Taboo

Keywords: Ch., Angel, 08,

"Kieran, Maazel, Danae, Arvind, Nadia, Diedra, Samara. What am I seeing?"

Maya stared at a waiting Marius, who somehow knew not to ask her anything.

Then it dawned on her. "It is not what I am seeing, it is what is missing."

"Alrin was nowhere to be seen."

"Something just happened to Alrin, Marius."

***

Edar came back, and his carefree smile told them the children were fine.

"Mazor asked Nadia to check on each, which she did, then I told him to be very alert."

"Did you see Alrin there?"

"Sorry, Lady, I did not go in, did not want to alert the little ones."

The three of them walked to the Mother's Temple first of all, and Edar went to alert the guard of the main building to keep his eyes open.

Marius and Maya surprised Arvind, he was talking to Danae over a cup of tea, and the boy was so shaken.

"I am sorry, my Lord, we were just talking, I swear."

"That is well, Arvind. Is Alrin here?"

"She went to sleep a few hours ago, she was unwell."

Danae had already ran inside.

"She is not there!"

Maya calmed the pregnant girl, putting up the best front she could possibly manage.

"Let's go into the Temple, Danae. Maybe she went there, if she was not feeling well."

Maya nodded to Marius, who turned to Arvind.

"Arvind, go alert your Master, see if Alrin went there."

Arvind was no child, and understood it well.

"She won't be there, will she?"

"Very unlikely, Arvind. But you must search for her at the house and around, your Master can guide you quite quickly. It is cold in the mountains now, and I don't want to be searching for any people that are not lost."

Marius hoped they were not losing too much time, it was obvious that Ma'ayan knew more than she was saying.

"Tell your Master to come join me at my rooms when he is finished, and to come ready for a search of the grounds. Ask Maazel to leave Samara with Nadia and Diedra, and to order her to remain indoors indefinitely."

"Samara is there, with Maazel and Kieran?"

"Arvind, don't question me."

Marius then turned to Edar.

"Edar, please ask Barlev and the Elders to make sure all students are accounted for, then rejoin us in my rooms."

"Right away, my Lord."

Ma'ayan came back from the Temple, Edar in tow and Marius took her in his arms again, worried. "Unwell, they said. If she is in labor, there is not much time."

Maya wanted to cry.

Edar felt so out of place. "May I ready myself to leave, my Lord?"

Maya wiped her eyes. "No, Edar, you are staying with Mazor."

"My Lady, please, you cannot mean to leave me here."

"Ah, but I do, Edar. Why would someone take Alrin now, tired and disfigured from her pregnancy, with all the Temple virgins sleeping right nearby?"

Edar shook his head.

"Because she is the most fragile thing in Alrana right now. They want us to search for her even if it is unwise, they want us to be completely desperate. She is not the main target."

Edar's eyes went wide. "And to think I once doubted this woman. " "I understand perfectly, my Lady. I will make sure everyone here stays accounted for."

"Thank you, Edar. I am sure my children are safe in your hands."

Marius then looked into his wife's eyes, staring at the only target in Alrana valuable enough to compensate for such a suicidal enterprise.

"You are also staying."

Maya shook her head, though he could very well make her. "These powers I yield, do you trust them, Marius?"

"Fairly much, little fairy. I don't think Alrin has much time. Our enemy knows that we know that. It is a trap."

"I am not letting her die up there."

"Do you even know where she is, Maya."

"No, but I can take you there."

Marius then asked the question he so dreaded to utter, despair taking over in his heart.

"What will happen, Maya, do we survive it?"

Maya did not think she was lying when she answered.

"Yes, my Lord. Somehow, we do."

***

Marius climbed his stairs to find Kieran there in warm clothing, his swords already on his back, and there were other men there. Emanuel was also ready, and Barlev, and many others.

Maya addressed the "bear" first. "Barlev, we can't have all the Healers leave."

"I want to help, Ma'ayan."

"Then please stay. We have Samara and Danae to think of. They are all due at the same time, and we don't know what is to come."

Maazel then joined the conversation. "Why must you go, Lady Fairy?"

"I am the only one that can find her in time."

Kieran's stare was hard, and he waited to speak to Ma'ayan. "How long will we stay there, my Lady?"

