Dagdh’a’vaní 8th
Kala’maílaō
08:00
~Cara~
I slept so long and luxuriously! Oh, this bed feels fantastic! They use a mix similar to buckwheat, cattail fluff, and some pine/juniper type needle bits that are antibacterial and microbial. It keeps bugs away. The blankets were thin, warm, and weighted. The pillows shifted to our positions.
My only complaint? Morning came too soon.
I roll over and straddle Tavi before sprawling against his chest. As comfortable as the bed is, he is always better. I trace the patterns, patches, and muscle ridges. I can tell when he starts to wake up. He has a very large tell. Thankfully, our door is locked, and I can work on giving him a proper wake-up. I carefully slide down onto him. Flexing the muscles in my belly and V always makes him groan and writhe.
“Mmm, Ti’kúe. What are you up to?”
“Trouble of course.” I kiss his jaw and rake my nails down his chest. It’s not enough to cut his skin, and he likes it. His groan of pleasure urges me on. I love pleasing him.
“I like this kind of trouble. You had better be careful, little one. You may insight the abhvo.” He growls. I laugh and pull his tusk before growling back.
“My abhvo. My monster. My hay…” He cuts me off with a growling kiss. I can’t stop giggling. He keeps tickling me! “Thi... This is not how it’s… it’s done!”
“What? You mean I have to do it like,” He tickles behind my knee, “this?” I laugh and wiggle.
“Noooo!” I try to fake pout through the laughter.
“Oh, so like,” he thrusts into me, “this?”
“Yes!” I gasp in pleasure. Why does it feel so good?
“Humm.” He stills. “Apologies, Ti’kúe. I am afraid you’re in the clutches of a vicious, cannịbalistic, reveníre abhvo.”
“Wait. What?” I look at him curiously. What is he up to?
“I’m a terrifying abhvo. One of the worst kinds.” I feel his playfulness, even if he looks like he’s trying to be scary.
“Oh, no! Whatever will I do?” I say dramatically and pretend to faint like the women in silent films.
“Nothing you can do. You must suffer my tọrture Ti’kúe.”
“Tọrture?” I pretend to be frightened and try escaping his clutches.
“The worst kind. It’s,” he leans in close, pinning me down, “tickling.” He starts tickling me again. I screech and laugh.
We spend two hours laughing, playing, and making love before someone knocks on the door. We both groan. The rooms are soundproofed, so one of us has to go to the door. He puts on a robe, covers me, kisses our babies, and then closes the curtains. I love this bed! It’s a canopy with curtains a mountain troll couple would envy.
“Apologies, you missed the morning meal, and a bunch of people are asking for you both at the inn. I thought you could use something in your stomachs. Especially the young Queen.” A smoky woman’s voice says. It’s warm and comforting. “I’ll check the Princess when you two are ready. If you like, I can check your Queen as well.”
“We would appreciate it. I will get her fed and bathed. Is Tira up yet?”
“She is. I brought my daughters over to play with the girls, oh, sorry, vaní. Their Papa scares most people, so they don’t make many friends. I hope you don’t mind.”
“We welcome it. She hasn’t had an easy past few years and not allowed friends. We appreciate your thoughtfulness.”
“My pleasure, your Majesty.” I hear the door close softly and rattling. Tavi opens the curtains, and I’m greeted with what looks like crepes, fruit, sausages, and some kind of waffle? It’s all heaped on a cart. Of course, no meal is complete without java!
“I think I’m drooling. It smells and looks so good!” Tavi chuckles before heaping my plate with a little of everything. “There’s cheese too!” It was hidden. I wrap sausage and cheese in the waffle thing before devouring it. “Mmmm!”
“That looks good.” Tavi tries the same. His eyes get big with his first bite.
“RIGHT!” It’s sweet and savory. Somehow, the waffles are buttery, without the butter. The sausages aren’t greasy and have a taste similar to country gravy and Italian sausage. The cheese is like mozzarella, sharp cheddar, and Philly mixed. I try the crepe-looking thing. The eggs are closer to ostrich, and the filling tastes cream cheese with the consistency of spray whipped cream.
“Cara, Miti, are you alright?”
“Huh?”
“You’re crying.” I wipe the tears I didn’t realize were falling.
“The crepes remind me of home, and it’s fixing my cravings. I’m already showing, too. If Mum was here, she would be making me crepes and reading to our babies. She’s missing all of this.” He pulls me close into a hug. I sniffle, “And there’s no Irish cream filling here!”
