Throne of Stone -II- Book Three of the Tales of the Fourth Age Series

Chapter Ten

Fo.A 2, June 21st, Mid-Year

All the doors were locked up tighter than they had been in previous years; last year had almost been a disaster. The madness came only once a year, and always on the twenty-first of June.

This year, though, things were different: she was pregnant. She could only pray that when the madness took her, she would not harm the baby; not that she would remember any of it if she did.

Her husband would watch over her while she ranted and raved for hours in the darkness of the little cabin. A soft smile formed on her lips at the thought of him; he'd loved her so well these past years in spite of her fits and her immortality. She had finally let herself conceive as a gift to him, but she hadn't considered facing her madness so close to the due date which was just a week away.

A sudden pain seared her mind, causing stars to burst before her eyes, and she cried out. It was time.

Dael sat outside the windowless cabin, tears running down his face, his heart breaking as he listened to his wife call out in a crazed voice about things he didn't understand, nor did he want to. He loved her as she was.

Anxiety gnawed at him, worry growing with each passing hour as he thought of their unborn child. He felt his heart go cold when suddenly the rantings stopped, followed by a piercing scream. "The baby," she screamed. "The baby is coming!"

Dael jumped up, then froze in place. What if she was just saying that to get him to unlock the doors? But if the baby were coming, he would need to help her. Dael swore, and panic began to set in.

When she screamed again, he threw caution to the wind, unlocked the door, and flung it open to see her laying on the floor, breathing heavily. She looked up at him, eyes wide with terror and filled with tears. "Help me," she begged, eyes pleading.

The pangs of labor lasted long into the night, and when she woke up to the morning light filtering in through the door her heart quickened. No, no this isn't what was supposed to happen! Something was wrong.

She glanced down, seeing the little bundle that was fast asleep in her arms with its slightly pointed ears and reddish-brown hair.

She went to caress the baby's cheek when she saw the blood on her hand. Her blood ran cold as she looked to her left and saw the body of her husband lying motionless just a few feet away from her, a knife in his back.

The scream came unbidden, which waked the baby, and was followed by uncontrollable sobs. For hours upon hours, she lay there, baby in her arms, and one thought going through her mind over and over again: She was cursed.

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Údar woke up before the sun had begun to rise as was his custom. He bathed quickly, put on the new clothes he'd been provided the previous night, and walked out to a bench that sat on the edge of the fountain where the White Tree stood in the middle. He breathed deeply of the crisp morning air, then waited.

It was subtle at first, the warmth spreading through him, the wind picking up ever so slightly. Údar smiled contentedly. "Hello Father," he said, voice relaxed and at peace for the first time in a while.

Good morning, my son, replied the voice, filling the air around him.

"Things have gone better than I had hoped," commented Údar. "Though, I had planned on having that monster taken care of before now." He frowned.

The presence pulsed around him. You do not know my purposes for him. Do not be so quick to judge what you do not understand, replied the voice in gentle rebuke. He has a destiny to fulfill, just as you do.