Three weeks later to the day, patrols found a small band of travelers and escorted them to Kellach. Kellach stepped out and stopped, his gaze unwavering as he stared at the little group. Cyrnon sat atop Uasail, the twins on either side and around Cyrnon’s waist were wrapped two small arms! Ceara’s small face peaked around his shoulder. They had all survived and returned!
Two older girls, unknown to him, were perched behind the twins. Elochad raced up the hill, having been alerted by one of the patrols, tears streaming down his face as he grabbed the girl and held her, laughing and crying as he pulled the boys down, hugging them all at once. Cyrnon sat there, appearing nonchalant, but Kellach knew he was nervous by the tightening of his lips.
“I see you have returned,” Kellach calmly noted. “You disobeyed my orders again.”
Cyrnon’s gaze fell. “I knew you would forbid me to go and it was my right.”
“Your right? Why was it your right?”
“Ceara is to be my future wife. I could not allow her to be left to the nomads’ tents.” His head raised proudly, his eyes shone. Ceara peaked over her father’s shoulder, surprise on her face. Pride welled in Kellach’s breast. The boy had become a man.
Fiona ran up, Tanith behind her. “Cyrnon…Oh my God, Cyrnon! And the twins…and Ceara!” Delighted, she ran back and forth, laughing and crying and touching them, assuring herself that they were real and alive. Everyone was talking at once, laughing and crying. It had been too long since they had anything to feel good about.
“How did you find Ceara?” Kellach’s voice betrayed none of the emotions he was feeling.
A smug grin lit Cyrnan’s face. “We knew you wouldn’t let us follow, so we waited until dark and then snuck out.”
“You got by the patrols again! How is that possible? The watch had been increased twofold and you still got out,” Kellach burst out.
“They cannot find me unless I want to be found,” Cyrnan puffed up with his own importance, “though it was harder this time,” he conceded. “We followed Durlach’s trail into the hills, but,” he added shamefacedly, “we got lost. We must have gone the wrong direction and we wandered around for days.”
The twins nodded in agreement.
“And then we spotted a camp and we left the horses and crawled up to see who it was. We thought at first it might be Durlach’s men but it was some of the nomads. They had a number of captives, and we think they had been left behind to guard them.”
Again the twins nodded.
“So we waited and watched, trying to decide what to do, and then they started drinking fermented milk and getting drunk, and by the time it got dark, they were laughing and singing, and falling down.”
One of the twins broke in. “They didn’t even have a guard set!” All three nodded in agreement.
Cyrnon continued his tale. “So when we were sure they were out, we crawled down and cut the captives loose. Ceara started crying and almost woke one of them up, but I held my hand over her mouth until we got out. These other girls,” he waved at the two, “were captives as well and we brought them back. They say they are from one of the northern settlements.”
Unbelievable—this was something that had never happened before—women had returned from capture by the northern nomads!
“We were going to slit the nomads’ throats while they slept, but we needed to get the girls out,” he finished his story, waiting for Kellach’s response.
“It was wise that you did! But you disobeyed my orders, and as commander of the forces, that is no small thing. To be fair, you did well and for that, your punishment will go easy.”
Kellach would not be shouldering his responsibility for the young ones if he allowed such behavior to go unchecked. “You and these two,” motioning to the twins, “will be on stable duty for the next month, and I mean the stables of the soldiers, not my own. You will NOT be allowed outside the confines of the settlement until such time as I say. Is this understood?”
Cyrnan and the twins nodded, relieved that their punishment would be so reasonable.
Kellach felt his heart grow. “When you’ve completed your punishment, we will have a talk.”
Thirty-Six
Attacks on the outlying settlements were increasing in greater numbers and word had it that the raiders were banding together; unheard of until now. A feeling of unease gripped the settlement, and people moved about cautiously, eyes on the horizon.
In an effort to prevent spies from gaining entrance to the settlement, Kellach prohibited caravan traders from entering the confines of the settlement itself. The marketplace was largely deserted as more and more of the vendors moved their goods to areas outside the settlement, allowing easier access and hoping to draw the attention of the passing traders on the road to the east. The settlement had substantially recovered from the attack, but Kellach was unconvinced that another attack was not in the offing. He set extra patrols traversing the outskirts and extra guards were posted in and near the visiting caravans. Frequent searches of the camps were also made to reinforce the idea that any such interlopers would be dealt with quickly and severely.
Ultimately, Kellach approached Rodan who, after careful consideration, presented to the Council Kellach’s plan to erect a wall around the settlement as an extra line of defense. Once again, arguments erupted in the Council chambers.
“It is a needless endeavor. Such a thing is unheard of and trade with the caravans would be affected. We cannot do such a thing.” Alstrom, urged on by Voadicia and her proponents, voiced his opposition.
“I believe we must do this,” Rodan argued. “The settlement would be more easily defended if such a barrier is constructed.”
“Who would pay for this?” Another of Voadicia’s constituents asked. “My coin would be better spent.”
“On what?” Kellach stood up. “On your games of chance or the harlots who line the river bank?” He gaze sought out each of the Counsel members. “There is little doubt where your coin is spent.”