“I’m guessing these are crepes,” I nod, “and your Mum is amazing. We will find a way to get her here. Maybe some of that is filling, too. I promise.” He kisses the top of my head and wipes my eyes. “Let’s finish our meal and get you in a bath.” I nod and continue eating until I’m full. Tavi murmurs, loving words to me and the babies through our bath.
“I love you.” I sigh and lean back on his chest. “Thank you for everything.”
“And I love you. Thank you for everything, my dream. My life.” We finish our bath, and he helps me get ready for the day. I still want Irish cream crepes.
I chose a modest butterfly sleeve wrap dress. Of course, it’s in our royal colors. The belt is white with silver ivy embroidery. Tiny flowers and butterflies with long tails hanging from each lower wing are embroidered on the edging of the dress. I chose the kitten heel Mary Jane’s Mum must have slipped in my bag.
“Knock-knock. We’re here to assist with Cara’s hair.” I hear Ana and Fraí call out. Tavi let’s them in. “Lovely! We should go gentle and sweet.” Ana tells Fraí. They nod to each other before a flurry of work begins. Curls are tamed, and the top part is pulled into two clips to create a waterfall. Tendrils hang around my face.
True to their word, my makeup is light and sweet. Blush rose, silver, and soft blue dramatic eyeshadow is the only “unnatural” look. Top cat-eye eyeliner and blush rose pink lipstick complete my look. A simple drop necklace and earrings with isilmëmírë stones complete my outfit. I love it!
“Where did these come from?”
“Tira. She wanted you to wear them. They are enchanted to promote good health and provide protection from evil.” I touch them gently.
“Oh my heart. She’s such a good girl.”
“Is this appropriate?” Tavi comes out of the bathroom in a pair of snug black slacks that move with him and a katana-style ¾ sleeve shirt. It’s in both our colors. The collar and edging match my dress. The silver buttons have tiny charmed designs etched into them. Tavi favored this design the most.
“Sáry, you are drooling.” I wipe my mouth. There’s actually a little drool! I’m so embarrassed. Tavi chuckles.
“I will take that as a yes by the blush you wear.” I feel more heat flood my face. He chuckles and kisses me gently before scooping me up.
“I guess it’s time.”
“When all this is over and we are back home, I am taking you away for a month.” I laugh a little.
“When we get home, we may have three little ones, and I’m sure people won’t let us shut ourselves off.”
“Shh, allow me this dream, Ti’kúe.” I giggle.
“It is a lovely idea. We might be able to get two weeks if I can get my hands on a pump and family watches our little monsters.” Tavi’s deep laugh warms me.
“Little monsters. I like it.”
“What are you two about?” Ámathos asks.
“They’re being cute Ijt’aku.” Ana giggles. “I volunteer for either plan. Oh! Who is this?” I look over to see our people, two girls about Tira’s age, and a human man. He has long, light golden brown hair with bronze highlights. It’s pulled back into a man bun… do I tell him it isn’t in style anymore?
Nah.
His eyes are a mossy green with a couple of brown freckles. His face looks familiar. How do I know him? Do I know him?
“Good morning.” He says in English. “I needed to see you in person. Are you sure this isn’t a game?” He looks at me skeptically.
“Tavi, set me down, please?”
“Of course, Ti’kúe.” I walk over to the man. The closer I get, the more I realize why he looks familiar.
“You look like your dad. You’re definitely a Miller.” I giggle. “What makes you think you’ve been isekai’d?”
“Look around. Everyone is super weird.” I Gibbs-slap him. “Ow! Shịt lady, that hurts!”
“Don’t be rude. If it was a game, could you have felt that?”
“I…”
“Wait, seriously, David?” Amanda gives him the stink-eye. “Rudeness aside, what makes you think this isn’t real?”
“My dogs haven’t aged or died. I stopped aging when I tuned 21. There’s magic and strange creatures.” He shrugs. “I was 14 when I came here. It makes the most sense.” I sigh and cover my eyes. He’s going to cause me a migraine.
“Cara, are you okay?” Nimuë comes running in and paws at me with a yelp.
“Seizure coming. Ana, get Kaenaék fast!” Amanda orders. “Lay her on her side on the couch. Give her something to bite on and protect her teeth. Keep her from falling off.”
Tavi hands me the strip of leather he keeps on hand for these situations. I try to breathe and relax, preparing for what’s coming. I hate these. My muscles stiffen, and I start contortions. It sucks I’m awake during part of this. It hurts!
“Move!” A needle jabs into my arm. “15…14…13…12…” Kaenaék counts. With every second he counts, I feel myself relax. “Rest Cara.” I nod. Tavi wipes the tears.
