The morning came with no warmth for the palace. Clouds hung heavy and gray, and the air seemed to carry the weight of something unspoken. In the servants' quarters, whispers had already begun to circulate, someone had been caught sneaking out in the night.
Vanya's guards dragged trembling Elira into the courtyard, her small body dwarfed by the soldiers on either side. Her eyes darted wildly, searching for escape that didn't exist. Fear quivered in her bones as she was flung to the ground before the Luna.
Vanya stood there with her arms folded, her beauty marred by the sharpness of cruelty in her smile. She looked down at Elira the way one might look at a worm.
"You thought I wouldn't know?" Vanya said coldly, her voice carrying through the courtyard. "You thought you could sneak water to the traitor and no one would see?"
Elira clutched at the dirt, bowing her head. "Please, my Luna, she's—she's with child. She'll die without—"
The back of Vanya's hand landed across Elira's face, silencing her. Blood welled on her lip as her head snapped to the side.
"You dare lecture me?" Vanya's eyes glittered. She turned to the guards. "Teach her what it means to disobey me."
The guards didn't hesitate. Their boots and fists rained down, striking Elira's ribs, her back, her arms. She cried out, curling into herself, but the blows kept coming until her body was nothing but a trembling heap in the dirt.
"Enough."
At Vanya's word the guards stepped back, leaving Elira gasping, her breath ragged, blood staining her dress.
Vanya crouched beside her, her voice low and venomous. "Next time I catch you giving that traitor food or water, I will not hesitate to kill you. Do you understand?"
Elira nodded weakly, tears streaming down her battered face.
"Good." Vanya stood, smoothing her gown as if nothing had happened. "Now crawl back to your chamber. You look pathetic."
The guards laughed as Elira dragged herself across the stones, her limbs trembling, her breath whistling through broken ribs. Every inch of her crawl was agony, but she said nothing. She only moved, inch by inch, until she disappeared into the servant halls.
***
The day stretched into afternoon, and once again the pack gathered in the courtyard. Liora still hung from the old tree, her swollen belly making her posture awkward and painful. The ropes dug deeper into her skin, rubbing it raw. Her face was streaked with dried egg and tears, her hair stiff with filth.
Vanya walked once more, her presence commanding silence.
"Yesterday," she announced, "the children were given the honor of punishing a deceiver. Today, I will show you what happens when a false Luna thinks she can outlast her betters."
Her hand moved, and one of the guards stepped forward, offering her a small case. Vanya opened it slowly, deliberately, and pulled out a razor. Its edge glinted wickedly in the sunlight.
Liora's breath hitched. Her body stiffened, a primal fear coiling in her chest.
"No…" she whispered hoarsely, her voice breaking. "No…please…"
"Yes," Vanya answered with relish. She walked toward Liora, the razor dancing in her hand like a toy.
The first cut was across Liora's arm. Shallow, precise, but enough to sting and send a thin line of blood trickling down her skin. Liora screamed, the sound echoing against the stone walls.
The second slash went across her thigh.
The third, her back.
Each movement of the razor was deliberate, each cut deep enough to cause agony but not enough to kill. Vanya painted her body with wounds, slicing across her skin as if she were carving her hatred into flesh.
Liora's cries grew hoarse, her throat raw from screaming. Blood mingled with the remnants of egg, dripping down her body, staining her torn gown until it clung wetly to her skin.
"Please!" she begged, tears streaming down her face. "Please, stop! My baby…"
Her words broke into another scream as Vanya pressed the razor against her stomach, dragging it lightly just enough to leave a burning line without piercing too deeply.
The onlookers laughed, some jeered, others turned away in discomfort. But none dared intervene.
And then it happened.
A sudden cramp ripped through Liora's abdomen, fierce and terrifying. A gush of warmth spread between her legs, and she looked down in horror to see blood running down her thighs, mixing with the cuts and bruises.
"No…" she sobbed, panic rising like a wave. "No, please, not my baby!"
Her cries grew frantic as the pain deepened, sharp and relentless. She could feel it, something was wrong, terribly wrong.
Vanya only smirked, leaning close to whisper in her ear. "Perhaps the Moon Goddess takes back what was never yours."
Her words were poison, dripping into Liora's breaking heart.
The crowd laughed, some clapped mockingly, while Liora writhed in terror.
"Enough for today," Vanya declared finally, tossing the bloodied razor aside as if bored. "Leave her there to bleed. Perhaps she'll learn humility."
She turned and walked away, her laughter trailing behind her. The guards followed, the spectators dispersed, and soon the courtyard was empty once more.
***
The courtyard was silent, save for the soft moans escaping Liora's lips. Her body was a canvas of cuts, bruises, and filth. Her belly cramped with each passing hour, pain stabbing so deeply she feared the baby inside her was slipping away.
She clung to the ropes, too weak to hold herself upright, her chin sagging against her chest. Her tears had dried, leaving salty tracks on her cheeks, but her sobs still came, shallow and broken.
"Elira…" she whispered, her voice cracking. "Please… please, come."
Her ears strained for the soft footsteps, the rustle of cloth, the small kindness that had become her only lifeline. But the night remained still.
"Elira…"
No answer.
The hours dragged on. The moon climbed high, its pale light falling over her battered form, illuminating the crusted blood, the torn gown, the swelling of her belly.
Her pain grew sharper. Her womb ached, her legs trembled, her body shook with fever. She feared every cramp meant the loss of the tiny life inside her.
Still, she waited.
"Elira… where are you?" she whispered into the darkness. "Elira, I need water…please."
But Elira did not come.
The silence was deafening. Even the insects seemed to avoid her, as if she were cursed.
Liora wept silently, rocking as much as the ropes would allow, praying under her breath.
"Please, Moon Goddess… don't take my child. Please. I'll endure everything, just… don't take my baby."
The night stretched into dawn. Her eyes burned, her throat was dry, her body weak from blood loss. But still, no footsteps came.
No Elira, no Gonzalo, no one.
When the first rays of morning light touched her broken body, she hung limply against the tree, tears streaming silently down her face. She had waited in vain.