by Raven Dark
Surprise registered on their faces, then cleared. “You want to go see them now? Come on, we’ll take you.”
I didn’t know how much time had passed, but when the four of us went into the birthing room, Doc had stitched Adeline up, and she lay with her head propped up on pillows. Serena was still there, sitting at Adeline’s side and talking with her. Doc was drying his hands on a towel when we’d entered and now left the room, squeezing my shoulder as he walked out. Diamond and Emmy sat with Serena on pillows, Diamond holding one baby, Emmy another. The third was cradled in Adeline’s arms, and her face shone with a motherly glow.
“Setora, come in here.” She smiled and held out her hand to me.
I took up a spot beside her on the bed. Diamond and Emmy stared at me, and I wondered how horrible I must have looked, with my hair disheveled and covered in sweat.
Like I was the one who’d given birth.
Diamond and Emmy gave the three women with me a turn to hold the babies, and they oohed and aahed over them.
“You want to hold her?” Adeline carefully handed me the swaddled bundle in her arms.
Trepidation nearly made me hesitate, for fear I’d drop her, but once I held her in my arms, calm washed over me. Calm and a sense of how natural it felt to hold her. How incredibly small the baby was, her head barely as large as one of my palms. I stroked her tiny cheek, and her little pink mouth opened with a soft coo.
“She’s so beautiful.”
I’d never felt so connected with another living person in my life the way I did with the little girl in my arms. Somehow, the connection went deeper than whatever allowed Violets to feel each other’s minds.
The baby gurgled and shifted restlessly, and I rocked slowly with her, whispering the only lullaby I knew.
“Have no fear. Trust in me. Little girl, little girl.”
Around me, the women picked up the tune, singing in the same low voice. Adeline joined in the song, letting the baby in my arms curl her hand around her mother’s thumb.
I felt someone’s arms around me, and Diamond bent and kissed the baby’s tiny cheek, cooing to her. Then Emmy hugged me before both women bid goodbye to Adeline. The doors clicked shut behind me.
“But trust in your Mama. Little girl, little girl.”
The buzzing in my head turned to a low hum, the orchestra of other women’s thoughts chiming in unison in a way I’d never felt before. Of their own accord, my thoughts reached out to all of them at once, like tendrils stretching to each bundle of thoughts that weren’t mine.
A torrent of emotions filled my mind, jumbled and nearly strong enough to make me sway. I gave the baby back to Adeline and glanced around in wonder.
Tari and Gita looked at me, confused, Serena blinked dazedly, and Yaela shook herself. All six of us continued singing, but the words from the others grew halting, all eyes lighting up with a joy that echoed my own.
Perhaps feeling this sudden connection with so many women should have alarmed me, but it didn’t. I only felt bound to them, as if the six of us had suddenly become one.
The singing stopped. As one, the women silenced, then froze.
Each of their faces turned blank, with the same unseeing, doll-like stare. The four women in front of me stood like marionettes, ones whose strings were waiting to be pulled.
Fingers of fear snaked up my spine. I glanced at Adeline. Cradling her baby in her arms, she still sat up in bed but slumped against the pillows. She seemed to be her normal self as she stared at the others, her brow furrowed in confusion.
I looked at the other women again. They still stood unmoving, living dolls.
No. No, no, not again.
“Six.”
I froze, staring. They’d had said the same word, at the same time, and in the same toneless voice.
“What?” My voice shook.
“Six. Six. Sisters.”
They paused between each word, each one as toneless as the last.
Panic stabbed at me. I stood up slowly.
“…Six. Six. Sisters. Come. Six…”
“Setora! What’s going on?” Adeline hissed beside me, grabbing my hand.
“Six. Sisters. Come.”
“Setora, what is this, I’m scared.”
I shook my head at her, terror stealing my voice.
“…Sisters. Come. Six. Sisters. Come.”
The chorus filled the room, an endless chant.
“Adeline—” I reached for her.
