Page 96 of Dark's Savior

"May I take a look?" the oracle suggested, rising from her seat.

"Yes, let her look," Sarah replied. "She can evaluate you."

Aly started to protest. "I'm sure it's just nerves," she said, eyeing the bot nervously.

The oracle stepped over carefully and knelt down beside her. She placed her hand on Aly's stomach and her hand lit up blue.

"Analyzing," she said. Aly thought to pull away, but before she could make up her mind whether to do so, the oracle had already finished. "Done." Her hand dimmed. "Vitals are normal, no serious injury." The oracle stood up. "A healthy system undergoing its first growth cycle."

Aly looked up at the bot with a frown. "What does that mean?"

"I can give you liquid doxin for the pain," she merely said.

"Doxin?" Sarah's eyebrows rose. "Funny, that's what they gave me during my pregnancy." She looked over at Aly with a curious glance. "So, who—?"

"I'm not pregnant. That's not possible," Aly breathed. She shot up and backed away. "It’s just nerves. The oracle is wrong."

"Aly, wait," Sarah called.

But Aly only shook her head, her body growing hot, sweat beginning to drip down her neck and back. She turned from them and hurried away. "That's not possible," she whispered, afraid she might pass out. "Not possible."

***

She sat alone in some corner of the house, trying to keep herself together, trying to not believe a word the oracle said, trying not to realize that, because of everything that was happening around her, she hadn't noticed she was more than a week late. No, she refused to believe. Because if it were somehow true, Korzien would find out, and he would likely kill her. She didn't believe for a minute he would care or even think about the fact that the baby would be his brother's. She didn't believe he cared for his brother at all; she believed that for a while now. Not once had he mentioned him, not once.

Taking deep breaths, Aly steadied herself, walking one step at a time back toward her room, trying not to have a panic attack.

Before she could reach for her bedroom door, a servant came out of nowhere and told her to follow them. Aly didn't need to ask where they were going. She could already guess.

When they got to the door leading to Korzien's private rooms, the servant knocked then entered, bowing before the nillium prince, who sat at his table by the window. Aly stopped just inside the room and froze, the heat dropping from her body, sweat turning to ice.

"You may go." Korzien waved the servant away without a glance as he flipped through Aly's sketchbook. "Come closer, girl. Come sit down."

Aly didn't move until Korzien's eyes shot up at her with a warning glance. Then she immediately made her way over and sat at a chair beside him. She stared in petrified silence as he shifted through the pages of her sketchbook, through the drawings of Ryziel, stopping to study each one with interest.

"These are very good," he said, without an air of sarcasm. "You have a unique eye, don’t you? I confess, when the servant handed me the book and said it was full of drawings, I assumed they would be...well...a little different. More a look at your true feelings than any actual show of skill. And these," his fingers traced over one portrait of Ryziel, with his face turned as if gazing over something in the distance, "well...I think you've captured me rather well. Though having me half naked is a rather curious choice."

Aly sat, stunned speechless. Here she thought she was going to have to make up some well-placed lie as to why she had these portraits of his brother, praying he would believe her, when instead, he didn't see Ryziel at all but saw himself. The drawings weren't colored, though she did shade some parts, but she had to wonder how he couldn't be at least a little suspicious, especially when seeing the picture of Ryziel lying in bed. Surely, that would make him wonder.

But as she carefully observed him, she could see he wasn't toying with her nor was he just incredibly stupid or clueless. No, as she stared at him, she knew it was his narcissism, his bloated ego, that kept him from truly seeing and understanding. He honestly thought she had been sketching him all these days, and he was pleased to see it.

He tore a few of the drawings out of her book and held them up. "I like these the most. I'm going to keep them. I don't think you mind. After all, you made them for me, didn't you?" He smiled at her, and Aly, though pained, smiled back and nodded. He set the pictures down and looked her over. "This truly pleases me. I am glad that, despite your grievances, you are still so honestly drawn to me." He grinned at her, with an amused sort of look, hand splayed across the several pictures he had ripped out. "And I encourage you to make more. In fact, I think I know just the job for you." He handed her back her sketchbook, and Aly took it happily. "I think I will commission you to make a portrait of me. An actual finished one, in color. This will give you something to do other than mope about, and I will be proud to show it off." He glanced away from her to gaze about the room, as if thinking. "Yes, you can call it a gift for me. You can even present it to me on First Night before our joining. The others will be jealous, I am sure. The other girls have shown little talent in such things." He turned back to her and she made sure to keep her face expressionless, if not at least somewhat compliant. She would take this opportunity gratefully. Better this than the thought of what he might do if he had realized it was only his brother she thought of.

"Lovely. Now go on. First Night approaches, and I would have this portrait by then or be very... displeased." He waved her away and Aly rose. Clutching her sketchbook tight to her, she glanced back briefly at the drawings of Ryziel on the table then left without a word.

***

By the next morning, she had everything she needed to make Korzien's portrait, except Korzien himself. A large blank canvas stood in the center of a near empty room, with tables pushed back and a stool for her to sit at, with large windows all across the room to give her enough proper light to work by. Paints sat on a small table, along with brushes made from odd hairs and a slim ink-tipped tool that she assumed was meant for outlining. The room was located not far from Korzien's usual sitting area, likely so he could come in and check her progress when the need struck him.

Yes, she had everything she needed, but an artist could only be so accurate in her own mind, with nothing more to go by. She went to him, asking if he would sit in so she could use his image for the painting, but he only waved her off.

"Just use one of the sketches you made in your book," he said. "That should be enough. Nihl knows I don't care to waste time sitting there like a statue all day."

When she didn't move, he made it clear she was dismissed and to figure it out herself. "I am confident you can make it without me."

Hate stirring in her chest, she went back to the room and reluctantly used one of her portraits of Ryziel to sketch out Korzien's face.

It took her the better part of the day to do just that, mainly because she took several breaks, one to get sick again (this time in a decorative vase, sorry to whoever had to find it) and another to calm her nerves as best she could before she settled right into a screaming panic.

---