Chapter 787: A Desperate Gamble (Part One)
On the highest floor of the fortified manor, Samira glanced out the window again and shuddered in dread at the sight of the giant demons as they slammed their battering ram into the gates again.
A strange, deep trumpeting sound had woken her from her fitful sleep, only for Sir Cathal to burst into her room a few minutes later as the sound of a ringing bell began to fill the air.
"Bar your door, Lady Ashlynn," he said. "Demons are coming. We’ll do our best to hold them off, but you may need to protect yourself..." That was all he’d said before he rushed out of the manor, pulling on his armor as he ran and shouting orders for the soldiers in the manor to follow him to the walls.
When Samira saw the strange demons from her window, she’d nearly fainted on the spot but she stubbornly clung to the windowsill until the feeling passed and she was able to think again.
Time was the most precious thing right now and she didn’t have very much of it to waste. Moving as quickly as she could with her heavy, cumbersome belly, she stripped off her night dress and replaced it with one of the warmest dresses in her wardrobe.
In the beginning, when she’d just arrived at the Summer Villa, she’d worn many of Lady Ashlynn’s old clothes as they were of a similar size and shape. As the months wore on and the child in her belly grew, however, she had set Ashlynn’s old things aside in favor of looser fitting dresses that could accommodate her growth.
Owain hadn’t visited the Summer Villa since he returned from Blackwell County, but his Steward, Sir Hugo, had sent several thoughtful packages to her that he claimed were gifts from Owain. Only Samira knew that the fine silk dresses and the warm fur cloaks that she was pulling on would never have been chosen by Lord Owain for her...
After all, these were clothes befitting a noblewoman of Lady Ashlynn’s stature, the daughter of a count and wife of the next Marquis and Owain would never waste more money on his plaything imposter than he had to.
Once she was dressed and had a spare fur cloak and warm dress tucked under her arms, Samira collected a lantern and slipped out of her luxurious chambers, heading to the narrow servant’s stairs at the back of the hall.
-HAAAAARRUUUUUUMMMM-
The sounds of battle outside had grown fiercer, and the strange trumpeting sounded even louder, echoing over the cracking of wood and shouted orders of men moving atop the curtain wall. Her heart hammered in her chest, urging her to take the steps two at a time, but she fought back against the urge, moving slowly and carefully as she all but waddled down the steps.