Her eyes slowly glazed. Her hand dropped out of mine.
“Six. Sisters. Come,” the women said, only this time, Adeline repeated the word with them in the same horrible toneless voice.
“Six. Sisters. Come.”
A familiar mind, violent, and much stronger, pierced my skull, and dizziness swam through me. I tried to push the thoughts away, to shut them out, but the mind behind them stabbed harder.
The women continued to chant. “Six. Sisters. Come. Six. Sisters. Come.”
A familiar voice knifed across my brain, two words, clear and succinct.
Come. Home.
Chapter 17
Talks
I left Adeline’s room with Serena a short time later after I’d said goodbye to the new mother. Serena led me down the halls toward the entrance to the slave quarters, looking dazed and holding her forehead as if it hurt.
I touched her shoulder. “Mistress Serena, are you all right?”
She looked at me and blinked. “Pardon, Setora? Oh, yes, I’m fine, just a little lightheaded.”
Me too.
It reassured me that she was feeling the same thing. Perhaps the minds of too many excited Violets in one place had gotten to both of us, and not just me.
I glanced at the courtyard garden outside the windows that ran along the stone wall. “Maybe we should step outside for a moment. The fresh air might help.”
“That’s a fine idea.” She nodded to a set of doors that led out to the courtyard and opened them.
I let her twine her arm with mine as she walked us out into the same garden where we’d met Adeline my second day here. As soon as we stepped outside, the fresh, cool breeze began to clear away the fog. Serena’s color was already starting to return.
“Ahh, I feel much better. I love being out here.” She spoke in her usual tinkling voice.
I, too, took a long breath, loving the scent of the roses that surrounded us.
“Weren’t those babies beautiful?” I said, joy overtaking me. “I feel so fortunate that I was able to attend an actual birth.”
“I wish I could have been there, too, but I get squeamish at stuff like that. I didn’t come in until she’d already had the babies.”
“I wonder what she’s going to name them. Three little girls. Incredible.”
“Yes, it sure is. I just want to eat those babies up! Adeline’s going to make a fine mother for Lord Falnar’s children.”
She shook her head dazedly and blinked at me, as if only then remembering I was there.
“Come, let’s sit here.” She gestured to a bench near a bush of yellow roses. “I would like a word with you, since you’ll be leaving soon.”
Now it was my turn to blink. Leaving soon? I wasn’t sure exactly when we were leaving, since the summit was still going on, but I was fairly certain we weren’t leaving today. Maybe she’d just gotten confused?
We sat on the stone bench, and Serena sorted the fall of her long, delicate dress. The cool, smooth stone beneath me sent a chill of familiarity snaking up my spine.
“I love being out here,” Serena said absently. Not seeming to realize she was repeating herself, she plucked a yellow bud from the rose bush and stroked its petals, her eyes turning dazed again.
“Mistress Serena?” I prompted.
Serena looked at me. “You dream about him too, don’t you?”
I gulped. “Pardon?”
Serena turned her face up to the sky, her eyes suddenly wistful. “Dreams are funny things, aren’t they?” She returned her
gaze to me. “I’ve been having some very strange dreams. For about two years now.”
My heartbeat sped up, my thoughts scattering. I knew I was supposed to say something, but my brain seemed to have jammed. A half-formed memory tugged at me beneath the sluggishness as my thoughts slowly returned to normal speed. Something had happened in the birthing room, hadn’t it?
Serena slapped my knee, an animated slap that reminded me of an old woman and snapped me out of my stupor. It seemed out of place for a refined woman like her, but with Serena, who knew?
“Setora, promise me you will write, girl.”
“Wait a minute, Serena.” I turned on the bench to face her. “Him. You said him. Tell me about the man in your dream.”
The man with no face, my mind chimed mercilessly.
But Serena shook her head. Then she put her finger to my lips. “Shh. No more.”
A terrible shiver raced through my blood, turning it to ice.
