Adia was filled with conflicting feelings—happy because everything was going well, and heartbroken because she would have to give up this offspring. Finally, she moved back to the birthing rock. Nadiwani took up position behind to support her as she strained backward, and Urilla Wuti knelt before her, ready to guide the offspring onto the soft bed waiting below. She told Adia to push one last time. Adia pushed as hard as she could and was not able to help crying out. But then it was over, and the offspring was born! Adia was thrilled to hear the healthy wail.
Urilla Wuti brought the offspring around and placed him in Adia’s arms, against her chest. “It’s a boy,” she announced. Adia felt a tremendous surge of love for the little body nestled against her. The cord would be left intact until all the life had drained from it into the offspring.
Adia knew that the afterbirth must still be delivered, but it would only require a few gentle pushes and was not at all painful.
Unfortunately, Adia was wrong. She did push a few times, and it seemed she had expelled the placenta, but something wasn’t right. She looked up at Urilla Wuti with fear in her eyes.
“What is it, Urilla Wuti? I know something is wrong, please tell me.”
Urilla Wuti signed for her female attendant to come over. Then she took the offspring from Adia and handed him to the female.
“No, please do not take him away yet! Let me hold him!” cried Adia, reaching out frantically.
“Adia, he is right here. There is nothing wrong. It is just that you are not done yet,” she said.
“Not done yet? Not done yet? How can I be not done?” Adia repeated it as if the words had no meaning.
“There is another offspring, Adia. You have been carrying two offspring,” Urilla Wuti explained.
Adia leaned back, realizing why Urilla Wuti had taken her offspring and given him to the attendant. She looked up at the roof, her mind reeling. How could this be? To have to give up two offspring to Hakani? I cannot do it! I cannot!
Grief overcame her, and she started to weep. “I cannot do it, Urilla Wuti. I cannot give up a second offspring to Hakani. One is punishment enough.” She clutched at Urilla Wuti’s arm.
“How long have you known?” she asked, now almost angry, and lifting her head to look directly at Urilla Wuti.
“Since our last Connection. You were far enough along that I could pick up the consciousness of the offspring you were carrying. Only there was not just one; there were two. The second offspring is a female,” she explained.
Adia turned her head to the side, covering her face with her arms, and sobbed. Urilla Wuti placed her arm around Adia’s shoulders.
“Adia,” she leaned down to make sure Adia could hear.
“You do not have to give the second offspring up to Hakani. If you wish, I will take one of them back with me. No one need know. I will make sure to place the offspring somewhere very safe. It is not ideal, but it is an alternative for you to consider,” she finished.
Adia felt like she was in a nightmare. Two offspring, when I was never supposed to have even one? And I cannot keep either of them to raise myself?
At that moment, Adia’s faith faltered. She felt betrayed by the Great Mother—that she would be punished so, through no fault of her own. Why do you not help me? Why am I going through this? Am I being tested? Have I not been faithful to you? This is too much!
Urilla Wuti stood there next to Adia, waiting for her to weather the storm of her emotions.
Finally, Adia collected herself and asked, “How long do I have to decide?”
“If you wish to keep the second offspring a secret, I suggest you decide quickly. They will both have to stay with you for a short while, but I should take one with me when I leave; when you give the other up to Hakani,” she explained.
Adia had only minutes to make a life-changing decision. She was drowning in a turbulent sea of emotions.
“Why did you not tell me, Urilla Wuti? Why did you not tell me there was a second offspring?” she asked.
“Adia, your emotions were already affecting the offspring. Had you known there was a second, yes, you would have had more time to consider your decision, but the additional turmoil would have put even more stress on them. I did not want you to risk them both. Usually, when there is more than one offspring, they do not go to full term,” she explained.
Adia calmed herself down. If anyone knew Urilla Wuti’s heart and motivations, she did. They had connected enough times for her to know there was no malice or manipulation in the other Healer. She had only the purest intentions. Adia knew in her heart that if this was how Urilla Wuti felt it should be handled, then it must be the best way. And she knew Urilla Wuti was right about the risks in carrying two offspring to full term.
Suddenly, the contractions started up again. Adia winced in pain. From the back of the room, Nadiwani left the attendant holding Adia’s first offspring and ran over to Adia.
“What is going on? What’s wrong?” Nadiwani asked.
“Nothing is wrong. There is a second offspring coming,” said Urilla Wuti.
Nadiwani’s eyes flew wide open.
“Are we prepared for this? Two offspring? Of all the twins I have known about, the second one usually did not survive. Oh, and Adia’s mother died in delivery! Should we not have another Healer in here with us?”
“Nadiwani, you are here. And my attendant is as well-versed in birthing as you or I. Trust me that we are as prepared as we can be. As long as the second offspring is in the proper position, everything should be fine.”
“Well is it?” blurted out Nadiwani.
Urilla Wuti moved around to where she could check the offspring’s position. After a moment and some discomfort for Adia, she announced that everything was fine. The offspring’s head was down, and it’s back against Adia’s belly. The Healer could not feel any problem with the position of the umbilical cord, and the second placenta was in no way blocking the offspring’s movement down the birth canal. She explained all of this to the others in the room, making sure most of all that Adia heard it.
