«Nothing you have ever accomplished has been easy, fel ku kuuluaak sivam belso-beloved-but you have done it. This is too important not to try.»
She leaned into him for the briefest of moments and then, gripping his hand, rushed to the birthing cave. The swell of voices held heavy grief, swamping her senses. The crowd parted to allow her through, and her heart pounded. Ivory felt as if she couldn't breathe with so many Carpathians gathered around Gregori and his lifemate, pressing close, as if by their nearness they could in some way keep the babies from slipping away to the next life.
«Gregori! « Savannah screamed her lifemate's name as her body expelled the first tiny life into his hands. She panted heavily as she watched him breathing for their child. «Is she alive? I can't feel her, Gregori. Please tell me she lives.» She buried her fist in the soil as another wave of pain ripped through her.
«I've got her,» Gregori said, but his voice was distant. Filled with grief.
Razvan, I cannot bear to see them lose these children.
Francesca stepped close as Savannah's body shuddered again, her face rippling with pain. Francesca's hands guided the second baby into the world. At once her face went distant, as she, too, breathed for the infant.
You can do this, Ivory, Razvan whispered in her mind, his voice gentle as she stood before Gregori and Savannah and the tiny babies laboring for life. You were born for this moment.
I was born to slay vampires and destroy Xavier. Not for this. Never this.
Like everyone else, she was spellbound, watching Gregori, bloodred tears tracking down his face, holding his tiny daughter in his arms while Shea poured the small stores of soil that Ivory had brought with her into the incubator, on top of existing layers of soil Syndil had already cleansed in preparation for the birth of the twins.
The child in Gregori's hands was too small to live, much too fragile. Even from where she stood, Ivory could see Gregori breathed for her. His hands shook, that strong man, the knowledge that he, the greatest healer of their people, was helpless to save his own child.
Ivory swallowed hard, took a deep breath and cleared her mind to block out all the sorrow and anguish, all the negative energy. She'd had Razvan go through each gesture and movement that Xavier had made as he cast his reprehensible spell. She knew he had poured his hatred and need of revenge into his spell as he commanded the microbes. She could do nothing about the mutation, but she could reverse the command. Every detail had to be exact. If Razvan had misremembered one tiny aspect-if she forgot so much as a single motion or word . . .
I did not, fel ku kuuluaak sivam belso-beloved. Nor shall you. You can do this, Ivory. I have faith in you.
She felt the brush of his lips in her hair, the warmth of his breath on the nape of her neck. She took a breath, started forward, and halted. «Gregori.» When he looked up, his silver eyes were so lost she nearly wept. «You have to be certain, Gregori.»
«I am certain,» he replied grimly. «We have no other choice.»
«Razvan, you will have to do the setup fast, but every detail must be precise.» She lifted her face and looked around the crowd. «I am re-creating a very evil scene. Anyone who does not want to be here should leave, otherwise form a large circle of protection in case I make a mistake.»
No one left. Even the Carpathians who had looked upon her and Razvan with distrust and perhaps even loathing now set aside their prejudices and submitted themselves to his direction. They formed a huge circle several layers deep. Those in the room, including Gary, who was human but seemed to know all Carpathian rituals, began a cleansing chant. Syndil, Shea and Gabrielle burned sage and moved through the room, sweeping high and low, paying particular attention to every entrance.
«Gregori, I need you and the babies in the center here.» Ivory pointed to the very center of the ring.
Without hesitation, Gregori and Francesca moved the incubators into the open area Ivory was preparing. Savannah gripped her mother's hand and whispered to Ivory, «Please, please.»
That overwhelming grief shook her. Razvan's voice was closer as he surrounded her with warmth. You can do this. There is only you and our mortal enemy. You were born to defeat him, Ivory. You can do this.
«I need four women. Syndil. You choose those closest to the earth.» She pulled her sword from her sheath. «They cannot flinch once we start. This thing, this great evil that Xavier wrought, will not go quickly or quietly. It will fight back. It will try to break us. So whoever you choose must have the courage to face whatever this evil might throw at them.»
Syndil didn't hesitate. «Natalya. Shea.» As the two women hurried forward, Syndil turned to a young girl. «Skyler. I know you're very young and perhaps I should not ask, but there are few as closely connected to the earth as you and few who have faced evil as bravely as you. Can you do this? Will you do this?»
The girl's face was pale, but she set her jaw and nodded before joining the others.
Once they were in place, Ivory lifted her chin and began to cast the circle of protection around Gregori and the infants, walking clockwise three times. She held her sword in her right hand, pointing it down, chanting as she walked.
Three times around this circle round Bind all evil, sink into the ground. That which is fire but born of ice, I command thee now to clear this space. Take that which is tainted and burn it pure So that healing may be done in a place that is secure.
Ivory brought out four candles, one to be set in each of the four corners of the circle, representing the four directions and their elements. She set a white candle in the east for air and purity. A red candle went to the south for fire and the burning of evil. To the west she set a blue candle for water, representing cleansing. To the north she set a green candle, representing earth and rebirth.