“I will take her back to bed. Kaenaék, will you join us. Someone, please, fill our visitors in on our story. Tira, Lady Marlow, please join us. Sif, please take the vaní to play. They don’t need to hear what has to be told.” Tavi takes control. I feel absolutely worthless right now.
“Shh, all is well. Na’kúra Ti’kúe.”
“He’s right sissy, sleep. Kaenaék, is that the medicine you’ve been working on?”
“Yes. It worked faster than I had hoped. Help me set a line. I have a medicine that will last longer. It goes in her vein.”
“What happened to her medicine? Did she forget it again?” Tavi’s voice is full of worry.
“It seems not to be working. Perhaps the changes she is experiencing and the pregnancy are nullifying it. This works for the few álfrám who have her condition. After observing her, I was able to make connections. Most who have this condition die as nanú in other races. Most believe they suffer possession or some mystic affliction. It is too late to help when someone with knowledge arrives.” He’s sad. The lack of postnatal care here lends to the high mortality rate of children here.
“It can be genetic, Kaenaék.” Amanda whispers. “Think about it. Everyone you treat currently, are they related?”
“They are. How? We never made that connection.”
“Maybe this is another reason we were brought here. There are many reasons, but if someone has it in their genes, we can help.”
“I believe you may be correct.” It sounds like he’s smiling. “I have a list of people who have lost nanú to the condition. I can make them aware of this link. If they bear another nanú, our people can watch for signs.”
“You need,” I cough, “proper care in every area.”
“Would you like to sit up?” Tavi asks.
“Please.” They help me up and make sure the light is dim. “Kaenaék, you need people to be trained like those from our world. Is it possible to use the medical books and information I brought to start a school?” He smiles brightly.
“I believe that would be a brilliant idea. Perhaps we can obtain instructors from your world when we discover how to safely portal between our worlds.”
“THEY WHAT!?!” Our door is open, and it sounds like David is going to lose it. “SHE’S A BABY! HOW…”
“Calm down! Do you want to scare her?” The voices become murmurs.
“You okay, baby girl?” I reach for Tira. She curls gently beside me.
“Yes Mama. I know he’s angry for me, not at me. It’s still scary.”
“Well, why don’t we switch things up. Do you remember the Lady Marlow? She came here with your Mommy and Daddy.” Tira’s looks at her carefully. It reminds me of a puppy trying to figure something out.
“I, I think, YES! She helped when Ben was born and watched me when Mommy and Daddy had to leave.”
“I am so happy you remember me, princess.”
“The nice lady says you're my medicine lady.”
“She is correct. Did she tell you I need to check your back?”
“She did. Mama Cara’s too.” Tira turns around and pulls a throw blanket to her chest. “Like this?”
“Yes princess.” Lady Marlow bares Tira’s back and traces her fingers over it while mumbling. After twenty minutes, she sighs exasperated. “As I feared. The protections have worn off. There’s no slowing or stopping what will happen. By her 10th year, she will be exposed.” Lady Marlow redresses Tira. “Your Majesty, I must see your back next.”
Following Tira’s example, I expose my back and cover my front. She spends longer checking my back. I feel her trace the freckles on my back. They start at my right shoulder and wrap to my opposite hip. Playing dot-to-dot, they make a dragon, according to Amanda, at least. She has one, too, but it’s an eastern dragon. Mine is a western.
She starts touching the itchy spot between my shoulder blades. It’s been a little uncomfortable lately. She starts doing something, and the uncomfortable feeling goes away. I’m getting tired. Very tired.
“Rest now, both of you. I am happy to see she will be well protected.” She whispers and helps us lay down gently. “Examinations and healing are tiring. They need rest for the day. Where is this cui?”
“In the nursery.” Tavi points to the sweet little room. Nimuë loves the Lilly pad-looking bed they arranged for her.
“I will check her and her nanú. I hear they are all spoken for?”
“Yes, Auntie Lady Marlow.” Tira yawns. “You can have one from my pup. They’ll be special and y…” her words mumble off, and her breathing evens as she falls into a deep sleep.
“You have a hard road ahead of you, little one. Listen well to your mother. She’s a nice lady and will teach you well.” Lady Marlow brushes the hair from her sleeping forehead. “Your Majesty…”
“Please, call me Cara.”
“Cara, you too have a long road ahead of you. Your family is meant to protect her. You will know soon in what way. Our worlds need each other and your family. Seed what is needed and be the light. Rest now.” I nod and allow sleep to take me. I’m so freaking tired!
~Amanda~
“How are they, Lady Marlow?” I ask.
