by T.M. Nielsen
***
Kyrin was sitting on the floor with the twins on their tummies around her. She was still recovering from the birth but was getting more comfortable with the two week old twins. She watched them squirm on the blanket as she re-wrapped the handle on her flail.
“Oh good, you’re getting ready to fight,” Creteloc said from behind her.
She nodded. “Alric said it’ll be four more weeks, but he also said that Erianah will want the babies, so I want to be ready.”
“Four more weeks? No. I can’t leave this horrid place until you can defend them yourself.”
“What exactly are you proposing then?” Kyrin asked, looking up at her.
Creteloc held up a black leather halter and smiled. “Time to start getting back into shape.”
“What is that?”
“It’s a harness.”
“I know that! But what’s it for?”
“We’re going to put those squirming little flesh balls to use.”
Kyrin looked over at the twins. “How?”
“As weights. Now stand up.”
“Alric said…”
“If I have to hear what Alric said one more time, I’m going to put you out of your misery.”
Kyrin sighed and then stood up and slipped on the soft leather harness. Creteloc picked the closest baby up, disgusted, and slipped him into the back of the harness. Once the second baby was strapped to Kyrin’s front, she stood back.
“This is too heavy,” Kyrin said, trying to adjust some of the weight.
“Stop being a wimp.”
“I’m not being a wimp. I just gave birth.”
“Two weeks ago! Get over it.”
Kyrin slipped her flail into the belt around her waist and turned to Creteloc. “Now what?”
“Now we run.”
“Perfect”
Creteloc led the way out of the castle, followed more slowly by Kyrin. Azimeth didn’t want to go out in the woods with the assassin, so she stayed behind with the knights. They also didn’t feel comfortable with Creteloc and had no desire to follow her into the dark trees.
Less than a mile into the dense forest, Kyrin stopped and leaned against a tree, completely out of breath.
“That’s it?” Creteloc asked, walking back to her.
Kyrin tried to answer but was only able to wheeze slightly.
“Pathetic”
She attempted another answer but only managed to whisper, “Stop.”
“When are you going to name those little beasts, anyway?” Creteloc asked, looking over at the closest twin.
Kyrin finally regained some breath. “When Daemionis and Sithias decide how to.”
“Sithias shouldn’t get a say in it.”
“Well, he does.”
“Have you recovered?” Creteloc looked over her red face and how the sweat dripped from her forehead.
Kyrin nodded.
“Good, I have a toy.”
Kyrin watched as Creteloc disappeared, and she took that opportunity to sit down to rest for a few minutes. It wasn’t long before the thudding let her know someone was coming.
She stood up and pulled her flail, just in case, and was glad she did when an orc came at her from the trees. What shocked her was that Creteloc followed it calmly.
The orc stood over six feet tall and had torn, green skin and jagged teeth. Horns rose from just above his pointed ears and the stench of decay hit her as soon as she saw him.
Kyrin took a defensive stance. “You brought that?”
“Yes, and no magic,” Creteloc told her.
“To hell with that!”
“No magic! I want to see if you can still fight.”
“But an…” Her words were cut off when the orc attacked. He was able to scratch down her arm before she dodged out of the way and brought her flail up against his right arm, breaking the top-most bone.
It roared loudly and lunged at her. One sharp claw hit her face and sliced three thin cuts along her left cheek. She countered and slammed the balls of her flail into the side of his head, caving it in. He fell to the forest floor, convulsing, as blood poured out from the wound.
“What was that?!” Kyrin asked, panting.
“Not too bad, I guess.” Creteloc walked over to look down at the orc. “I see you managed to protect the babies. I’m disappointed you are injured though.”
“That was uncalled for!”
“No, it was training.”
“I haven’t done more than a waddle in almost three months. You can’t expect me to be able to take on an orc by myself!”
“You just did.”
“Damnit, Creteloc,” Kyrin screamed, and then started back for the town. She was hoping she could find Dewell without much attention.
Creteloc followed her. “Why are you so mad? You won.”
“You could have killed me.”
“Or the babies.”
“Them too.”
“I wouldn’t have let the orc hurt the twins.”
“Nice to hear you care.”
“Not about you.”
“I’m aware of that.” Kyrin peered around the first house she came to and saw no one around. Running quickly and keeping to the shadows, she was soon in front of the temple.
“I can’t go in there,” Creteloc told her.
“Good”
With that, Kyrin went inside and looked around.
“Lady Kyrin!” one of the priests said, rushing up to her. He immediately began looking over her wounds.
“Where’s Dewell?” she asked him, taking a step back.
“He’s out. May I heal you?”
“Saith then.”
He nodded and ran off to get Saith. The High Priest came in with a smile but immediately saw the blood covering both Kyrin and the front twin.
“What happened?!” Saith started looking over her wounds closely.
“Orc attack. The twins are fine, but can you heal me before Alric finds out?” she asked him.
