and Lorelle?" Kai asked slowly, his eyes sliding down and to the right, the two names linking up between her and no one.
She remained silent, looking down at the two names. She had thought they would disappear with the loss of Drizdan, but no, they were still there.
"Etani, who are they?" Kai asked again, all eyes turning to her.
She shook her head slightly and when Epharis snatched the paper, he stared down at the names and then up at her.
His eyes burned as his eyes dropped from her face to her stomach.
She was pregnant with Drizdan's offspring.
Epharis had started towards her once it clicked in his brain what the names meant and she had immediately started to back away from him.
"I've been taking care of it, every time. It's not possible," she gasped, shrinking back from the furious lich.
Kai looked green at the realisation that she had been forced to terminate them more than once on her own. Jaia's eyes closed as he processed the information but Versalis had stood, prepared to stop Epharis if the need arose.
"Etani..." Jaia said in a devastated voice. "We can't let her go back to that monster. She can't do this forever. We have to do something..."
"The law is clear," Versalis whispered, sounding disgusted. "He has a right to her body, just as Epharis has."
Jaia looked appalled while Kai looked close to vomiting. There was nothing they could do to protect her from either of her husbands.
Her back found the wall, her eyes on Epharis as he approached.
"I know exactly what to do," he said, his voice that calm that told her he had moved past fury and gone to that special level of anger where people died and things burned.
Versalis only lasted a second, dropped by the lich when the vampire made to stop him and she was left, the twins knowing full well they were just as helpless.
"Don't hurt me…" she pleaded, her eyes wide and terrified as he pressed closer, stopping only an inch from her.
"You are mine. Your body is mine," he hissed and he moved, his forearm pressed to her throat.
Gasping, she gripped his wrist and tried to pry him off her, tried to squirm but she was tired, weak and scared.
His hand found her stomach and she whimpered at the realisation that she couldn't protect herself, couldn't protect her children, she couldn't do anything.
Her eyes slid shut as green fire lit up his hand and her skin sizzled, her dress burnt away and then she was falling.
He turned away and Kai looked down to the map.
"Gone…" he said gently, horrified by what he had witnessed.
Curling herself into a ball, her body burned, the smell of burnt skin and clothing filling the room.
***
"How could you?" Versalis breathed, moving to her side and pulling her into his arms.
Looking up at him, an idea started to bloom in her even as Epharis stalked across the room to parchment to check for himself.
"It had to be done," Epharis said, but now that his anger had faded, he looked distressed.
Jaia was watching her and Versalis, he saw as she leant up to whisper in his ear.
"Help me…" she breathed and his jaw set, not looking down but he gave an almost imperceptible nod. Her eyes met Jaia's and he did the same.
Her eyes slid shut and she buried her face in Versalis's chest, his arms tight and protective.
Kai had noticed a change between the three in the room and when Epharis stalked from the room to calm down, they moved.
They all knew he wasn't going to let her leave without him and he would be hunted down by Alaric.
Jaia pulled her to her feet, tossing his jacket over her ruined dress. Versalis leapt to his feet, sweeping from the room.
"We're taking Etani," Jaia said and Kai nodded, not questioning a thing.
Setting up a drip in her arm, she pumped the little ball carefully and withdrew as much blood as they had time for, combined with what had been stored, if he was careful, he would have six months.
Kai was to remain behind to keep Alaric and Epharis happy.
As soon as Versalis returned, she lifted her finger to her mouth and bit into the tip.
The vampires had never seen it before, but they needed to get out now, they were running out of time.
Drawing the line in the air, she pressed the veil forward and smiled at the hint of forest. She had wanted Ceress and that was what she got.
The two vampires went first while she paused, staring anxiously at Kai.
"I love you Kai, I'll keep him safe," she promised and he nodded, looking scared.
Sweeping through the door, she pulled it shut behind her and left Kai to deal with the backlash.
Stepping into Ceress, she glanced at the two vampires who had gone still, panting at the change in their world. She stood between them, her arms wrapped around herself as she gave them the time they needed to adjust.
"Don't get too used to it. We won't be staying long."
The two turned to her, both set of eyes almost immediately lifting to the enormous spiral city behind her.
"Welcome to Ceress, the home of the Celestrials and the fourth court of Faerie."
Versalis's mouth was hanging open, but Jaia was looking at her now, his eyes huge.
"You opened a gateway to Faerie? You can open a gateway between the worlds?" he almost choked when she nodded and he shook his head. "What are you?" he whispered but she ignored him, moving to check on Versalis, who looked a little shell shocked.
Patting his cheek softly, he blinked rapidly and looked down at her, taking a long time to finally be able to focus.
"Come on, the longer we stay, the harder it will be to leave," she said, taking his hand and pulling him along to Jaia who took her free hand.
After she was sure she had them both coming with her, she pulled them on and they skirted the border, finally walking free of the trees when she was pulled up short.
The forests of Ceress stopped rather suddenly, the same as the forests of Winter and of Summer. It was unnerving to see, as the ground didn't change gradually, one step there was grass and fallen leaves, the next there was snow in a perfect line.
The two men had frozen at the impossible sight, though Jaia had stopped at the sunlight that was no longer being held back by the thick canopy of leaves.
Turning to the two men, she tilted her head and considered them and their options.
"There is a place we can go, it's private and empty, or at least it was last time I was there," she wanted to keep them moving, nervous about the possibility of their being found out. The hunt never came into Ceress but with them standing so close to the border, they might risk coming over for them.