“They are changing. Your world holds many secrets, it seems. I would like to examine you and yours.”
“Please do. How is Nimuë?”
“She will be fine and birth in the next three days. Show me your room. You will be tired after.” We go to my room. I glance towards David. His hair is disheveled from pulling at it. It looks like he’s cried. He looks up at me.
“Amanda, is she… are they?”
“They will be okay. Cara still needs a lot of healing, and her epilepsy seems to be responding to Kaenaék’s medications.”
“Epilepsy? But she’s…”
“She’s human. Most people here die young because they don’t know what it is. Kaenaék figured out symptoms and a treatment, but didn’t know all we know. We’re going to work with him on setting up a medical school and share our knowledge. We need to bring balance. Faemála holds the secrets.”
“Woah! You mean the hot Sleeping Beauty elf chick?” I giggle.
“Talk to Lía. She may be a kid, but she knows more than most adults.”
“What’s up with her coloring? Not trying to be rude, but in all my years here, I’ve never seen a reveníre like her.”
“She can tell you. I have a doctor’s appointment. It's kind of my first prenatal.” He looks at my belly, and his eyes bulge.
“Holy… what’s with everyone being knocked up?” I laugh.
“This isn’t normal?”
“No. I’ve only seen a handful of pregnant women, and very few of their babies have survived. I try to stay to myself.”
“He is correct. Even my fertility is considered high. Being pregnant this late in life is unheard of.” Fíor gently rubs her belly.
“You Too!?” She nods and smiles at him.
“I think we had a little something to do with that.” I laugh.
“That is true.” She giggles.
“Wait, what did I miss?”
“Go ahead, Mama Fíor. Story time.” I wink and head to my room.
“Do I wish to know what that was, my lady?”
“I may have been with the satyr Peter and his mate Tiníléí while we were camped in Gurík Kímare.” I grin slyly and rub my baby bump.
“That explains much! The feeling is off.” Lady Marlow waves at my belly.
“It’s going to be different than any you’ve known.”
She has me strip down to shorts and a bra before laying down on the bed. There’s a warm pressure flowing over and through me as her hands move across my body. She gets to my belly and freezes.
“Come, sit up.” I do as instructed. She examines my back like she did Tira and Cara’s. “Okay, lay back down.” She examines my legs and feet last. “Time to heal. You’re itching in a few places. You are changing, but not like Cara. The child will be born very soon. The nagāní you mated with is influencing this. Your body couldn’t handle a full mixed race pregnancy. She will keep growing safely, but he must care for her.”
“Wait, are you saying he is going to take over the pregnancy, she’s going to be an egg, or something else?”
“His race is unique. You will carry as long as their females. Their males have a pouch to carry for the remainder of gestation. They can carry other’s nanú if they are abandoned or something happens to the parents. Yes, there is an egg. It is leathery, not firm like the taníyn.”
“Oh.” I rub my belly. I don’t have much longer with her.
“After you birth her egg, they may need to hide. I am not even sure Isilmëmírë can hide her. I will add as many protections as possible, but she will need as much protection as Tira eventually. It is easiest to kill her before her hatching.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“Because, like Lía, I can see things. They will be safe where you all go, but you MUST COME BACK.
A life for a life,
A trade to be made.
To protect the young one,
The mother takes sons.
World for world trades made.
When I was checking her, I saw what must be done. I can’t tell, only give that clue.”
“You’re as bad as those En’rux’kulu.” I say without humor. She giggles and agrees. I grab a pen and paper, quickly scribbling down what she told me. She’s soon working on protecting my little girl and stopping the irritating itch behind my ears, and pretty much all over.
After she leaves, I start silently crying. I don’t want to leave my baby. My others are safe on Earth with Mum, away from all of this. Will I ever see any of my babies again? Will they ever meet?
I feel my mattress dip on both sides and feel arms and a tail wrap around me. I snuggle into Peter’s chest and hold onto Tiníléí’s arm. They snuggle me and quietly wipe my tears. I tell them what she said. They hug me closer and whisper comforting words as I cry myself to sleep. I want my babies.
~David~
My world has flipped upside-down. This shịt is real, and I’ve been a complete douche. I still wasn’t convinced until Cara had a seizure. There’s no simulating that. I went to school with a kid who had it. I know what they look like.
He told me that he was often trapped in his own mind, hearing and feeling what was going on. He just couldn’t respond or react the way he wanted. It’s a horrible condition.