“I can’t talk about that,” she whispered.
I scrambled for a response, but my mouth didn’t seem to want to work properly.
“Now,” Serena touched my arm. “You must write to me. I don’t want us to become strangers again.”
When I didn’t say anything, she gave me a secretive look. “I know you know how to read. There’s nothing to fear, so do I.” She took my hands and pulled me to my feet. Next thing I knew, she was hugging me close like an old friend. “I will miss you so, so much.”
I gave a nervous laugh, too taken off guard to stop it. “Well, we’re not leaving yet. I’ll see you tonight.”
“Whatever you say, dear. Let’s not keep your man waiting.”
I wanted to press her for more about her dreams, but doing so would have been futile. She wouldn’t have told me anyway.
We returned inside. At the doors to the slave quarters, Crash waited for me.
Serena gave me another hug goodbye. “Be safe on your journey home.” She left before I could respond.
Crash led me back to the main part of the castle. He wasn’t using his cane today. It was probably the first time I hadn’t seen him with it in a long while.
As we headed away from the harem quarters, it was as if a fog were clearing. As if the distance between myself and the other Violets allowed whatever effect they had on me to wear off. Now that I was able to think straight, my mind reeled over the conversation with Serena and what had happened with Adeline—the way I’d made the baby turn, and how I’d managed to keep Adeline calm. Part of me wanted to tell Hawk right away, but another part shuddered at the through of making myself sound even more like a freak than I already felt.
Thank the Maker that horrible pain was gone, though exhaustion had set in, nearly making me stumble into Crash. I wanted to sleep for a week.
“You doing okay, Setora? You look like you ate a bad binacca.”
I laughed. “Oh, I’m fine, sir. I’m just really tired. Could you take me to Pretty Boy’s room for now?”
“Sure. Want me to send you up something to drink?”
“Yes, please. Tea would be great, sir.”
When Crash left me in Pretty Boy’s rooms, I peeled off my clothes and climbed into a much-needed bath. I lit a few candles scented with relaxing vanilla and lavender and soaked in the hot tub, letting the water work the tension from my tired muscles.
Questions as to what had happened in Adeline’s rooms chased themselves through my head. The connection between us, the way I’d kept her calm, what had happened with the breech baby. I shoved them away; I’d deal with them later when I didn’t feel like someone had tried to mop a floor with me.
A servant came into the suite with the tea, but I called to her to leave it in the bedroom.
After drying off, I wrapped myself in a fluffy robe and sat up in bed, drinking the hot chamomile, letting it relax the last of the tension away.
When I’d fallen asleep, I didn’t know, but a knock on the door had me shaking awake. A couple of hours must have passed since I’d dropped off, because the sun was a lot lower in the sky now.
“Come in?”
Doc stepped in and shut the doors.
I sat up in bed as he crossed the room. He propped my head up with pillows, then sat beside me, putting the back of his hand to my forehead.
“You look much better than you did when I left you in the birthing room earlier. I take it the pain is gone?”
I nodded. “I’m still a little tired, but otherwise I’m fine.”
“Good to hear. You want me to tell you the results of your blood test?”
I leaned my head back against the pillows. “I already know.”
“So you know what I’m going to tell you.”
“Yes. I’m not pregnant.”
“Right.” His grey eyes were sympathetic.
I closed my eyes, forcing myself to process the myriad of emotions I’d been trying to avoid since I’d left the birthing room. Disappointment and relief made for a strange mixture, warring with each other.
“Do the men know?” I whispered at last.
“Yes. I already told them.”
I let out a breath. I didn’t think I’d have known how to face them. How did the news make them feel? Were they disappointed?
Doc must have picked up on my anxiety, because he set his hand on my leg comfortingly. “Hey. The others are okay with the news. They’ll discuss it with you later, I’m sure.”
A knot in my stomach unclenched.
Doc was silent for a little too long, so I cocked my head at him. “What is it?”