Around the incubators she lit sticks of incense that filled the chamber with the rich scent of clove to keep out all hostility. To that she added sweetgrass and sage for purity and tuberose to ward off evil. Then as the incense and the candles burned, she took a deep breath, gathered her strength and her powers and lifted her hands in entreaty.
Power of night, mistress of light, I am Ivory, daughter to Mother Earth who healed me.
A rush of memories assailed her. The scent of the earth as it closed around her torn body, welcoming her into the deeper recesses where nothing could reach her. She drew on the healing power that had surrounded her for centuries.
I summon thee to this place to that which is impure and tainted. I ask this for all that is good I know you will do this for me.
She brought her hands down to her sides, palms facing inward against her thighs and kept her head down, looking at the floor as she began to follow the unclean pattern Razvan had shown her. Three steps in, evil began to stir. Its presence whispered across the back of her neck, a faint disturbing prickle, like spiders crawling across her skin. She flinched and fought the urge to brush them off. Xavier's foul taint would do everything it could to lead her astray, to force her into making a mistake. She could not allow it. Her hands swept resolutely upward toward the ceiling. As her face lifted, she crossed her palms, and chanted.
Born of darkness Ancient, old I call thee forth Unfurl, unfold Taint the pairings-
She heard a slow hiss; a hideous voice whispered. Scorpions, stingers held high, crawled from beneath rocks and rushed toward the circle. Skyler wavered, started to lift her foot away from the oncoming insects.
«Stand firm,» Razvan called, his voice carrying complete calm. «Do not break the circle.»
Ivory continued to utter the foul words.
I command you to spread Attaching yourself to womb and seed. Seek out new life I command you to this deed. Taint the milk Wither the seed on the vine Destroy the ilk Unborn and born, with blood thee I bind.
The flickering flames dimmed, nearly went out, so that shadows deepened, creeping along the walls and floors of the cave with grasping fingers. Overhead spiders oozed through cracks and foul voices murmured. Heart's blood bubbled up from th
e center of the room, a red so dark it appeared black. An unclean stench filled the chamber, polluting the air, contaminating it until they were all nearly choking on the fetid odor. The babies began to cry in protest.
Syndil gasped aloud. Shea and Natalya moaned softly, but they held their ground even though the microbes deep inside them ripped and tore at them. The crowd gasped and looked to one another while women pressed hands to their wombs as they felt the drawing of the microbes as they answered the call of darkness.
Ivory raised her hands in response to the darkness quickly spreading through the cavern. In her right hand she held high a boline, a harvesting knife, the handle of which was set with white bone. The boline was curved, bearing the mark of the crescent moon, made of precious metal from her sacred cave, the sickle edge serrated, ready for harvest.
With great caution, Ivory recited Xavier's foul spell backward, mimicking in reverse the movements that Razvan had so patiently taught her as she placed her feet carefully, weaving the pattern backward with her hands.
Ivory. I see you. I name you. Xavier's voice, harsh and cruel, whispered through her mind. Sickened her. Weakened her. I see you.
«No, he does not,» Razvan said, his voice calm. He flooded her with peace. «He feels your power and trembles. Do not let him break you.»
Using the sacred boline in place of Xavier's bloodstained ceremonial knife, she cut the palm of her hand and allowed her blood to drip over the two babies, just as Xavier had shed his blood over the incubator of microbes. Three drops precisely over each child. The infants shrieked as if burning embers had been dropped on their innocent newborn flesh. Savannah cried out and staggered to her feet.
«Stop her,» Razvan ordered. «She must not break the circle.»
Savannah would have lunged toward her children if her own parents, Raven and Mikhail, hadn't wrapped their arms around her to hold her back.
«What is happening?» Gregori snarled.
«Evil fights back.» Razvan eyed the Carpathian legendary healer bleakly. «It will get worse, Gregori. Much worse. You and your lifemate must both be strong. Talk to your daughters. Sing to them. Be strong for them. Tell them they fight the evil mage in your story for them. Now is their time.»
While Razvan tried to calm an agitated Gregori, Ivory tried her best to silence the babies' screams from her mind. Xavier's evil was hurting them. She was hurting them.
No, fel ku kuuluaak sivam belso-beloved-you are saving them. You cannot stop no matter what happens.
She forced herself to continue moving, to continue weaving the patterns of the spell. When she had completed Xavier's entire ritual in reverse, she raised her knife to the cavern's chimney and pointed it toward the small sliver of moon that shone overhead.
I call on the lady of the dark moon, She who stands at the crossroads, Who counsels us that we must leave the old before we take up the new. I seek the spiral. Bring me forth to the center of stillness in absolute darkness That I may dispel this evil with light.
Light flashed across the blade of the boline, as if the moon herself had entered the birthing cave. Overhead, the stalactites rocked and vibrated. Crystals sparkled like tiny, faraway stars scattered over the ceiling and along the walls of the cave. Veins of gold and silver intertwined and brightened, throwing light across Ivory's pale face. She placed the sacred boline carefully between the twin girls, the curved blade in the exact mirrored position of the outside crescent moon.