“You go too far,” the man spat stomping from the room. Others followed.
As a result, no decision was reached and dissension was rife in the Council chambers.
By now, Fiona’s pregnancy was quite evident. She continued treating patients, but on a limited basis. Xio Li, surprisingly, had become quite proficient at nursing and especially so as a midwife. The past year had great effect on Xio Li. Gone was the frightened young prostitute. What remained was a confident young woman, willingly and eagerly making the change to better herself. She was constantly at Fiona’s side, working hard and learning quickly.
She had a simple theory as to why she made as good a midwife as she had a gardener, “Seed is planted, it grows and then harvest the fruit,” whether it was actual plants or a baby, it didn’t matter.
Fiona could find no fault with her reasoning. She felt like a giant pumpkin these days anyway and looked forward to the day when she could see her feet again.
Voadicia’s guards continued their open harassment of the citizenry. Voadicia, through Alstrom, issued an edict which empowered her guards to round up and, if appropriate, execute any suspected spies or dissidents. So far, her actions had not seriously affected any of the ruling class or their cohorts. Therefore, her conduct was largely ignored. Simply put, Kellach had no time to deal with it. Alstrom condoned her actions and, as long as she did not overstep certain boundaries, she was free to act as she pleased. Those boundaries were growing every day.
Thirty-Seven
Fiona’s nesting frenzy had been in full gear for some months now. The dwelling was cleaned thoroughly and then cleaned again. Visitors to the abode were impressed by her industry and as soon as they left, it was cleaned again. No room for nasty germs in my home! On one such cleaning flurry, Fiona was going through Kellach’s personal items and came across an extremely flamboyant pair of braccae.
They were, without doubt, the most god-awful pair of pants she had ever seen. Kellach’s taste in clothes had always run to the mor
e conservative, never gaudy or ostentatious. These were striped in every color of the rainbow and whoever wore them would be seen coming for a mile. Fiona sat them on the table and the more she looked at them, the sillier they became. Just the idea of Kellach parading around in them was too funny for words. By the time Kellach got home, she was literally rolling on the floor laughing. Kellach stared at her, confused but warmed by her laughter. His braccae sat on the table.
His lips curled. “They were a present from my mother,” he explained dryly.
“Did anyone ever tell you your mother dresses you funny?” Fiona hiccupped, still giggling.
“Many men wear such, but they are not a favorite of mine!”
“Well, I can’t believe any normal male would wear those things,” she continued, trying hard to stop giggling. “You’d look like a clown.”
“Is this clown a good thing?”
“Not unless you were performing in a circus.” She burst out laughing again.
“I do not know this clown or this circus. If you mean to offend me, you’d best use words I can identify.” Her laughter was infectious and he was finding it hard to be affronted by her good humor.
“Just don’t ever wear them when I am around, I wouldn’t be able to stand it. How would it look if I was laughing the whole time? It wouldn’t be good.”
“I have never worn them,” he admitted, somewhat discomfited. “I told my mother I wore them in the east on special occasions.”
Fiona burst out laughing again, tears streaming down her face. “You lied to your mother!”
“I did not lie! I merely tried to save her feelings,” he retorted. “Do you not spare your mother’s feelings?”
“That’s a given. I admit it. But just save those for some special occasion, like your own funeral.” Still giggling, she headed for the door. Her bladder was not going to hold out much longer.
Thirty-Eight
The full heat of summer was once again upon them. Caravans camped near the oasis, unwilling to cross the broad expanse of wasteland until the temperature dropped. Dust blew in on the hot winds of the desert, caking everything in its wake.
Fiona had never been a big advocate of summer and this year, the heat only increased her discomfort. Leave it to her to get pregnant so that the baby’s appearance would coincide with the hottest time of the year!
Sleeping was almost impossible. There was no way to get comfortable, and if she did fall asleep, she was restless and bad dreams kept her tossing and turning. Each night, Kellach would massage her back and feet and she would find some relief, but only for a short time.
Kellach’s love and comfort were amazing things. He forgave her these outbursts of temper which came more frequently the closer she drew near the due date and he was the rock that kept her balanced. Fiona yearned for her mother—how she wished Mom was here to help her through this. She was so ready for the baby to be born, but frightened and nervous at the same time.
Xio Li and Tanith worked with her on breathing exercises and would walk with her in the early morning or late evening hours. The baby was kicking nonstop and Fiona was sure it was a boy. No little girl could ever be that annoying!
July came and went and August was upon them, the heat almost unbearable. Fiona remained inside most of the time, afraid that she would be caught outside when the birth commenced.
Not that it was really a problem. I’m so huge that walking very far is unthinkable! At times, she was convinced she carried twins, or one really huge baby, which wasn’t all that ridiculous. Kellach was a very big man. No matter what, she wanted this over with. She was tired of being pregnant and wanted her figure back.
Kellach listened to her complaints, trying to ease her bad moods. “You look beautiful and I plan to keep you pregnant all the time.”
She groaned, burying herself in her pillow. “That isn’t the right thing to say! God! Have you no pity?” She threw the pillow at him. “This is your fault, you know!”
His response was to laugh. “I seem to remember you having some small part in the making.”
