As soon as he found Morga, Haban threw the sorcerer over one shoulder and tore off again at incredible speed, without even pausing for an explanation. Even though he was being abducted in the middle of the night, Morga offered no resistance. The expression on Haban's face was explanation enough.
In the moonlit villa in the peach orchard, everyone was still sleeping. Haban darted up the stairs and through the corridors to drop Morga off in front of the door. And then he stopped, gripping the doorknob.
Haban was afraid.
Slowly, he opened the door, revealing a room dimly lit by moonlight and oil lamps. All was silent, and Leah lay in the center of the stifling space. Her face was pale and it looked as if she wasn't even breathing, her body lying as still as a doll's. Ishakan sat beside her, gripping her hands as if he feared she would leave him if he let go.
Slowly, he turned his eyes toward Morga. The bright gold had dimmed.
"She...has bled..." The king said brokenly.
Morga's heart skipped a beat. Walking over to the bed, he bent to examine Leah. She had a pulse, though it was weak.
But there was something strange. Morga took out a potion and drank it down, then performed a simple spell to heighten his senses. His eyes flickered as he continued his examination.
He wasn't sure how he should explain. It was going to be a difficult conversation.
"She seems to have bled due to an abortifacient," he began. Haban's, Genin's and Mura's eyes grew wide.
"In, in that case...she was pregnant..." Mura began desperately.
Silently, Morga nodded, and all the Kurkans froze.
"Fortunately, Leah and the baby are safe," he added immediately.
No one rejoiced. Only heavy silence followed until Mura turned away, covering her mouth with her hand, and Haban held as she cried, closing his eyes. Genin only nodded.
"It is a miracle," Morga concluded. The abortifacient would have been fatal to any normal baby, even a Kurkan baby. Only Ishakan's baby could have survived. "But we can't hope for more miracles. We have to do something else now."
Leah was in serious condition. She had not been sleeping or eating well, and she had been ingesting that abortifacient for who knew how long. It was incredible that her body had endured for so long. She must have survived from sheer will.
"It seems that she has been fighting hard," Morga went on. "She probably doesn't realize it, but maybe she has been instinctively trying to protect her baby. I think..." Morga tried to speak calmly. "I think it would be best to keep it a secret from her."
She didn't remember anything from the past. Sudden news that she was pregnant would be a terrible shock, and she was already so weak. It would risk her body and the baby in her womb. It was even possible that Leah, who was still wrapped in so many spells, might tell Cerdina about her pregnancy.
In any case, the wedding was coming soon. They could keep the secret until then and tell her the truth once she had returned to the desert. Morga calculated the dates. Unlike the nine month gestation of human babies, Kurkan babies were born after eight months.
Fortunately, it seemed possible for this infant to reach the stabilization stage.
"I'll prepare an antidote first," Morga said. Ishakan did not reply. Morga hesitated, lips pursed, and then gestured to Mura. She took the hint.
"I will prepare other meals that the Queen can eat when she wakes up," she said quickly. "Light meals."
Gently, she tugged Haban's arm, and he nudged Genin.
"We'll leave...for the time being," she added, hesitating. Ishakan still had not replied. He just sat, gazing at Leah. Even after all the other Kurkans had closed the door and disappeared, he remained where he was with his eyes on his queen, unmoving.
***
Leah stood before a familiar immense iron door. The heavy chain and lock were still in place. The iron door was locked tight. How was she supposed to open it?
Even if she could find the key and open the lock, she didn't know how she could remove that chain, or how she could move that huge iron door. Her body was so frail, the task seemed impossible.
As she studied the door, she heard a voice from inside.
—You're doing fine, Leah.
Leah placed her hand on the door and felt a peculiar, cold sensation under the palm of her hand. Was she really doing fine? Could she do this?
—You can do it.
The answer was full of conviction. Leah blinked. Even though the voice was hers, it felt completely different, somehow. It felt as bright as the sun.
Why did their voices sound so different? That other voice laughed softly, as if it had heard her thoughts.
—I understand. You always have doubts. You question everything.
When she heard those words, a person appeared in her mind's eye. As soon as Leah pictured him, the Leah beyond the door spoke immediately.
—That man is right. That man is...
But her voice faded away. The iron door suddenly disappeared, and the empty black space transformed into a vast desert.
The golden sand stretched out like the sea. Leah looked around, amazed. She had never been in a place like this before. She had not expected to see the desert in her dreams.
Disbelieving, she began to walk, the soft sand tickling her bare feet. After walking for a little while, she saw a small pool of blood, and in the center of the pool was a little baby wolf.
Leah rushed over to it. It was covered in blood and in terrible condition, with so many wounds and scars. Its little mouth was badly hurt. Its teeth were broken as if it had bitten something hard, and its claws were worn down and bleeding.
But it was alive.
There was a faint noise of its breathing, and its heart beat steadily. Leah cradled the baby wolf in her arms and felt the urge to cry.
"I'm so sorry," she whispered. The strange words escaped her without understanding where they came from. "I should have protected you...but I didn't do enough...."
The little wolf shuddered at her words and opened its eyes, whimpering.
The wolf cub's eyes were bright gold.
Leah jerked in surprise. Those golden eyes were like the soul of the sun and sand, and they looked like the eyes of a man. The moment her fingers gently traced beneath those eyes, she heard a scraping, metallic noise.
......!
Her eyes widened. Black chains were converging on her from all sides, crawling over the sand like snakes. Goosebumps rose on her arms and her breath stopped. It was terrifying, but she knew instinctively that she had to hide the baby wolf. If they stayed together, they would both end up in chains.
Standing, she looked around, but there was nothing but sand. Nowhere to hide the baby wolf, and it was so badly hurt already. It might die if it was harmed again.
At that thought, her fear disappeared, and she steeled herself.
Lifting the wolf cub over her head, she watched the chains approach. When they reached her feet, she couldn't help screaming, high and blood chilling.
"No! No!!!"
She kicked at the chains with all her might as they tried to attach themselves to her body.
"Don't touch it!"
The hard iron closed around her body, tearing her soft skin. Her blood flowed like water, but she didn't even feel the pain. All she could think was that somehow she had to protect the baby wolf.
But she wasn't strong enough. For all her desperate efforts, the chains wrapped around her body.
The wolf cub howled, its golden eyes glowing with ferocity. Wiggling free, it slipped from her hands and attacked the chains. With its broken teeth, it bit them, savaging with its worn claws.
The chains drew back, recoiling at the little wolf's fury. The wolf snarled menacingly as the chains slowly retreated.
"Stop!" Leah's voice trembled. "You are badly hurt..."
Blood was already flowing from fresh wounds and torn scans. Ripping pieces of cloth from her clothing, Leah bent to bandage the wolf cub's wounds. And as the rough bandages quickly reddened with blood, she finally began to cry. Then she heard a new voice.
"It's all right." The little wolf stared up at her with its golden eyes. "I will protect you."
Leah woke up.