She arched up then, screaming. Her wail had the man at her side jumping, before he reached out and captured her hand in his. “They’re coming now,” she cried. “But there is something wrong.”
A few women rushed in then, holding towelling and wooden bowls of water. They started to strip the top layer of bedding away. “Do not push yet, my Queen,” one woman warned her. “Let me check your readiness first.”
Queen. I knew this looked like a kingdom, only … there had not been a king or queen of Minatsol for many life-cycles. This had to be a royal family from the past.
The woman who was stripping the bed went very white, and I was guessing it was because the bed was soaked in blood. Red spread out under the queen, far too much to be part of the natural birthing process.
The king let out a strangled sound of pain before he began to shout for healers. I realised that I was holding my breath as I waited to see what would happen. My heart pounded hard in my chest, my body unable to understand that this wasn’t happening now. That there was nothing that I could do to change the fate of this woman.
There was a loud crash in the background—another door opening as a man wearing a guard’s uniform rushed into view.
“Your Majesty, the healer has not arrived. I fear he will not get here in time.”
The king looked like he wanted to rip the guard’s head off. “Fetch me Elliot,” he ordered, his voice hard.
The guard hesitated, blinking. “That crazy preacher? You think he can help the queen?”
“Do as I tell you!” The king dismissed him, turning back to his wife.
When she came into view again, I let out a low gasp. Someone wrapped an arm around me and I sank into the warmth of one of my guys, needing the comfort.
“She doesn’t look good,” I cried, pressing a hand to my mouth.
The woman was as pale as parchment. Her ladies were piling towelling beneath her in an attempt to stem the bleeding. The king was shouting again, and just as I took a step closer, my eyes glued to the scene, everything went dark.
The mortal glass seemed to die for a brief click, and then suddenly they were back again. Only this time, the royal couple were no longer in Minatsol.
They were in Topia.
I knew that because I recognised the stream from my first visit. There were only three in this scene: the king, the still-very-pregnant queen, and a ragged looking man with wispy white hair. “Are you sure this will work?” the king asked. He was carrying his wife, who appeared to be unconscious. “No one has ever stepped foot in the untouched world. I didn’t believe it was possible.”
The ragged man—Elliot, I was guessing—just shrugged. “The pathways are there, Majesty, one simply needs to know the way. The water is pure on this side, the original source of power. This is your only chance.”
They stopped before a waterfall, which trickled into a small stream.
“Place her there,” Elliot said, pointing toward a shallow section.
The king didn’t waste another moment, wading out into the water to lay his wife down. The water rose up around her body but wasn’t deep enough to cover her completely. The king never let her go and—not that I would admit it to anyone—I was starting to get a little weepy over their love. The possibility of losing his wife and children was obviously destroying him, but he hadn’t stopped fighting for her. Not for a single moment.
“This better have a happy ending,” I murmured.
The Abcurses pressed in closer to me, the six of us locked together, invested in this scene.
At first there was a lot of blood in the water, but then it slowly drifted away, and no more replaced it. “Drip the water into her mouth,” Elliot told the king.
The king again obeyed, without hesitation, parting the queen’s lips and letting the water slowly trickle inside. With each drop, more colour returned to her face. I was about an inch from the glass now; if I got any close I’d be in the actual scene, but I didn’t want to miss a moment.
As a healthy pink flush returned to her face, her eyes fluttered open. She stared up at the man cradling her in his lap. “What … happened, Leon?”
The broadest of smiles pushed his cheeks up. “You almost broke your promise to me, my love. You’re not allowed to die, remember?”
She smiled tenderly, lifting her hands to touch his face. Just as she did, her eyes got wide, and then her face screwed up in pain. She arched in his lap, her legs drawing up. “The babies are coming,” she cried out. “You need to deliver our children.”
This spurred him into action. His focus, now that his wife was no longer dying, was to save his children. He pulled her further back in the water, resting her head against a smooth stone surface, which stopped her from slipping under the water. He then slid across the wet rocks to pause before her legs. The stress that had been marking his face was now replaced with determination.
“I can see something,” he said, as he pushed her long dress higher. “I think you need to push now, whenever the next wave of pain hits you.”
She gritted her teeth, closed her eyes, and with a deep breath she pushed. Her hands slid across rocks until she found her grip on something. The moment she had a hold of some rocks, she pushed again. Her breathing was heavy between each scream of pain.
The first tiny cry that hit the air brought an actual tear to my eye. That tear slipped down my cheek, followed by another. The king lifted the child higher, giving us the perfect view of his chubby body.
“It’s a boy.” Rome sounded proud. Like he’d somehow had something to do with it. “Strong and healthy.”
I almost suggested someone get him a drink to go with that pride, but … who was I kidding? We all felt it. Leon handed the child over to his wife, and she cradled the young boy against her chest, holding him like he was the most precious thing in the world. Her eyes drank the baby in, her fingers tracing across his cheeks. “Welcome to the world, Jakan, you are truly loved.”
“Are you ready, Madeline?” The king used her name for the first time, distracting her from her child. “I think you’re going to have to push again.”
The queen was tired, anyone could see that. Despite the healing waters, she had lost a lot of blood. She’d almost died, but strength and determination to bring her children into the world was enough to have her leaning up, one hand holding her son close, while she pushed again.
It was quicker the second time, and soon another boy was placed on her chest, right next to his brother.
Her arms shook as she held her children, tears streaming across her cheeks and into the waters of Topia. When her husband moved to her side, they both stared at the boys. Madeline brushed her hand across the second child’s head and said, “Welcome to the world, Staviti, you are truly loved.”
Then the mortal glass went blank.
Twelve
I was staring at the glassy rock-face, my eyes wide and unblinking.
“Staviti?” I was asking for a confirmation of some kind as I reached out to touch the smooth surface. “That was Staviti. Why did it show me Staviti?” I spun, directing my question to Leden. She must have entered the cave at some point.
The mortal glass holds the secrets of the land. Leden’s calming voice washed through me, soothing some of the confusion that was clouding up my mind. It will show you the lives of those connected to the land: their truths, their histories, their realities.
“Show me my sister,” I requested, turning back to the glass, my heart beginning to thump against my ribs. “Emmy. Emmanuelle.”
The glass remained blank, the surface glittering darkly. It seemed infinite, even though I could reach out and touch it. It was dizzying, staring into that endless blackness.