Alliance

Chapter 28- Impetus

Impetus

Latin

Attack

-

beware, my friend, of the

scorpion

beneath every stone

-

"Lexi too big now..."

"Well, you're very big too, Jem." Sanya tried to coax her son onto his pony. Admittedly, Lexi- full name Alexandrite- had grown larger than she had been when Jem had got her, but she was still alright for him to ride on. "Besides, you haven't been on Lexi in weeks! What if you've forgotten how to ride?"

He immediately glared up at her, "'Course not! I know how to ride!"

He might be five, Sanya thought wryly as she helped him settle on the saddle, but he was still male- and their pride was quite often their weak spot.
"Well, where do you want to go?" She asked as they left the paddock the horses usually grazed on. "Riding on the beach again? Or the meadow? Or-"

"Woods!" He answered at once, holding onto his pony tight- he was quite adept at riding for his age, but he still feared falling.

"Woods it is, then." She nodded promptly, turning Moonlight in that direction. "You want to see the deer again, don't you?"

"Baby deer." He corrected her, trotting behind. "Daddy said we have a picnic here on his birthday."

"He did?" She turned to look at her child, and he nodded. "Just you and him?"

"No, Mumma, us three." If he could've rolled his eyes, he would've. "You will come?" He asked then, sounding a little dubious.

"Of course, baby." She reassured him, ignoring the now-constant feeling of guilt she felt whenever Edmund was even mentioned- she'd known about the pregnancy almost two months now, but she was yet to tell him (or anyone else- it was still only her parents who knew). "Well, what are you going to give Daddy for his birthday tomorrow?"

Jem looked extremely thoughtful as he heard his mother's question, "Hmm...I don't know, Mumma. Maybe food?"

"Well, he does love food, so very good idea, Jem." Sanya gave him an approving smile as the horses navigated their way through the trees. She never took him into the darker parts of the woods, it wasn't safe for him- but there was no reason he shouldn't go in a little deeper. Adventure was good for the soul.

"What about you, Mumma?" He asked, reaching out a hand to run his hands through a blueberry bush.

"Oh, I'm giving him a child." She hadn't meant to say that. She had not meant to say that at all. She didn't even know why-

"Heh?" Jem looked at her, utterly confounded. "A child? Mumma-" a horrific assumption presented itself to him "are you taking a child? You shouldn't take a child- that bad! That very bad!"

Was he remembering- subconsciously- of how he himself had been taken? Or was Sanya just being paranoid?

"No, I'm not- Jem! I would never kidnap a child." She frowned, hoping he'd forget about his question.

"Then how?" He asked, dashing her hopes. "How you give Daddy a child?"

Oh well, no stopping now. Apart from stopping her horse- she did so, and descended onto the ground. She didn't think she could talk about this on horseback.