"We should be ready to be outside for a while."

Hadrian and Marius were inside making ready for leaving, and Kieran's hardened face did not hold for one split second.

"She is giving birth alone up there, is she not?"

Maya nodded. "She is alone, Kieran, yes. But that is the lucky part."

As Marius worked with Hadrian, he could not suppress a hint of pride, a trace of a smile. The woman he had brought here as a renegade young priestess, was now telling the whole of Alrana what to do.

***

Alrin was tied to a tree close to the cliff, exposed to the cold, her garments stained. It had not been beneath the monster that took her to abuse her, before he had left her here. Mazor took her down easily, handed the slight thing to Kieran, who brought her down, trying to warm her with his own body.

They made camp not far from the place, as Alrin was taken into one of the many cabins found around Alrana, as they tried to keep her warm as much as possible.

When she came round, labor was already upon her, and she was going nowhere tonight, without her baby being born first.

Maya tried to encourage the poor thing as much as she could, and that meant leaving the men outside, for Alrin could not bear to look at them. The priestess preferred not to check how the woman was doing, but she could tell that she had been very far along, even before she passed out from the cold.

Maya prayed that baby could take all this stress a lot better than its mother.

The priestesses' mind continued to work in double mode, chaotic visions trying to make way, and Maya fought to allow for it, without becoming too useless as a midwife. At last she thought she was losing the battle, she was no sorceress to be spoken of.

"Alrin, would you mind terribly if Marius helped you?"

"Yes, I want you!"

"Child, I am not doing so well right now."

"No please, no!"

Maya acceded, and tried to keep the visions away. She kept seeing her daughter Molly, though she was older in the visions, and they culminated into a pastoral view of the girl - who looked so much like herself - in a verdant, flower covered hill, talking to an old man that Maya knew ... who was he ... it was important, it was ... crucial ..."

"AAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH"

Alrin's labor was picking up, and Maya was sucked back into the present.

"AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH"

"Alrin, please, breathe. I know it sounds like the most inopportune request, but you have to listen to me."

""AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH"

Alrin gasped for air.

"Can I lay down now? Please?"

Maya acceded, the girl was exhausted from her ordeal, and her body was going to have to finish the job now.

***

Marius did not think that Kieran had ever heard this, the hard fight every woman put to bring a child into this world. The man was pale, and his suffering was such, he did not know what to do with himself.

It really did not help that the little one was his. Every Art student had been made pregnant by Kieran, and he, who had no children of his own, would be a father three times over.

"Is it usually this hard?"

Marius nodded.

Another piercing scream came from the lit cabin.

Kieran was beside himself, holding t his sword like it would help him. "How long does it take usually?"

Emanuel answered before he thought better. "First time? A day or two."

Marius eyed Emanuel sternly, comforted Kieran. "She is been in labor for a while. This will end soon."

Kieran pleaded with the wizard. "Can't you go in there, do something?"

"Your lady does not want us in there. I'd let you in just for you to see it, what she is capable of telling you right now."

It went on for hours, it seemed, and when things started sounding really bad, Marius moved to the side of the bewildered warrior, held his hand, in this unlikely alliance before which all men are equal.

Equally powerless.

The screaming intensified, and Kieran's heart was knot in his chest, he could not understand why both Marius and Emanuel had this silly smile on their faces, their gaze lowered, listening on, like they had heard it all before, like it was going to be all right.

Just as Alrin gave that one last primal scream, a sound that such a small being could not possibly be capable of making, her body in the rack, right then - the silly smile they had, became a big one.

Alrin went really really quiet.

And then her daughter started to wail.

***

When they woke up in the morning, it was obvious that their camp had been raided, again.

Nothing seemed to be missing, and Alrin and the baby were fine inside the cabin. Kieran and Emanuel thought the Lord and the Lady must be together somewhere, enjoying solitude, but as the moments passed, it became very clear that this was as a crazy notion. Marius would not have allowed Maya out of their sight.

Which is why both of them had to be gone.

***

Alrana looked like a war camp when they came back, Mazor and Barlev had made sure of it.

Edar was nowhere to be found, and there were fairies going in and out the children's dwelling. Emanuel was alarmed, but Kieran calmed him.

Keywords: Ch., Angel, 08,