“Don’t remind me.”
The days passed slowly and she was convinced she would be pregnant for the rest of her life. Fiona woke one morning, overly tired and cranky and her back ached so bad, nothing would ease it. It felt like a vise grip was clamping down on her spine. Kellach had gone on his usual rounds, checking the herds and the fields, meeting with the Council and training the soldiers. The harvests were in full swing, and it would be long hours before he returned.
Her discomfort increased, a giant band tightened around her stomach. She was vacillating about whether or not to go for Tanith when her water broke. Waddling as fast as she could, she made it across the square, calling for Tanith every step of the way. Gone was the mental training she had worked on so steadily throughout the pregnancy. She wanted help and she wanted it now!
Tanith heard her cries and ran out, Siran close behind. Taking one look at her, Siran lifted her up and carried her back to Kellach’s abode. A full blown labor pain cramped down and she gasped in pain, ready, but not ready, for this to end. Siran left to find Kellach and Tanith ran quickly to fetch Xio Li.
“This is Kellach’s fault,” Fiona screamed as another labor pain grew. “He doesn’t care about me,” she wailed. “All he wanted was a baby machine!”
“You’re fine,” Tanith soothed her brow. “Remember what we practiced.”
She tossed her head, fingers locked around the headboard. “I don’t care what we practiced. I just want this over with!”
“It be soon,” Xio Li patted her arm. “Baby coming fast.”
The labor went like clockwork and except for Fiona, everyone marveled at how quickly it progressed. Kellach had returned posthaste and was pacing nervously, pausing often to reassure her and lend support.
The baby came into the world amid screams and curses from Fiona, directed at Kellach for all her pain and suffering. Fortunately, her foul epithets were in English, she had yet to learn the finer points of cursing in this language. She was, by far, her own worst patient. It was much easier being on the side of the coaching staff than being the coached. Tanith and Xio Li calmly ignored her railings and went about the business of getting the baby born.
Large and healthy, the baby screamed his displeasure at being torn so rudely from his safe haven and thrust into this strange and scary world.
After counting his fingers and toes and examining closely all the other little parts—or not so little parts—she had no doubt he was Kellach’s son. He was perfect, his face a small replica of Kellach’s, even to the small kissing dimple in the center of his little chin. Lots of hair covered his delicate skull, but so white he appeared almost bald, Fiona’s one true contribution to his gene pool.
She smoothed his soft little head. “I am going to name you Conner,” she whispered.
“Connach,” Kellach interjected. “Conner is not a clan name.”
Fiona scowled at him. Undaunted, he stood staunch in his resolve. “Okay,” she grudgingly agreed. “Connach, and we’ll call him Con for short.”
Pride and love illuminated his features, as Kellach took his child out into the evening and raised him high, offering him to the four winds and the Horse God for their blessings, and laughing in triumph as the winds caressed the child in approval.
Visitors and well wishers arrived almost immediately. The birth of a son to a high lord such as Kellach was a major event in the community and the signs boded well for the baby’s future. Prompted by the news, even Alstrom honored them with a visit and wished them well, his face betraying his envy.
Con was a robust and healthy baby, growing like a weed and hungry all the time and, except for those times when he was hungry, he was a good baby.
Fiona healed quickly and was back to her normal duties of home and patients. She fashioned a sling to carry Con along whenever she left the abode and their presence along the streets became a common sight.
Ceara was a constant companio
n, loss of her mother had left a great void in her life and she looked to Fiona and Tanith to fill the need. The babies were an added bonus for her, and Berlach and Con never lacked for loving arms to hold them.
Cyrnon joined them from time to time, but since the boys’ return from their escapade in rescuing Ceara, the twins and Cyrnon were kept busy learning the art of war. They had proven they were ready.
Thirty-Nine
The wall around the settlement had finally been approved by the Council, and Kellach was busy overseeing its construction along with a wealth of other duties. Great poplars from the surrounding hills were cut and dragged down and the wall was going up quickly. By the time he returned home each evening, Kellach was exhausted, but never too exhausted to spend time with his child and to lust after Fiona. As her figure returned, so did his burgeoning and constant desire. Some things never changed, and she was glad of it. She had given up grieving over the loss of her parents, accepting her lot in life and allowing happiness to take over. She truly believed that some unknown force had meant for her to be in this place with Kellach and their child.
Messengers from the outlying settlements came in a steady stream, requesting audiences with the Council. Tired of the incessant attacks and the loss of human life and livestock, the settlements were joining together to amass a large contingent of warriors in hopes of formulating a counterattack on the northern nomads. Kellach’s battle and leadership skills were well known and they sought his experience to guide them. It was hoped that such an attack would stymie the marauders and force them on the defensive side for once. Kellach listened to their pleas with caution, leading them would take him away from the settlement for long periods of time and he was loathe to do that, not willing to leave Fiona and the baby without his protection. Though she had never openly threatened Fiona, Voadicia had never pretended that she did not hate her and he worried what she might do if he were not there to stop her. The Council pressed him for an answer, clearly eager for him to take charge of the campaign. The weight of responsibility sat heavily on him and he knew that a decision would have to be reached soon, whatever he decided.
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