He leaned forward with one hand on his knee. “Setora, what happened in the birthing room? With Adeline…you looked like you were…” He shook himself. “But that’s not possible. I need you to tell me what was going on in there.”
So he had noticed. Somehow that made me feel better, knowing he’d seen what I’d done and he wasn’t looking at me like I had two heads. Like a freak.
I heaved a sigh.
“I’m not sure what happened. I just. I had this…need to go to her. And I was in so much pain. The pain grew stronger the closer I got to her.”
“You were feeling her pain.”
He said it so plainly, it made it easy to talk to him.
“Yes.”
“And then?”
“In the room with her, I knew I had to keep her calm. Something was wrong with one of the babies. There was this…connection with her. Like my mind linked itself to hers. I don’t know how I did it.”
“And when I said the baby was breech? You did something. I’m sure of it.”
Another nod. “I…made the baby turn.”
A hint of a awe touched his eyes and a smile pulled at his lips.
“I don’t know how I did that either. It just happened. And then it was over. The babies were born, she was okay, and I didn’t feel the pain anymore.”
“Because the danger had passed.”
“I guess so.”
He lowered his head, looking like he was thinking and said nothing for a long time. I wanted so badly to ask what was wrong with me, how I could have done it, but I couldn’t make myself say the words.
Silent, he put his head back, staring at the ceiling for a moment.
“Well. Wow. This is a new development for sure. Definitely something we should explore further.” He squeezed my leg. “But for now, I’ll let you get some rest. Dinner will be in a few hours and the guys will want to see you.”
I bit my lip. “Doc, there’s more.”
He raised a brow, waiting for me to continue.
“Um…sir, are we leaving today?”
“No,’ he said slowly. “Not that I know of. This is the last day of the summit. Why?”
I sighed and gave him a quick rundown of the conversation I’d had with Serena. That the same man I saw in my dreams was apparently in hers. The strange sense that something else had happened in the birthing room before I left, but that I couldn’t remember what it was. And lastly, that Serena seemed convince
d we were leaving today.
“Hmm.” He rubbed his chin. “You expended a lot of energy during the birth. I can tell you’re exhausted. That may be all there is to the feeling you’re having, but if you remember what it was, I want you to let me know. As far as the dream. I’m not qualified to address that type of thing. I suggest you tell Hawk about that, he’s more knowledgeable about those kinds of things. And as far as the part about us leaving today, she was probably confused. You know how she is.”
I pulled my knees up to my chin. “Why is this happening, Doc?”
“Serota, listen to me.” His voice was soothing. “I don’t want you to be frightened. What you did with Adeline was wonderful. Even miraculous. Somehow, we will find answers. But nothing’s going to change. You are part of the Dark Legion now. Your men love you. What you did today will only make them love you more. Just talk to Hawk about the dream thing when you get the opportunity. Everything will be okay. I promise you this.”
I gave a relieved chuckle. “How do you always know what to say?”
“It’s all part of the job.” His smile was roguish.
“Diamond is a lucky girl.”
He patted my head. “Sleep for now. We’ll talk more later.”
When he left, I rolled over in bed and closed my eyes. My mind raced with questions, but the biggest one wasn’t about what I’d done during the births, or even the baffling conversation with Serena.
What had happened in the birthing room before I’d left? When I tried to recall it, there was only a blank haze that made my temples throb.
Dinner hour arrived, and sleep still hadn’t found me.
* * *
Once I was dressed and ready for dinner, one of Lord Falnar’s guards escorted me down the spiral staircase toward the foyer. Pretty Boy and Steel were waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs.
In their cuts and leathers, they should have looked out of place, standing in the middle of a huge entry hall decked with polished wood and marble, but somehow, my pirate masters gave the room a much needed, rougher edge.
Both men’s eyes shined brightly when they saw me. I smiled, my cheeks heating.
I hadn’t even reached the bottom stair before Steel threw his big arms around me and lifted me off my feet.
