Luminescent (Inheritance Cycle and Beyond)

Chapter Sixty-Eight: Blinding

"She means I look ready to have my child, Fen," I explained to the confused child.

"Which is the reason for my visit." Yirlitá said gently. "shall we move into the sitting room where you will be more comfortable?"

I wobbled to my feet and waddled after the excited Fen who was already scrambling towards the sitting room. The older woman made me lay down on the couch and pull up my tunic so she could have access to my stomach.

Mutter underneath her breath, Yirlitá hovered her fingers over my stomach with her eyes closed in concentration. She remained like that for half a minute before she opened her eyes.

"The babe is still healthy," Yirlitá announced. "and my prediction still stands. Though I'd say that your little one will come fast."

"So it's close," I said as I dragged my tunic back down and heaved my body into a sitting position.

"Aye, very close," Yirlitá said with a sparkling gleam in her eyes. "Tis been far too long since a babe was born."

I rubbed the back of my neck, in a few short weeks I would bear my first child, after that my life would change completely.

"How is the sickness?"

"Not bad, it comes and goes, but it is nothing like how it used to be," I answered her.

"And you've been eating a balanced diet, plenty of liquid?" I nodded at her as I absentmindedly rubbed my belly.

"She likes to kick a lot at night," I mentioned. "Murtagh's touch seems to calm her down, but sometimes I swear she is trying to break out."

"Aye, a restless babe you have." Yirlitá chuckled. "you will have your hands full with this one."

"Don't I know."

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

A couple days later, I was waddling after Fen as we traveled down to the berry patch to pick some berries for a pie. Fen had been begging me to teach her how to bake, and I finally relented.

Murtagh had flown across Osilon to get some more materials to finish one of the last rooms in the treehouse, that trip would take him the full day he had said. So that left Fen and me to our own devices, which is how we ended up walking towards the berry patch.

Fen blabbered along beside me; she couldn't decide if she only wanted to use one type of berry or make a mixed pie. In all honesty, I was only half listening to her words. When I had woken up this morning, there was a sinking pit in my stomach that wouldn't go away.

That had prompted Alethea to remain close to me. Up above us, she coasted around, doing lazy spirals in the air.

"Raspberry!" Fen finally announced. I looked down at her and smiled.

"Raspberry pie it is, Fen," I told her. "I think the raspberry bushes are quite full so we won't have any trouble collecting a good amount, as long as someone keeps her fingers from the bucket."

Fen smiled mischievously at me while hiding her hand behind her back. I swear I must have been rubbing off on her as her next words had me sighing.

"No promises!" Fen skipped ahead, entering the berry field. I followed at a slow pace with the wooden bucket swinging lightly in my hand. Just as I reached the raspberry bushes, Fen popped out with small cuts all over arms and face, but a bountiful number of raspberries in her little hands.

"Be careful!" I scolded her as she dumped the berries into the bucket I carried. Flashing me an apologetic look, Fen darted back towards the bushes. With an aching back, I set the bucket down and began harvesting the small berries with Fen.

I dropped the berries into the bucket and continued to pluck at the bushes, careful to avoid the barbs. As usual, Fen wasn't very careful as continued to accumulate an assortment of small cuts as she darted about the bushes.

We filled the bucket full of the plump fruit in a matter of minutes with the rate Fen was running. Fen, bouncing foot to foot, skipped around as I picked up the bucket and headed back for the treehouse. We hadn't even left the field when I sparingly glanced up at the sky. The clouds overhead accumulated in a stormy like fashion.

"Looks like it's going to..." I trailed off as the word I was going to say sunk in. "snow..."

"Snow?" Fen pipped up, does that mean we can make snowmen? I didn't answer her a substance ran down my inner leg. Frozen in my spot, my heart began to beat faster. Fen, a couple of steps ahead of me, turned around and gave me a puzzled look.

"Mal?" She asked, cocking her head to the side. "are you okay?"

The bucket in my fingers slipped out of my grip and clattered to the uneven ground, spilling the raspberries everywhere as I harp pain lanced through my abdomen. Letting out a gasp, I clutched at my stomach and doubled over in surprise.

"Mal!?!" Fen asked, panic filling her voice. Still hunched over, I cranked my head to the sky and called for Alethea, who promptly dove towards us like a dart. She reached us in a matter of seconds and flared her wings to slow down.

Fen let out a slight squeak as the ground shook from the impact of Alethea's legs. She quickly folded her legs and brought her head over to mine.

"My Rider!" Alethea cried out as I gasped out as another pain hit me. Uncurling my body slightly, I grabbed Fen's hand and dragged her over to Alethea's side.

"Fen, I need you to do something for me," I said as calmly as I could. Fen, clearly fearful, nodded her head. "I need you to climb on Alethea's back and get Murtagh and Yirlitá. Can you do that?"

Indecision and hesitance flashed through her eyes before she slapped her cheeks and gave me a firm nod.

"I'll get them." Smiling through my pain, I helped Fen up Alethea's side.

"Hold onto her necklace," I told Fen. "she won't drop you."

Fen nodded as I stepped away from the two. Alethea gave me one last look before launching the two into the air. The two disappeared, and I carefully lifted the skirt of my dress. There was blood mixed in with the liquid running down my leg.

Trying to calm myself to prevent hyperventilation, I clutched my stomach as I began to waddle back towards the treehouse.