His parents tried hiding it and never told the school. They were ashamed. He nearly died in 6th grade because of it. Thankfully, he told me, and the teacher went from yelling at him for acting up to calling 9-1-1 and helping make him safe. They tried to sue the school, but it came back on them. They were arrested for neglect.
The reveníre Queen Mother and their friends fill me in on the different things they’ve all been through. Cara fell through a portal like me, but Amanda came through the spirit world accidentally. I wonder if we could use Amanda’s path again?
The kids in this group are pretty badaṣs! I feel like a slacker. I mean, my mage skills are nothing to sneeze at, but still. The forest trolls have a weird aura. They don’t seem like normal forest trolls, and they keep teleporting to prank people. They’re pretty funny.
We eat and relax throughout the day, just getting to know each other. Lía shows me some of the latest tech from Earth. A lot has happened in 15 years. She loads anime on a projector, and I feel like a kid again! My favorite manga became shows.
I pull my slimes and let everyone check them out. Lía copies my research journal with this awesome quill possession skill. Two lizard creatures called pädda and four of this world’s tigers wander around. Fíor contracts with one and says her son and daughter-in-law should contract the other two. Râs races can contract cat-types easier.
When I hear Tira contracted both pädda, I nearly flipped! I knew she was strong, but being able to tame these in her condition… simply amazing! After six months of being here, I noticed my body changing. I thought it was part of the game.
“Kaenaék, Ana, Lady Marlow, I think I should tell you something.” We all sit. A few others filter in. “First, I owe you all an apology. I owe the people of this world an apology. I thought I was in a coma or pulled into a game. If Cara and Amanda haven’t shown you what those are yet, I will ask them to later.
“Most of you have seen our anime and hopefully can understand from that. I honestly thought you were all just programs. Mindless drones, programmed to say and do things a certain way in response to me. I’ve been a complete… I’m afraid I don’t know the curse words here for what I’ve been.”
“We understand and forgive you. You were only a tékeredi when you arrived. No one tried to help you. There are a few otherworlders who could have helped you. No one tried. We failed you.” Fíor hugs me. I try not to cry. Her hugs are like Mom’s.
“I appreciate you all. Truly.” I take a deep breath. “Six months my time after coming here, I noticed big changes. Looking back, I noticed it started as itching and irritation. Within days, I realized I could perform spells. The longer I lived here, the stronger it got.
“Then, at the six month mark, I shifted. I became a creature my world calls a lycan. I thought… I thought I was going crazy or I would hurt someone. I cast spells to quarantine myself and scare most visitors away. Not many came anyway.
“The ones who did stuck to a script and only showed up only when they needed something, like a quest. I asked for rare books, seeds, and other things to help me learn as payment. A few did quests for me, and I would give them potions, amulets, armor, or whatever I experimented making. I never gave away anything that is too strong or dangerous, and I always gave them three choices.
“Still, I became a lycan. I can control it now, and I never hurt anyone. I think the ladies are going through something similar. How long have they been here?”
“Cara said she has been here almost 64 days. Amanda showed up on the 19th last month.” Lía says.
“That puts her at around 21 Earth days. Six months our time is 182 days, which is around 145 days your time. Oh yeah, my math skills have increased. I can mentally do math quickly. I sucked at it in school!” I laugh. Thankfully, everyone is laughing with me.
“They seem to be changing faster. Maybe due to pregnancy or the baths?” Lady Marlow wonders out loud.
“What baths?” This sounds interesting.
“Faemála sends Isilmëmírë water to heal and bathe Cara in and have us drink.”
“Woah, woah, woah, woah! You mean the goddess sends holy water from her realm HERE and has her drinking AND bathing in it?”
“She does. Why?” Ana asks.
“May I analyze some? It might be healing them on a molecular level.”
“Molecular?” Ana asks.
“The tiny parts in our bodies. Her blood will tell.”
“Amanda is a blood doctor!” Lía bounces. “You should talk to her. She can help.”
“I look forward to it, Lereía Lía.” She smiles shyly. So cute!
We relax the rest of the day. I have the urge to cook, and I want to make something special for everyone. I get my hands on ingredients in the kitchen and whip up funnel cakes and elephant ears. This planet has similar ingredients.
The ladies will be awake soon. Lía is gathering their company for me. Many are pregnant. Pregnant women love funnel cakes and elephant ears. Ooh, I should make some monkey bread too!
I decide to make carnival and Menno-Hoff style foods for dinner. Of course, there will be salads and healthy foods, but I’d like to give everyone a treat. They broke me out of my misery and the lie I was living. It’s a small thing, but I hope it makes them feel better.
I’ll make enough for everyone. They should be here soon.