Time passed by. Finally, the second offspring decided she was ready to be born. And before long, she made her entrance and Urilla Wuti placed her on Adia’s chest as she had the male before her. The second placenta was delivered shortly after.
Adia moved to the bed with her tiny daughter, and the midwife brought the little male over to her, laying him in her arms as well. Adia had two offspring, one cradled in each arm. Her heart was full but also breaking more than she thought she could bear.
Acaraho was following Urilla Wuti’s instructions. No one had interrupted, and since no one knew anything of what was going on inside, Adia had a little bit of time to make her decision.
But she did not have forever, and Urilla Wuti broached the subject again.
“Adia, you can decide to give either to Hakani to raise, and I will take the other to safety if you wish, but you will need to decide soon because we have to tell Khon’Tor if it is a boy or a girl.”
Adia searched her heart. She knew no matter how hard it was, it was a wise decision to let the existence of one of her offspring remain a secret and be taken away by Urilla Wuti. Only those in the room knew there was a second offspring. That decision made, she considered which to send with Urilla Wuti. She had to think strategically.
The boy would have a better chance here. Though Khon’Tor will never acknowledge him, he would still have a legal claim to Khon’Tor’s leadership. Perhaps in time that would bring him favor with Khon’Tor. A female offspring would be of no use to him in any regard. And because Hakani hates me so vehemently, I can see her taking out her hatred of me on a female offspring more readily than a male.
And what if she grows up to resemble me? Who knows what animosity Khon’Tor and Hakani might also transfer to her. If she is raised in another community, she will be safe, and at least one of my offspring will not bear the shame of their conception, should Khon’Tor’s crime against me ever be revealed. At least she would grow up feeling
loved instead of being shamed for having a fallen Healer as her mother.
There was so much to consider, and Adia needed more time—but time was something she did not have. She let out a huge sigh. She had made her choice.
“Urilla Wuti, I want you to take the female with you. Her brother will be the one to be raised by Hakani and Khon’Tor. I feel that she would somehow be at more risk with them than her brother would.” Though Adia had reasoned out her decision, her heart was breaking and tears rolled down her face.
Urilla Wuti spoke gently, “I will announce to the others that the offspring is a male. Kachina will be dismissed to inform Khon’Tor. It will leave only those of us here, my other attendant, and Acaraho to help us move back to the Healer’s Quarters.
“You must make another decision now. Do you wish to keep the second birth a secret from Acaraho? I must know before we leave this room.”
Adia had no secrets from Acaraho. She had never told him that Khon’Tor was the father, but she knew he knew and that he understood why she would not say the words. She trusted Acaraho with her life. It was a non-decision, really. Urilla Wuti looked as if she knew the answer before she asked but had to ask anyway.
“I could not bear to keep anything from Acaraho. Please let him know, however you think it best to present it to him,” answered Adia.
With that, Urilla Wuti went to the door and slammed the rock against it to alert Acaraho outside. He opened the door just a bit.
“Acaraho. Please send Kachina to let Khon’Tor and Hakani know the offspring is a male. He will have to stay with Adia for a while. I will decide when he is ready to be transferred to their care.”
Acaraho turned to Kachina and relayed the message, telling her that when she got to Khon’Tor’s corridor, she should have one of the guards go to the door and give Khon’Tor the message. Acaraho did not want Kachina witnessing the same disheveled and agitated Khon’Tor that he had. Though whatever had been going on in there was surely over by now. When she had done so, he told her, she could return to her quarters until further notice.
* * *
Kachina did as Acaraho said and had one of the guards deliver the message. It seemed to take the guard an extraordinarily long time to come back. When he did, Kachina took her leave and returned to her quarters as instructed.
* * *
Khon’Tor closed the heavy door and turned back to Hakani who was lying bound on his sleeping mat. He had her gagged and well secured, so there was little she could do except listen to what he had to tell her.
“It appears you will be raising a son,” he said. “Congratulations, Hakani.”
He crossed the room and sat down next to her. Mockingly, he gently caressed her face and said, “The good news is that the offspring no doubt has to stay with Adia for a while. So our special nightly time together is not quite coming to an end. I thought you would be pleased to hear it. I know I am.” He patted her dismissively on the cheek and then leaned over to pick up where he had left off before answering the door. Though gagged, she could not keep from moaning. She tried to move away from him, but he held her securely with his other hand.
Khon’Tor stopped for a moment, letting her catch her breath. It was hard to breathe when bound and gagged, and he did not want her to pass out and escape any of what he was doing to her.
“I can see from the look in your eyes that you are blaming me for all this. But this is not my fault, Hakani. This is all your doing. If you were half the mate to me you should have been, none of this would have happened. But from the beginning, you seemed determined to defy me.
“And then, instead of coming to me about the Waschini offspring, you planned as damaging a spectacle as possible. How many times when I came to you did you deny me? It seems you enjoyed refusing me. Then you teased me and tormented me, hoping to drive me to take you Without Your Consent.”
With each pause he resumed his intimate attention.
“Well, you see how that eventually turned out for you, do you not?” he said, taunting her further with a smug smile on his lips.