He sighed and began healing her arm. “I have to tell the king.”
“Why?”
“We haven’t had an orc attack in years. He’ll have to know they are aggressive again.”
“They aren’t exactly attacking.”
“Meaning?” he asked, and went to work on the cuts along her face.
“Meaning, Creteloc brought one to me for training.”
He healed her cheek and then stood back and frowned. “You shouldn’t be training yet.”
“I know that.”
“You’re covered in sweat and breathing hard still. That’s dangerous this close to delivery.”
“I know! Okay? I know.”
“Then why do it?” Saith asked.
She sighed. “Because Creteloc is a priestess of my god, and she ordered it.”
Saith finally nodded. “Well, the king will realize something happened. The front twin is covered in blood.”
Kyrin looked down at the top of the tiny bald head, caked in dried blood. “Oh, do you have a rag? Let me clean him up.”
“I got it,” Saith said, and took the baby out of the harness. Another priest helped Kyrin out of the harness and handed her the twin she had on her back along with a rag she could clean off with. When Saith returned, she took one baby in each arm.
“All clean?” she asked, looking him over.
“Yes, and the king is looking for you. It seems we get to name them finally.”
“Oh good, that’ll make things easier.” Kyrin shifted both babies, so she was holding tightly, and then started for the castle. She felt Creteloc was probably around her but saw no sign of her along the way.
“Kyrin,” Alric said, coming out to them. “Did Saith tell you?”
She nodded. “It’s about time. Creteloc’s started calling them names.”
“Like what?”
“Do you really want to know?”
He smiled. “Probably not. Let’s go to my office then.
You haven’t decided on names.”
“I told you, I don’t really care.”
Alric held the door for her and took one of the twins as she passed. They walked up to his office and then sat on a couch.
“I mentioned that I’d like to name one of them Ryche, after my father,” Alric said.
“Right”
“That leaves one without a name.”
“What do you have in mind?” Kyrin asked, lightly bouncing the baby against her shoulder.
“You have no idea your father’s name?”
“How would I know that?”
“Most of us do.”
“Only in Paragoy. That’s a dead end. I have no idea.”
“Friends?”
“You mean besides Creteloc?”
“Yeah,” Alric said. “Maybe someone in the dimensions you ran into a lot?”
“Nope”
“Let’s just name him Mika.”
“Why would we do that?”
“I’m just making sure you’re listening.” Alric grinned when she looked up at him.
“I don’t care what his name is.”
“How can you not care?” Alric asked. “I mean, what if I wanted to name him Sithias?”
“No”
“See, you do care.”
“Fine, you name him but not after a deity.”
“You name this one.”
Kyrin shrugged. “I don’t want to.”
Alric just watched her.
“Why don’t we name him Alric?”
“Alric the Second, eh?”
“Why not?”
“You don’t think that might get confusing?”
“No”
Alric studied the baby. “It’s not common here to name a child after their father.”
“Of course not. What else is on the table?” Kyrin asked.
“Well… nothing, actually.”
“Then name him Dirk.”
“Dirk?”
“Yeah, like a dagger.”
“You have a dagger named Dirk?”
Kyrin couldn’t help but laugh. “No, it’s a type of dagger.”
“Ryche and Dirk? They actually kind of rhyme.”
“Then no.”
“Their names can’t rhyme?”
Kyrin shook her head. “Nope.”
“Why not?” Alric waited for something in the dimensions that wouldn’t allow it.
“Because it’s hokey.”
“Rhyming names are hokey?”
“Yes, you weren’t named to rhyme with your brother.”
“True”
“So let’s just name him after your brother,” Kyrin suggested.
“Sedomer? I guess we could.”
“Unless you didn’t like your brother.”
“I did,” he said, laughing. “You’re just waiting for some huge family drama story, aren’t you?”
“So go name them and bring them to me when you’re done.”
“You’re not going?”
“No”
“Why not?” Alric asked. He reached down and took the second baby when she held him up.
“Creteloc said I still have a bump.”
He sighed. “You just had twins.”
“So? I’ll go back out when it’s gone.”
“It’s normal.”
“No”
Alric’s eyes narrowed. “Why do you have caked blood in your hair?”
“Do I?” she asked, pulling at a strand of hair with blood on it.
“Were you out today?”
“Just with Creteloc.”
“Doing what? We told you, you have to take things easy for another four weeks.”
She smiled at him. “Tell that to Creteloc.”
“I will if she’s making you do things you shouldn’t be.”
“She’s not. Now go bless them before they get hungry again.”
“It’s not right without you there,” Alric told her.
“They’ll live.”
Alric waited for a few moments to see if she changed her mind, and then took the twins down to the throne room. Daemionis had agreed to let Sithias go through the naming ceremony to anoint them as nobles, as long as they weren’t also blessed as his followers.