The infants writhed. One convulsed. Their skin grew hotter. Savannah fought her parents, tears pouring down her face.
«Please, Gregori,» she entreated. «Stop this abomination. She's hurting them.»
Gregori wavered, his face a mask of pain. The Carpathians began to murmur protests.
«Let them die in peace,» Savannah pleaded, clasping her hands together, sagging against her father's restraining arms. «Give them to me. Let me hold them as they go into the next life.»
«No, Gregori,» Razvan protested. «Evil fights hard. Stay to the purpose.»
«They wish to live, Savannah,» Gregori said hoarsely.
Once again Ivory lifted her hands. Now there were tiny droplets of bloodsweat beading her body and her hands shook with the effort to bear the weight of evil. Razvan's reassuring presence, his warmth and belief in her, steadied her as she chanted.
I call to the blight upon this earth, I see into your heart. You who were thrown into this soil, transformed and then torn apart.
«I will never forgive you, Gregori,» Savannah screamed, tearing at her own flesh, digging great gouges in her arms so that blood spilled onto the floor. «Never. Do you understand? She's torturing our daughters and you're just letting her.»
Gregori shook his head, the bloodred tears tracking down his face, but he remained stoic, his hands over each writhing infant.
Several women tried to break the circle to rush to the aid of the babies.
«Stop them,» Razvan ordered. «Stay calm. Did you think he would go easily? Hold them. Mikhail, you must stop them.»
«He is right,» Mikhail said calmly. An uneasy stillness descended. Only Savannah and the babies could be heard weeping.
Ivory kept her mind firmly on the ritual, proceeding, trying not to allow the women to distract her.
I call to that which was unmade, and then created to do harm to all. Come to me now as I call your name, so that I may take one and all. Twixt and twine, I seek to unbind, that which was woven tight.
Ivory took her cleansed crystals from a silken pouch hanging at her hip. The crystals had been left in the sunlight for one week, gathering the energies and cleansing properties she needed. She looked over the stones carefully before making her choice. She wasn't surprised when her fingers settled around a large chunk of pumice.
Pumice came from volcanic rock, and though to some it wasn't beautiful, she found the light stone with its beige-white color unique. The airy stone was often used for banishing spells, yet also could be given to a woman to hold in her hand to aid in childbirth. Both rough and smooth, it was symbolic to her of life. She placed the stone in the eastern corner.
I look to the east, the morning light, That which was born in darkness, now bring to light.
She bowed to the east, and made the sign of the cross. Her hands then formed the oval for the sacred heart where Xavier had poured heart's blood over the microbes, her sacred symbol replacing his act of evil.
She lit the pinon pine needle bundle and waved it over the entire area to purify and cleanse, mixing with the cleansing sage. The fragrance added to her power to help exorcise the demonic spell Xavier had cast over the microbes. She handed the incense to young Skyler, who remained in the eastern corner.
The moment Skyler's hands closed around the incense, shadows moved in the darkness outside the circle. Male laughter, ugly and taunting, slid slyly into the cave, echoing around Skyler. Whispers of obscene acts. She felt hands touching her. Sliding inside her clothes-grasping at her soft skin, exposing her. A sob broke from her.
Dimitri cursed and stepped forward. It was well known that he was Skyler's lifemate, although she was still too young for him to claim.
«Illusion,» Razvan said. «She's caught in an illusion.»
Gregori waved a hand toward Skyler just as her trembling hand pulled back to fling the incense from her. She shuddered and held fast, her chin rising, but tears poured down her face. She looked once at Dimitri and then stood stoically under the assault of unseen evil.
There was a beat of silence. Ivory. You must continue, Razvan urged.
Ivory closed her eyes for a moment, took a breath and then selected garnet next. The fiery stone was used to enhance powers in rituals. To defeat Xavier, to overturn his horrific spell, she needed as much aid as possible. She also wanted the extra protection against the darkness in Xavier. Again it was a stone often used in childbirth. Her stone was multifaceted and a brilliant deep red, to combat the dark red of heart's blood. It was said that the great ark had been guided by a garnet, and sh
e hoped the light would give her guidance in her time of great need. She placed the stone in the southern corner.
I call to the south, phoenix rise high Casting your fire as you take to the sky.
Ivory bowed to the south, and then repeated the sign of the cross. Xavier had plunged a needle through the heart of a dove and then burned the body. She opened her hands and released a white dove, bearing an olive branch. The bird flew around the circle three times, reversed and repeated the action, and then winged her way out into the night sky.
The fragrance of Dragon's blood resin, collected and processed from the palm tree, filled the room, chasing away the evil of Xavier's ritual, adding to their protection and exorcising the high mage's abominations, consecrating and strengthening the potency of her ritual. She handed the incense to Natalya, who remained in the southern corner.
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