“Then you betrayed me by lying with another, forcing me to claim and raise an offspring which was not mine. The list goes on and on. You can lie there and hate me all you want, but the truth is, this is your fault and yours alone.
“I will thank you for one thing. It turns out I was never much into mating, but now I have to admit, thanks to the recent turn of events, I know just how delicious it can be. When executed properly,” he sneered.
He let up, giving her a moment of relief and time for his words to sink in.
Khon’Tor believed everything he said; she had brought this on herself and had only herself to blame.
Hakani knew this session was far from over, and that he would finish with her only after he had drawn out her suffering to his satisfaction. She wished he was dead—or that she was. Either way, she could not endure night after night of his punishment much longer.
Chapter 11
Having dispatched Kachina to inform Khon’Tor and Hakani that the offspring was a boy, Acaraho turned back to Urilla Wuti, a pained expression on his face.
“Come on in Acaraho, but please close the door tightly behind you,” she instructed him.
Acaraho opened the stone door and entered the room, closing it tightly behind him as she had instructed. He could see the bed and could tell Adia was there, partially sitting up.
Before going to her, he turned back to Urilla Wuti and asked, “Is she alright? Did everything go well?”
“Yes. Everything is fine. It all went very well,” and Urilla Wuti took Acaraho’s hand and led him over to Adia.
Acaraho came around to the side of the bed to face Adia and then stopped, staring. She was holding not one offspring but two, wrapped up snug and warm, one cradled in each arm.
Acaraho rubbed his hand over his mouth as he often did when he was buying time to think. He was not sure what the appropriate expression was. He did not know how Adia was feeling about this. He wondered if she’d had any idea she was carrying twins.
Adia freed one hand and reached out to take his hand in hers.
“Adia, are you alright? How are you feeling? This is a surprise; did you know?” he asked, not giving her time to respond in between each question.
“I am fine, really. I am exhausted, and right now I am doing my best to deal with everything. No, I did not know ahead of time that there were two. They are not identical twins; this is a boy, and this is his sister,” she said, lifting each one a little bit so he would know which was which.
Acaraho could not tell them apart; they looked exactly alike to him.
He turned to Urilla Wuti, “You had me send word through Kachina that the offspring was a boy. What are the plans for the girl?” he asked.
“I will take her back with me and find her a suitable family. She will be safe, I promise,” she replied.
Acaraho turned back to Adia and asked, “Do you agree with this?” Though even as he asked it, he believed it was the best possible way.
“Yes, Acaraho. It breaks my heart to give her up, but there is no better solution for her. The High Council was clear that I could not raise a second offspring, let alone a third. And if she stays here, Hakani might have a claim on her as well. I do not want to risk it,” she answered.
Acaraho could see she was holding back tears.
“Very well. So, where do we go from here?” he asked Urilla Wuti.
“Has everyone been dismissed from the corridor except for my other attendant?” she asked.
“No, there are two guards still stationed not far off. I did not want to take any chances and I knew I would be distracted,” he replied. “I will dismiss them and be back shortly.”
He returned within a few moments.
Urilla Wuti told him, “I have wrapped both offspring identically, and I suggest you, Adia, and one of my attendants go on ahead to the Healer’s Quarters. When she is situated and comfortable, come back to get the rest of us, and escort us
back,” she said.
Acaraho understood immediately. “Yes, that is a good precaution. Anyone happening to notice will not realize there are two, one taken on each trip. And though there should be no one around at this time, it is better to be safe than sorry.”
He went to the door and told the attendant outside to be sure no one came near. He did not like to leave anything to chance. Acaraho liked having contingency plans, but he was not thinking as clearly as he normally would, so he was glad Urilla Wuti had thought this through beforehand.
Adia handed the offspring over to Nadiwani and the midwife, and Acaraho helped her down from the raised bed. It was clear she was worn out, so without asking, he picked her up in his arms to carry her back to her quarters, as he had done before.
Nadiwani handed the little male back over to her, and now Acaraho was cradling Adia, who was, in turn, cradling the offspring.
He effortlessly carried them both the short distance and when Awan saw them approaching, he opened the door immediately.
Acaraho carried them in carefully and laid Adia gently down on her sleeping mat. She immediately curled around her offspring and arranged the wrapping so she could see his face. She counted all the little fingers and toes and then, satisfied, sat up and cradled him, seeing if he would latch on and begin feeding.
Acaraho went back to Awan and told him he was relieved for the night and should come back in the morning. He then turned to Urilla Wuti’s male attendant, a sizeable fellow, and asked him to stand watch at the door.
Making sure Awan had left, Acaraho went back for the others, returning with Urilla Wuti, her midwife, and Nadiwani who was carrying the other bundle. At Urilla Wuti’s request, Acaraho took the two satchels with him. He then asked the Healer if there was anything else she needed from the delivery room, and she said no; everything else could be retrieved later.
Nadiwani brought the second bundle in and sat down next to Adia until she was ready to take her tiny daughter. Even Adia would not have known which was which if she did not already know it was the little male who was nursing. Even though they were not identical twins, they certainly looked it.
The Healer’s Mantle Page 18
